Lex Luthor in other media

As Superman's most well-known enemy, Lex Luthor has been portrayed in almost every Superman media tie-in and franchise.

Lex Luthor is a major supporting character within the Superman mythos and has appeared in many of Superman's adaptations into other media.

"Atom Man vs. Superman"

Luthor was first portrayed on film in the second "Superman" serial, "Atom Man vs. Superman" (1950). He was played by Lyle Talbot.

Feature films

Actor Gene Hackman played the role of Lex Luthor in the 1978 movie "Superman" and in two of its three sequels ("Superman II" and "").

"Superman"

Lex Luthor is the primary villain of the first "Superman" film. He is mainly motivated by money, as well as a desire to swindle as big a fortune as possible to prove how smart he is. Although he is bald, he usually wears a variety of wigs to conceal it. In the first film, Luthor's high-tech hideout harkens back to the secret lairs of his "Golden Age" comic counterpart; [ [http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Luthor%27s_Lair Supermanica - Luthor's Lair] . Retrieved on 2007-7-18.] It is located in an abandoned railway terminal deep beneath the Metropolis streets. Luthor's schemes are offset by a tendency to surround himself with unsatisfactory help; He is burdened by his bumbling henchman Otis, and his conscience-stricken girlfriend Eve Teschmacher. Luthor scheme in this film is to divert a nuclear missile into hitting the San Andreas fault, causing California to sink into the ocean, thereby turning its neighboring states into beach front property owned by Lex Luthor Incorporated. [ [http://www.movievillains.com/archives/2004/08/lex_luthor.html Movie Villains - The Best and Worst Villains of All Time: Lex Luthor] (2004). Retrieved on 2007-7-18.] Although he nearly kills Superman using kryptonite, Superman eventually defeats him and sends him to prison, thanks to Eve who saves Superman from the kryptonite, unbeknownst to Luthor.

"Superman II"

Luthor's role in "Superman II" is relegated to a supporting villain, beginning with a jailbreak organized with the help of Miss Teschmacher. After journeying to the Fortress of Solitude, Luthor learns of the existence of General Zod and the other Kryptonian criminals. Hoping to rule his own continent once the evil Kryptonians take over Earth, Luthor allies himself with Zod. However, when Superman confronts Zod and his cronies at the Fortress of Solitude at the film's climax, Luthor tricks Superman into revealing that there is a chamber in the Fortress which would rob a Kryptonian's powers due to Red Sun imitation, which turns a Kryptonian, such as Superman, Zod and his followers, Non and Ursa, into humans. Fortunately, expecting Luthor's betrayal, Superman reversed the effects of the chamber so that when he was forced inside by Zod, the Red Sun beams were transported into the Fortress while Superman was safe inside the chamber and Zod and his followers were defeated easily because of the loss of their powers. Luthor, meanwhile, is sent back to prison.

"Superman III"

Lex Luthor did not appear in "Superman III" because Hackman, along with Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), were angry with the way the Salkinds treated Superman director Richard Donner, with Hackman retaliating by refusing to reprise the role of Lex Luthor entirely. Robert Vaughn's villainous Ross Webster served as antagonist instead.

"Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"

Luthor reappears in "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace", escaping from prison once more, this time with the aid of his nephew Lenny. Once again, Lex allies himself with other villains, in this instance a cadre of war profiteers and arms dealers who are worried about what Superman's efforts toward nuclear disarmament will do to their business. Lex uses his own DNA, combined with strand of Superman's hair that is stolen from a museum, to create a hybrid clone which he dubs "Nuclear Man." The radioactive villain possesses abilities similar to Superman, but receives his power from "direct" sunlight, whereas Superman can still operate in darkness. Superman exploits this weakness eventually, destroying Nuclear Man and returning Lex to prison.

