The Greatest Criminal Mind Of Our Time: an all-encompassing LEX LUTHOR discussion

[daBronzeBomma]

LEX LUTHOR may be starring in another DCCU movie!

Hold on.

The new Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) AND the new Joker (Jared Leto?) are going to star in a DCCU movie together ... and it's not the BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE movie ... but the new SUICIDE SQUAD movie???

Come. On.

The first time Superman and Batman meet onscreen, the villains should Lex Luthor and the Joker. That's the foursome you want. And more to the point, WHY are Luthor AND Joker involved with the Suicide Squad in the first place? Neither were ever members (Amanda Waller would be beyond stupid to trust those two), so why is the greatest villanous duo in history not being featured in the bigger DCCU tentpole flick (BVSOJ)?

Dammit, now that I know Joker is on table, I want these two as the villians for DOJ:

[daBronzeBomma]

Reviving this thread to ask a question.

Has anyone bought and/or read this (and if so, what did you think?):



From the Inside Flap:
LEX LUTHOR: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS

("Europe At War, Part 2")
ACTION COMICS #23 (1940)

("The Challenge of Luthor")
SUPERMAN #4 (1940)

"When Titans Clash"
SUPERMAN #17 (1942)

"Superman's Super Hold-Up"
WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #59 (1952)

"Superman and Batman's Greatest Foes"
WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #88 (1957)

"How Luthor Met Superboy!"
ADVENTURE COMICS #271 (1960)

"The Conquest of Superman"
ACTION COMICS #277 (1961)

"The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman!"
SUPERMAN #164 (1963)

"The Man Who Murdered The Earth!"
SUPERMAN #248 (1972)

"Luthor Unleashed!"
ACTION COMICS #544 (1983)

"The Einstein Connection"
SUPERMAN #416 (1986)

"The Secret Revealed"
SUPERMAN #2 (1987)

"Metropolis - 900 Miles"
SUPERMAN #9 (1987)

"Talking Heads"
ACTION COMICS #678 (1992)

"Hostile Takeover"
JLA #11 (1997)

"The Why"
PRESIDENT LUTHOR: SECRET FILES & ORIGINS #1 (2001)

"Lex Luthor: Man of Steel Part 3"
LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL #3 (2005)

"The Gospel According to Lex Luthor"
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #5 (2006)

"The Black Ring Part 5"
ACTION COMICS #894 (2010)

"Power Players"
JUSTICE LEAGUE #31 (2014)


From the Back Cover:
For 75 years, super-villain Lex Luthor has dedicated his life to ridding Earth of the menace that is Superman. Though just an ordinary man, Luthor's superior intelligence and cunning are enough to make him the ultimate match for the Man of Steel.

From mad scientist to corrupt business tycoon to President of the United States, Superman's greatest nemesis has been reinvented time and again, as for three-quarters of a century the two rivals have continued their ultimate matchup of brains versus brawn!

LEX LUTHOR: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS collects 20 of Superman's foe's greatest schemes, from comics legends Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bill Finger, Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, Len Wein, John Byrne, Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and more.

[manofsteel1979]

I saw it mentioned in another thread there was no Lex Luthor Appreciation thread...and I was shocked to realize there wasn't! So let's rectify that here and now.

Lex is by far my favorite Superman foe and is IMO,the greatest villain in Superhero comics. There have been so many permutations in different media over the decades and we all have our favourite versions and moments and stories featuring Lex.So let's celebrate the life and career of the greatest criminal mind of our ( or any) time! The one and only Alexander Joseph Luthor...a.k.a. Lex Luthor!

EDIT: my apologies for forgetting this thread... apparently there WAS a Luthor thread already....

[adrikito]

Is increible not see this Topic previosly.. I liked even the pre-crisis Lex in batman brave and bold:



Triumvirate of Terror! JL vs Legion of Doom, the villains changing his enemies.. was a great episode.. or Batman/Superman Publics Enemies.. Lex armor and fight is great.

Screen Shot 062.jpg

A less saint Superman ruining Luthor trap:

Screen Shot 064.jpg

I liked FOREVER EVIL.. or see LEXSEID.. Is a good character..

I liked the business man of the modern age but... I should investigate about the pre-crisis luthor.. maybe I found something interesting..

[daBronzeBomma]

Lex Luthor is awesome.

Even this version



has grown on me upon repeat viewings.

[adrikito]

Yes, is a great character and... I LIKED HIS ARMORS, even the current armor with the SUPERMAN CAPE..

Lex Luthor was a good man in JL Crisis in 2 earths but... I liked..

lex_04.jpg

Even I liked his paper in Injustice, and his armor.. or in DC Universe Online.. GOOD OR BAD, IS A GOOD CHARACTER, no matter the version..

