Summary
A genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist of theDC Comics varietywho showed that a solid intellect and pure envy can be enough to bring even Superman to his knees if one is determined enough. Lex Luthor is one of the greatest DC villains of all time, acting as an arch nemesis to the greatest hero of all time.
A “Superman” in his own right, Lex is the peak of human ability, with sharp wit, excellent tech, and a muscular body. But that still doesn’t stop him from being jealous of Superman and wanting to take down the alien threat and prove humanity is supreme. Here are the most capable variants of this clean-shaven dapper villain.
5DCEU Lex
Batman v Superman Luthor
Out of all theLex Luthor variantsever put on a page or a screen, this one has to be the most heavily criticized. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is not held to the same level of high regard as his other live-action counterparts. This Luthor iteration was mocked for being a strangely eccentric portrayal with a high-pitched voice and impish demeanor that had him more reminiscent of an imitation of the Joker than an accurate portrayal of Superman’s nemesis.
But despite all the criticisms, one thing some fans had to admit was that he was an effective villain in his universe, at least, able to run rings around bothBatman and Superman. Despite not seeming to have as much tech or equipment as your typical Lex Luthor variant, this version was still able to procure Kryptonite and formulate brilliant long-term schemes that allowed him to manipulate the strongest man and outclass the world’s greatest detective, putting both of them against each other.
His masterful manipulations saw him able to incite a deadly fight between the two powerhouses, effortlessly stoking the fires of rage between them for his own benefit.
4Standard Lex
Luthor Prime
Alexander “Lex” Luthor, the standard version from DC Comics is alongside the Joker as the most famous supervillain of all time. The genius CEO of Lexcorp uses his genius intellect, his advanced technology, and his large amounts of resentment and ego as fuel to take on the Man of Steel.
In most versions of the DC universe,Lex Luthor is knownas the smartest man in the world. In the Doomsday Clock storyline, Ozymandias from the Watchmen universe crosses over into theirs and declares himself the smartest man in the world where he comes from. After a conversation with him discussing Ozymandias' squid-alien plan to ensure world peace in his universe, Luthor mocks him and points out all the flaws in such an idea. Their interaction showed that even among high-level intellects, Lex Luthor is simply on another level.
It is stated that Prime Earth Lex Luthor possesses a level of genius between a 7th and 9th-level intellect. He has an eidetic memory, incredible feats of knowledge in many areas (especially engineering), and is even decently adept at hand-to-hand combat if it comes down to it.
3Injustice Lex
Powersuit Luthor
In themultiverse presented to us inInjustice: Gods Among Us,we see a world where Superman is pushed over the edge and becomes a tyrannical despot, portraying the Man of Steel at his most evil. So it’s quite fitting that this is also a world where we see Lex Luthor at his most heroic.
This version of Lex Luthor shows what someone as intelligent and talented as he could achieve had they decided to act for the good of the world. InInjustice, Lex doesn’t engage in criminal endeavors—he joins the Insurgency to help take down a Superman gone rogue, saves Harley Quinn’s life, and sacrifices himself to save Metropolis and Gotham City. As a result of his death, he gave all his remaining assets to Batman to rebuild the world after the Regime’s fall. He was also a friend of Superman and Lois Lane before the latter was killed, and the former turned evil as a result of the story’s initiating events.
Just one look at Lex Luthor’s set of special moves from the game showcases how powerful this version of Lex and his power suit was. A lot of these moves involve feats involving the manipulation of gravity that pulls and throws opponents, making him a force to be reckoned with.
2Orange Lantern Lex
The Embodiment of Greed
In the Blackest Knights comic series, the Black Lanterns, harbingers of death, swarmed the Earth and were ready to conquer it in its entirety. The Lantern Corps needed to build a force just as deadly to deal with this undead threat. Ganthet dispersed those of the Lantern Corps, commanding them to seek the strongest potential warriors for each Lantern ring to help combat this threat. Alexander Luthor was one of those who was chosen.
Just as aGreen Lantern ringis fueled by willpower, an Orange Lantern ring is fueled by greed. There is not a human being alive in the DC Universe who is more fueled by ego and greed than Lex Luthor. Therefore, there was not a more fitting wielder to be found, a good portion of his motivations being building up money and resources as a monument to his ego.
But despite him being the best suited, the Lantern Corps would come to regret this temporary recruitment. The same greed that made him the best initial pick made him the worst one in practice. He decided he wanted to possess all the rings, taking Scarecrow’s Yellow Lantern out of fear and going on a rampage to take as many other rings as he could. It took an entire force of lantern wielders to challenge him by that point.
1God of Apokolips
Omega Darkseid Luthor
Another menacing DC villain who is often seen as amajor adversary of the Justice League is Darkseid. With his imposing frame and laser-focused Omega Beams, he is one of the most troublesome foes around. So someone as clever and villainous as Lex Luthor gaining power akin to his is a recipe for disaster.
During the Darkseid War storyline, Darkseid loses his life and with it, the Omega Energy within him. The energy would need to be placed in a new host and its choice, unfortunately for others, was Lex Luthor. Such a prestigious gift was granted to him by a group on the Planet Apokolips, who were in search of a new leader. A worldly prophecy told them that aman from Metropoliswould be the one who would take over and improve their planet of Apokolips. Naturally, one would think such a prophecy was referring to Superman. But at that time, Superman had gone rogue, becoming something of a villain before leaving the planet.
So, also naturally, Lex Luthor decided to jump at this opportunity, styling himself as the true figure of the man of Metropolis prophecy. He would assume his role as their leader and gain the god-like status that he had always desired.
