[QUOTE=Doctor Know;4540269]What are some of Lex Luthor's best kill Superman schemes?
I'm putting together a list and I would love to hear other people's opinions. From any media would be welcome.[/QUOTE]
There was a short story in an Action Comics Annual during the post Infinite Crisis era that Johns did in which he had Luthor recount the various ways he could kill Superman. It was very good with some awesome Arthur Adams art. I would check it out.
[QUOTE=Bored at 3:00AM;4540426]There was a short story in an Action Comics Annual during the post Infinite Crisis era that Johns did in which he had Luthor recount the various ways he could kill Superman. It was very good with some awesome Arthur Adams art. I would check it out.[/QUOTE]
Very swaggy. I'll go looking for it when I get home.
Found it. Action Comics Annual #10 2007
Does Lex have a definitive origin story?
If he doesn't, Which is the best origin for him in your opinion?
I like the idea that he is a self-made billionaire. He's just that smart. I also like the stories of how much he hated his father. Thoughts?
[QUOTE=stargazer01;4553183]Does Lex have a definitive origin story?
If he doesn't, Which is the best origin for him in your opinion?
I like the idea that he is a self-made billionaire. He's just that smart. I also like the stories of how much he hated his father. Thoughts?[/QUOTE]
Currently, his origin is a mish-mash of various continuities. There's elements of Man of Steel, Birthright, and Secret Origins in there, along with Snyder's newest additions that allow the Lionel Luthor from the Smallville TV show to co-exist with the poor version from the Suicide Slums Byrne introduced and Johns swapped into Smallville for his origin story. And there's also Matt Fraction's new ideas of a centuries old rivalry between Jimmy Olsen & Lex Luthor's families.
As a result, everyone gets to have their cake and eat it, too.
Luthor's ancestor was Luthais Alexander, whose wealthy family helped turn New Oberstad into Metropolis centuries ago. At some point, that family line led to Lionel Luthor, who was a brilliant and ambitious scientist/adventurer investigating the Totality. However, this resulted in Lionel essentially being psychically lobotomized into the drunken loser from Post-Crisis and Secret Origins. His son, Lex, also had his memories wiped, but retained his intellect and his intense curiosity with extraterrestrial life, no doubt because of his friendship with the time-lost Martian child named J'Onn J'Onzz, who his father was experimenting upon.
From there, my guess is that Lex's origin continues as we saw in a mix of Birthright and Secret Origins, during which Lex investigated the strange green meteorites around Smallville, had some kind of love/hate relationship with a boy named Clark Kent, and orchestrated his own father's death. Leaving Smallville, he used the insurance money to move to Metropolis and fund the projects that would eventually lead to LexCorp. There, Lex's newfound wealth and influence allowed him to establish himself as Metropolis's favorite son, no doubt using his ancestry as the descendant of one of the city's founding dynasties to further bolster his bonafides.
Then Superman arrived in Metropolis and the rest is history...
[QUOTE=Bored at 3:00AM;4553313]Currently, his origin is a mish-mash of various continuities. There's elements of Man of Steel, Birthright, and Secret Origins in there, along with Snyder's newest additions that allow the Lionel Luthor from the Smallville TV show to co-exist with the poor version from the Suicide Slums Byrne introduced and Johns swapped into Smallville for his origin story. And there's also Matt Fraction's new ideas of a centuries old rivalry between Jimmy Olsen & Lex Luthor's families.
As a result, everyone gets to have their cake and eat it, too.
Luthor's ancestor was Luthais Alexander, whose wealthy family helped turn New Oberstad into Metropolis centuries ago. At some point, that family line led to Lionel Luthor, who was a brilliant and ambitious scientist/adventurer investigating the Totality. However, this resulted in Lionel essentially being psychically lobotomized into the drunken loser from Post-Crisis and Secret Origins. His son, Lex, also had his memories wiped, but retained his intellect and his intense curiosity with extraterrestrial life, no doubt because of his friendship with the time-lost Martian child named J'Onn J'Onzz, who his father was experimenting upon.
From there, my guess is that Lex's origin continues as we saw in a mix of Birthright and Secret Origins, during which Lex investigated the strange green meteorites around Smallville, had some kind of love/hate relationship with a boy named Clark Kent, and orchestrated his own father's death. Leaving Smallville, he used the insurance money to move to Metropolis and fund the projects that would eventually lead to LexCorp. There, Lex's newfound wealth and influence allowed him to establish himself as Metropolis's favorite son, no doubt using his ancestry as the descendant of one of the city's founding dynasties to further bolster his bonafides.
Then Superman arrived in Metropolis and the rest is history...[/QUOTE]
Basically this- It seems Lex is a Weird Mesh of Smallville, Man of Steel, Birthright and Secret Origin
Thank you, Bored. Some of that sounds really good, especially Lex family history in Metropolis.
I'm not sure I like Lex to also be from Smallville and know young Clark. Kind of makes the world smaller.
[QUOTE=stargazer01;4554561]Thank you, Bored. Some of that sounds really good, especially Lex family history in Metropolis.