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I am curious what the general feeling is about Clark & Luthor being friends in Smallville is. Personally, I think it adds a nice extra layer of tragedy to their relationship, but I think it can work just as well without it.

[godisawesome]

I am curious what the general feeling is about Clark & Luthor being friends in Smallville is. Personally, I think it adds a nice extra layer of tragedy to their relationship, but I think it can work just as well without it.

I don't think it's needed! But I think it can really work if the writer utilizes it in present-set stories; AC #900 had that moment where Lex recognizes the dying Jonaton Kent and gets ticked that he now knows that Superman was also the kid of whom he was jealous of having a better father. It really worked to show how Lex could have grudges even he's not really aware of.

Plus, I'd love to see someone fully embrace the idea that Lex has a previous association with Clark that gets complicated. Imagine if Clark some times gets "favored" by Lex with an interview, or maybe because of their old friendship, Lex feels perfectly fine sharing his twisted sense of reality with the man who is, unknown to him, his object of obsessive rage. It could really play into Clark's reactions as well; because he knows that somethings wrong with Lex, he feels sympathy for him, but at the same time can see where Lex is willfully evil and spiteful. Plus, it adds in some more tension whenever Lex gets jealous of Clark having the better parents and for having won Lois's affections, but Lex may stop himself because his old closeness with Clark highlights how petty his reactions are in a way that his usual coldness and lack of connections with others doesn't. Lex can probably justify being jealous of Superman as being right, or of employees and other people being beneath him, but if he does give just a little bit of care to the way his old friend views him, he may be inclined to act "magnanimous" towards Clark just to demonstrate how he's the better man.

[daBronzeBomma]

I don't need Clark and Lex to have been friends (or even friendly acquaintances) in Smallville. The less Lex knew of Clark growing up, the less likely he would ever figure out The Secret (which absolutely, positively should never happen "for realsies" as it did in DAWN OF JUSTICE).

I do need adult Lex to treat Superman and Clark Kent completely differently. Lex should treat Superman with consistent open contempt and an irrational hatred born of pride and fueled by jealousy. That never changes.

But Lex should treat Clark with a weird sense of magnanimity. Lex should erroneously view Clark as an ideal example of all the Humans who would surely follow Lex's lead if only those treacherous super-heroes didn't exist. And Clark would tolerate it, if only to keep a better eye on what Lex was doing.

I was thinking, Lex should be one of those child prodigies who went to college at a very young age, like this kid is doing in real-life.

I could see a married Lionel Luthor siring Lex upon one of his many mistresses. Lionel dismisses the mistress, never believing she might get pregnant. Mistress gives birth in secret, dies shortly after due to complications of childbirth, Lex is then raised by abusive foster parents whom he later kills via car "accident"; as a 9-year-old genius he graduates from high school and gets a full ride to Harvard, where he gets his B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., J.D. and M.D. over the next 10 years.

Seriously, out of all the real-life American universities out there, Lex Luthor would definitely have attended Harvard University, right?

[llozymandias]

I don't need Clark and Lex to have been friends (or even friendly acquaintances) in Smallville. The less Lex knew of Clark growing up, the less likely he would ever figure out The Secret (which absolutely, positively should never happen "for realsies" as it did in DAWN OF JUSTICE).

I do need adult Lex to treat Superman and Clark Kent completely differently. Lex should treat Superman with consistent open contempt and an irrational hatred born of pride and fueled by jealousy. That never changes.

But Lex should treat Clark with a weird sense of magnanimity. Lex should erroneously view Clark as an ideal example of all the Humans who would surely follow Lex's lead if only those treacherous super-heroes didn't exist. And Clark would tolerate it, if only to keep a better eye on what Lex was doing.

I was thinking, Lex should be one of those child prodigies who went to college at a very young age, like this kid is doing in real-life.

I could see a married Lionel Luthor siring Lex upon one of his many mistresses. Lionel dismisses the mistress, never believing she might get pregnant. Mistress gives birth in secret, dies shortly after due to complications of childbirth, Lex is then raised by abusive foster parents whom he later kills via car "accident"; as a 9-year-old genius he graduates from high school and gets a full ride to Harvard, where he gets his B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., J.D. and M.D. over the next 10 years.

Seriously, out of all the real-life American universities out there, Lex Luthor would definitely have attended Harvard University, right?

