Lex Luthor

**Alexander "Lex" Luthor** (born 1980) is the billionaire CEO of LexCorp and Luthor corp.

Lex decisively turned to his dark destiny after a series of events over the years: His friendship with Clark Kent went back and forth; he blackmailed *Metropolis Inquisitor* reporter Roger Nixon into his employ; his relationship with his father Lionel Luthor grew deeply troubled after he became LexCorp's founder and CEO; his relationship then marriage with Helen Bryce failed; he became LuthorCorp's second CEO; his manipulative friendship with Jason Teague developed; he led various experiments with kryptonite; his race for Kansas State Senator against Jonathan Kent turned ugly; his "partnership" with Brainiac evolved; he managed various inhumane projects involving metahumans and meteor freaks; his rivalry with former schoolmate Oliver Queen turned deadly; his relationship then marriage with Lana Lang imploded; his encounters with Lois Lane worsened; he illegally cloned his own brother Julian Luthor; purchased the *Daily Planet* and named himself CEO; manipulated Kara Kent; murdered his own father with his own bare hands; and finally discovered Clark's secret before using the Orb to collapse the Fortress of Solitude on himself and Clark.

After he had grafted his many clones' best pieces together to create his composite clone **LX-Ø** to which he was restored into thanks to an alternate-reality Lionel Luthor's deal with Darkseid, Lex met with Clark to look forward to their destiny together as arch-nemeses. He then mortally stabbed his half-sister Tess Mercer, who erased all of his memories using a neurotoxin

Due to the loss of his memories, Lex distrusts and hates Superman, seeing him as a potential threat to Earth. He has fulfilled his destiny as Superman's greatest enemy.

In 2018, Lex becomes the President-elect of the United States.

### Powers

* **Healing Factor**: Although not exactly at superhuman level, Lex was shown to heal somewhat faster and more efficiently than the average human, enough to allow him to survive serious wounds (as he has been stabbed and shot on numerous occasions), and also to be knocked out dozens of times without experiencing any permanent brain damage.[44] He was also able to survive a poisoning which would kill most people, and the doctors who treated him were shocked he survived it, although he had to have his blood purified every 72 hours until the exposure to the Crystal of Fire cured him completely. However, Lex is still as susceptible to injury as normal human beings are; although he managed to survive the collapse of the Fortress of Solitude, he had to be constently hooked up to life support; even months later he was still at rather critical condition, indicating that his healing factor, while far better than average, isn't superhuman.
	+ **Elevated Immune System**: After getting caught in the 1989 meteor shower and getting exposed to green kryptonite at age 9, Lex was given a superhuman immune system; as such, it cured his asthma and he has not been sick ever since that day, as the kryptonite increased his white blood cell count, making him immune to common colds, fevers, viruses, and other ailments (although advanced diseases such as cancer can still kill him). The kryptonite is also the reason he is bald.[45]
* **Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant**: Lex is an expert in judo, taekwondo, boxing, swordplay, and gun handling. He was able to hold his own in hand-to-hand combat against Oliver Queen. Though he still seems to have a bit of a glass jaw since he went down after a good punch to the face from a de-powered Clark and one good smack from Lois.[46]

* **Genius-level** **Intelligence**: Lex's greatest asset is his high level of intellect. He is a skilled strategist with a keen business sense, and his access to vast resources, advanced technology, and manpower allow him to directly and indirectly hold his own against more powerful enemies, whether they be superhuman or not. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of subjects in history and culture. He is also a brilliant scientist, often assisting in the creation of LexCorp projects, especially when they are intended to be used against Earth's heroes. Thanks to Tess using Summerholt's neurotoxin on Lex in order to erase his memories, not only is his mind healthy but that it has been operating at a higher percentage, basically making him a super-genius.
	+ **Multilingual**: Lex has been shown reading, understanding or speaking the following languages to various degrees: Latin, Greek, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese.
	+ **Polymath**: Lex is skilled in the fields of history, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, linguistics, computers, engineering and electronics.
	+ **Business Management**: Having learned from his father, Lex is one of the most shrewd yet skilled businessmen in the world. Lex is not above using cutthroat tactics, unethical practices and illegal operations to maintain the success of his business empire.
	+ **Manipulation**: Lex is an expert at manipulating people to get what he wants. He knows how to get into people’s minds and exposing their weaknesses and using their own secrets against them. He is also an expert with using blackmail.
	+ **Tactician**: Due to years of tests and trials from his father and having read many literary works on tactics and strategy, Lex is a very skilled tactician. Lex has been able to stay ahead of and out think Clark, Oliver, Chloe, Lana, and even his own father.

### Origins

Lex was born the first child of Lionel and Lillian. He attended boarding school from an early age, and also frequently played with Jason Teague, Oliver Queen, and Patricia Swann, the children of his parents' powerful friends, the Teagues, the Queens, and the Swanns, respectively.

While growing up, for Lex, The Luthor Mansion was the opposite to what Clark had at the Kent Farm. It was a cold and loveless place full of secrets. Even before Julian’s death, Lionel was cold and distant as a father, and would manipulate, intimidate and even physically hurt Lex and Lillian. Everything was always a test for Lex, there was always a lesson or moral to challenge him. Although Lillian loved her son, she was basically a prisoner in the mansion and seemingly suffered from mental illness and was also not able to show much warmth or comfort to Lex.