"Superman Returns"

In the 2006 film "Superman Returns", Luthor is played by Kevin Spacey. In the film, Luthor has been released from prison bent on revenge against Superman. Luthor funds his criminal operations by seducing a wealthy, elderly benefactor. Luthor's machinations once again concern real estate, as they did in the first two films. He plans to use Kryptonian crystals, like the one Superman used to create the Fortress of Solitude, to form a new continent, owned by Luthor, off the East Coast of the United States, destroying all surrounding landmass in the process and killing untold numbers of people. The landmass also has the added effect of sapping Superman's powers when he is in proximity, as Luthor has laced it with Kryptonite. However, after putting several layers of earth between himself and New Krypton, Superman hurls the landmass into space. After his scheme fails, Luthor uses a helicopter to escape capture, but it runs out of fuel, stranding him on a deserted island with his crooks dead and he is stuck with his new sidekick, Kitty Kolawski, as well as her dog. When she asks what they'll eat, he looks at the dog hungrily.

Live-action television

"Superboy"

In the syndicated television show "Superboy", Luthor first appeared as a rich, scheming college student played by Scott James Wells. In early episodes, Luthor is preoccupied with showing up Superboy, rigging basketball games, and stealing priceless artifacts, among other small-time schemes. At the close of the first season, Superboy accidentally causes Luthor to go bald while saving him from a lab fire in an incident similar to Lex Luthor's classic origin. Convinced that Superboy intentionally caused the accident, Luthor kills wealthy businessman Warren Eckworth and tries, unsuccessfully, to take his place via plastic surgery. [ [http://www.geocities.com/dmwc/villains.htm DMWC's "Superboy: The Series" Website - The Villains of Superboy] . Retrieved on 2007-7-19.] He is portrayed for the remainder of the series by actor Sherman Howard.

In the Season Four two-parter, 'Know Thine Enemy' Luthor's childhood is explored when Superboy relives his life via the "psychodisk". Similar to his post-"Crisis" origin, Lex is raised by an abusive father and neglectful mother; Lex becomes rich when he takes out an insurance policy on his parents and then kills them both. His sister, Lena Luthor, holds the distinction of being the sole person Lex cares about.

"Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"

In the television series "" (1993–1997), Lex Luthor is played by actor John Shea. In the eyes of the public, he appears to be a beloved humanitarian, but Superman knows the truth. During the show's first season Clark Kent/Superman spends a good deal of time trying to prove that Luthor is corrupt, while Luthor tests Superman to find his weakness. He also comes up with dangerous plots to turn the public against Superman. At the end of season one, he manages to acquire a rare piece of kryptonite; he then devises a trap for Superman that almost kills him, but Superman narrowly escapes when Luthor leaves him to his fate. Just as Luthor is about to marry Lois Lane, the truth about his evil nature is exposed and he takes his own life rather than face imprisonment. [ [http://community-2.webtv.net/grandboysandgirls/LexLuthor/ Superman: A Who's Who of the Man of Steel - Lex Luthor] . Retrieved on 2007-7-19.] Ironically, due to exposure to Luthor's kryptonite, Superman's powers are too weak and he cannot save him.

Following the season one finale, Lex's corpse disappears from the coroner's office. Later on, the body resurfaces in a lab where a devoted scientist (played by Denise Crosby) freezes Luthor's remains and labors to bring him back from the dead. She eventually succeeds, but as a side effect of his resurrection, Lex loses his hair (thus bringing him in line with Luthor's usual look). [ [http://www.redboots.net/Episodes/season_2c.htm "Lois & Clark" - Second Season Episode Guide] . Retrieved on 2007-7-20.] He is quickly disenchanted with the changes that have happened during his absence, particularly the emergence of Intergang, as well as the loss of his personal fortune. Lex hides underground, again seeking kryptonite. But after kidnapping Lois in an attempt to reclaim her, he is traced to his sewer lair by Superman. This time however, Superman prevents Lex from taking his own life again to "cheat justice" and sends him to prison.

