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DC Database
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Lex Luthor obtained a sophisticated alien battlesuit on his adopted home planet of Lexor while he was living there shortly before its total destruction. Subsequently, Luthor used the Lexorian armor in many battles with his archenemy, Superman.

Quote1 You spend billions on this suit of armor, but you leave out the helmet--I'm guessing because you can't stand the idea of people not knowing it's you. Quote2
Deathstrokesrc

Lex Luthor is known to use Warsuits in an effort to even the playing field with his opponent, Superman.

History

Pre-Crisis (Earth-One)

Lex Luthor obtained a sophisticated alien battlesuit on his adopted home planet of Lexor while he was living there shortly before its total destruction.[1] Subsequently, Luthor used the Lexorian armor in many battles with his archenemy, Superman.

Post-Crisis

The original warsuits were a LexCorp prototype that Superman was forced to fight. However, due to the fact that the untested weapon drove its user insane, Superman was unable to pin anything on Luthor and was forced to pull back.[2] Some of the remaining wasuits were stolen by criminals sent by Morgan Edge but Superman managed to destroy them.[3]

Years later, Luthor obtained a specially made warsuit built on Apokolips and used it when his plan to blame Superman for a falling Kryptonite meteor failed.[4] The suit made him even with Superman, but the Man of Steel was able to fight back and disable it. Luthor though used a Boom Tube to escape capture.[5] The second suit found itself in many hands before Luthor regained it. However, it was destroyed by Superboy-Prime.[citation needed] The suit was a modified version of a Kryptonian Warsuit.[6]

Luthor designed a sleeker version in his attempt to hunt down the Black Ring.[citation needed]

Prime Earth

Lex Luthor had somehow acquired Kryptonian power armor during his shadow conflict with Superman, which he reverse-engineered to enhance the technology his company had created. Around about the time he got out of prison, he began assessing the armor scientists, who had been following a plan of his to buy up companies who were developing technology in the field and incorporating the best designs into a suit of power armor capable of defeating Superman. He was short one component - a solar battery - when the world was attacked by the Crime Syndicate. Arming himself, Luthor put on the almost-complete suit and rallied a group to claim victory, saving the lives of Superman and the Justice League in the process.

After the Darkseid War, Lex acquired a Motherbox and created a new Warsuit based on Superman. When the Post-Flashpoint Superman died, using his warsuit, he decide to take on the mantle of Superman and becoming the new protector of Metropolis.

Capabilities

Common to all versions of the warsuit are the following functions:

  • Superhuman Strength: While its strength level could never be a match for Superman at his peak level, it can be when he is weakened by taking hits from its kryptonite weapons. It can easily overpower Batman and Deathstroke.[7][8]
  • Superhuman Durability: The alien armor is able to survive direct blows from Superman, however it can still be destroyed by the Man of Steel eventually. [7][8]
  • Flight: Normally through rocket thrusters in the boots.[1][7][9]
  • Force Field: Passively generated all across the armor, including the seemingly unprotected head from the torso.[7] The armor also has an energy shield installed in the left gauntlet. Combined with the armor itself, it creates enough defensive protection to survive Superman's godly strength.[8]
  • Energy Projection

Pre-Crisis

The Warsuit was built by an ancient Lexorian scientist Ukruh.[10] In each appearance, Luthor devised an upgrade to the suit.

  • The Warsuit can project a beam that wraps Superman's body in a molecular sheath blocking rays of yellow sun, preventing them from conferring super powers to the hero. By the words of Superman,"He hit me with a agonizantly painful beam unlike anything I've ever experienced!"[11]
  • Telekinesis and Deflection:[12] Besides lifting weights via visible telekinetic rays, it could absorb kinetic energy (punches, bullets, etc) and retribute this energy, telekinetically, ten times stronger back to the attacker.[13]
  • Illusion:[11] : Superman was almost driven insane with well planned illusions created by Luthor.
  • Dematerialization: the suit could dematerialize itself and its wearer in a fraction of a second.[11]
  • Red Sun radiation: the suit was powered with red solar radiation and on one occasion, Luthor held Superman within it to leave him powerless.[13]
  • The Warsuit could allow its wearer to survive in the vacuum of space.[12]
  • The suit could trap a person into a two-dimensional form.[10]
  • Detect Lies: The suit could analyze encephalo-readings and discover if a person was telling the truth.[11]
  • The suit could perform scientific analysis.[14]
  • The suit had security systems to stop anyone except Luthor from operating it.[11]
  • The suit was self-aware and could talk, self-pilot, and save Luthor from falls.[11]
  • Micro-cameras and receivers could broadcast everything the suit saw and heard, and Luthor could communicate with anyone inside the suit via radio.[11]

