Superman Through the Ages! Forum

I kind of like the idea of Lex & Kal starting out as best friends.  Best friends are kind of like brothers, so that makes their conflict one between brothers.  Of sorts anyway.  Both are super-geniuses who can do just about anything.  Lex's intellect is somewhat greater than Kal's.  For the most part each is a mirror image of the other.  Each represents what the other could be.  Lex is an evil super-scientist (not a misanthrope), who has the potential to be a great hero.  If Lex chose to do it, he could be a greater hero than Kal.  Lex would most likely never choose to do that, because power matters more to him than just about anything else.  While Kal cares more about using the power he has to help others.  Each has advantages over the other.  Kal has his other powers.  Lex has the somewhat greater intellect.  Chances are that while they were friends, they were somewhat jealous of each other.  Taking the story of Lena luthor/Thorul into account, i think their friendship probably lasted 1 to 3 years or so.  While Superboy treated Lex as an equal partner, others most likely saw Lex as Superboy's sidekick.  That would really bother someone with Lex's ego.  Could also help explain why the lab accident would lead to Lex hating Kal.  Even before the accident Lex was starting to see Kal as an obstacle of sorts.  Someone who was there to keep Lex in check.

I look at Kal-El and Lex Luthor as both being "men of tomorrow."

Lex is a "natural" man of tomorrow while Kal is a transplant from another world. Lex would probably resent Kal for this, considering himself to be the true "superman" (the one nature intended to exist on Earth). After all, Lex became a super genius on world far less technologically advanced than Krypton--he had less natural advantages than his rival.

Of course, Superman is morally superior to Lex because he doesn't desire recognition or power--he helps because it's the right thing to do. I think that Lex has always had a pathological desire to be recognized as the best even before he met Superboy and long before he became a villain. Even if he had ended up as a hero he might still have that desire to be recognized as superior. Just imagine him in the Justice League of America--I can see everyone disliking him, save Superman and (maybe) Batman.

Isn't it weird that Earth's champion is an alien while it's chief villain is an Earthling?

I've always found it interesting the difference between Lex's upbringing and Clark's --did Lex have bad parents compared to Clark to end up as the "bad" superman?  By all accounts they were very thoughful parents and raised at least one superhero --Lena Thorul.

I've always enjoyed that fact.


Not by all accounts, actually. Luthor had abusive parents in both Luthor's Gift and The Adventures of Superboy. As for established canon, I never really got the impression that they were particularly good parents. Then again, we never really learned much about them.

In any case, I think that Lex has only himself to blame for being a super-villain. In the end, humans have the ultimate choice and are fully responsible for their own actions. Of course, that also means that his career as a super-villain isn't a fixed one--at any time he could decide to give it up. He almost did at one point.

I have heard that there is a good and bad in the universe and that distinction is not very hard to make. :wink:

It's a good quote.  :wink: