What is Lex Luthor's problem?

[ryerye17]

I've always wondered this.

He's super rich. He's super connected. He's super smart.

He can and has been the most powerful political man on Earth.

So...exactly, what the hell is his problem? What are his issues?

[Sean Whitmore]

I've always wondered this.

He's super rich. He's super connected. He's super smart.

He can and has been the most powerful political man on Earth.

So...exactly, what the hell is his problem? What are his issues?

It's that he's super rich, super connected, super smart...and everyone will always love Superman more. :smile:

I mean, there are variations depending on the writer, but that'll always be the ROOT reason. Anything more is window dressing.


SEAN

[ryerye17]

Well, you know, we DON'T really love morbidly rich businessmen.

[Mat001]

Lex's issue is that he has an ego the size of Mogo. He wants to be the one who is looked up to like Superman is. He brags about curing all diseases and making sure mankind reaches its potential, but when you boil it down, he's just an ego mainiac. That's why Clark called him on his crap in Superman #653, when he said that he was away for a whole year and all Lex could do was fume about it. He didn't do what he claimed that he would do, if he didn't focus his energies on Superman. Instead, he kept looking for Superman and then tried to make himself into Superman.

[Crimson Knightman]

Luthor's problem is that he's jealous of Superman, that's where the hatred comes from and that's why he singles out Superman in particular. On some level, Luthor wishes he could be Superman. All what Luthor has is not enough for him, he always wants more and he knows what he has doesn't equate to Superman's stature.

[Apathetic-piggy]

Or we could be silly and use the explanation that he blames Superman for his hair falling out and didn't bother to devote his genius to a remedy.

Seriously? It's all ego. I could blather on and on about it, but that's it in a nutshell.

[tommo123]

my fav version of that, is he wants to be seen the man of tomorrow (or whatever), the greatest man on earth. then in flies this alien and he finds himself constantly in his shadow and his ego is such that he can only see supes as a bad guy and honestly thinks he's saving the world by trying to kill him.

[AdamYJ]

He's also just a nasty, evil man. His hatred of Superman is just his latest excuse for being that way.

[Spiffy]

It's layered.

He makes up various excuses and justifications. Some are even true in a sense, but at the same time they're eggagerations and used to prop up his own insecurity and ego.

For example, when his primary motive was supposed to be that he feared that humanity as a whole looking towards an alien as a "savior" was unhealthy? The best writers made sure to show there was a level of legitimacy to that concern. But at the SAME time, Luthor was using that very real concern to hide his own desire to simply be the one in that place. He could mouth concerns about "humanity" needing to save and elevate themselves, and it was true, but at the same time when he said "humanity" he mostly meant "Luthor".

[Spiffy]

Of course, in addition to Luthor's concern about humanity looking to an alien for saving, there were also times he was worried about the alien himelf--and what his mere presence on Earth drew there. Again, this was just a cover for Luthor's real deep down motives, but at times they've been written as legit.

If the whole "New Krypton" storyarc had been more subtle and layered, it would be playing with this idea more. We should have been reminded of Luthors so-called concerns, and given a point of view somewhere from the human side that was less Xenophobic, villainous and extremist. Gen. Lane as a genuine patriot, with valid concerns, instead of him being treated as an obsessed retread of The Hulk's General Ross, would have been far better.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

First he was a ranga, and then he went bald.

It's put a chip on his shoulder.

[Vakanai]

I've always wondered this.

He's super rich. He's super connected. He's super smart.

He can and has been the most powerful political man on Earth.

So...exactly, what the hell is his problem? What are his issues?

Money and power, though enjoyable, doesn't always leave one feeling fulfilled. The man has an ego the likes of which is crazy. And who takes up all the limelight in Metropolis? Superman. Lex's ego can't stand for anyone to be bigger than him.

[ryerye17]

You are aware that he became PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Isn't that enough?

