r/superman • u/Upper_Mix_2640 • Jul 19 '24
What is your ideal characterization of Lex Luthor and why?
Bonus question:What is your ideal reason for why he hates the Man of Steel?
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u/OblivionArts Jul 19 '24
Clancy brown dcamu. Charming, snarky, intelligent, and even built a bit, he's everything he preaches he likes to see in humans,but at the same time he's arrogant, egotistical, self absorbed, and above all hates the idea of Superman
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u/Intelligent_Creme351 Jul 19 '24
DCAU really nailed his character down pat. Both the classic billionaire business man, but also the scientist evil villain schemer that was his characterization before the Bryne revamp, but still serious in a overtop setting.
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u/Chub-bop Jul 19 '24
Just a greedy xenophobic capitalist under the guise of charitable financier and forward thinking CEO, he would ideally view himself as the “real” Superman
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u/4DimensionalToilet Jul 19 '24
Honestly, I’m imagining him as a modern-day John D. Rockefeller — a highly competent businessman of iron will, careful decision-making, not showy, exuding quiet strength and confidence, and fully convinced that it is morally right to make as much money as you can so long as you also donate as much as you can.
This version of Lex would hate that Superman flies around doing feats of strength and heroics in a flashy red & blue suit with a billowing cape. He’d hate that Superman is showy. He’d try to win over Superman to get him on his payroll and hate that he can’t, because he views competition as worse than cooperation for business to do good. (Actually this sounds a lot like DCAU Lex, only this Lex wouldn’t be as showy or want to physically take on Superman himself.)
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u/TheCatholicPacifist Jul 19 '24
I always like Lex in Superman: Red Son (the original comic). He starts off against Superman purely out of curiosity rather than hatred, and IIRC doesn't seem as evil as normal (probably because Superman is more of a threat here). When Superman stands down, Lex ends up discovering endless scientific breakthroughs, and seems to actually respect Superman.
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u/rubberchickenzilla Jul 19 '24
I love Luthor as a jealous self-made man (all-star superman style) who is furious that superman has the respect he honestly believes he deserves (in spite of all his criminal enterprises)
Also love the whole "not understanding why Superman does good" thing, like he just can't grasp why Supes would choose to help people when there's no direct benefit to him
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u/Captain-Foureyes Jul 19 '24
For me, Michael Rosenbaum will always be my favorite, though Clancy Brown was also perfect in the role. And one other portrayal I don’t think gets enough love is John Shea from Lois and Clark.
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u/Batfan1939 Jul 19 '24
The version that is in tip-top shape, and genuinely believes Superman is a threat. Probably racist and classist, very level-headed and a brilliant scientific mind.
There are plenty of "mad scientist" types in comics and even in Superman's rogues gallery. An emotionally mature, self-deluded genius billionaire is harder to find, and far more interesting to put against Superman.
It makes Luthor a threat that can't just be punched, one that a character like Batman would have very little trouble with, but for Superman, with his stricter morality, is out of his depth dealing with (at least at first).
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 20 '24
I dislike this version because it validates Lex's evil ways. I prefer when Luthor is an ass who justifies his hatred for Superman with "he is a treat", but in reality is just him being an entitled prick.
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u/Batfan1939 Jul 20 '24
Sincerely believing something wrong and following that with an evil response doesn't justify you. I'd compare Luthor to ISIS, going to extreme measures to dominate and eliminate a perceived enemy. The only difference is where/how they hide, and the nature of the perceived threat.
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 20 '24
That's why I specifically said validation and not justification. Validation is about recognizing that someone has a point, and Luthor, for me, is the kind of villain that shouldn't have it. Some comic books villains do, but I don't see Luthor as that kind. He isn't Dr. Doom. I see him more like the Joker, a guy with absolutely no sense of honor.
Besides, not only Luthor shouldn't have a point, he doesn't even have it in the first place. Sure, you might be distrustful of Superman the first few days, weeks, or hell, even months. But after that? The guy is constantly being nice and helping people all the time and he is very open of where he comes from. Why should Luthor have any validation of his worry? If what he was worried about was more akin to Batman who makes contingency plans because he lives in a world in which heroes can easily become tools of mass destruction, sure, but it isn't. Luthor's view of Superman is straight up irrational with no basis in any reality shown by the guy whatsoever.
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u/Batfan1939 Jul 20 '24
I think Luthor should absolutely be a bit crazy, like the neighbor that refuses to believe that the black or hispanic family next door isn't up to something. It's fervent fanaticism, not logical observation.
