My recent track record in hyping up villains before they show up in movies has not been good. Every time I’ve tried, the bad guy ends up flopping (big time!) on the silver screen. Case in point, the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and (Dr) Doom in the forgettable Fantastic Four reboot. Hence, when I was asked to write a focus on Lex Luthor, I realized that I won’t be redeeming myself anytime soon.

Based on what the trailers for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (BVS) have revealed, the new Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg) looks like a cross between Toyman and a post-puberty Gene Hackman (who also played Luthor in the 1970s and 1980s Superman movies)! While the Joker has evolved from Jack Nicholson to Heath Ledger (and most lately Jared Leto), it’s sad that the BVS snippets seem to lean towards a more regressive state for the Man Of Steel’s most popular nemesis.

If it’s any consolation, Luthor in the comics has always been a self-centred egomaniac whose sole purpose is to get the better of Superman, whether it’s to steal his thunder (based on his post-Crisis On Infinite Earths motivation) or as revenge for causing his hair loss (the classic Pre-Crisis motivation). However, I’ve always had this feeling that Luthor is something of an underachiever in certain aspects.

Still, the following Lex-facts should remind us why he is still Superman’s No. 1 arch-foe.

The rise of Lex

Alexander “Lex” Joseph Luthor made his debut as a mad scientist in 1940’s Action Comics #23. Thanks to DC’s countless reboots, his role has flitted between evil criminal and evil incarnate.

One common theme in most Luthor stories, though, is the lack of parental love that drove him to the dark side. The pre-Crisis take has his parents Jules and Arlene disowning him and even changing their surname to “Thorul” (no prize for guessing the origin of this name).

The post-Crisis version is juicier. Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography (1989) affirms his nature as the personification of evil, thanks to his role in his parents’ death! Young Lex sabotaged his parents’ car, causing their deaths. But what he did not foresee was that, being underaged, he could not get his hands on the family fortune and was forced to live with (also evil) foster parents who wanted to embezzle his inheritance!

One L of an initial

What is it with Superman’s supporting characters and the letter L? Superman has Lois Lane, Lana Lang and Lori Lemaris, Lex has/had (depending on what continuity we are in) Lena Luthor.

Pre-Crisis, Lena is Lex’s younger sister whom the latter actually cherishes. In the post-Crisis take, however, Lena is Lex’s adopted sister who was beaten to death by her parents for refusing to seduce Lex!

Post-Infinite Crisis, Lena was reintroduced as Lex’s sister, but as a paraplegic with a teenage daughter. The twist here is that Lex cured Lena of her condition temporarily, but refused to do it permanently just to spite both Superman and Superboy! Now THAT’S just evil.

For the record, Lena is currently under top-notch medical care, courtesy of Wayne Enterprises!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Did you know that the original Lex Luthor in the 1940s actually had a full head of red hair? It was only later that he got the iconic bald look that is synonymous with his character.

There have been several reasons for Luthor’s baldness. The original reason (in 1960’s Adventure Comics #271) took place in Smallville, back when a teenage Luthor and Superboy were still good friends. While Luthor is attempting to create an antidote for Kryptonite poisoning, an accidental fire breaks out in his lab. Superboy uses his super-breath to extinguish the flames but accidentally spills chemicals that cause Luthor to go bald!

In 2004’s Superman: Birthright, Luthor loses his hair (and his father) due to a failed experiment to communicate with a lost alien civilisation (presumably Krypton)! However, the post-Crisis explanation absolves Superboy or Krypton of Luthor’s extreme hair loss, opting for a straightforward hereditary cause.

Another theory for Luthor’s baldness is an artistic mistake by Leo Nowak (a Golden Age Superman artist), who probably mistook Luthor for the Ultra-Humanite or a bald henchman in Superman #4.

For Lexor!

While Lex is a villain on Earth-1, Earth-Prime and most of the other parallel Earths, he is a hero on planet Lexor, which he initially visited in order to have a fair fight with Superman (the planet has a red sun, which saps Superman of his powers). After helping to rebuild the planet’s society, he decides to stay there, marrying a local girl and siring an infant son – Lex Jr (Action Comics #544). However, his ego and destructive nature get the better of him, and Lexor is destroyed during a battle with Superman. His family is also lost in the event, and this tragedy deepens Luthor’s hatred for Superman.

Killing Superman (first)

Sorry, Doomsday, but Luthor has the “honour” of being the first person to kill Superman, even though it was a non-canonical tale. Way back in 1961’s Superman #149, the creative team of Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff presented a three-chapter story entitled The Death Of Superman. This thought-provoking tale has Luthor killing the Man Of Steel via continuous exposure to Kryptonite rays! For the record, after Superman dies, Supergirl avenges him by capturing and exiling Luthor to the Phantom Zone!

The ring of green

The best defence is a good offence, and Luthor is ever ready to take on Superman, thanks to his fashionable Kryptonite ring! Shaped from the Kryptonite stolen from Metallo’s heart (Superman Vol 2 #2), it helps protect Luthor from any direct assault by Superman. However, that protection comes at a heavy price, as Luthor eventually develops cancer from long-term exposure to the ring’s radiation.

Can’t take the truth

It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that Clark Kent is Superman, but the truth can be hard to accept, especially when you are an evil genius. During John Byrne’s epic 1980s Superman run, Luthor focuses his resources on exposing Superman’s secret identity (Superman Vol 2 #2 again). Although the computer analysis reveals Clark Kent to be Superman, Luthor refuses to accept the results, as he cannot believe that someone as powerful as Superman would choose to be a mild-mannered reporter!

Lex 2.0

Diagnosed with cancer (from the abovementioned radiation poisoning), Luthor decides to fake his death by crashing his jet in the Andes, using it as a diversion in order to transfer his brain into a younger cloned body of himself.

The new Lex made his first appearance as Luthor’s illegitimate 21-year-old son and heir in 1991’s Action Comics #670. With a full head of red hair, beard and an Australian accent, Lex 2.0 becomes an instant sensation, and even manages to seduce Supergirl (who is actually a protoplasmic clone of an alternate universe’s Lana Lang) into joining his cause. Eventually, his cloned body’s flaws manifest and the dashing young man grows old real fast. And loses all his hair, too.

Lex the Prez

This tale would probably inspire Donald Trump – Luthor was once elected President of the United States! After winning the election by promising technological progress, he further boosts his popularity by helping rebuild Gotham after the devastating earthquale in the No Man’s Land crossover arc.

During the Our Worlds At War event of 2001, he leads the US Army and Earth’s superheroes against an invasion by Imperiex. It is later revealed that he knew about the invasion in advance, but allowed it to happen so he could play hero!

The League of Lex

The New 52 version of Lex Luthor is just as scheming and dastardly as his previous incarnations. However, his story takes a twist during the 2013 Forever Evil crossover event. With the Justice League incapacitated by the Crime Syndicate, Lex Luthor leads a band of villains to take back the planet, and after succeeding, he is officially inducted into the Justice League!