[FeminineMystique]

Of course, in addition to Luthor's concern about humanity looking to an alien for saving, there were also times he was worried about the alien himelf--and what his mere presence on Earth drew there. Again, this was just a cover for Luthor's real deep down motives, but at times they've been written as legit.

If the whole "New Krypton" storyarc had been more subtle and layered, it would be playing with this idea more. We should have been reminded of Luthors so-called concerns, and given a point of view somewhere from the human side that was less Xenophobic, villainous and extremist. Gen. Lane as a genuine patriot, with valid concerns, instead of him being treated as an obsessed retread of The Hulk's General Ross, would have been far better.

Subtlety? But then HOWEVER will we know who to root for darling? :rolleyes:

Seriously, very good point about New Krypton. The whole situation was the perfect set up for some real shades of grey. Instead we got General Ripper...ahem, I mean General LANE as obviously crazy and evil from the start and Lex as just the mad scientist

[Darth Joker]

I don't think that it's just jealousy of Superman, though that's a very important factor factor. I think that it's also fueled by a huge ideological divide between Superman and Lex Luthor.

Basically, Superman's ideals and values deeply offends Lex.

Lex is very much a "survival of the fittest" guy. He believes that only the best, the brightest, the most ruthless, and the most clever, should prosper. He believes in a "rat race" approach to life, and that people who screw up shouldn't be shown mercy or second chances. Beyond that, Lex looks down upon the average Joe or Jane, believing them to be part of gutless unambitious masses that never had the guts and glory to even try to attain to the heights that he has reached.

Superman is diametrically opposed to this, and Lex knows it. Superman reflects the small town blue collar values that his Kansas farmer adoptive parents infused in him.

Lex is the supreme elitist, in the most extreme sense of the term. And Superman is the guy that wants to help out the entire world, down to the lowliest bum on the street who's in danger.

For a man with Superman's values to be so beloved is simply more than Lex can take. Superman turns Lex's world upside down by being the ultimate antithesis to everything that Lex believes in, and stands for. That's why Lex's wants him dead so badly... because only with Superman dead can Lex's preferred perception of the world ever hope to be the dominant one in the DC universe.


All of that being said... yeah, DC really took Lex a bit too far by having him go Legion of Doom-esque
super-villain while he was the US President. That's hard to swallow, even for Luthor.

[Vidocq]

You are aware that he became PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Isn't that enough?

Look at it this way. No matter how far he sets the standard for human perfection he will always be lesser than Superman in the eyes of the world. He could cure Cancer, AIDS and the Itis but people will always love Superman more. And he hates him for it. Hell, Saving Gotham from NML and becoming President of the United States was largely so that people would see him as better than Superman. He may claim that it is so that people have a human to look up too, but it's really because he wants everyone to look up to him more than anyone. So no, as long as Everyone sees Superman as better than Him, it wont be enough.

[Samuraixsithlord]

Luthor believes that Superman is keeping humanity from reaching its true potential. Instead of suffering from something terrible and becoming stronger after it, everyone just looks to Superman to save them and make everything better.

I think he views that with all Superheroes. Sure they'll come in and save the day but they sometimes fight against change, change that could potentially be better for society.

[Mat001]

Yeah, Lex has no love for costumed heroes. But Superman's the worst offender to him because they love him unconditionally. He says jump and humans ask how high. Lex's greed and ego is such that if he could wrestle away the orange ring and lantern of Larfleeze, he'd be even worse than him.

[brundlefly]

What problem? Lex is just fine. What's your problem? :biggrin:

Seriously, though: I think Sean, Spiffy, and Darth Joker all made great points that sum up Lex's issues and vendetta with Kal pretty well. It's mostly ego-driven; resentment over Supes swooping in and being declared 'Metropolis' Favorite Son' and stealing the spotlight after all Lex had done (as he sees it) to benefit the city through his philanthropy and scientific & business success. That resentment bloomed into full-blown hatred as the years went on and the rivalry progressed, Lex lost a hand to cancer (blaming Superman for that, too), etc., until it became like any long-running feud between hated enemies: it sustains itself, and you strike at your enemy even when you don't have a logical reason or anything to truly gain by hurting them. And in your enemy's absence, you look for a new target to vent your wrath on (like in 52, where Lex made Supernova and Steel his Superman stand-ins).

