The Super-Men (and -Women) of All-Planets

[Jim Kelly]

Defender of Lexor

Princess Jena of Adoria is a morally compromised character, but while she makes a lot of threats, she doesn’t carry through on them. So is she an out and out bad person or somewhere between good and evil?

I wonder if Lex Luthor can also be included here. Yes, he was Superman’s arch-foe and most of their encounters happened on Earth. But there was a time when Lex Luthor was a super-hero on his adopted planet of Lexor--where he was married and had a child. He even adopted a masked costumed identity as the Defender in “Luthor–Super-Hero,” SUPERMAN 168 (April ’64)--by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein.



At the beginning of this epic adventure, Lex is living peacefully with Ardora on Lexor where he is a respected scientist and a hero to the people. It’s the Man of Tomorrow who breaks the law by covertly landing on Lexor for the purpose of abducting his arch-enemy and taking him back to Earth, where he would be subject to Earth laws.

However, on Lexor, Superman has no extra-judicial standing. He shouldn’t legally be allowed to take Luthor away from a land where he is living a good life and drag him back to Earth. I’d argue that if the Man of Steel hadn’t pursued his boyhood friend, then Lex might not have been tempted back into a life of crime.

It just so happens that Superman helps the Lexorians--which is why Luthor allows him to leave this time--but this is pure happenstance. Given Clark always wanted Lex to reform--and he has reformed on Lexor--then that goal was achieved. He should have let sleeping dogs lie.

Note: I go into greater depth on Lexor beginning with post #337 and more on this story in post #340.