Who is Lex Luthor's mother?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Now that Lionel Luthor has been firmly re-established as a cool character again in the comics, what about Lex Luthor's mom? What's the story on her? I know they've got Livia? Luthor over in Supergirl, but she just feels like warmed-over Lionel Luthor leftovers to me.

Is she dead in the comics? I know she was meant to be a former socialite in the Post-Infinite Crisis confusion.

[Frontier]

Now that Lionel Luthor has been firmly re-established as a cool character again in the comics, what about Lex Luthor's mom? What's the story on her? I know they've got Livia? Luthor over in Supergirl, but she just feels like warmed-over Lionel Luthor leftovers to me.

Is she dead in the comics? I know she was meant to be a former socialite in the Post-Infinite Crisis confusion.

You mean Lillian Luthor? She's basically Lionel if he got to be a more overt Supervillain on Smallville.

She even piloted her own version of Lex's Warsuit .

[Vordan]

Pretty sure she’s dead. She’s pretty much irrelevant otherwise which is a shame.

[Jon Clark]

Pretty sure she’s dead. She’s pretty much irrelevant otherwise which is a shame.

Actually it's not. I prefer the Pre-Crisis Thoruls who changed to that name to disassociate themselves from their son Lex and his whole supervillain rep. A family of villains should be the cool exception to the rule and not just a way to increase your rogue's gallery. No Lenny Luthor, Nasthalia, or even a villainous Lena need be used/created.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I also like a more benevolent Lena Luthor. Having them all be villains is kinda boring.

Lionel Luthor is different enough from Lex is style and ambitions that it works, but I don't really want Lillian and Lena to be Lex with boobs.

[manofsteel1979]

I liked how Smallville did the Luthors. On that show Lillian was a tragic figure with implied mental issues and Lionel being a grade A douche for most of Lex's life both contributed to Lex becoming who he becomes. I don't need the whole family to be supervillains.

[Denirac]

I liked how Smallville did the Luthors. On that show Lillian was a tragic figure with implied mental issues and Lionel being a grade A douche for most of Lex's life both contributed to Lex becoming who he becomes. I don't need the whole family to be supervillains.

Exactly, even the current Lionel that Snyder added Smallville-esque elements to isnt what I'd call a Supervillain, despite working for Vandal Savage at one time, I'd still just call him a Grade A Douche

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Exactly, ven the current Lionel that Snyder added Smallville-esque elements to isnt what I'd call a Supervillain, despite working for Vandal Savage at one time, I'd still just call him a Grade A Douche

Lionel is supervillain-adjacent

[Vordan]

Actually it's not. I prefer the Pre-Crisis Thoruls who changed to that name to disassociate themselves from their son Lex and his whole supervillain rep. A family of villains should be the cool exception to the rule and not just a way to increase your rogue's gallery. No Lenny Luthor, Nasthalia, or even a villainous Lena need be used/created.

Oh I’m not talking about having her be a villain. It’s a shame that she has zero impact on Lex’s life and is not featured at all. Someone else who shares this characterization is Lara. Outside of New 52, Lara exists to wring her hands and cry. She has no real personality of her own and Kal inherits nothing from her. It’s a shame that Rebirth reverted Lara to the hysterical housewife because I liked New 52 Lara being a cop. Showed where Supes got his fighting nature from.

[stargazer01]

Oh I’m not talking about having her be a villain. It’s a shame that she has zero impact on Lex’s life and is not featured at all. Someone else who shares this characterization is Lara. Outside of New 52, Lara exists to wring her hands and cry. She has no real personality of her own and Kal inherits nothing from her. It’s a shame that Rebirth reverted Lara to the hysterical housewife because I liked New 52 Lara being a cop. Showed where Supes got his fighting nature from.

Lara as a cop sounds great. I liked that she was also a scientist in Man of Steel. She had more personality and agency and was more hands of.

Also Lex' mom as a tragic figure with a mental problem has potential. Maybe she was an understood genius with big emotional problems due to the way she was raised (abused) and then also more abuse by her own husband. Lex inherits her genius side and emotional instability.

[Adekis]

I've never liked the idea that Luthor's parents were anyone special. I think Jules Luthor, the ordinary schlub from pre-Crisis who kicked his malign hypercognitive son out the door, is a lot better as a concept than Lionel Luthor from Smallville, who basically existed so they could have more than one Lex in the show at once, one young and extremely sympathetic, the other old and extremely "love to hate". I basically think that's how all the Luthors in Supergirl as well. Er, no, not that the concept of Jules is better than the concept of Lionel in a vacuum. Lionel clearly has more steam in his conceptual engine. No, I mean that the concept of Jules is better for Lex as a character, because it means he stands more on his own two feet. Or better, the unnamed Luthors from post-Crisis, whom it's ambiguous whether or not Lex murdered.

I feel the same way about the pre-Crisis Arlene Luthor as opposed to Lillian. There's not as much to do with her, but why do you need more than one Lex in the first place? I'd rather just use her as a minor part of Lex's backstory that he doesn't talk about much because there isn't much to say.

As far as like, Lena goes, I'm definitely a little more sympathetic? I feel various versions of Lex's sister Lena have distinguished themselves... none of whom are really compatible with each other. Maybe there'd be a way to bring Tess Mercer into the comics without incorporating her Luthor heritage, and then obviously neither pre-Crisis or post-Flashpoint Lena actually needs the Luthors to be a rich or powerful family in order to make sense as a character.

I do wonder about Lex's mother in Batman v. Superman though. A story in which both Clark and Bruce's mothers are of paramount importance, and both their and Lex's fathers are incredibly formative for them, Lex just doesn't seem to have a mother, or at least to have anything to say about her compared to his clearly brutish, abusive father. I definitely feel like that was intentional.

[Osiris-Rex]

Now that Lionel Luthor has been firmly re-established as a cool character again in the comics, what about Lex Luthor's mom? What's the story on her? I know they've got Livia? Luthor over in Supergirl, but she just feels like warmed-over Lionel Luthor leftovers to me.

Is she dead in the comics? I know she was meant to be a former socialite in the Post-Infinite Crisis confusion.

Having watched all of Smallville and all of Supergirl I don't see any resemblance between Lionel Luthor of Smallville and Lillian Luthor of Supergirl. Lillian is an entirely different character with different goals and motivation and personality.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Having watched all of Smallville and all of Supergirl I don't see any resemblance between Lionel Luthor of Smallville and Lillian Luthor of Supergirl. Lillian is an entirely different character with different goals and motivation and personality.

Fair enough. I think there are certainly differences in the characters. Lillian in Supergirl is very much a xenophobic villain, whereas Lionel in Smallville was extremely open to alien cultures. However, I think they are both cut from the same domineering parent wanting to shape their offspring mold.

[manofsteel1979]

Fair enough. I think there are certainly differences in the characters. Lillian in Supergirl is very much a xenophobic villain, whereas Lionel in Smallville was extremely open to alien cultures. However, I think they are both cut from the same domineering parent wanting to shape their offspring mold.

And also on Supergirl,Lillian heavily favored Lex over Lena. From the dialogue there's a very creepy opidial vibe going on there and her hatred for aliens is tied to how Superman " betrayed" her precious Lex. Interestingly it's actually implied Lionel was a good man, even If he wasn't faithful to Lillian.. Lillian however treats Lena the same way Smallville Lionel treats Lex.