I'm not sure I like Lex to also be from Smallville and know young Clark. Kind of makes the world smaller.[/QUOTE]
I think the only reason to have Lex in Smallville is if he had some sort of failed friendship with young Clark, so there's an element of pathos and loss to their current animosity. Johns's inclusion of Lex in Secret Identity made absolutely no sense to me, because he established Lex as a rotten egg from the very start who had no interest whatsoever in any kind of friendship with Clark. If that's the case, then why put Lex in Smallville at all? If Lex is going to be a little $#!* all along, keep him as a poor kid from the Suicide Slums, who crawled his up to the top of Metropolis through his own intellect, ambition and ruthlessness.
[QUOTE=Bored at 3:00AM;4555077]I think the only reason to have Lex in Smallville is if he had some sort of failed friendship with young Clark, so there's an element of pathos and loss to their current animosity. Johns's inclusion of Lex in Secret Identity made absolutely no sense to me, because he established Lex as a rotten egg from the very start who had no interest whatsoever in any kind of friendship with Clark. If that's the case, then why put Lex in Smallville at all? If Lex is going to be a little $#!* all along, keep him as a poor kid from the Suicide Slums, who crawled his up to the top of Metropolis through his own intellect, ambition and ruthlessness.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. I think I prefer a Lex who wasn't always bad, but life and circumstances turned him very bitter and he lost his empathy for others. He realized only power, knowledge and $ made sense. So when he finally meets Superman, he can't accept someone that powerful can be truly good. I really like Lex because he has so much pathos. I wonder if he is capable of feeling love again for someone.
[QUOTE=stargazer01;4557526]Yeah. I think I prefer a Lex who wasn't always bad, but life and circumstances turned him very bitter and he lost his empathy for others. He realized only power, knowledge and $ made sense. So when he finally meets Superman, he can't accept someone that powerful can be truly good. I really like Lex because he has so much pathos. I wonder if he is capable of feeling love again for someone.[/QUOTE]
I really liked his relationship in Azzarello’s Luthor mini with the synth Hope. To me Lex can only really love someone else if he has total control over them. He’s too much of an egomaniac and control freak to treat someone as an equal partner.
[QUOTE=Vordan;4557585]I really liked his relationship in Azzarello’s Luthor mini with the synth Hope. To me Lex can only really love someone else if he has total control over them. He’s too much of an egomaniac and control freak to treat someone as an equal partner.[/QUOTE]
then is that real love?
2020 should be celebrated as Lex Luthor's 80th anniversary year. At a minimum, I want the following:
1. Action Comics #1023 as the actual landmark issue, done similarly to AC1K, just with the emphasis completely on Lex through various all-new short stories by different teams.
2. 80 Years of Lex Luthor hardcover. Same format as the 80 Years of Superman hardcover.
3. Lex Luthor #1 (of 12) in- continuity maxi-series. But who would be the best creative team for this?
[QUOTE=stargazer01;4558000]then is that real love?[/QUOTE]
Not in my opinion. It’s kind of an abusive relationship even though Lex doesn’t beat his partners (although he certainly wouldn’t have a problem killing them if he had to).
[QUOTE=daBronzeBomma;4558226]2020 should be celebrated as Lex Luthor's 80th anniversary year. At a minimum, I want the following:
1. Action Comics #1023 as the actual landmark issue, done similarly to AC1K, just with the emphasis completely on Lex through various all-new short stories by different teams.
2. 80 Years of Lex Luthor hardcover. Same format as the 80 Years of Superman hardcover.
3. Lex Luthor #1 (of 12) in- continuity maxi-series. But who would be the best creative team for this?[/QUOTE]
If we were to get that maxi-series I would want either Paul Cornell or Jeff Loveness to write it. Cornell because he wrote that fantastic Black Ring arc in Action that starred Lex, Loveness because he wants to write Superman, I’ve liked how he’s written Clark and Lois so I want to see how he does with arguably the third most important Super-character.
I'm curious add to how Lex gets reset after this whole "Year of the Villain" / Perpetua storyline gets resolved. He can't stay a Martian-human hybrid as the status quo indefinitely, right?
I think Bendis is holding off on directly focusing on writing Lex until next year anyway ...
Lex Luthor: Year of The Villain #1 Preview
[URL="https://www.newsarama.com/46953-apex-lex-recruits-lexes-across-the-multiverse-in-lex-luthor-year-of-the-villain-1-preview.html#s7"]https://www.newsarama.com/46953-apex-lex-recruits-lexes-across-the-multiverse-in-lex-luthor-year-of-the-villain-1-preview.html#s7[/URL]
Interestingly there's a Silver Age Superboy inspired past on Earth 38 and a cameo of Superdoom from Morrison's Action Comics run on Earth 45 as well as following up on what happened to that Earth in this preview.
[IMG]https://i2.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/09/LEXYOTV_Cv1.jpg?resize=791%2C1200&ssl=1[/IMG]
LEX LUTHOR: YEAR OF THE VILLAIN #1 is a fantastic read. It also cinches two things for me.
A. Lex can and should totally have his own maxi-series next year in honor of HIS 80th birthday
B. The most worthy interpretation of Lex Luthor falls squarely between Victor von Doom (Marvel comics) and Rick Sanchez (RICK AND MORTY cartoon).
Hopping between universes should be just another Tuesday to Lex.
Highly recommended for any Luthor fan.