Luthor later escapes through an elaborate plot involving clones; first using a clone of the President to grant him a pardon, then kidnapping the real Lois Lane and replacing her with a clone just before her wedding to Clark. [ [http://www.redboots.net/Episodes/season_3d.htm "Lois & Clark" - Third Season Episode Guide] . Retrieved on 2007-7-20.] Luthor hopes to transfer the minds of himself and the genuine Lois into clone bodies so they may never be found. Although he tricks Lois' clone into divulging Superman's secret identity, he still fails in destroying Superman, and is killed in the destruction of his lab.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Luthor has illegitimate sons, two of whom try to kill Superman over the course of the last two seasons. The first one entrapped Lois and Clark in a virtual reality before the two tricked him into letting them out. The only way he could get back to the real world, however, would be to separate his mind from his body. The second one, played by Keith Brunsmann, is facially deformed and disowned by his father, reduced to living in a furnished sewer/transit station beneath Metropolis. Lex Luthor Jr. hires a handsome stand-in (played by Patrick Cassidy) to impersonate him; The impostor poses as Lex Jr.'s public persona as he murders the CEOs of his father's old companies and rebuilds LexCorp. [ [http://www.redboots.net/Episodes/season_4d.htm "Lois & Clark" - Fourth Season Episode Guide] . Retrieved on 2007-7-20.] While Lex Jr. and his impostor manage to get their hands on a recording of the elder Luthor (John Shea's voice) revealing Superman's secret identity, both men are later killed in an explosion that levels the crypt. Lois is initially skeptical that Lex could have fathered these adult men, but Clark insists that no one can be sure of Luthor's true age since he was "a master of deception."

"Smallville"

The television series "Smallville" features a younger Lex Luthor, played by Michael Rosenbaum (who also voiced the Flash on the "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" animated series.) Although his history echoes previous incarnations, this version of Lex did not begin as a bona fide villain. The series also tries to pin a more psychologically realistic take on Lex Luthor, attempting to expand his character to fully flesh out his journey into what will turn him into the mythic DC Supervillain from the comic books.

Lex's full name is Alexander Joseph Luthor, named after Alexander the Great. His father, ruthless business mogul Lionel Luthor, idolizes the legendary general, and applies Alexander's tactics to the world of modern business, believing himself to be the business world's Philip of Macedon. At the age of 9, a frail, asthmatic Lex accompanies his father on a business trip to Smallville, unwittingly getting caught in the meteor shower that brings Kal-El to Earth; he survives, but loses his asthma and his red hair as a result [ [http://www.supermantv.net/smallville/origins/lexluthor.htm Superman TV - Lex Luthor Origins] . Retrieved on 2008-1-14.] (Superman's indirect involvement in Lex's hair loss resembles the Silver Age comic mythos). Lex later believes that the exposure which left him bald also gave him a "super" immune system and was the reason that he had never been sick even once after the event. Lex is the heir to LuthorCorp, and lives in an ornate mansion (a rebuilt Scottish castle transported stone by stone to America) on the edge of Smallville.

Lex's mother Lillian Luthor died when he was a child. He had a younger brother Julian who also died when Lex was young, though he was cloned, and the clone appeared in Season 7 using the name Grant Gabriel. Lionel had another son named Lucas Luthor, whose mother was Rachel Dunleavy.

Lex first meets his future nemesis Clark Kent (Superman) when he loses control of his Porsche, slamming into Clark and plummeting off a bridge. It is after Clark saves his life that the two bond and become friends. "Smallville" plays on his relationship with Clark and how that deteriorates into the mutual enmity that they will have in life. Lionel Luthor exhibits many of the same characteristics as Lex's comic-book counterpart, and it is through his dysfunctional relationship with Lex that "Smallville" attempts to characterize how Lex eventually succumbs to his evil leanings; early seasons focused on Lex's traumatic and love-starved upbringing, a bleak contrast to Clark's idyllic childhood. Although he stated on some occasions that Clark's friendship helped inspire him to try and do the right thing, he also demonstrated his shadier side, spending three years secretly investigating Clark after Clark saved him from a car accident.