One day while Lex was in his room painting his Roman Soldiers, Lionel busts into the room yelling that Lex opened his briefcase. He begins to get rough with Lex grabbing and pushing him to tell the truth, Lillian tries to intervene but when Lionel finds out she was the one who opened the case he becomes angry against her and Lex has to watch as Lionel pushes his mother to the ground.

In one of Lionel’s few fatherly moments, he took Lex on a trip to Washington DC. Lex thought it was just a business trip but, realized his father took him to the Air and Space Museum only because he knew Lex loved things that could fly. (*Descent*)

In 1989, Lex overheard his father's conversation with Robert Queen, Edward Teague, and Virgil Swann discussing something called "Veritas." Days later, Lionel took him to Smallville on a business trip at his mother's insistence. Fatefully, they arrived on the day of the meteor shower. The meteorites cured Lex's asthma but caused him to go bald, in addition to apparently super-charging his immune system.

Days after returning from the hospital after the meteor shower,

Lex befriended a dark-haired boy who was living in the mansion for a short period of time.

In 1991, Lex's brother Julian was born. Their mother suffocated Julian in early infancy during a bout of severe post-partum depression. Lex discovered the murder and took the blame, fearing his father would harm his mother but knowing he would not be harmed as he was Lionel's only remaining heir. He then repressed the memory and grew up believing that he really had killed his brother.

After the death of his mother in 1993, Lex was raised without real affection, parenting, or love. Instead, Lionel lavished Lex with money and gifts, and sent him away to expensive, exclusive boarding schools. Even though his nanny Pamela Jenkins promised to stay and raise Lex, Lionel forced her to leave.

While at Excelsior Academy in 1996, Lex and his friend Duncan Allenmeyer were bullied by Oliver and his friends. Lex eventually turned on Duncan to gain Oliver's acceptance and beat him up so brutally that Duncan stumbled into the street and was hit by a car. Lex expressed regret at betraying Duncan but never forgave Oliver for the way he treated them. Lex graduated from Excelsior in 1998, and then went to Metropolis University, where he got kicked out after playing a practical joke on the son of Intertech CEO Edgar Huff.[47]

In 1999, Lex took Amanda Rothman to Club Zero, knowing she would see her fiancé Jude Royce flirting with other girls. When Jude attacked Lex, Amanda shot and killed him. Lionel handled the incident in such a way that Lex's name stayed out of the papers.

Like his father, Lex graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in biochemical engineering in less than four years, and was taking a break from graduate studies at Yale in 2001 when he was sent to live in Smallville to manage LuthorCorp Fertilizer Plant Number Three.

### Season 1-4

On his first day in Smallville, Lex was driving on the Loeb Bridge when he lost control of his car and accidentally hit Clark Kent; they both fell into the river. Clark used his powers to save Lex from drowning, and so began their friendship and Lex's obsessive investigations. Lex developed an interest in the effects that the meteor rocks had on humans, and this interest became most dangerous to Clark when Lex finds the key to his spaceship.

As a businessman, Lex has shown himself to be both smart and generous, but not always successful. He successfully protected his employees from layoffs by finding other ways to cut expenses when profits were down, but Jonathan Kent resisted his interest in investing in the Kent Farm. Lex did, however, invest in Lana Lang's project to convert the Talon theater into a coffee shop.

He was at his most heroic this year when Earl Jenkins took hostages inside the LuthorCorp fertilizer plant. Lex entered the plant to negotiate and became a hostage in place of the others. He also actively helped find a cure to the effects of the Nicodemus flower and showed generosity when he forgave Pamela Jenkins.

Lex showed his callousness when he renewed his relationship with Victoria Hardwick as a means to an end, and showed his ruthlessness when he blackmailed Roger Nixon and later stuffed an auditor in the trunk of his car.

Despite the fact that Lex had made the plant profitable, Lionel wanted Lex in Metropolis. Lex refused to go, saying the relationships he developed in Smallville were too important to him. In response, Lex formed LexCorp and organized an employee buyout of the plant which Lionel was trying to block by buying the Smallville Savings and Loan. When the tornado hit, Lionel was injured, and Lex hesitated before saving him.

In the wake of the tornado, Lex got his father to the hospital and approved a surgery which failed to save Lionel's eyesight. He helped Clark find Jonathan, and later saved Jonathan from being killed by Nixon by shooting the reporter with a handgun. Jonathan finally gave up his mistrust of Lex, and the two attempted to forge a positive relationship. During the summer, Lex helped Chloe Sullivan out on a story at the Daily Planet, as well as provided a means of escape when she and Pete Ross were on the run.[1]

Lex was briefly married to Desiree Atkins while under the influence of her super pheromones. She would use his influence to turn him against Clark and close down the Talon. Lex would soon after include a policy to give Lana more authority over the Talon. During his stay at the mansion, Lionel had been insisting and approving for accommodations to compensate for his blindness to Lex's dismay. Meanwhile, he helped Jonathan find Clark when he ran away from home. Later, Lex told Lionel that he refused to give him self-pity and removed his changes to the office.

When Rachel Dunleavy (Lucas' mother) arrived in town claiming to be Clark's biological mother, Lex thought that Clark was his brother, but it turned out to be false. Lex and Lionel also fought over control of the Kawatche Caves. When Lex met Mayor William Tate, discovered him to be corrupt, and supported his opponent in the next election. He also ensured that the Kents would have custody over Ryan when it was discovered that he was being held under observation at Summerholt.