I'll add that Lex sees himself as the ultimate 'self-made man,' pulling himself up from Suicide Slum by the force of his will and intellect alone and earning everything he got. In essence, he feels that he's an example that the rest of humanity should emulate and aspire to be like. Meanwhile, here comes this alien who didn't work for his powers (he was born with them) or the cheers and accolades he's enjoyed since first setting foot in Metropolis. The way Lex sees it, Superman's earned nothing. He was handed everything in life on a platter, while Lex had to work for everything he achieved. The reason Lex plays the "I'm trying to make humanity better by example, while you just make them lazy and reliant on you by being their shepard" card so often is that he makes a valid point. It also makes for a nice counter to the "you just hate him because you're jealous of him" argument, which Lex himself realizes has some truth to it.

And plus: just look at him, flying around and showing off that full head of wavy hair. So smug. God, how can you not hate that guy? :evilsmile:

[pariah-1972]

I've always wondered this.

He's super rich. He's super connected. He's super smart.

He can and has been the most powerful political man on Earth.

So...exactly, what the hell is his problem? What are his issues?Mostly jealous,envy and xenophobia.

[OzBat!]

Lets face it, when your wardrobe consists of mostly purples and greens, ANYBODY having the audacity and chutzpah to pull off getting around in primary colours DESERVES to be hated.

[dumbstruck]

Two words. God Complex.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

All of that being said... yeah, DC really took Lex a bit too far by having him go Legion of Doom-esque
super-villain while he was the US President. That's hard to swallow, even for Luthor.

I think they justified it pretty well within the story in that he was driven insane by Kryptonite/Venom cocktail he was taking. They'd already established that Luthor's pathological hatred of Superman would drive him to take unnecessary risks with his health. I think Loeb later explained that the proximity of Alex Luthor of Earth-3 was also causing Lex to become unhinged.

[Nate Grey]

Eh, he's just an evil man who needs an excuse. For someone so smart, he could have thought up 1,000 ways to take out Superman permanently if he really wanted to. He just doesn't want to, then he'd have no excuse. Hence Superman calling him on his bs when he was gone a year.

[Mat001]

I think they justified it pretty well within the story in that he was driven insane by Kryptonite/Venom cocktail he was taking. They'd already established that Luthor's pathological hatred of Superman would drive him to take unnecessary risks with his health. I think Loeb later explained that the proximity of Alex Luthor of Earth-3 was also causing Lex to become unhinged.

It was Johns who explained Lex's erratic behavior. Not Loeb.

[Spiffy]

Luthor believes that Superman is keeping humanity from reaching its true potential. Instead of suffering from something terrible and becoming stronger after it, everyone just looks to Superman to save them and make everything better.
He says that. And on some level he may even believe it. But that doesn't mean its his ultimate, furthest down, motivation.

It's a lie he tells so often that he himself even believes it.

And what makes this version of his motivation so juicy, when its written correctly, is that what he's saying can even be ACCURATE and yet if he himself is actually not doing what he's doing for those reasons--if the real reason is his self-aggrandization, ego and desire for power--then he's still a villain.

As I said earlier, if the current New Krypton arc was being better written, then General Lane would have some of this complexity too. Instead, he's just coming off as a mustache-twirler. Its a real damn shame.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

It was Johns who explained Lex's erratic behavior. Not Loeb.

I first heard it from Loeb, but given that Loeb & Johns work together at the same place, it's entirely possible it was Johns idea and Loeb was repeating it.

[Mat001]

Loeb may have come up with it first, but it was Johns who put it on paper.

