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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
Lionel Luthor was the father of Lex and Lena Luthor as well the leading scientist of the Legionnaires Club before he was fired, and his memories altered.
History
Legionnaires Club
Lionel was regarded by his peers as a man of unparalleled genius, of which Vandal Savage took notice through his searching in the world of higher learning. Deeming Lionel the man he needed to head the science division of his Legionnaires Club, Savage showed Luthor the artifact that the club was based upon studying: a piece of the Totality that broke off from the whole in the Himalayas in the 440th century B.C..
Lionel set straight to work, using technology and research to study the seven forces of Perpetua that were tied to the totality. While researching with the man who would be known as the Turtle, they learned how to control the Still Force when the time would come, and through research on extraterrestrials, learned of the Green Lantern Corps and their control of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum.
Through excavation and countless journeys, Lionel discovered the Tear of Extinction and the key to the Graveyard of Gods, and through more research, discovered the existence of 5th-dimensional Imps, who could hold the keys to unlocking the 6th Dimension.
However, when Lionel learned that the final two forces of Perpetua were out of his reach, he began to work on dissecting and studying Martians, who, with humans were said to have the most connection to Perpetua. Using technology designed by Saul Erdel, Lionel captured a young Green Martian, and had his own son, Alex Luthor befriend him to gain more trust and information.
What Lionel didn't count on was the friendship that grew between Alex and J'onn, and when the time came to kill J'onn, Alex sabotaged the machine in order to send him home. With this major event, Lionel's actions became known to Savage, whose goal was to prevent Earth from colliding with the Totality, not to channel it.
Savage systematically destroyed Lionel's life, erasing all knowledge of the Legionnaires club from his and all other's minds, and reducing Lionel to a broken shell of a man who, as far as the world was concerned, had never left Kansas, and drank himself to sleep every night.[2]
Death
With his new, broken life, Lionel was a shadow of his former self, taking out his anger on his wife and children. Alex grew up in the shadow of this man, and possibly killed him through a series of attempts.
However, before he passed away, Lionel managed to set up a fail-safe for all of his work, connecting Alex's mind to a hidden door in the fake Legionnaires Club that would lead to all of his discoveries, as well a piece of the totality.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Other Characteristics
- Alcoholism: In the final years of his life, Luthor was an alcoholic.
Notes
- Lex Luthor's father was created by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger, first appearing in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #23. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Lex Luthor's father first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Superwoman #6 by Phil Jimenez and Jack Herbert.
- However, the name "Lionel Luthor" originated with the version of the character adapted for the Smallville TV series by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, first appearing in the episode "Pilot."
Related
- 9 Appearances of Lionel Luthor (Prime Earth)
- 4 Images featuring Lionel Luthor (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Lionel Luthor (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Lionel Luthor (Prime Earth)
Footnotes