Lex Luthor (Lois and Clark)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lex Luthor |
| Occupation: | Businessman/Crime Boss |
| Relationships: | Clark Kent (enemy), Lois Lane (former fiancee, enemy), Asabi (servant), Nigel St. John (henchman), Ariana Carling (ex-wife), Jaxon Xavier (son), Lex Luthor Jr. (son) |
| Fandom: | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
If you were looking for another version of this character check the Lex Luthor disambiguation page.
Lex Luthor (played by John Shea) is a ruthless businessman and megalomaniac, one of the richest men in the world, who is secretly crime boss of Metropolis. His back-story is complicated and includes at least one marriage. He sees Superman as an ultimate challenge to his supremacy, and will do anything to stop him. He is charming, an excellent athlete and expert swordsman, and (unlike most other versions of this character) is not initially bald. In the first season he is often aided by Asabi, an Indian servant and mystic, and by Nigel St. John, a former MI-6 agent and assassin who later becomes a henchman of other villains.
Canon
Luthor appears repeatedly in the first season and in several later episodes, usually constructing elaborate schemes to destroy Superman or drive him from Metropolis. His plans to take over the space program lead to Superman going public. He is attracted to Lois Lane and courts her, becoming obsessed with her after exposure to concentrated pheremones. Since Lois is unaware of his crimes she responds to his advances; Clark tries to warn her off, but since he has no proof - his knowledge of Luthor's guilt comes from use of his powers and can't be revealed without admitting he's Superman - she assumes that he is just jealous. Lois eventually does agree to marry Lex, and he decides to celebrate by killing Superman before the wedding, leaving him in a cage with Kryptonite bars. Clark escapes, the ceremony is interrupted by a police raid, and Lex leaps to his doom.
Later Luthor is raised from the dead, kidnaps Lois and tries to kill Superman, fails, nearly dies accidentally, but is ultimately rescued by his victims and sent to prison.
In season 3 Luthor escapes and sets out to get his revenge, kidnapping Lois before she marries Clark and replacing her with a clone, beginning the most unpopular story arc in the show's history, a long succession of delays before Lois and Clark eventually married. Later episodes feature attempts by Luthor's two sons to gain revenge on Superman, without much success.
Fanon and Ships
Luthor experimented with cloning, personality transfer, and mind control in several episodes - the cloning process was derived from the biology of a rare frog with regenerative properties, and the clones had to eat the frogs (alive) to stay healthy. It's almost canon that he perfected the process and cloned himself; fanon has him doing so repeatedly, substituting cloned bodies for his own when he was supposedly killed, and so forth.
Unlike many other incarnations of Lex, he is very rarely shipped with Clark or Superman.
Fan Works
Fanfic
- The Joy of Lex (various authors); A selection of early Lex-related story recommendations on the Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive
- Send in the Clones (1996) by T Ackerman; Another of Luthor's cloning schemes goes wrong.
- When Lightning Strikes Twice (2000) by Wendy Richards; Lex learns that Clark's powers can be transferred electrically, and decides to take them.
- In Cat's Corner (2002) by Irene Dutch; Cat Grant's ex-lover is murdered, Lex is involved.
- Masques (2003) by Doc. Klein's LabRat; An angst-heavy version of the wedding arc. Long.
- Lex’s Best Day (2009) by bobbart — Bob Bartholomew; Lex feels compelled to explain his motives and actions to a stranger.
- With Friends like These (2013) by Morgana; a medical emergency has a big effect on Lex's attitude.
- Stranger in Our Midst (2013) by Morgana; AU with a less evil version of Lex. Long.