[JCAll]

Inferiority complex. Everyone knows Lex has an incredibly small *cough*, whereas Clark puts the 'Man" back in Superman :tongue:

[AllisterH]

As I said earlier, if the current New Krypton arc was being better written, then General Lane would have some of this complexity too. Instead, he's just coming off as a mustache-twirler. Its a real damn shame.

Heh..

That's my main problem with the New Krypton arc as well. Absolutely no subtlely at all.

[Vic Vega]

I don't think that it's just jealousy of Superman, though that's a very important factor factor. I think that it's also fueled by a huge ideological divide between Superman and Lex Luthor.

Basically, Superman's ideals and values deeply offends Lex.

Lex is very much a "survival of the fittest" guy. He believes that only the best, the brightest, the most ruthless, and the most clever, should prosper. He believes in a "rat race" approach to life, and that people who screw up shouldn't be shown mercy or second chances. Beyond that, Lex looks down upon the average Joe or Jane, believing them to be part of gutless unambitious masses that never had the guts and glory to even try to attain to the heights that he has reached.

Superman is diametrically opposed to this, and Lex knows it. Superman reflects the small town blue collar values that his Kansas farmer adoptive parents infused in him.

Lex is the supreme elitist, in the most extreme sense of the term. And Superman is the guy that wants to help out the entire world, down to the lowliest bum on the street who's in danger.

For a man with Superman's values to be so beloved is simply more than Lex can take. Superman turns Lex's world upside down by being the ultimate antithesis to everything that Lex believes in, and stands for. That's why Lex's wants him dead so badly... because only with Superman dead can Lex's preferred perception of the world ever hope to be the dominant one in the DC universe.

More over if a man like Superman can put it all on the line for others, and inspire others could it be that Lex has been...wrong all this time?

Lex just can't have that possibility on a basic level. He needs him dead to justify his worldview.

That why he didn't do anything during Supes missing year. He didn't care to. Being confronted with fact his own B.S. is B.S. must be maddening.

[Matthew E]

The other thing is that Luthor lacks self-understanding. He doesn't know that he's partially blinded by his own cynicism. For instance, he doesn't understand Superman's goodness: he thinks Superman has just found a good angle that he can sell to the public. Why does he think that? Because that's how he himself thinks; cynics always think that everyone else is equally cynical. (Just as naifs think that everyone else is equally naive.) So that's another thing that sets him against Superman: he can't believe that everyone else is buying Superman's act.

[Sean Walsh]

I'm shocked only one other person here said "xenophobia."

Because based on things he's said in the past regarding aliens, Lex Luthor has come off as considerably racist.

[brundlefly]

I'm shocked only one other person here said "xenophobia."

Because based on things he's said in the past regarding aliens, Lex Luthor has come off as considerably racist.

Eh, xenophobia's just Lex's angle for trying to get the masses on his side in the court of public opinion against Superman: "Don't let his good looks and heroic deeds fool you! He's an alien! You can't trust him, since he's not one of us!" Race doesn't matter to Lex; other people are all equally inferior pawns to him, regardless of their color or creed. :biggrin:

[Crimson Knightman]

I'm shocked only one other person here said "xenophobia."

Because based on things he's said in the past regarding aliens, Lex Luthor has come off as considerably racist.

I've never really bought into the whole xenophobia angle because Luthor has formed alliances with Brainiac, Darkseid, Sinestro and many other aliens repeatedly over the course of time. Not to mention the fact that Luthor was once romantically linked to an alien known as Supergirl. No, I think Luthor uses the fact that Superman is an alien as a way to think of himself more of a man than Superman is but he knows that he will never be held up in the same stature as a man like Superman is and that infuriates him.

[Mat001]

Lex can be xenophobic, but work with aliens if it will help him get the job done. Palpatine in Star Wars is the same way.

[jlmoor]

I don't read supes (wish I did, just no time), but everytime this thread pops up I giggle.

"What is Lex Luthor's problem?"
Brilliant in its simplicity. Has supes ever just straight out asked him like that? And how is this only 3 pages?