Lex and Helen Bryce met at the hospital after Jonathan broke his leg. Though she is hesitant to enter a relationship as she remembered a previous encounter at Metropolis ER. They broke up when Lex suspected Helen of spying on him, but they worked it out and got back together. Lex spent a good deal of the year trying to protect LexCorp from his father's attempts to acquire it. He later discovered that Lionel bugged the mansion, and attempted to bug LuthorCorp.

Lionel was later shot after his takeover of LexCorp with Lex being one of the suspects. Afterward, Lex left Metropolis to meet Malcolm Barnes (a friend from prep school), as he claimed to have made a breakthrough on the cave's hieroglyphics. When he arrived, Malcolm was discovered to be dead, with notes that claimed Lex to be the killer. He was eventually apprehended by the FBI and informed that his Swiss bank account is emptied. With Clark's help, he managed to retreat and decided to visit Lionel with the intent to shoot him.[2]

Lionel was accused of his account being stolen, only to discover that the money was still there until a recent withdrawal was made. Lex was then escorted out by security, only to discover that the guards were FBI Agents, prompting him to escape. He get a Taxi ride only to discover that the driver was the cop who discovered Malcolm's death. After evading a gunfire, Lex discovered that the FBI Agents were all hired actors, with Malcolm behind the charade.

The intent was for Lex to be arrested for killing Lionel, so that his employer would get control of LuthorCorp while he would get the contents of Lex's bank account. The employer was revealed to be Dominic Sanatori, whom Lex met up with in his limo. Lex declared war on Dominic, and then pushed him out of the limo (which was traveling at 40 miles per hour).[3] When his long-lost half-brother Lucas Luthor and Lionel kicked Lex out of the mansion, Lex stayed with the Kents and did chores around the farm. Afterwards, Lex finally secured his company again with the help of Lucas.

Helen gave up a fellowship and moved into the mansion with Lex. He made a great leap forward and showed real trust when he shared with Helen his room of obsessions. When an ex-boyfriend showed up in Smallville and beat her within an inch of her life, he very nearly killed him, but it was his love for her that pulled him back from the edge. That's when he decided to propose to her. During this time, he helped Lana to learn how to fight after she was attacked at the Talon.

Lex invited Jonathan and Martha Kent to the wedding rehearsal dinner for Lex and Helen, with Jonathan standing in for Lionel. They broke up again, when she learned that he stole something from her office, but Lex managed to dig deep and beg forgiveness. They were finally married, but while flying to their honeymoon, something went terribly wrong. Lex woke up to find the plane empty and crashing.

Lex managed to survive the crash and ended up on a deserted island where he spent over three months. In the island, Lex met Louis Leery Jr., an insane individual that thwarted all his attempts to be rescued. When the man attacked Lex and chased him, Lex hacked Louis to death with a machete minutes earlier of being rescued. Lex was shocked to learn that there hadn't been anyone else on the island and that he had a breakdown while on the island and imagined the whole incident; it was all a manifestation of Lex's own hatred of his father and his struggle with his humanity.

When he returned to Metropolis, Lex confronted Lionel at LuthorCorp accusing him of setting him up to die. Lionel told Lex that it was Helen who had tried to murder him, but Lex refused to believe him. After learned that Helen had lied to everyone about the circumstances of the crash, Lex planned his revenge. When they went on yet another plane ride to try to rekindle their marriage, Lex confronted Helen, revealing that she had been working for his father to spy on him after all, but that she'd decided to kill him instead, against Lionel's wishes. After Lex finished telling Helen what he knew, she pulled a gun on him. Lex fought with Helen over the gun and in the struggle the gun went off and the pilot was killed. Lex fought to get control of the plane, and while he did so, Helen escaped via parachute and was never seen again. Lex decided to try and get along better with his father and accept his destiny as a Luthor. He told his father, "If I were anyone else's son, I would have died on that island. If I keep my pride in check, I know there's a lot more I could learn from you.". He and his father agreed to run LuthorCorp together and work on their relationship.

Lex continued to want nothing more than to have a real family with his father, and later admitted to Chloe that all he wanted was for his father to love him. To ensure that Lex was psychologically fit to remain employed, Lionel requested that Lex submits to five therapy sessions, to which Lex eventually agreed to. Lex has his five sessions with Claire Foster. Due to his refusal to go into personal traumas, she suggested that Lex continue with more sessions. He refused to continue his therapy until he lost his temper and threatened Perry White.

During the course of the battle of wills between Lex and Lionel, Chloe uncovered evidence that Lionel had murdered his parents for the insurance money needed to start LuthorCorp. During his current therapy session, Lex described his time on the island and his encounter with Louis. His hesitation to bring up Louis stemmed from being afraid to confront his own darkness. Without Lex's knowledge, Claire called Lionel to mention that the childhood incident wasn't so isolated.[1]

In an effort to get out from under his father's thumb once and for all, Lex went to the police with the information found by Chloe, but Lionel had learned of Lex's plan and had him drugged to make people believe that Lex was insane. Morgan Edge was in on Lionel's plan. While under the effects of the drugs, Lex witnessed Clark's abilities. Lex found himself in Belle Reve, where he was counseled with the other patients and given his daily medication. He insisted that the only reason he was there was due to Lionel trying to silence him.