In season five, Lex becomes the son that his father had always wanted. He breaks all ties to his friends including Clark. As resentment between the former friends grows - made even worse after Lex imprisons Clark's new friend A.C. for attempting to stop an underwater weapon that was damaging the environment - Lex further alienates Clark by becoming romantically involved with Lana Lang.

At the end of season five, Milton Fine/Brainiac manipulates Lex into being possessed by the consciousness of General Zod. After recovery at the beginning of season six, Lex focuses on a secret project called 33.1 based around capturing and studying people who have been infected by kryptonite in order to recreate their abilities, ostensibly to protect the world against further alien threats, stating on some occasions that he feels anyone with such powers will naturally attempt to put themselves above the rest of humanity. This puts him at odds with Clark and his new ally, billionaire vigilante Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow with whom he went to boarding school. The animosity between Luthor and Queen's clique is portrayed in flashbacks, in which the young Lex is portrayed by Lucas Grabeel.

At the same time, Lex becomes engaged to Lana after she supposedly becomes pregnant with his child (it turned out that she had been drugged with a synthetic hormone to simulate pregnancy). They get married late in season 6. At the end of season 6, Lex is arrested for the murder of Lana, who appears to have been caught in an explosion triggered by a car bomb. However, at the beginning of season 7, Lex is released when somebody paid by Lionel confesses the crime and it's later revealed Lana was alive and left a stand-in clone to forge her death. Lana had also stolen 10 million dollars from Lex, which he later allows her to keep for good as part of a divorce settlement. Since then, Lana's been obsessed with exposing anything bad about him. While searching for the truth about his past, Lex kills Lionel by pushing him out of his office window at LuthorCorp in season 7, saying no one will even remember his name. Lex then drags "Alexander" (a personification of himself as a child who acts as his conscience) to the fireplace and burns him, saying "You make me weak!" Lex later comes into possession of a strange object comprising various metal disks with star graphs on them, which turn to reveal a pair of rectangular slots. This device is somehow a necessity in controlling "The Traveler," Clark Kent. In the season seven finale, Lex learns of the Fortress of Solitude from Brainiac, who is posing as Kara. Lex travels to the Fortress, taking the device with him, under the belief that he is fulfilling his own destiny to save mankind from "The Traveler". After arriving in the Fortress, Lex learns that Clark is "The Traveler". A confrontation between the two ensues and Lex activates the device, causing the Fortress to collapse with Clark and Lex both inside. In the season 8 premiere "Odyssey", Tess Mercer has taken over the mansion and LuthorCorp as Lex directed her to do if he did not return from the Arctic. However, during the episode, the Fortress is transformed back to it's original state (a crystal shaped like the Superman symbol) and now in the possession of Tess.

Animation

Early Animation

"The New Adventures of Superman"

His first non-comics appearance was in some episodes of Filmation's "The New Adventures of Superman" as: "Luthor's Lethal Laser".

"Super Friends"

Luthor was a recurring villain in Hanna-Barbara's "Superfriends" franchise that ran from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He was voiced by Stan Jones.

* He makes his Super Friends debut in "Challenge of the Superfriends". Luthor, was head of the Legion of Doom, a coalition of villains who plotted the downfall of the titular heroes. [ [http://www.seanbaby.com/superfriends/luthor.htm Seanbaby's Super Friends Page - Lex Luthor] . Retrieved on 2007-7-20.] Luthor appeared a little slimmer than in his previous animated appearanceFact|date=March 2008 and sported his pre-"Crisis" purple jumpsuit. In the episode "History Of Doom" depicts a portion of Lex Luthor's origin from "Adventure Comics" #271.
* In the series "The World's Greatest Super Friends" season the second episode 'Lex Luthor Strikes Back' features Luthor escaping from jail and challenging the Super Friends.
* He also appears in the series "" season, in the opening and the episodes "No Honor Among Super Thieves" -in which acquires his power suit from the comics of then-, "Case of the Shrinking Super Friends" and "The Mask of Mystery".
* In the series "" season, appears in some episodes as "The Seeds of Doom".

