Lex Luthor is one of the greatest villains in comics, but that doesn't mean he hasn't suffered a number of humiliating losses over the years.
The diabolical Lex Luthor has been on a mission to rid the Earth of Superman for over eighty years. While he claims to fight for the greater good, Luthor is undoubtedly one of the most prolific villains of all time. From cheating death to bending the Man of Steel to his will, his evil genius knows no bounds.
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That said, it's difficult for anyone to keep a clean record for eight decades, even "the greatest mind of the age." Constantly conniving and self-determined to the point of arrogance, Luthor's intellect is a weapon that occasionally backfires. His schemes are repeatedly foiled by Superman and his pals, and Lex takes failure personally. Some outcomes are more humiliating than others.
In Action Comics #23, written by Jerry Siegel with pencils by Joe Shuster and inks by Paul Cassidy, Luthor challenges Superman to a gauntlet of stupendous tasks. Superman proves himself faster than planes, impervious to poison, and generally superior to any obstacle Luthor hurls his way.
These trials are meant to keep Superman busy while Luthor enacts a plan to steal a weapon of mass destruction. Superman instead tracks Luthor down and punches his hideout to pieces, leading to Luthor's capture and incarceration. It's a humiliating first appearance that later sees Lex sentenced to the electric chair, hairless and hell-bent on defeating Superman.
The 1990s were chaotic for Luthor and Superman. Adventures of Superman #470 by Dan Jurgens, with inks from Art Thibert and coloring by Glenn Whitmore, features gangs, murderers, and actual demons. In a hospital room, Luthor claims Perry White Jr. is his son, prompting a mighty gut punch from Perry White Sr. while their son lies beside them, dying.
Luthor reflects on his inability to save his son despite all his wealth and brilliance. He admits this to himself in private, humiliated from his encounter in the hospital. As Lex's own health worsens and his anger builds, this complete loss is jarring for the man who wants to be in control.
Smallville, Kansas, is a quiet town full of average people, or so it appears. In Jerry Siegel's Adventure Comics #271, with art by Al Pastino, Superboy meets a young Luthor, who idolizes him. Lex is a budding scientist who saves Superboy, and, in return, Superboy builds him a laboratory. Lex promptly uncovers the secret to life itself.
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When the teenage Luthor clumsily causes a fire, Superboy comes to the rescue at the cost of Lex's creation and his hair. Luthor believes it had been a setup from the beginning. He subsequently seeks to outdo his new rival through ill-fated scientific endeavors, earning labels like "heel" and "menace" from Smallville's residents. Humiliated, Lex blames Superboy for his failings.
It's impossible to discuss Luthor's blunders without mentioning the time he foolishly challenged Superman to a boxing match on national television in Superman #164, written by Edmond Hamilton with pencils from Curt Swan, and inks from George Klein. Superman responded by building a rocket to fly them to a planet with a red sun.
Luthor lands some shots, but Clark delivers a single uppercut, incapacitating Luthor. Later, Lex flees to a ruinous civilization, promising to find water for the inhabitants in exchange for his enemy's capture. He hasn't succeeded when Superman catches up, so Lex forfeits the final battle to conceal his failure and avoid public humiliation. When they leave, Superman supplies the planet with water, spurning Lex's shame.
Kryptonite is highly radioactive. This is common knowledge to many readers, stated outright many times and shown through its association with lead shielding. The danger posed to humans is made abundantly clear in Action Comics #600, by John Byrne, with inks by George Perez and colors by Tom Ziuko, as Lex is informed that his kryptonite ring will cost him his hand and potentially his life.
As cybernetic upgrades go, many sci-fi fans would agree that robot hands are standard. Luthor, however, is consumed by pride and deeply ashamed, viewing this as another humiliating loss to Superman. Until his "death" many issues later, Lex covers his hand with a thick black glove.
Action Comics #894, by Paul Cornell with art from Pete Woods and colors by Brad Anderson, stars a Luthor who's obsessed with power rings. His hunt leads him to the jungle where Gorilla Grodd beheads an android proxy of Luthor, then shoots the real Lex off a cliff. At the bottom, Luthor finds Death standing over his body.
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Lex refuses to accept Death, but as she shows him pleasant afterlife scenarios, he sees that what he truly refuses is acceptance itself. Lex says that he could never be at peace, realizing that he actively invents problems and prevents his own happiness. Death leaves, satisfied with Luthor's momentary vulnerability. When a humiliated Luthor wakes up, doctors say he never medically died. Spooky!
In Richard Stern's Action Comics #697, with pencils from Jackson Guice, inks by Denis Rodier, and colors by Glenn Whitmore, Luthor is quite literally caught with his pants down. Lex Luthor II, a clone of the original Luthor, is dressing when Superman bursts through the bedroom window, demanding to know where Bizarro has taken Lois Lane.
Luthor reacts reasonably, clearly humiliated and asking for privacy, before his mother enters the room. She tells Superman her son is very ill, and it's revealed that the clone is also sick. Lex's plan didn't work, and he must study Bizarro to save himself. What starts as a goofy scenario ends with a man at the precipice of losing it all.
Blackest Night added a flush of new color to many long-standing characters, including Luthor. In Geoff Johns's Blackest Night #7, penciled by Ivan Reis, with inks from Oclair Albert and Joe Prado and colors by Alex Sinclair, Lex succumbs to his orange power ring. He attacks everyone before Wonder Woman steps in to wrangle him with her lasso.
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Under the lasso's control, Luthor admits to his peers and enemies that he wants to be Superman, surprising no one. The admission humiliates and humbles Lex and is a precursor of his more recent transition away from pure evil and into more gray areas.
Alan Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is a non-canon story that asks what happens when the villains get worse. It spans Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, with pencils by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, inks from George Perez and Kurt Schaffenberger, and colors by Gene D'Angelo. It portrays a worst-case scenario for Superman's pals and enemies alike, including Lex.
Luthor stumbles into the arctic and finds Brainiac's discarded head, which takes over his body. Then, at the Fortress of Solitude, Lex gains control and begs for death. Lana Lang mercifully obliges but can't stop Brainiac from piloting the body. Luthor is unwaveringly proud, so groveling and becoming a puppet is a humiliating and deeply unsettling end.
The planet Lexor was named for its water-bearing, title-fighting "savior." Lex started a family there before returning to Earth for more villainy. When Superman saves him from his own equipment in Action Comics #544, written by Cary Bates with pencils by Curt Swan, ink by Murphy Anderson, and colors by Anthony Tollin, the deeply ashamed Lex heads to Lexor to recoup.
Luthor questions his evil nature before deciding to terrorize Lexor. When Superman appears, Lex dons his new power suit to fight back. A laser misfires, striking the planet's core, and Lex watches his wife and son scream as the planet explodes. Superman cannot save them but does save Luthor, adding to Luthor's greatest failure and most historic humiliation.
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