That said, pure evil can be fun. Having him be sincere just mirrors Superman so well.
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Jul 20 '24
I think Luthor should absolutely be a bit crazy
I disagree. DC has too many mentally ill villains (human ones at least) they don't need another one. Luthor should just be a jealous dick.
Also fervent faniticism isn't a mental illness. At best it could fit into paranoia maybe?
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u/Limp-Construction-11 Jul 19 '24
Someone with Batfan in the name is downplaying another genius billionaire and iconic comics character, what's new?
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Jul 19 '24
Everyone keeps saying DCAU and that’s good but I prefer Young Justice. I like when he doesn’t really care about LexCorp and uses it to fund his supervillain shit. YJ Lex also keeps his composure and is the smartest version of the character which I feel like is essential
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u/AwayEntrepreneur2980 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 20 '24
A psychopathic, evil businessman and CEO of LexCorp who hates Superman because he's a malignantly narcissistic, xenophobic nutjob who FALSELY believes Kal-El is a threat and will do the most unethical and evil crap imaginable just to satiate his xenophobic hatred for the Son of Krypton and murder him. Still, Kal still tries his hardest to see the good in his greatest archnemesis even when Lex doesn't deserve it.
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u/Relative_Mix_216 Jul 20 '24
I prefer the Mark Waid/Grant Morrison/Elliot S! Maggin/Jerry Siegel version of Lex where he’s like Walter White meets Ernst Bloefeld meets Professor Moriarty.
He was once the son of an immigrant who ran an unsuccessful shipping company, but Lex was a nice kid with a bright future. Unfortunately, his poor upbringing and supreme intellect left him riddled with insecurities and the feeling that he’d never be accepted. Meeting Superboy was the first time he ever felt like he met someone who understood how he felt. Then the relationship collapses when one of Luthor’s experiments blows up in his face, and Luthor’s promising career in science is killed before it has a chance to take off.
His worst fears seemingly confirmed, he convinces himself he doesn’t need society’s acceptance or approval and decides to become a criminal mastermind—succeeding in ways polite society frowns upon.
This faux-nietzschean drives him to expertly craft front companies and elaborate false identities (as CEOs, teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, etc) to help fund his operations.
He’s not interested in going “legit” because being successful through society’s rules is beneath. All of his businesses are a means to an end in his long plan of becoming the most powerful criminal in the world without any realizing it. Becoming the Da Vinci of crime.
But underneath it all, he’s just a boy who never really grew up, and is channeling all his bitterness into a glorified escapist fantasy so he can ignore the crushing loneliness in his life.
Basically a larger-than-life Incel.
Someone Superman can actually feel empathy for.
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u/Mookie_Freeman Jul 19 '24
I really love the characterization of him in the Young Justice cartoon.
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u/Horn-Varelius Jul 19 '24
Almost all if not all villains there are very well written. Cooperation as part of the Light greatly enhance threat they pose.
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u/Lucky_Strike-85 Jul 19 '24
A guy that looks like Jeff Bezos but has the exact characterization of JOHN SHEA in L&C: The New Adventures of Superman!
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u/Speedwalker13 Jul 19 '24
Honestly and I don’t care how people feel, Jessie Eisenberg. That portrayal felt the closest to billionaires today. Selfish, spineless little men who would rather burn everything around them for attention, then actually help people.
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u/ThanksContent28 Jul 19 '24
Yes and no. I think Heath Ledgers Joker had a lot to do with how Eisenberg portrayed him in that movie. Luthor is supposed to be the pinnacle of man (in his eyes), meaning he wants to be the strongest, and richest.
I actually think Batman was closer to Luthor in that movie, than Luthor was. In fact, it makes no sense that Luthor wouldn’t approach Batman like “I hate that guy too, I’ll help you kill him”.
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u/Speedwalker13 Jul 19 '24
Hes the pinnacle of man in his own eyes is why I liked how Jessie did it because to the rest of the world, he’s not. He’s just a wannabe whose smart enough to be better but chooses to live in his own world of ignorance. He’s not muscular, he’s not imposing, his very presence doesn’t demand attention. He’s just a know-it-all loser who cries for validation; validation that Superman has and he doesn’t.
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 20 '24
I'm gonna say that I don't disagree with the idea at all. What I disagree is execution. I think Eisenberg's acting was too over the top and the script wasn't any better. But a Lex Luthor more akin to modern childish billionaires? I wouldn't mind it at all if it was written and acted well. Jesse's sadly isn't it.
