Alexander Joseph Luthor is a supervillain in The CW's Arrowverse, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Adapted for television in 2017 by Glen Winter and Greg Berlanti, he made his first appearance in the Supergirl episode "Luthors". Both Aidan Fink and Jon Cryer portrayed versions of the supervillain, with Aidan Fink portraying a young Lex Luthor and Jon Cryer portraying Lex as an adult. In the Arrowverse, Luthor is an independent businessman who runs a company called LuthorCorp, and is also the arch-nemesis of Superman. Formerly, Luthor and Superman were friends; their friendship ended when Superman refused to embrace Luthor's violent and chaotic ideology. Luthor then developed an obsession with Superman, resulting in his eventual imprisonment. Later, he perceives Supergirl as a threat and shifts his focus towards her.
Concept and creation Lex Luthor made his debut in Action Comics #23 in 1940. Since then, Luthor has become one of the most recognizable and prominent supervillain characters in DC Comics. According to IGN, he ranks fourth on a list of one hundred supervillains across media. The character has previously been portrayed in live-action TV shows, including Superboy, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Smallville. Scott James Wells and Sherman Howard portrayed him in Superboy, John Shea in Lois & Clark, and Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville. Luthor has also appeared in movies such as Atom Man vs. Superman, the classic Superman film series, Superman Returns, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. The character has been portrayed by Lyle Talbot, Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, and Jesse Eisenberg. When a Supergirl-centric TV show was announced, speculation arose about whether Luthor would appear. The character made an appearance in the episode "Luthors" during Supergirl's second season, with Aidan Fink portraying a young Lex Luthor. Eventually, Jon Cryer appeared in season 4 as an adult Lex Luthor, in a recurring capacity as the "big bad" of the season. He later returned for season 5 and season 6 as a recurring character and the primary villain of those episodes. Luthor also played a crucial role in the Arrowverse crossover event titled "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in 2019 and 2020.
Casting Jon Cryer was cast as Lex Luthor in 2017. He was the first and only choice of producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller, who admitted to being his biggest fans. When asked about his portrayal, Cryer responded that it was a "lovely" experience, and he wanted to do justice to the character in the show. Cryer had previously portrayed Lenny Luthor, the nephew of Hackman's version of Lex Luthor, in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Cryer stated one reason for accepting the role in Supergirl was wanting to do justice to the Luthor name after the negative response to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Producer Jessica Queller expressed her satisfaction with Cryer's casting, stating, "I don't think we could have possibly done better in our casting, and I mean, we're just thrilled."
Characterization According to Jon Cryer, Lex Luthor is a sociopath with only one true link to reality, his sister Lena Luthor. He highlighted Luthor's intelligence and focus on science while acknowledging that his narcissism causes problems for everyone else. When asked what it is like to play a villain, Cryer said he was still getting used to the role and found it challenging. Cryer also pointed out that Luthor displays manipulative behavior towards others in the series, viewing them as inferiors. Regarding his character's development in season 6, where Luthor falls in love with the character Nyxlygsptlnz, Cryer admitted he was initially scared about removing Luthor's "dark side." He questioned why Luthor would fall in love, considering his nature. However, he eventually embraced the storyline and enjoyed playing the character. Cryer had a strong influence in the show's usage of the character. He was a strong advocate for Luthor eventually defeating Supergirl, and he pitched this idea numerous times to the show's producers. He also requested that Luthor be a part of "Crisis on Infinite Earths," despite the studio not initially planning to include him. Cryer believed that Luthor's role in Marv Wolfman's and George Pérez's 1985 original comic book storyline was important, and not having him in the event would be "humiliating."
Fictional character biography
Early life
Lex Luthor was born sometime after 1984 in Metropolis to billionaires Lionel and Lillian Luthor. From early childhood, he exhibited an extremely high intellect, as well as anti-social behavior. In 1997, the Luthor family adopted Lena, the illegitimate daughter of Lionel and Lex's half-sister, which angered him initially. However, over time, Lex and Lena became close friends. During his teenage years, Lex showed signs of psychopathy. His father, Lionel, distanced himself from Lex, fueling Lex's resentment and hatred towards him. After Lionel's death, Lex inherited the family company, LuthorCorp. He also met Superman, and the two initially worked together to stop alien invasions. However, Lex's methods were too brutal for Superman's liking, leading to a falling out between them. Lex began to believe that Superman was responsible for the invasions, and his obsession with the superhero caused a fracture in his relationship with Lena.
Scheme to kill Supergirl
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