"Ruby-Spears" animated series

In the short-lived 1988 animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Luthor was shown as an evil businessman for the first time in other media. He is voiced by Michael Bell.

DC animated universe

"Superman: The Animated Series"

In the 1990s cartoon "" and the subsequent "Justice League" animated series Luthor was voiced by actor Clancy Brown of "Highlander" and "Buckaroo Banzai" fame (Brown originally auditioned for the role of Superman/Clark Kent, but that part ultimately went to Tim Daly). The Animated Series' Luthor is a corrupt businessman like his comic book counterpart, and again his jealously and hatred of Superman ultimately brings down his empire, the most distinguishing thing about this Luthor is that many fans see him as African-American rather than Caucasian.

According to the DVD commentaries and interviews by the show's creators, the Animated Series Luthor was inspired by Telly Savalas' portrayal of James Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115378/faq imbd.com - FAQs for "Superman"] . Retrieved on 2007-7-29.]

"Krypto the Superdog"

In the animated series, "Krypto the Superdog", a rather cartoonish version of the DCAU Luthor (who is also portrayed as a rich businessman in the series, played by Brian Dobson, though he is only rarely seen) has a pet iguana named Ignatius. Like Luthor, Ignatius is intelligent, vain, and morally ambivalent. Ignatius is voiced by Scott McNeil.

"Justice League"

It is revealed early in the series that Luthor is suffering from a rare blood cancer caused by long-term exposure to the Kryptonite Shard he carries. While in prison, he bribes the Ultra-Humanite to free him, and the two band together and ultimately form the Injustice Gang. Ultra-Humanite's technology allows Lex to wear an armored suit that will decrease the speed his cancer, as well as give him a fighting chance against Superman. However, Humanite betrays him when approached with an offer by Batman. After being exposed as a criminal and losing his business empire, Luthor's characterization turns more toward the original conception of a criminal genius obsessed with destroying Superman. He is eventually pardoned from his crimes after assisting the Justice League in defeating their alternate evil counterparts from a parallel universe, the Justice Lords. Afterwards, Luthor is interviewed by the press and implies that he is thinking of going into politics.

"Justice League Unlimited"

In the first season of "Justice League Unlimited," Luthor announces he is running for President of the United States; This is later revealed to be a ruse to enrage Superman. In reality, Luthor is financially backing Project Cadmus, a shadow government organization dedicated to eradicating the League if they ever turn on Earth's population. Luthor ultimately betrays them, hijacking the League's space-based laser to take out Cadmus leaving the impression the League had attacked the United States government. While attempting to place his mind in a duplicate of A.M.A.Z.O., he is thwarted by Amanda Waller of Cadmus. At this point, it was revealed that Brainiac had downloaded himself into Luthor long ago in the episode "Ghost in the Machine", secretly manipulating his actions. After the two merge into a more complete being using alien nanotechnology, Luthor/Brainiac attempts to destroy the world, but they are halted by The Flash.

Luthor returns later to join the Secret Society. Ironically this new Secret Society is based on the Legion of Doom and Luthor is not as their leader; that position is occupied by Gorilla Grodd. Luthor agreed to join in order to obtain the last remaining piece of Brainiac, which Grodd has in his possession. Luthor is obsessed with rebuilding Brainiac, as what is left of him is inhabiting Luthor's mind, giving him a sort of multiple personality disorder. [ [http://www.supermansupersite.com/brainiac.html Superman Super Site - Brainiac] . Retrieved on 2007-7-19.] Later, using the failure of Gorilla Grodd's silly master plan to turn all humans into apes as pretext, Lex shoots and imprisons him, then assumes Grodd's place as leader.