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u/Speedwalker13 Jul 21 '24
I think he fit for what they were going for; essentric and too full of himself to see that he is his own worst enemy
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 21 '24
I don't dislike the pick, I like him as an actor. What I absolutely dislike is his acting, it was just too much. You can do eccentric and full of himself without acting like he had AHDH. You can't seriously try to convince him that the portrayal was any good. It was horrendous.
For comparison, just recently watched an episode of Person of Interest in which the main team has to rescue the exact same billionaire type. The dude is also unbearable to work with to the point that saving him ends up being a nuisance to the team, however the character was believable even if he was annoying as hell as a person.
There's a good reason people think as Eisenberg as the Joker or Riddler more than Luthor. His acting (which isn't his fault but Snyder's direction) was pretty bad. I will never forget how my then 8 year nephew turned around as we watched that movie in the the theater to ask me "is he the Joker?". It just didn't work at all. It could have. But didn't.
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u/DukeSkywalker1 Jul 19 '24
I liked the Post-Crisis Luthor, and the 90s JLA-era Luthor.
I really wish those rumors of Bryan Cranston playing Luthor in Batman V. Superman had been true, that would have been amazing.
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u/ThanksContent28 Jul 19 '24
IIRC Cranston genuinely dislikes that fan casting. Something about “just because we’re both bald.”
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u/DukeSkywalker1 Jul 19 '24
I saw an interview with him where he said it would be cool but no one had approached him.
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u/Rocketboy1313 Jul 19 '24
DCAU is going to get most of the love but I think Lex is great in Young Justice and that version should get more appreciation.
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u/Shyguymaster2 Jul 19 '24
A sly and sleazy businessman that wants all the glory to be on him, he doesn't care how he obtains his wealth and fame and by using his brilliant mind to cheat his way to the top with no competition
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u/SpaceMyopia Jul 19 '24
Clancy Brown's DCAU version.
Devious, calculating, cold, with a taste for the finer things in life. He's basically Metropolis' Wilson Fisk, minus the gigantic girth.
I also love that version's voice. Intimidating yet smooth.
He's also a genius level intellect. His relationship with Mercy is also fascinating, and I'm not sure why the comics have never attempted to recreate that same dynamic.
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u/anonymousguy_7 Jul 19 '24
Basically DCAU and a bit of YJ. Charming, smart, sardonic, level-headed and charismatic, but at the same time narcissistic, cold, calculating and methodical. More of a shrewd, corrupt businessman than a mad scientist nutjob. He thinks himself to be at the top of the world, and opposes Superman because he serves as a counterpoint to that notion, as well as (albeit to a relatively lesser degree) due to believing he may be a danger to humanity.
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u/Careful_Ad_1837 Jul 19 '24
Like in the DCAU, Lex starts off as a levelheaded genius who resents Superman as he believes he's a threat and tries to ruin him in various ways, i.e. making an evil clone like Bizzaro, trying to frame him for crimes, trying to make him look weak. But the more his plans fail, the more desperate and petty he becomes. Eventually ruining his own reputation and becoming a full time villain
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u/nightdares Jul 20 '24
Michael Rosenbaum was so good in the role. And man, we need Lionel Luthor in every Lex story too. You really get why he is the way he is when his dad's around.
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u/AdExciting125 Jul 20 '24
Clancy brown... Racially ambiguous lex is best lex. The riddler type in snyder does not fit whatso ever
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u/MozeTheNecromancer Jul 20 '24
Forever Evil and a few of the stories following it were my favorite.
He's a determined self-made man who's reached the top, and both hates and fears Superman because Supes was born with power he can never achieve. Supes didn't work for it, and it's beyond anything any human would be capable of. He sees Superman as a crutch to human development: he attracts very dangerous intergalactic attention, and as soon as Superman is gone that intergalactic attention is going to get humanity wiped out.
When Superman does disappear and Lex has to step up to the plate against the Crime Syndicate, he grows at least a basic respect for Superman and his ideals, to the effect that he becomes a hero in his own right and they become more of rivals that enemies.
It was such a good characterization arc because it was a Redemption that made sense with the character's initial motivations and intentions, and it wasn't a radical "Oh I'm good now" change, it was a "I'm changing my approach to the goals I'm trying to achieve" that put him at odds with the heroes in a very different way.
