Facts About Lex Luthor:
A hero is only as good as his enemy and the reason why Superman is considered as one of the biggest heroes in the world is due to his enemy – the most intelligent being on the planet – Lex Luthor, DC’s Smartest Supervillain. Popularly known for his wealth and intelligence, Luthor can defeat anyone and we are yet to see a good live-action Lex Luthor, which does justice to the character.
#1: Creation and Debut
Lex Luthor is one of the oldest DC characters ever and he has been around for a very long time. He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and he made his first comic book appearance in Action Comics #23 back in April 1940. He was created to be the archenemy of the superheroes, especially the biggest hero of them all, Superman.
#2: History and Character Evolution
Lex Luthor was originally introduced as a Genius-level Mad Scientist, who was opposed by Superman every time. Over the years, his character has evolved a lot and the writers have added a lot of depth into his back story. Now, Lex Luthor is often portrayed as a wealthy, power-hungry, American Business tycoon. Lex Luthor is undoubtedly one of the most intelligent beings in the entire DC universe.
#3: His Past is very Dark and Tragic
After the whole Man of Steel mythos, It was revealed that Lex Luthor was born in the Suicide Slum district of Metropolis. Alexander Joseph Lex Luthor grew up in a very troubled household where he had nothing to look forward to. His father was a cruel person and he had a short temper. He used to beat Luthor’s mother and drink heavily. After a while Lex had finally had enough, so he took out a large insurance policy on his parents without telling them and messed with their car brakes, killing them in the process.
#4: His abilities make him even more dangerous
The word Genius is often thrown around carelessly nowadays, but when it comes to Lex Luthor, it is completely true. His intellect is on a completely different level, and on top of that he is an Expert engineer with exceptional technological prowess. To beat the God-level beings in DC, he created a Warsuit, which had Super strength, speed, and durability. The suit could project Energy, and form force fields. He uses it to fly and it is laced with advanced weaponry. He also has the most powerful weapon – Butt-loads of Money.
#5: Lex Luthor – The President of The United States
In 2000, Lex Luthor did what the majority of villains could never do, he took over the world by becoming the President of The United States. He won the election on the premise of Technological prowess, and he already had the financial backing. After becoming the President, Lex Luthor led the charge against Superpowered beings.
#6: He had a Kryptonite Ring which gave him Cancer
Lex Luthor has devised countless methods to defeat the Man Of Steel. When he discovered that Metallo was powered by a Heart of Kryptonite rock in Superman (Vol. 2), he stole it and created a Kryptonite ring for himself to deter Superman. Eventually, Luthor got severe cancer from that ring due to prolonged exposure.
#7: Didn’t believe that Clark Kent was Superman
Several Super-villains have tried to uncover the real identity of Superman over the years and most of them failed, but not Lex Luthor. After analyzing the assembled data, it was revealed that Clark Kent and Superman were the same person. But Lex Luthor instantly dismissed this idea as he believed that someone as powerful as Superman would never choose to live such a normal life. His wits got the best of him.
#8: His Warsuit has the power to Defeat anyone
Lex Luthor knew that he could not defeat Superman physically, as he was just a mere human being. So, he developed a High-tech Warsuit laced with weaponry. His Warsuit generates a powerful invisible energy shield that protects the suit from the majority of physical attacks. The Suit has a Collapsible Kryptonite Sword, Axe, and Staff-Canon, along with Dual Kryptonite energy cannons.
#9: He once Killed Superman
In 1961’s Superman #149, Lex Luthor became the first person ever to Kill Superman. Although this storyline is not cannon, it is still a very interesting storyline. The writers presented a three-chapter long story, titled The Death of Superman, in which the Man of Steel was defeated by Lex Luthor via continuous exposure to Kryptonite rays, ultimately leading to his death.
#10: Superman killed Luthor’s family
Lex Luthor is considered as a Hero on the planet Lexor. He visited the planet initially to have a fair fight with Superman, as Lexor has a Red Sun, unlike Earth. He stayed on this planet and helped in rebuilding the entire society. He married a local girl and had a son with her named Lex Jr. However, the planet was ultimately destroyed during a battle with Superman and he lost his family.