Post-Crisis

Two warsuits iterations were developed;

  • The first was developed by LexCorp and used by staff members, driving its users insane after prolonged usage, the cowl also gave its users limited peripheral vision and that the powerpack was directly under the jetpack, leaving it exposed. [3]
  • The second was built using Apokoliptian Technology. Thus operating perfectly without the known side-effects.[2][15] Lex's upgraded armor uses an arsenal of various kryptonites to exploit the weaknesses of Kryptonians; allowing Lex to even the odds against the otherwise invincible Superman. With varying effects and from his gauntlets and right fingers:
    • Kryptonite energy blasts from the gauntlets.[7]
    • Green Kryptonite energy generator in right forefinger.[16]
    • Red Kryptonite energy generator in right middle finger.[16]
    • Blue Kryptonite energy generator in right ring-finger.[16]
    • Black Kryptonite energy generator in right pinky finger.[16]
    • Blue energy from left gauntlet.[8]
  • Electro-Blast: Electrical surge generated across the armor.[9]
  • Energy Blade: Housed in the right gauntlet, made out of kryptonite fueled plasma.[7]
  • Kryptonite Energy Spikes: Under armor of the right arm.[9]
  • Kryptonite Weapons: Lex sometimes carries around a large spear or axe with the blade of the weapons made out of kryptonite.

Post-Flashpoint

  • Built using reverse-engineered Kryptonian technology. Lex had created a few prototypes in order to test a radio-telepathic relay system that could function even while he was imprisoned.[17] As his designs became more streamlined, he eventually created another powered armor to battle the Kryptonian after he'd created a hybridized bacteria from his genetic makeup in order to immortalize himself to the citizenship of metropolis.[18] Eventually his suit became more and more sophisticated, shrinking down and modified using various non-lethal ordinance for his personal use.[19] Unlike many other Warsuits, this version didn't use any Kryptonite as weaponry or a power source.

1st iteration

  • Radio-Telepathic interface: Created and devised by Luthor as a means of controlling a giant robot with the power of his mind. The feedback loop caused by the mecha suit's destruction caused him considerable duress as a side-effect.[20]
    • 50 caliber machine guns
    • short range missiles
    • flamethrowers

2nd iteration

  • Lexcorp Satellite Linkup: Lex's new power suit is directly interfaced with the company satellite array with vast computational and communications manipulatory function. Systems sophisticated enough to interfere with the technologies of Professor Veritas.[21]
    • Variable Range Missile pods
    • Electrostatic Blasters
    • Arm Cannon
  • Internal Force Field: Unlike various models, this war suit has an internalized barrier generator to protect the wearer from within. By removing pieces of the mantel Lex can reshape his force field into a spatial cutting blade capable of rending even a Kryptonians dense flesh.[21]
  • Detachable Armor Components: The suit can disengage it's own limbs while maintaining enough hydraulic and electrical power to pin down a weakened Superman, Other parts of the suit can be detached to reveal hidden weapons.[21]

3rd iteration

  • Lexcorp Satellite Linkup: Like the previous chassis, Lex's new armor possesses a wireless connection to his own satellites for computation, analysis and operational purposes. Unlike the prior model however, this new armor has access to hidden satellites in Jupiter's asteroid belt in order to access high profiles agencies and governments computers.[22]
    • Force Field Projector
    • Energy Blasters
    • Defibrillators
    • Retractable Arm Blade
    • Neurotoxin Projector
    • Flash Solar Gun

Notes

  • The original warsuit was introduced in Action Comics #544 (1983) as part of the Earth-One continuity. The first New Earth version of the suit debuted in The Man of Steel #5 (1986).
  • Lex Luthor's warsuit is not to be confused with the LX-20 Body Armor worn by Lex during the years when he was masquerading as his own son, Lex Luthor the Second.
  • In Pre-Crisis (Earth-One) continuity Lex Luthor often wore gray prison jumpsuits. However, for a period of almost ten years (starting at Superman #282) Luthor adopted a precursor of sorts to his warsuits, a self-style "Battle Array" in the same purple and green color scheme. Its last appearance was in Action Comics #544.


See Also

Footnotes

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