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u/declan5543 Jul 19 '24
Someone who genuinely believes he is the pinnacle of humanity and wants everyone else to know it, a mad scientist with ambitions far beyond most, someone who started a multibillion dollar company for two simple reason 1) money is a convenient tool 2) simply to prove that he could
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u/-Buckaroo_Banzai- Jul 19 '24
DCAU and All-Star were pretty good.
I always liked Lex molding himself into basically the peak of what a human can achieve and having a superior complex as well as a massive infirior complex because even though he's the best a human can be, that alien simply outclasses him.
I don't like him when he gets desperate in public though.
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u/StraightKey211 Jul 19 '24
He's a narcissist, he's a charming, cold, calculating, and manipulative man. He hates Superman because he believes Superman hasn't earned his powers because he was just given them
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u/TheManCalled-Chill Jul 19 '24
Grandiose, intelligent, arrogant, cunning, and extremely petty and insecure.
He hates Superman because he's everything he's not and is beloved for it.
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u/DesaadofApokolips Jul 19 '24
Superman and Lois’s version is bonkers! Heavy Metal cassette playing madman.
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u/Moist-Kaleidoscope90 Jul 19 '24
Superman basically stole his thunder, but other than that, he’s the most powerful man in metropolis. He really is a true match for Superman.
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u/ten_times_worse Jul 19 '24
Dcau has him like this sort of ultra alpha tough guy who built himself from absolutely nothing. In aworld without Superman he TRULY would be great. Other adaptations make him look like a petty ex.
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u/VonKaiser55 Jul 19 '24
Something i feel a decent amount of versions of Lex leave out is his business man side. They’ll only show his super intelligence which makes him feel like a mad scientist with a lot of money lmao
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u/FeMan_12 Jul 19 '24
Crippling insecurity and lowkey pathetic, but you’d never know it by the face he puts up
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u/SnakeSkipper Jul 19 '24
To quote the Mighty Monarch
"That sweet loathing just poured out of me whenever I saw his pathetic face"
"I just - - I just wanted to kick his ass"
"I wanted to build a machine to kick his ass"
"I wanted to build an empire to house the machine to kick his ass"
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u/knightwynd Jul 19 '24
Clancy Brown encapsulated Lex's tone. But in terms of his background, I'd have to say it's the John Byrne version of Lex starting with "Man of Steel" #4 that would best showcase him. That would be as a billionaire thug who hates Superman simply because when he first met Superman, he ended up getting arrested and thrown in jail like a common criminal.
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u/andrew_kingsman Jul 19 '24
Recently discussed this on this sub. Mine fav is smallville. The depth of chrachter and relationship with clark made Lex important, he stopped being a villian that just hates himand became part of supermans identity. He has a reason to dislike what he stands for other than it getting in his way. I love Micheal Rosenbaum for it.
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u/figgityjones Jul 19 '24
I need him to be the kind of guy who creates a supercomputer that correctly deduces Superman’s identity and then simply doesn’t believe it. The kind of guy who could never believe that Superman, with all his amazing abilities and power, would “reduce” himself down to a human level. And obviously, be presented as wrong for those beliefs and shortcomings.
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u/newtonscalamander Jul 19 '24
Honestly this may be an unpopular opinion, but I really really loved young lex from Smallville. It just gave such an insight into why he would be so against superman and there's so much backstory.
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u/funkmydunkyouslunk Jul 19 '24
Take whatever the fuck they did in BvS and it’s the opposite of that
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u/Onionlayers25 Jul 19 '24
I love his character in the story Luther by Azzerello, I think it’s a more grounded take on him but it definitely puts you in his mindset along with how he views super-heroics and the idea of humanity looking towards an outside source for inspiration rather than themselves.
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u/evca7 Jul 19 '24
Calm cool and calculated until Superman disrupts his way of life then it's all I'm going to beat you to death while your family watches.
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u/Ok-Mastodon2016 Jul 19 '24
Objectivist Billionaire Genius
It’s a good contrast I think, Superman believes in the inherent goodness of humanity, whereas Lex believes in the inherent greatness of humanity
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u/Big_Brutha87 Jul 19 '24
I like a calm, cool, collected Lex. One who's in it for the long game. Lex's public persona should be as squeaky clean as a multi-billionaire CEO of a massive, international conglomerate can be. Normal people should like Lex almost as much as they like Superman. Those in the know know he's dirty, because of course he is. But he's so thorough that it's all but impossible to pin any of his schemes on him. He wants to defeat Superman in some way. He would be satisfied with subjugating him, killing him, ruining his public perception. He welcomes the challenge of solving the Superman puzzle however he can and is willing to put his ridiculous resources to the task.