After taking over as leader of the Secret Society, Luthor returns to trying to resurrect Brainiac. Using the power of the Secret Society headquarters, Luthor spends tireless hours trying to bring a fragment of Brainiac back online. With the help of Tala, Luthor tracks down Brainiac's base (seen in the "Justice League" episode "Twilight") and reconfigures the Secret Society headquarters into a starship with which to seek out the remnants Brainiac's base. During the journey, Tala frees Gorilla Grodd, who mounts an insurrection against Luthor with his fellow Secret Society members. Just as Grodd moves to use his telepathic power on Luthor, Luthor uses his belt to take over Grodd's mind. Afterward, Luthor forces Grodd into an airlock and jettisons him into space.

The Secret Society, back under Luthor's power, returns to their task of resurrecting Brainiac. Luthor hooks Tala up to a machine, reminiscent of Brainiac's machine used against Superman, to transmutate remnants of Brainiac's base back into a working body of Brainiac. Before Luthor begins the process, Metron stops time and appears to him warning that he may be unleashing something that will affect the past, present and future. Luthor, still obsessed with becoming a god, ignores him, and the process begins.

Although the process is seemingly successful, Luthor actually ends up resurrecting Darkseid, who attempts to destroy the super villains in the episode "Alive". Luthor's loses his link to Brainiac, perhaps permanently. The remnants of the Secret Society, under Luthor, go to the Justice League Watchtower to warn the superheroes of the threat and insist on a temporary alliance in the defense of the planet in the episode "Destroyer". With the aid of the New God Metron, Luthor manages to acquire the Anti-Life Equation long sought by Darkseid, and uses it on the lord of Apokolips, (apparently) sacrificing his own life in the process. Batman, however, suspects that either one or both of them survived and will likely return to challenge the League again.

Animated Film

"Superman: Brainiac Attacks"

Lex Luthor was also featured in the direct-to-video animated movie "". Lex's character designs from "Superman: The Animated Series", his job as a criminal businessman and his bodyguard Mercy Graves were used for this movie, but this version of Luthor acted similar to Gene Hackman's Luthor from . He constantly spouted one-liners and at one point threw a Tiki Torch Luau to celebrate Superman's presumed death. Lex Luthor was voiced by Powers Boothe in this movie.

Luthor's role in this movie had him forming an alliance with Brainiac (this is also treated as the first meeting between the two). He placed Brainiac in a new robot body and sent him to destroy Superman. Afterwards Brainiac would pretend to be defeated by Luthor and then leave Earth to conquer a different planet, while Luthor would appear as a hero to a people and then continue his quest to rule Earth. Naturally this plan failed, Luthor was beaten by Brainiac in battle, and the plan ended with a usual "Luthor under investigation" ending.

"Superman: Doomsday"

Lex Luthor is featured in the direct-to-video animated movie "". Lex's character design is similar to those seen in "Superman: The Animated Series", albeit with a much slimmer profile and a white suit, and is voiced by James Marsters; Marsters also portrayed villain Milton Fine (Brainiac) in the fifth and seventh season of "Smallville". Here he's shown as highly intelligent (able to cure such diseases as Muscular Dystrophy), but extremely amoral (has his scientists find ways to draw out such cures to make a higher profit).

In the film, Luthor is indirectly responsible for the release of the creature Doomsday. Upon discovering that the latent radiation from the Earth's core can be harnessed for energy purposes, LexCorp has been illegally drilling into the earth. When Luthor's miners stumble upon Doomsday's alien spacecraft while digging, they accidentally damage it and awaken Doomsaday from his long slumber. After the creature slaughters the mining team, Luthor orders his personal assistant, Mercy Graves, to cover up his involvement.