After criticism from the other patients, Lex then went along with everybody in claiming that he was insane. During his time, he reflected on his discovery of Clark's abilities. He envisioned Clark freeing him and going with him to take revenge on Lionel. After a while he realized that all he wanted was to exploit Clark, and then vowed to become a more trustworthy friend.[2]

When Clark came to visit, Lex assured him that he kept the secret to himself. He requested for Clark to break him out, only to make a failed escape attempt. To prevent Lex from telling anyone else about his past or trying to stop him, Lionel requested that Lex be given electroshock therapy, which completely erased the seven weeks of his life. Later, Lex went to Dr. Lawrence Garner, seeking his help in regaining his memories. He underwent an experiment process which involved being lowered into a tank of liquefied kryptonite. Although he didn't regain memory of the past seven weeks of his life, Lex did regain his true memories of his younger brother's death at the hands of his mother years previously.

Later, Lex was informed by Chloe of his grandparents' murder at the hands of his father and Edge, and got the information to the FBI. As the year ended, Lex's room about Clark was found out by Clark. Clark, angered and hurt over the fact that Lex had been investigating him all of his life, ended their friendship. Though he was arrested by the FBI, Lionel proved to be especially brutal and tried to poison Lex in retaliation.

Apparently, Lex's incredible immune system saved him from dying but still required blood filtration every 72 hours for sometime to flush out the toxins. His immune system eventually fully cured him. With Lionel in jail, Lex decided to continue one of his father's projects: search for the Kryptonian Stones of Power.

After Lex hired General Sam Lane's services to help to protect the lives of Chloe and her father from Lionel, Lex asked Clark for a second chance, and they reestablished their friendship. Lex continued to help Clark, especially helping Lois Lane so she can go back to college and can be moved from the Kent Farm.

Lex bought a manuscript that contained a hidden map that led to one of the Stones of Power, and also discovered that family friend Genevieve Teague had been searching for the stones and Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, an ancestor of Lana's, was also searching for them.

He continued taking charge of his father's projects, including a prestigious boy from the Balkans area Mikhail Mxyzptlk, and starting his own research on people with special abilities.

After altering LuthorCorp's company database where only he knows the codes, Lex visits Lionel. Unknown to Lex, Lionel tries to switch bodies with Lex but switch bodies with Clark. When "Clark" goes to Lex to force out his money. Through his words and actions, Lex realizes that "Clark" is really Lionel as he forces the life out of him but Martha shows up and subdues "Clark" with a meteor rock. After Clark and Lionel transfer back into their rightful bodies, Lex wasn't sure if it was Clark and threatens him with a gun while asking Clark something only he could answer. Afterwards, Clark asks him to help get Edgar Cole out of prison. Unconsciously, Lex also began to develop some attraction toward Lana and after learning about her relationship with the highschool coach Jason Teague, managed to get him fired causing a tear in his relationship with Lana.

Lex tried to fix his relationship with Lana, especially after that Clark start to distrust about the real objectives of Lex, and then hired Jason to help him to research on the Stones of Power. When Lionel was released from prison Lex was unimpressed with Lionel's moral makeover and then accepts the offer of Genevieve Teague to team up on the search of the stones before Lionel could find them. This caused that Jason start to questioned Lex's job offer, but after Lex tries to convince Jason that his mother maybe the cause for the Countess's possession of Lana, he assignment him to learn how much Genevieve and Lana know about the Countess.

Lex and Jason went to China, in the searched for one of the mysterious Kryptonian crystals but they were arrested and interrogated by Chinese guards, and had to be saved by Clark and Lana.

When conducting an experiment on meteor rock, the mineral turned black, which split Lex into two beings, one good and one evil. The evil half imprisoned the good half in the Luthor Mansion's wine cellar and began his rampage by threatening Lana to move in with him, tempting Lionel to return to his old ruthless ways, trying to kill Clark and Chloe, and force Clark to use his powers to bring the world to its knees. Fortunately, Clark was able to use black kryptonite to recombine the two halves.

After a body was found partially buried on the grounds of the Luthor Mansion, Lex took care of the body thinking that he would be blamed from the murder, unknowing that was Jason who helped his mother kill Dr. Bridgette Crosby in order to frame Lex and obtain one of the stones.

Ultimately, Lex and Lionel are kidnapped by the Teagues and held hostage in a cabin in order to discover the location of the last stone. They tortured Lex to try and get the location of the Crystal of Water but Lionel lied, saying that he sent it to Lana. Genevieve went to Lana's to find it, leaving Lex and Lionel under Jason's watch. They managed to get loose and tried to escape but Jason chased them into the woods. Then Lex cornered him on a cliff over a river. Jason started to say something about Clark when Lionel appeared and shot him, and Jason fell off the cliff before he could reveal his information to Lex.

After learning that Lana and Lionel each had a stone, Lex tried to get ahold of them, but they were both eventually taken by Clark. Angered, even when he found his office a mess with Chloe there, he figured that Clark was in the mix of all it. Incredibly obsessed and notwithstanding the impending second meteor shower, Lex dragged Chloe along with him to the Kawatche Caves to find Clark, but was knocked unconscious by Chloe.

### Season 5-7

After the second meteor shower, Lex became the son that Lionel had always wanted. He became obsessive and controlling and never let anything slip by him. At first, Lex had broken all ties to his friends, including Clark.

He started working on projects that would prove to be dangerous to others, such as Leviathan and Project 1138. Lex even decided to run for State Senator. Besides hiding the information about keeping the Black Ship from everyone, he told Lana that the black ship may be the key to the meteor showers and the strange happenings around Smallville.

