There are few villains more iconic in DC than Lex Luthor. As one of Superman’s greatest foes, Lex Luthor has been positioned at the forefront of DC’s villain scene for years. Over the years, he’s done more than just fight Superman, clashing with many heroes and showing that sometimes, brains are better than brawn.
While he’s certainly lost a lot over the years, what makes Lex such a great villain is just how many times readers have seen him win. Whether it be in Silver Age imaginary stories, modern alternate universe stories, or the main DC Universe, Lex has earned himself some pretty impressive wins.
8 He Killed Superman So Many Times In Silver Age Imaginary Stories
The Silver Age was the heyday of imaginary stories, something that would be referred to as alternate universes or Elseworlds stories today. They gave readers glimpses of worlds unlike the one they were familiar with. The Superman books were popular with these stories, and many of them involved Lex Luthor killing Superman.
While some would argue that these stories don’t count, they were still beloved stories that gave readers something different and inspired a generation of creators to tell out-of-the-box Superman stories.
7 He Figured Out A Way To Beat Swamp Thing In Minutes
Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing is one of modern comics’ great epics. While it wasn’t always a superhero book, Moore did some stories that were more superhero-centric, and one of those involved Swamp Thing attacking Gotham in order to ensure the release of his girlfriend, Abby Arcane. Batman was helpless against him, and he laid siege to the city with the Green, which brought the US government out to play.
They, in turn, paid Lex Luthor to come in and figure out a way to stop Swamp Thing, something even demons and extradimensional forces of evil couldn’t do. Luthor succeeded, giving the military a surefire way to end the siege in minutes and send Swamp Thing far, far, away.
6 He Beat The Crime Syndicate In Forever Evil
The Crime Syndicate is the devastatingly powerful evil Justice League of Earth-3 and a grave challenge for any hero. They weren’t too much for Lex to handle, though. During the New 52, the Crime Syndicate successfully invaded the prime Earth, laying waste to the heroes. Lex, with the help of a Bizarro clone and villains like Deathstroke, Sinestro, Black Adam, Captain Cold, and an unbeaten Batman, was able to beat the Syndicate.
Lex accomplished something Superman and the Justice League were unable to do. He saved the world from the Crime Syndicate and actually earned a place in the Justice League, fighting side by side with his former enemies.
5 He Helped Superman And Wonder Woman Beat Doomsday
DC Rebirth brought a lot of changes to the DC Universe, and one of them was Lex Luthor as Superman, wearing special Apokoliptian armor. It also brought back the pre-Flashpoint Superman and immediately teamed the two up against the monster that had killed Superman, Doomsday. Working together, along with Wonder Woman, Lex and Superman were able to beat the monster and keep Metropolis safe.
This went a long way toward smoothing out the relationship between the two and also had Lex doing something that Superman hadn’t before, which was surviving his first battle with Doomsday.
4 He Was Elected President
In the ’90s, it was hard to imagine someone like Lex Luthor becoming president, but Superman: Lex 2000 did the unthinkable. Lex Luthor was elected president of the United States, using goodwill built up by his role in rebuilding Gotham and taking advantage of his fame as a billionaire industrialist. The weirdest thing about Lex as president wasn’t just that he was elected but that he also did a pretty good job.
While there were some shady things done during his time in office, for the most part, he presented a kind face to the world. He didn’t use the office to take down the heroes, but the unspoken threat was always there and he’d eventually act on it, costing him the presidency.
3 He Beat Superman In Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son gave readers a very different look at the Superman and Lex Luthor relationship, and it’s one of the best alternate universe Superman stories. In it, Superman was a Soviet powerhouse, and Lex was his American nemesis. As the story went on, the battle of wills between the two spurred Lex on to greater and greater heroic action as Superman sunk lower and lower into totalitarianism. Lex eventually won the presidency and took back the momentum from the Soviets.
It was the final battle against Brainiac that changed everything, as Superman realized how blinded he had been, and Lex played his final card against the Soviet Man of Iron. Luthor’s message to Superman saw him “sacrificing” himself to stop Brainiac and slipping out of the public eye, giving Lex time to change human society for the better.
2 He Outlasted Alexander Luthor And Had Joker Kill Him In Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis was one of DC’s biggest epics, but things didn’t go very well for Lex Luthor through most of it. Alexander Luthor posed as him to get the villains to do his bidding, then when the real Luthor confronted Alexander, Superboy-Prime showed up and devastated Lex. Lex escaped and helped Conner Kent heal for his eventual round two against Prime and then disappeared.
He appeared again at the end of the story, taking down an escaping Alexander Luthor and teaching him a lesson to always let the Joker play. Joker killed Alex for Lex, ending any threat the villain might have posed in the future.
1 He Ensured The End Of Superman In All-Star Superman
All-Star Superman is the greatest Superman story ever told, and it begins with Lex Luthor’s greatest victory. Luthor’s sabotaging of Leo Quintum’s solar space mission draws Superman to the sun where a lethal dose of solar radiation seals Superman’s fate. Lex is a constant throughout the story, scheming in the background as he tries to hasten Superman’s inevitable end. While he loses his final battle, Lex’s initial strike does exactly what he wanted it to, as it drives Superman away from the Earth. This story represented the greatest victory of any version of the character.
About The Author