Following Superman and Doomsday's epic battle, Superman lies dead, and Luthor is free of all culpability. Rather than be pleased, Luthor is incensed that the evidence crediting him to Superman's death has been destroyed; he lashes out by killing Mercy with a handgun, despite the fact she was only following his orders. Luthor then robs Superman's body from his grave with the intention of creating genetic clones of him. The cloned Superman is more violent than the original, killing crooks, threatening civilians, and generally behaving like a public menace, even causing the death of Toyman by dropping him from a large height during the criminal's arrest because Toyman killed a little girl. Meanwhile, the real Superman's corpse disappears from LexCorp during an electrical blackout (it is later revealed that Superman's robot servant at the Fortress of Solitude rescued him after seeing minor pulse fluctuations through separate days, realizing Superman wasn't dead).

Luthor is visited in his office by Lois Lane, who says she feels distant from her relationship with Superman (not knowing that he is a clone). Luthor tries to seduce her and they kiss, but Lois uses a tranquilizer on Luthor and knocks him unconscious; Lois believes he is the one behind Superman's strange behavior. Lois and Jimmy Olsen uncover Luthor's cloning project, but Luthor reappears and tries to shoot them. Fortunately, the cloned Superman has freed himself from Luthor's control and steps in to rescue Lois and Jimmy. Luthor escapes to a room with red sun beams, similar to Krypton's Red Sun, which will neutalize Superman's powers; he also dons kryptonite gloves, with the intention of beating the insolent clone to death. Instead, the clone traps Luthor in the vault, rips its foundation out of the building, and throws the vault across Metropolis. At the end of movie, it is revealed that Luthor survived, but with severe injuries. He is aware of the real Superman's survival at this point, and his final line in the movie is: "If it is proven that gods can die, it is also proven they can be reborn. It would seem you can't be destroyed after all, Superman. It would seem."

"Justice League: The New Frontier"

Lex Luthor appears briefly in the animated film "". He is shown in LexCorp, (referred to as LexCo, possibly supposed to be an earlier name for LexCorp) during the scene in which John F. Kennedy made his famous speech.

Other animation

"Legion of Super Heroes"

In the "Legion of Super Heroes" episode "Legacy", the young Superman meets Alexis, the "richest girl in the galaxy" in the 30th century, who also has a knack with machinery and access to powerful technology(she could possibly be the decendant of Luthor). A beautiful redhead who wears a purple jumpsuit (echoing Lex Luthor's original hair color and classic costume), Alexis starts out as a friend of Superman, but is scorned when he refuses to neglect his duties with the Legion in favor of spending time with her.

To get rid of the "competition" for Superman's time, Alexis equips enemies of the Legion with cutting-edge weaponry and, after luring Superman away with a fake distress call, personally dons a suit of robotic armor and leads an attack on the remaining Legion members. Superman returns in time to aid his friends and makes it clear to Alexis in no uncertain terms that he wants her out of his life. Alexis resolves to fight Superman, her reasoning being that if he won't be her friend, he won't be anybody else's either. In the fight, Superman overloads the barrel of Alexis' gun and her suit blows up. Superman pulls her free in time to save her life, but in addition to the injuries she sustained from the blast, all of her hair is seared off.

Instead of showing gratitude, Alexis is incensed. In the final scene, she has recovered and appears to be regrowing her hair while in prison. Her prison uniform displays the name "Luthor" written in the Interlac alphabet. While rebuilding her butler/bodyguard, the sinister Alexis states that she is actually grateful to the Legion, since they helped her realize her potential as a supervillainess. Alexis is voiced by Tara Strong. She is seen again in the season one finale where the Legion break out the Fatal Five. When Alexis spots Superman again, she sticks her tongue out at him.

* Lex makes an appearance in the tie in comic "Legion Of Super Heroes In The 31st Century" #13. Making his Metropolis debut, Superman stops a robot made by Lex that went out of control prompting Superman to save him. Though this version of Lex doesn't yet show hostility towards the Man Of Steel, Brainiac 5 warns Superman to keep an eye on Lex.