On Christmas Eve, Lex was given an envelope containing damaging information that would destroy Jonathan's life and had to decide whether to use it as it would also bring harm to Clark and Martha. Before he could decide what to do, Lex got shot and fell into a coma. He dreamed that his mother visited him and showed him the life he could lead if he walked away from his father and LuthorCorp. In this alternate life, Lex was happily married to Lana with their son Alex and their daughter Lily on the way. After Lex dropped out the race, Jonathan became Senator and years later, in that reality, he gave Lex an award. Lex also learned that Clark and Chloe had gotten together and were working at the *Daily Planet* as reporters. However, he was separated from his father, the power, and the money that came with it. When Lana gave birth to Lily, she died after losing large amounts of blood. Disappointed of how life was in that reality, Lex continued his ambition to become Senator and defeating Jonathan.

About a month later, Lex and Lana were held captive by two crazed deputies who demanded to know where the black ship was (as It had disappeared following Clark defeating Brainiac). Lex was shot and almost bled to death. Lana remained by his side and the ordeal brought them closer.

Lex lost the senatorial race to Jonathan. Lex later attended Jonathan's funeral.

Some time later, Lex discovered Simone, a petty shoplifter with a stone that could hypnotize other people to do her bidding, and used her to break up Clark and Lana, and discover Clark's secret. Though Simone did manage to break the couple up, she betrayed Lex by using Clark to her own advantages. Lex used his resources to find Milton Fine in Honduras, and was led to believe that Fine was a government agent for the U.S. State Department who was investigating the recent meteor shower. Once Lex returned home, Simone sent Clark to kill him. When Chloe tried to stop Clark, Simone used her stone to hypnotize Lex and commanded him to kill Chloe. However, Chloe wrestled the gun from Simone and the gun went off; Simone was hit in the chest and the gem was destroyed.

When Lex was injected with the Limbo drug while trying to save Lana, he died and awoke in the afterlife where he encountered his mother. Lillian told Lex how disgusted she was with him for not taking her advice, and told him that, by going down his current path of darkness, he would become a murderer.

Lex and Lana began seeing each other, and Lex was attacked by Graham Garrett. When Graham attacked him and Lana at the Smallville Medical Center, Lex shot Graham dead (but was unknowingly saved by Clark).

Lex let Lana in on his plans with the virus he had been developing for Fine, but knew he could not trust Fine with what he had planned so he developed a vaccine for Fine's deadly virus. To stop him from carrying out any further, Lana told Lex about the meteor rocks which could weaken beings like the Disciples of Zod. However, Fine injected Lex with the vaccine, and shortly after, Lex developed accelerated healing.

Later, Lex was abducted by Brainiac and given Kryptonian powers. He was later returned and confronted by Lionel, whom he threw against a car with his newfound super-strength. Lex shared his powers with Lana and told her to meet him on the roof of LuthorCorp in Metropolis. Unknown to Lex, he was chosen to be the vessel for General Zod, and Clark was told by Jor-El that he had to kill Lex in order to prevent Zod's return. Lex confronted Clark at the Kent Farm and told him that this was a new step in his destiny, now that he had Lana at his side. He then attacked with his Kryptonian abilities, and Clark reacted to it, letting Lex know that he had the powers as he did. After a brief but intense fight, Clark defeated Lex and prepared to stab Lex with a Kryptonian dagger. However, he could not bring himself to kill Lex, and instead hurled the dagger at Brainiac, who used the dagger to gain access to the Fortress of Solitude and open the portal for Zod.

When Zod possessed his body, Lex's spirit became dormant and seemed to be "dead". After trapping Clark in the Phantom Zone, Zod posed as Lex for the time being, overseeing the destruction happening around Metropolis. Lana met him on the roof of LuthorCorp, and he kissed her.

Lex managed to get free from Zod when Clark returned from the Phantom Zone and used the Crystal of El to separate Zod's spirit from Lex's body, restoring Lex back to normal with no recollection of the destruction he caused while possessed by Zod, other than what Lana told him.

Lex had Lana move into the Luthor Mansion due to Metropolis University's dorms being closed. Shortly after, he was kidnapped by Orlando Block. Block threatened Lex until he told him about a serum that would supposedly endow a person with superhuman strength, and brought in Lana to be the test subject. Luckily, Lex got loose and killed Block. However, the laboratory caught fire, but Clark secretly put it out and Lex and Lana were saved.

Lex hosted a charity costume ball to raise money for the families and victims of Dark Thursday, and consummated his relationship with Lana. Later, he enlisted Lionel's help in testing Lana's loyalty about their decision with the Kryptonian black box. Lex later encountered his old classmate Oliver Queen at their Excelsior Academy class reunion, and he had to come to terms with the events that happened years ago. Shortly after, Oliver's old friends were killed in violent and mysterious accidents that pointed to Duncan Allenmeyer.

Lex was confronted by Jimmy Olsen with evidence of his meeting with Dr. Groll to discuss the Kryptonian black box and had Jimmy fired from the *Daily Planet*. Lana grew tired of Lex's obsession with the box and gave Lex an ultimatum: the box or her. When the box was destroyed by the Zoner Baern, Lex chose Lana, but she suspected that he only chose her by default.