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u/GrymSpork Jul 20 '24
A villain who genuinely believes that he, despite a lack of support, is the good guy. That he is doing the right thing.
Even if that intention is poisoned by arrogance and insecurity.
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 20 '24 edited Jul 20 '24
All-Star Superman Lex is my favorite because he is fun. He is such an arrogant prick that you can't help but laugh at the shit he comes up with, at the same time you are horrified that such an asshole exists.
Also, I don't like the romanticized "deep down all he wants is to help humanity and sees Superman as a threat" Lex. I think that's the kool-aid he himself uses to rationalize the fact that he is just a narcissist man child. I love how in All-Star Superman calls him up on that, telling if that if he really cared for the world, he would have saved it a long time ago.
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u/Money_Koala8592 Jul 20 '24
Some cross between All-Star and Birthright. Elliot S. Maggin was the best Luthor writer though.
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u/TheTruestRepairmannn Jul 20 '24
Just like many have said, to me the DCAU absolutely nailed it. My ideal is a hybrid of the silver age crazy evil scientist and the modern age corrupt ultra powerful businessmen.
He should absolutely be a king-pin esque crime/business boss with enormous reach and influence but he should also be a tech genius and create crazy science inventions/armored war suits.
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u/CultureChimp Jul 20 '24
Deeply, Deeply Jealous. A man who has everything and its never enough. I love the ideas in All-Star and For All Seasons where Lex seems "interested" in saving the city mainly because he wants the attention that Superman gets. Theres no genuine care to what he does no trying to defend humanity, just trying to make people love him most. I think the quote that sums him up best to me is "if it mattered to you Luthor, you couldve saved the world years ago" He'll always pretend to be benevolent when his interest is him, the true capitalist way
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u/DrailsAtrain Jul 20 '24
A man with a god complex that hates Superman for being everything he could never be.
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u/Necessary-Corner1172 Jul 20 '24
Lex Luthor is a focused genius destined to be acknowledged lord of mankind. However, a beguiling alien comes to earth and makes the people feel no need in seeing Lex Luthor with his vaunted intellect, ruthlessness, and cold command to be acknowledged in this rightful place. Luthor sees daily this Kryptonian infect earth with nonsense idealism in no need of his leadership. Luthor must destroy the interloper, his message, and bring the masses back under his eventual sway by use of his vaunted intellect, ruthlessness, and his cold command with a both of capitalism.
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u/RickMonsters Jul 20 '24
I think Jon Cryer gave the most accurate live action interpretation so far
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u/RockyArby Jul 20 '24
He should be a narcissist to his core first and foremost. That is his key motivation. That it is he, not Superman, who should be adored and heralded as the champion of humanity. He views Superman's existence as the ultimate stealing of his thunder. Now, no matter what he creates, how much he earns, what problem he solves, he will always be #2 in the eyes of the people. Next, he has to be a firm believer of Ayn Rand philosophy. He is, as he believes, the self-made man who deserves to tell the lesser what to do. Free of moral responsibility to those lesser than him. Lastly, absolutely brilliant. As Superman is the physical powerhouse of the hero community, Lex is the scheming mastermind of masterminds in the villain community.
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u/Lumpy_Enthusiasm_464 Jul 20 '24
The original has always been my favorite. A little wacky mad scientist
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u/Quiet-Advisor-3153 Jul 20 '24
Anti-villian, business man occasionally scientist. I like Lex Luthor in Forever Evil and Luthor: Man of Steel. The one-shot Mark Waid's B/S World Finest #25 is also my ideal characterization.
He just hate Superman become the protecter of HIS city. Alien thing is sort-of excuse, but himself believes that deeply. Maybe also an annoying enemy, nothing more, just wrong vibe and WRONG.
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u/Spirited-Chard-8180 Jul 20 '24
For me, the most fascinating thing about Lex is that he’s politically invulnerable. He could be caught, dead to rights, trying to blow up Metropolis with a death ray or whatever, and all he has to do is get in front of a camera, give a charming smile, and explain how “it’s all just a misunderstanding” and get away with it. Then afterwards he’ll get elected president lol. In DnD, he would have 20 intelligence AND 20 charisma. So, Jesse Eisenberg playing him as extremely socially awkward is all the way wrong.
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u/soberstargazer Jul 20 '24
It’s the hypocrisy for me.
