Pop Culture
Lex Luthor Has a Superhero Idol!
Or at least, he should…
Alexander Joseph Luthor. Or simply Lex Luthor. The enigmatic, driven genius from Metropolis. A power magnate, CEO of Lex Corp. Arch-nemesis of Superman. Yeah! That Lex Luthor. Let’s talk about him for a bit.
Who Is Lex Luthor Anyway?
To be honest, for a character who has been around for decades, it is natural that there are many interpretations, many backstories to be followed, I’ll give you one. Lex Luthor grew up in Smallville, the same place Clark Kent aka Superman did. A man of unmatched intellect, he came to Metropolis and founded Lex Corp. Overtime he gained enormous wealth and power, working with the military, providing technological solutions to the government. For all the great potential Luthor has, he also has some big ego-issues. So, when Superman appears in the sky as the savior of Metropolis, Lex takes it personally, feeling his superiority challenged.
Through countless storylines, he has devised several plans, schemes to present himself better than The Man of Steel., as the true savior. These almost always, bring innocents in harm’s way but fret not, Superman always saves the day, foiling Luthor’s plans, who’d always say,
“I would have saved the world if it wasn’t for you.”
Morrison’s Take on Luthor
In the limited series All-Star Superman, which ran from 2005 to 2008, Grant Morrison pens a “collection of ‘timeless’ Superman issues.” The series revolves around Superman, who is dying due to overexposure to the Sun, as he accomplishes many heroic feats: The Twelve Labors of Superman and attempts to make peace with the world before his imminent death.
In the fifth issue titled, The Gospel According to Lex Luthor, we follow Clark Kent to Striker’s Island, where Lex Luthor is waiting for him to give an exclusive interview for The Daily Planet, before his death sentence is executed. During this interview of his, Lex reveals that he despises Superman, because all his powers were gifted to him. He never had to work for them.
“It’s easy to be strong when you just happen to have come from the planet Krypton!” he says.
Luthor also takes pride in the fact that in contrast to Superman, his intellect and strength has been earned by hard work, and constant toil. Heh, he even asks Clark, to feel his biceps.
There is another idea that Lex resonates with, the fact that we, as humans, instead of having faith in our own strength, brains and courage have grown so dependent on these “alien beings” and superheroes to save the day, that it has crippled us. A prime example of this being the Gotham City Police Department, who fail to catch even the daily burglars without the help of the Bat-family.
So Who Is Lex’s Idol?
While the reasons Lex provides to justify his beliefs and actions, are up for debate, if we are to look through his own lens, there seems to be a crucial point he is missing. Lex is a patron of hard work and earning your worth. So, by that line of logic there is someone who should absolutely be his idol: BATMAN.
Who better than The Dark Knight of Gotham! An ordinary boy, with unshakeable determination, trains himself for years, laser focused on one singular goal. Reaching far beyond the limits of the human body and mind, Batman, has gone toe to toe with the entire Justice League and Kirby’s 4th world gods alike. So, wouldn’t it make sense for Batman to inspire Lex, after all he’d check all the boxes for him.
Fin
“But why Batman alone?” you may ask. Of course not! There are countless more people who would be just as apt. It ultimately boils down to Lex’s ego. It is his self pride, for which he fails to see so much about Superman. Well, yes, he may have got his powers as a gift, but that didn’t make him Superman. He was only Clark Kent.
It is his willingness to help others, save those who can’t save themselves, be ready to sacrifice himself if need be, that is what makes Clark, a tall strapping midwestern farmer’s boy, Superman. That is what makes anyone a Superman.
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