Lex was shot with an arrow by the Green Arrow. As Lex lay dying, Clark gave him a healing drug to save his life. In one of his lowest moves, Lex seemingly had the maker of the drug murdered and had a teenager from the Halfway House blamed for it. As all of this was going on, Lana learned that she was pregnant. Feeling that her relationship with Lex had begun to go downhill because of Lex's dishonesty and mistrust, Lana seemed devastated by the pregnancy.

Lex got stuck in a different "frequency" of reality by Bronson, a patient from Level 33.1. He was unable to be seen or heard by anyone, unless by radio. While Lex was in a different frequency, Lana told him she was pregnant, and after he stopped Bronson, Lex asked her to marry him. However, he didn't want to pressure Lana into an answer and waited several weeks for her to respond. Lana confessed to Chloe that something about Lex made her hesitate, and she still had feelings for Clark. When Lana's comments were published in the gossip column of the *Daily Planet* by Linda Lake, Lex had to face the reason for Lana's hesitation. However, Lana chose to resolve her feelings for Clark and accept Lex's proposal.

Lex caught Bart Allen and displayed a new level of inhumanity by torturing the young man in the Ridge Facility of LuthorCorp before he was rescued by the Justice League.

Clark and Lois, both infected with an aphrodisiac made with red kryptonite, burst in and disrupted Lex and Lana's engagement party. When Clark grabbed Lana and took her to the Kent Farm, Lex came after him with a gun. Clark knocked the gun out of his hand and tried to strangle Lex, until Lex grabbed a chisel and tried to stab him at the same time Martha disabled Clark with a meteor rock. When Lana feared she was being stalked, Lex did all he could to ensure her safety, but was angered by Lana's decision to hide out at the Kent Farm. He hand-delivered Clark a wedding invitation so that Clark could see what he lost. Lex worked with Dr. Robert Bethany to manipulate Tobias Rice into identifying meteor-infected people. He supervised the kidnapping and experimentation of Chloe.

On his wedding day, Lex confessed to Lionel that he was afraid Lana would not show up. That same day, Dr. Langston (Lana's obstetrician) attempted to blackmail Lex and threatened to tell Lana every detail of her pregnancy. In a fit of rage, Lex accidentally murdered Langston, but Lionel found out and berated him for doing such a sloppy job of cleaning up his messes. Due to Lionel's coercion, Lana did indeed show up and she and Lex were married on February 24, 2007.

A week after the wedding, Lana miscarried and fell into a deep depression. Lex seemed concerned for Lana's health and state of mind, but he was seen burning her medical files. Lana continued to pull away and when she was hospitalized again, she learned that her pregnancy was faked due to synthetic hormone injections. She believed Lex to be responsible, but did not confront him and continued to pretend to be his devoted wife. Lex became increasingly preoccupied with his Level 33.1 project.

He obtained the extraterrestrial body of the fighter Titan and had Moira Sullivan transferred, he administered a drug that brought her out of her catatonic state. She was able to control her daughter Chloe to steal a flash drive from Lex, so Lex manipulated Moira by kidnapping Chloe too. Under her mother's mind control, Chloe shot Lex in the face, but Clark arrived in time to save Lex and rescue Chloe and her mother. Chloe attempted to write an article exposing Lex's project, but he calmly threatened to have her thrown in jail or killed, also possibly hinting to keep her in 33.1.

Lex was trapped in an underground tunnel by Jodi Keenan. At Lionel's request, Clark attempted to save him but was also trapped by the green meteor rock lining the tunnels' walls. While attempting to escape, Lex and Clark analyzed the breakdown of their friendship and Clark revealed that Lana was going to leave him. However, they realized that they would only be safe if they helped each other. When Clark was trapped under rubble, Lex freed him. They managed to escape through a ladder leading up to the surface. The purpose of the tunnels was revealed to be an underground laboratory leading to Reeves Dam for Project Ares which had just completed its first prototype: Wes Keenan.

Using Titan's alien DNA of, Lex turned Keenan into a super soldier with many different meteor powers and tested him in the tunnels. Lex met with Senator Ed Burke to inform him the progress of Project Ares, but Burke wanted it canceled, threatening to release incriminating evidence about LuthorCorp. Lex used Wes to kill the senator, but Wes unexpectedly ran into Lois and was able to circumvent his programming. Lex was unable to regain control of Wes before he battled Clark. Wes was badly damaged and chose to die rather than be under Lex's control. Lex studied Wes' body but was unsatisfied with his results.

Lex decided that Project Ares would only be successful with a living DNA donor and began to track the last loose Phantom Zone wraith Bizarro. When Lana decided to leave Lex, he assumed that Clark had finally come between them. Lana maintained that his betrayal over the fake pregnancy was the real reason and declared that he would have to kill her to keep her. Lex claimed to not know anything about the scam and slapped Lana across the face, thus putting an end to their short and turbulent marriage. Bizarro was apprehended in the body of a young boy but Lex and his team lost control. Lex narrowly escaped death but while fleeing Reeves Dam, he was arrested for Lana's murder.

As the dam was about to burst, Lex watched as the water washed the police car he was in. Fighting to stay alive, Lex saw an angelic girl in the river, and she later saved him by bringing him to shore. Lex managed to catch a glimpse of her before she flew off. Lex was found later and decided to turn himself in. Lex was approached by Bizarro in need of finding Clark and killing him. Lex confessed and was incarcerated. Lex willingly went to jail for Lana's murder for a short time, until someone else confessed.

