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Book Home  Books Information Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain
and archenemy of Superman. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster,
Luthor first appeared in Action Comics #23 (1940). His history has
been retconned several times since then, with his current canonical
origin being Mark Waid's 2004 miniseries Birthright.
The (usually) bald-headed Luthor has been Superman's
main foe for most of the superhero's existence and has unveiled countless
plots to destroy him and take over the world. Originally Luthor was
a mad scientist but has since been rewritten as a Machiavellian industrialist
and white-collar criminal. For a brief period in the early 2000s,
he was president of the United States.
Luthor is one of several Superman characters with the
initials "LL," including Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Letitia Lerner
and Lori Lemaris.
Luthor has been featured in most adaptations of
Superman outside comic books. In the film series of the late 1970s
and 1980s, Gene Hackman took a comical approach to the character.
In Smallville, a retelling of Superman's early years, a young adult
Lex is played by Michael Rosenbaum. The role of Lex Luthor will be
played by Kevin Spacey in the upcoming movie Superman Returns.
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