How about this? Lionel sires Lex out-of-wedlock by a mistress, as you suggest. However the mistress doesn't die. Lex is Lionel's firstborn. Lex's mother decides that she doesn't want Lionel raising him. She never tells Lionel about his son. She gives Lex to a cousin to raise. That cousin is later determined to be an unfit parent. Lex gets placed in foster-care. He gets moved from one foster home to another several times. Each time he is moved, he is told (by his caseworker) that he was not wanted in the previous home. This of course makes him angry & bitter. All of the foster homes treated him good. He learns later that he was loved & wanted in all of those homes. Abusive foster parents are not needed here, as the foster-care system itself is a pretty evil system. His last foster family realizes that Lex is a super-genius. They tell the caseworker that Lex ran away. They then leave Metropolis, taking Lex with them. They teach Lex to always go after what he wants, & to be ruthless. Over the next few years he masters many if not all of the arts & sciences known to man. As well as many martial arts & languages. Also he accumulates a muti billion dollar war chest, as well as making his foster family into a billionaire family. When he returns to Metropolis, he forms Lexcorp, & becomes the biggest property owner in the city. He reconnects with his foster brothers & sisters, from his previous foster homes. He tracks down his mother. She finally tells him who his real father is. Lex confronts Lionel with proof positive that they are father & son. Lex forces Lionel to publically & legally acknowledge Lex as his son. Lionel has several children by his wife, & many many more by his other mistresses. Lex's mother also has several other children. Lex connects with all of his known half siblings. Over time he tracks down all of Lionel's other bastards. He also makes sure that his family is well provided for & protected.

[Kuwagaton]

I personally think all smallvile connections are outdated. Superboy, Superman and Clark growing up together, Conduit, and especially Lex coming from there. It's a strange coincidence that gets extremely difficult to rectify because humble beginnings don't suit the character.

I also dislike the idea of Clark and lex being the same age, particularly when we go with Lex as having been the biggest man in town. At what, 22?

[manofsteel1979]

I personally think all smallvile connections are outdated. Superboy, Superman and Clark growing up together, Conduit, and especially Lex coming from there. It's a strange coincidence that gets extremely difficult to rectify because humble beginnings don't suit the character.

I also dislike the idea of Clark and lex being the same age, particularly when we go with Lex as having been the biggest man in town. At what, 22?

Well it's SOMEWHAT believable if he's some sort of child prodigy and he's moving up to the top of LexCorp/Luthorcorp at roughly the same time Superman shows up in Metropolis,but otherwise it does stretch credibility.

I do like how SMALLVILLE did it with Lionel founding Luthorcorp and essentially being John Byrne's Lex with long hair and a beard,with the son being classic Lex ( more or less) who takes over the business right around the time Superman officially appears.

[Kuwagaton]

But if they get there at roughly the same time, then it's pretty much a race for first from the get-go and it's not really Superman coming to his ballpark. I guess if maybe someone was trying to do a Year One type story where Bruce and Gordon are actually the two Met rivals, but I feel like a barely legal Lex quickly coming in and getting passed by doesn't do him justice. On some level, he has to be really successful.

Back in 2011 I was hoping that the tv show and Post Crisis stories would sort of fuse with New 52, in that older Lex and Lex II play out their story. It's also funny thinking about this because I just watched W. last week. There's a huge amount of room for the family drama that permeated older continuities pretty firmly. I guess with the latest twist it's sort of back, but there's no father-son relationship.

[daBronzeBomma]

Lionel Luthor is too worthy a character (even as a backstory character) to let go to waste.

I could see Lionel as the latest in a long line of Luthors who have steadily and slowly been building their wealth across the decades as LuthorCorp. Lionel would have been born rich and became wealthier (maybe worth about $20 million in 2016 US Dollars) by the time Lex was secretly conceived.

It's important to me that Lex be much more be a self-made man and not a trust-fund baby like Bruce Wayne.

Lex should have grown up poor (or at least remember his own poverty for the rest of his life) and then ruthlessly found a way out of Suicide Slum via his foster parents' murder and then going to the Ivy League as a child prodigy at age 9. 10 years in college to acquire an alphabet's soup worth of prestigious degrees (BS, MBA, PhD, JD and MD) by the time he was 19. Another 8-10 more years of exponential growth to acquire wealth and influence around the world. Still a young man (29-30) who has just finished climbing the ladders of power and already is the richest man in the world (legally personally worth at least $100 billion in 2016 US dollars) when Superman publicly debuts. Just before Superman shows up for the first time, Lex has LexCorp buy out and absorb the much smaller LuthorCorp, kills Lionel and gets back in touch with half-sister Lena. Everything is coming up Lex, he's become Metropolis' Favorite Son. And then Superman ruins everything just by existing.

[W8IN4KAL-EL]

I hope we get the warsuit in a future movie.

Isn't the design on this suit kind of dumb? I never knew why Superman couldn't just punch him in that opening that exposes his bald head.