Lex was released because Lionel paid a terminally-ill employee from LuthorCorp to confess to the crime. Lex believed Lana was not really dead and questioned Chloe, but she had nothing to say to him. Lex hired private investigators to use voice-recognition software on cellular phone lines and Lana was located in Shanghai, China. Lex subsequently tracked Lana down and confronted her and she revealed that she discovered his experimental clone he had produced and used it to frame him. She claimed she allowed herself to be found and tried to shoot him but was unable to pull the trigger. Lex was resigned and apologetic for victimizing her and informed her that she could come back to Smallville and divorce him with no resistance from him.

Lex began working with Dr. Curtis Knox on a way to cure metahumans. Lex started questioning Knox's experimentation of using their organs and discovered that he was killing his patients. Knox almost killed Lex but he was saved by Clark. Lex then helped Clark locate Knox's latest victim, Chloe, before Knox killed her.

When the movie version of "*Warrior Angel*" came to Smallville, Clark went to Lex for help when crazed fan Ben Meyers tried to kill the movie's leading lady. Lex used his extensive "Warrior Angel" comic collection and knowledge to help Clark figure out the fan's motives. Lex later confronted Ben and asked him what he knew about Clark's secret, but Ben would not tell him anything.

Lex was revealed to be responsible for making Grant Gabriel an editor at the *Daily Planet*. He told Grant to break off the relationship he had with Lois. Although Grant said that he was Julian Luthor, it was later revealed that he was actually a clone of Julian when Adrian Cross used Lois to expose Project Gemini. He also revealed that he had purchased the *Daily Planet.*

After it was revealed Lex cloned his deceased brother to have someone to love him and to be a companion, he had warned Gabriel to stay away from Lionel, under the guise that Lionel would reject and hate Gabriel. Instead, Gabriel, resentful of Lex's control of his life and how he was created confronted Lionel with what his son had done. Instead, to Gabriel's amazement, Lionel, while truly repulsed by what Lex did, nonetheless didn't hold it against Gabriel and actually accepted him as his son. After learning that Grant went to Lionel and that Lionel knew about him and to his hurt Lionel preferred "Julian" over Lex despite being repulsed at Lex for creating him. Later, Lex tried to force the two to stay away from each other by warning Gabriel to do so and firing him from the editor position at the *Daily Planet*. However, when neither obeyed, Lex felt that he was forced to have Grant assassinated, not being able to stand that Lionel loved him more than him. He had an assassin pose as a mugger to rob them. The assassin shot Gabriel in front of Lionel, and he died in Lionel's arms. The assassin text messaged Lex that the job was done. Lex, in numb shock, walked to his patio in the rain and screamed skyward in grief and loneliness over what he had done.

Lex received the DVD that had incriminating information on it from Black Canary. He payed her and offered more for her if she brought in Green Arrow. Once Black Canary appeared, knowing he tricked her, Lex shot her and forced her to tell him about the Green Arrow, only to start an intense fight with the heroic, green archer. He later got stabbed by a dagger from the Black Canary, as he watched both of them leave.

Lex and Lois had managed to track Kara Kent down into Detroit, Michigan. To save both Lois and Kara, he shot Finley; unfortunately, Lex ended up with a bullet in the head. However, he was healed and saved by Chloe. Lex managed to bring Kara back to Smallville to try to regain her memory and discover the Kent family secret.

Lex had the computers in the Daily Planet, especially Chloe's, connected to his so he could see what they were doing. Lex used blackmail to get Pete to steal Kara's Kryptonian bracelet from Lionel's vault in return for protecting Chloe's secret as a metahuman. When Pete returned, Lex started torturing Pete about the bracelet. After getting knocked out by Clark, he was talking to his assistant about the first meteor shower when Kara came into the room to ask if she could stay with him since she couldn't trust Clark and Lana anymore.

Lex planned to get Kara's memory returned so he could have answers to the questions that plagued him. He later met his childhood friend Patricia Swann, who informed him about Veritas. Lex later demanded to be told about Veritas, but Lionel did not give in. Lex had a hand in the assassination of Patricia as he had her necklace. He later remembered a memory in which his father is meeting with the secret Veritas society.

After Lionel returned to his office, Lex questioned his father about Veritas and the reason they were in Smallville on the day of the meteor shower. He then stole his Veritas key and later pushed his father out of his office window. When the authorities came, Lex made up a story about hearing him fall to his death outside of his office. Somewhat overwrought with guilt, Lex saw his childhood personality Alexander questioning him about what he had done. He then later returned to the mansion, and remembering every trip he went on with his father, as he told a story to his assistant. Lex found a Veritas key in Chloe's desk at the *Daily Planet*, and had her fired. As he found Clark in the mansion, the two had a heated discussion and argument about their friendship and their own fathers. While he was being tortured with guilt by his childhood personality, Lex did away with it, for he claimed it made him weak. Lex made Lionel's funeral cut down to only one participant, him but Clark payed his respects anyway.

As he was ready to fly over to Zurich, Lex was halted by one of his security men who told him that there was a problem between him and the government, but Lex managed to make it to Zurich where he opened the Veritas safety deposit box and found a strange cryptograph. When Chloe was in danger by the government, Lex came to the rescue and ended the investigation for Jimmy. Lex reminded Jimmy that because he thought of Jimmy and the Daily Planet employees were like family to him, family should help each other out when needed.

Lex offered Clark his help with saving Lana, but neither one could do anything.