"The Batman"

Luthor appeared in the fifth season of "The Batman". Clancy Brown reprised his role as Lex Luthor (from the DC animated universe) in this series. Luthor hires Metallo and equips him with his only piece of Kryptonite he has to defeat Superman, but is defeated by Batman. Luthor hires Black Mask, Bane, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface (Basil Karlo) to kidnap Lois Lane while he leaves for Gotham with his right-hand assistant Mercy Graves. While Superman, Batman, and Robin fight Black Mask and his henchmen, Luthor captures Poison Ivy and mixes her mind controlling spores with the Kryptonite powder he already had . He uses it to make Superman his personal slave. It is revealed also that Luthor had previously confiscated technology from the remains of the Joining, (based on Brainiac), to create an army of robots to take over the world, obstentially in order to protect it from future alien threats. However, after Batman frees Superman from his control, both of them subdue Mercy Graves, destroys Luthor's robots, overpower Luthor and defeat him.

Video games

Lex Luthor has appeared in every electronic game featuring Superman since the first "Superman" game released for the Atari 2600 with the exception of "The Death and Return of Superman". A particular failure was in Superman 64, where Superman had to undergo the "Solve My Maze" challenges. These were nonsensical rings the player had to fly through in strict time limits.This was so bad, that NGC magazine had a regular feature called Lex Luthors Solve My Maze.He also appears as the main antagonist of the video game . Most recently, he has appeared in the "Superman Returns" video game, but is only seen in cut scenes. He was confirmed to be playable in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.Fact|date=September 2008

Novels

Last Son of Krypton

Luthor plays a major role in the Elliot S! Maggin novel "Last Son of Krypton.

Lex is a childhood classmate of Clark Kent in Smallville, a scientific genius who blames the then-Superboy for ruining his greatest experiment-- the creation of artificial life (in fact it is Lex, celebrating his achievement with a smoke, who starts the fire in his lab). It is at this time that his hair is also burned off. Lex is never again able to replicate his results and holds a lifelong grudge against Superman as a result.

Lex as an adult spends much of his time in prison, but in this story it is described as largely by choice; Lex has the capacity to escape nearly at his leisure, but finds that solitude gives him time to work on his scientific theories and finds dodging manhunts tedious. He learns of a secret document written by his idol Albert Einstein, and breaks out for the express purpose of stealing it, using a hologram of himself as a distraction; however, when he cannot translate it (it is actually written in Kryptonese), turns to an expert linguist who turns out to be a disguised alien who also wishes to steal the documents. Luthor then forms a reluctant alliance with his archenemy Superman to chase the alien to a distant world, using Lex's one-man faster than light starship which he has kept hidden for years in plain sight as a modern art sculpture. When the mysterious alien's greater plans are revealed, Lex must work with, and even save the life of, Superman in order to protect the entire galaxy from the would-be warlord.

Lex in this story combines aspects of the Silver Age, Bronze Age and film versions. During his robbery of the Einstein papers he uses a hologram of himself dressed in his purple bandoliered jumpsuit with jet-boots (the same Silver Age costume is also used on "Superfriends"), while he uses a disguise and wig to steal the document; he also holds property and front companies under various names and identities. Luthor is also seen in jail wearing the classic grey prison jumpsuit, and uses a museum hideout similar to the "Luthor's Lair" of the Silver Age comics, though he employs several scientists as underlings, as opposed to the solitary mad scientist of the comics. The novel delves into Lex's personality and viewpoint nearly as much as that of the Man of Steel.

It's Superman!

Lex Luthor also appears in another novel titled It's Superman!, by Tom DeHaven.

In the novel, Lex Luthor is alderman of 1930s New York City—used in place of Metropolis—and has a company called Lexco. Despite this, he still feels like something is missing. When he visits his dead mother's grave, he is attacked by hitmen. After he kills them, he feels excitement for the first time. Later in the story, much death and destrucation is caused by his robotic "Lexbots". The fiasco leads to his first confrontation with Superman, and Lex believes the void he felt has been filled. By the end of the story, he becomes a wanted criminal, and even he says that he has never been more excited than he is at that moment.

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