Although Lionel Luthor claims to have hailed from a noble, Scottish family line – in truth, he was but one of many poor children growing up in the squalor of the Metropolis neighborhood known as Suicide Slum.[2] His father, Lachlan Luthor, was an abusive man who violently took his aggressions out on young Lionel. His mother Eliza, frequently inebriated with gin, rarely interfered with her husband's rampages and largely ignored Lionel.[3]
Lionel's only childhood friend was Morgan Edge – a man whose life would ultimately mirror Lionel's to great extent. Morgan knew Lionel well and was keenly aware of the cycle of abuse that his friend suffered. Edge would one day grow up to run the underworld empire known as Intergang.
When Lionel was a young man, he decided that his parents were of greater value to him dead than alive. He arranged for an arsonist to burn down his parents' apartment building, killing them while they slept. Lionel maintained the alibi that he was working late at a print shop on the night that his parents died.
Collecting the insurance money, Lionel enrolled in an Ivy League school where he greatly excelled in all of his courses. Reluctant to tell his peers the truth about his upbringing, he often played up the idea that the Luthors were of distinguished Scottish bearing.[2]
Shortly after graduation, Lionel returned to Metropolis and used the remainder of his parents' life insurance policy to establish Luthor Industries. L.I. prospered and eventually became a multinational empire known as LuthorCorp.
During this time, Lionel met and fell in love with a woman named Lillian. The two were wed and they sired two sons, Lex and Julian Luthor.
Sadly however Lillian would eventually smother Julian to death. This was due to the fact that Lionel had always put Lex through test and trials, and was also very abusive towards him. This had a very negative affect on Lex's mind and eventually shaped him into the man who would become. Lillian, not wanting another child of hers to suffer and become a "monster," smothered Julian to death. Ultimately, Lex took the blame for Julian's death in order to protect his mother from Lionel's wrath . This created a huge rift between Lex and Lionel, with Lionel being very uncaring and cold towards lex. However, because Lex was his only heir, Lionel would always look out for him.
Lionel had many affairs, one of which resulted in the birth of a child named Lucas. He also became a member of the Veritas society, a group who believed that an alien wielding great power known as the "Traveller" would one day arrive on Earth. From the beginning, Lionel wanted to take control of this alien, hoping to use the power for himself. It is strongly implied that he had other members of the society killed, including Oliver Queen's parents.
Eventually Lionel arrived in Smallville to find the traveller on the day of the meteor shower, during the incident his son Lex was injured by the meteorites. Lex's hair was completely blown off, and the meteorites mutated him giving him a metahuman immune system. Lionel's men searched for the traveller who arrived in the shower though the actual traveller was discovered by the Kents. Lionel's men discovered the Doomsday creature that had attached itself to Kal-El's space craft. Initially thinking this creature to be the traveller, Lionel took it into his house where it befriended a young Lex. Ultimately, he threw the beast onto the street when he discovered it was not the traveller.
Lionel was also able to get a position of power in Smallville thanks to blackmailing Jonathan kent into helping him. The Kents had helped save Lex's life during the meteor shower, and Lionel repaid them by helping them adopt their son, Clark. Lional later used this to blackmail Jonathan Kent.
Lionel would later send his son Lex to manage one of his Luthorcorp facilities in Smallville.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Former Powers
Psychic Link: During the last few years of his life, Lionel became linked to the Fortress of Solitude and Jor-El. This connection allowed Jor-El to send messages through Lionel and even use him as a vessel at times, during which Lionel's body was granted Kryptonian powers.
Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, The average Kryptonian possesses the potential for the following power set:
Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of their super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. Their biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and their bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
Heat Vision: Kryptonians can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. Typically, the power is seen as two beams of red light emanating from the eyes. These beams can be made invisible, allowing the power to be undetectable. The maximum temperature of their heat vision is said to be around that of a nuclear detonation. They can also consciously determine the area affected, down to the microscopic level.
Super-Hearing: Kryptonian hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill, practice, and concentration, they can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. As such, they can identify a person by their heartbeat, or pick out a single voice in an entire city.
Enhanced Vision: Kryptonian vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus. This umbrella ability includes the following:
Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Kryptonians can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. They can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, they can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows them to see the aura generated by living thing.
Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Kryptonians can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. They can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
Infrared Vision: Kryptonians can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
Flight: Kryptonians are able to manipulate graviton particles, in an unknown and apparently unconscious manner, to defy the forces of gravity. Under one Earth gravity, they are capable of speeds of multi-Mach speeds in Earth's atmosphere. Their control of their flight is very precise and they can perform aerobatic feats such as hovering, flying backwards and even lifting great weights while flying.
Invulnerability: The bodies of Kryptonians are nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, their immune systems protects them from toxins and diseases. The most common explanations for this rely on the presences of a super-dense molecular structure, a supercharged bio-electric aura which acts as an invisible force field, or a combination of the two. A byproduct of the aura is that items close to the skin share their invulnerability. Using clothing as an example, loose fitting fabric would tend to shred or burn in adverse conditions, but skin tight outfits would not.
Superhuman Stamina: Kryptonians have the ability to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. In theory they have unlimited stamina as their enhanced nourishment is produced from the yellow solar energy their cells process, which also provides the majority of the power for their superhuman abilities. However, their base physical structures do need to process food stuffs and they have a psychological need to eat and drink just as Earth humans do. They also require sleep on occasion so that they can dream. They can also hold their breath for an indefinite period of time.
Superhuman Strength: A Kryptonian develops enhanced physical strength after absorbing a sufficient amount of yellow solar radiation. This radiation interacts with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of their musculature to trigger superhuman levels. While the exact magnitude of their strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that it is sufficient to lift 100,000 tons or more. The specific range is unknown as a their strength, like their other powers, may fluctuate over time. Their strength is also more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables them to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass. At full power, their normal strength levels are well into the multi-megaton range.
Superhuman Speed: Kryptonians are able to move at incredible speeds by sheer force of will. They can match most other speedsters in super-fast movements, reactions, and processes. They can use this power to disarm opponents without heightened reflexes, catch bullets or shrapnel or cross vast distances in seconds. This also confers:
Super-Breath: Kryptonians are able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from their lungs. They can chill the air as it leaves their lungs to freeze targets in a variation sometimes called "freeze" or "arctic breath". They can also reverse the process and pull large volumes of air or vapor into their lungs.
Longevity: Kryptonians can live longer than regular humans, remaining at their prime as long as they was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.
Business Management: Lionel Luthor was a cutthroat businessman and an expert strategist. He negotiated the boardroom the way a Roman general would lead a battlefield.
Multilingualism: After becoming linked to the Fortress of Solitude, Lionel became fluent in the Kryptonian language.
This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Smallville and its tie-in and comic book series, Smallville and Smallville Season 11. It is an adaptation of Jules Luthor. The original character was created by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger and first appeared in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #23.
Linoel Luthor was portrayed by John Glover on Smallville
Lionel had three sons Julian, Lex and Lucas. While Lex is alive and Julian is deceased, it is not known what the current status of Lucas is.
In Season 10 it was revealed that Lionel also had a daughter who was given up for adoption at the age of 3 due to mother's diagnoses of cancer. The daughter was revealed to be Tess Mercer born "Lutessa Lena Luthor". It is unknown if Earth-1 Lionel of Smallville ever had any interaction with her after her adoption.
This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category."
Superman Family member This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Superman, and a member of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Family members" category.