As Lex had one of North America’s greatest cryptographers examining the Veritas map, he felt impatient with him and was forced to have the man examine it in his laboratory. After he left, Lex was attacked and had Kryptonian symbols carved into his chest. Lex later awakened to find himself in the hospital with the symbol on his chest. He then went to the cryptographer and killed his attacker. Lex learned from the cryptographer about the maker of the map and its possible location in Montreal. Lex had found the clock, placed the map inside it as it played a familiar melody to Lex, and released a black Kryptonian pentagon piece. He was then confronted by Edward Teague and the two fought over the secret of the Traveler and the Destroyer. After returning home, Lex put the clues together he had gathered about Veritas and discovered a device placed in the chimney of the Luthor Mansion. Bringing the pentagon piece and device together, showed an image of the Earth and exact coordinates to a certain point placed deep into the Arctic Circle.

As he was searching for a specific location in the Arctic, Lex had Jimmy keep Lois occupied with a fake story as he threatened to put Chloe in jail. Brainiac (posing as Kara) told Lex that he was meant to destroy the Traveler (Clark) to protect the Earth. Lex then left for the Arctic and had the Department of Domestic Security go after Chloe when Jimmy failed to do his bidding. Lex then arrived in the Fortress of Solitude, with Clark arriving shortly after. The two had a brief confrontation, then Lex placed the Control Device in the console of the Fortress, and the Fortress started crumbling down on them with him and Clark inside.

### Season 8-10

After the Fortress's collapse, Lex went missing and was presumed dead. Lex knew that in case he didn't return from the Arctic, he had to pick someone to run LuthorCorp so he appointed Tess Mercer as his successor. Under the guise of "X" and while in hiding to recover from his injuries, Lex had his people steal the Crystal of Knowledge from Tess and he sent the device to Clark. He mailed it to the Kent Farm as part of a trap which sent Clark and Lois into the Phantom Zone. Through his cameras, Lex was viewing Chloe and Jimmy's wedding.

After the cameras that Lex had implanted within Tess behind both of her eyes when he rescued her from an accident a couple of years ago and was using her as his eyes and ears was discovered, Tess used a device to block Lex's transmissions. When Project Prometheus was stolen by Lana, Lex sent Regan Matthews to locate it and return the research back to him so that he could control the project but Regan was killed by Tess.

Still using view screens and cameras, Lex relied on life support through tubes and breathing machines and his face was partially scarred and wore a kryptonite ring with an L insignia. He used Winslow Schott to assist him in his revenge. Wanting revenge, Lex killed all of his previous staff when he attempted to murder Oliver. Watching a view screen connected from Schott's puppet eye, he monitored Schott's setup of a meteor-rock bomb on the roof of the *Daily Planet*. Knowing Lana had stolen his Prometheus suit, he set Clark and Lana up so that she would have to absorb the meteor rock to diffuse the bomb, and as a result, never be able to go near Clark again. Just when Clark was about to confront Lex, a toy bomb of Schott's that Oliver put there caused a nasty truck explosion with Lex inside, possibly killing him. Lex's apparent remains from the charred truck were later scattered by Clark.

Sometime later, Lex was hallucinated in Oliver's reflection. More time later, Lex was mentioned by Doctor Fate as Clark's ultimate opponent in the future, but assured him that he would one day finally triumph over Lex. Clark questioned this, believing Lex had been killed to which Doctor Fate did not respond.

While in a spiritual cornfield, Lex was seen amongst the stalks of corn by Clark. He then disappeared while Clark returned to life. Afterwards, Clark and Tess was discovered Lex used Cadmus Labs to create many clones of himself with the intent to use their body parts to heal his own injuries.

Unknown to anyone for some time, Lex took his failed clones' best pieces to create his composite clone LX-Ø. Unfortunately, he was unable to successfully duplicate a heart at the time. After Lex's “masterwork” is discovered by a Lionel Luthor of an alternate reality, Lionel's biomedical research company tried to locate Conner Kent for a heart to give LX-Ø but Tess's efforts to hide Conner forced Lionel to decide to use Tess as a last resort.

While Apokolips was approaching the Earth, and after Tess escaped and shot Lionel for planning on using her heart to revitalize Lex, Lionel desperately crawled toward Lex to which Lionel and Darkseid made an exchange: Darkseid would give Lionel's heart to Lex while Lionel surrendered his own soul to Darkseid in the process.

Completely restored, Lex noticed the alternate-Lionel's change of heart and met with Clark at the Luthor Mansion's remains. Lex told Clark that he embraced his destiny as Clark's nemesis. He was then able to encourage Clark to go fight Darkseid, saying that Clark couldn't defeat Darkseid but they both knew who could; Clark then departed, apologizing to Lex for having failed to save him.

Lex later arrived at LuthorCorp and confronted Tess, revealing he knew that she was his sister all along and the fact that she shot the alternate-Lionel (only wanting Lex back). He told her he loved her and the two siblings embraced. Subsequently, Lex stabbed Tess with a long blade. As Tess died, Lex said he was saving her from becoming him, to which she said Clark already has. Tess then rubbed Summerholt's neurotoxin on his face, which interfered with his memory.

She told him he had 30 seconds until his memories were wiped. He forgot everything that happened throughout his life in Smallville. Lex looked out of the office window at the coming Apokolips while its chaotic damage destroyed the LuthorCorp logo, leaving behind LexCorp in its place.