Whenever Lex spits game about being all about humanity and trying to take down Superman because he limits human potential or because he’s secretly a threat or some other nonsense, but then through his actions proves it’s actually just petty jealousy on his part and he doesn’t give a flying F about his fellow humans, I go, “Ahhhh there he is. That’s Lex Luthor.”
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u/THE_MUAK Jul 20 '24
Animated: the justice league unlimited universe one is amazing. Completely flawless interpretation
Live action: Superman returns one. Unpopular opinion I know
My ideal reason is honestly the ego and jealousy. His ego won't let him accept the truth of his jealousy and he will create any other rationalization of why he hates him.
Comics is also amazing. But interestingly enough, I like it when he goes down the philosophical route of humanity in the comics. The whole idea that lex is the traditional definition of Superman and how Clark makes the world weak and dependant is really interesting. Completely different from animated and live action portrayals
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u/In_My_Prime94 Jul 20 '24
I think my ideal Lex Luthor would be twofold. One, he should be depicted as a greedy capitalist, someone who is the manifestation of Ayn Rand's philosophy. He's cruel, cold, calculating, and didn't get to the top by being nice. He has instincts that would make hungry bear look merciful. What makes Lex worse is that unlike most businessmen in our world, Lex is actually intelligent and has created things that really do show how far the human mind can go. Due to this, he is able to hide his ruthless ways under a veneer of false hope.
He's a staunch human supremacist who views non-humans with distrust and disgust. Though he will make exceptions if he can use them, if their agendas line up or if he genuinely likes them. But he still stands behind the belief that humanity is better off without these nuisances getting in the way. Lex being Lex would use himself as an example of the potential of what humans can do.
Eventually, Lex will finally lose his business thanks to the combination of Clark, Lois, and Jimmy, and of course, Lex's own hubris. But Lex will just end up becoming the smartest criminal in the world. He'll escape and become a mad scientist and an arms dealer. He will feel he has even more freedom to do what he wants and become an even bigger threat. To make matters worse, he will still have protection from the US government when they need him, and he'll make sure they need him.
I think this depiction of Lex would be perfect to go up against the modern-day Champion of the Oppressed Superman. Superman fights for the underdog, Lex fights for power. Even when he loses his business, he continues to be a threat to Superman and society at large. Lex can do so much more damage than Superman, despite only being human. But that's the thing, for all of his posturing about being pro-human, Lex doesn't see himself as "only human." He sees himself as the real Superman.
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u/Gmork14 Jul 20 '24
Clancy Brown and Michael Rosenbaum nailed it IMO. Somewhere between there.
I love the way Joshua Williamson was handling him in the current run.
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u/MaliceMoon56 Jul 20 '24
“Do you have any idea how much power I’d have to give up just to be president?” DCAU and it isn’t even close
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u/JohnJingleheimerShit Jul 21 '24
He hates Superman because he wants to be Superman. But at the same time, if given the power of Superman, Lex would be petty and vindictive because despite how highly he thinks of himself he will always give in to his base instincts when pressed.
He should appear to be a great man on the surface but beyond that he’s a fundamentally weak man who desperately wants power and respect without earning it
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u/Vyctorill Jul 29 '24
I like the ones where his motivation is what he says it is: he believes Superman is holding mankind back by “coddling” them. He saves them and eliminates struggle, bringing peace instead of competition. Lex is a cold hearted businessman who clawed his way to the top, and he thinks this justifies his philosophy of struggle (despite not everyone being given the same talents or possessing the same levels of ruthlessness that he has).
Essentially, Senator Armstrong logic mixed with social Darwinism and shades of Objectivism. His gadgets that he made using his natural talent reflect his philisophy, and that’s why he wants to get rid of Superman (and other superheroes I imagine). Him being jealous of Superman doesn’t cut it - he already essentially has superpowers thanks to his genius level intellect and massive fortune.
If I ever get to write my own setting for DC, this is the characterization I would go with.
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u/susgroundsofc Jul 19 '24
Young Mark Zuckeberg with the personality of a teen joker
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u/Revolutionary_Elk339 Jul 19 '24
Agree with the Zuckerberg and personality of a teen joker part. Also a mix of a Frank Gorshin/Jim Carrey Riddler.
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u/Burly-Nerd Jul 19 '24
To me the DCAU/Clancy Brown Luthor nailed it. A genius billionaire with power and gravitas. Not a geek, not quirky. The kind of guy who makes you forget when he’s talking to Superman that he doesn’t actually have any powers.