History
Lex Luthor was a scientific genius since his high school days, when he used some chemicals he created and gave him superpowers. Using an indestructible suit he created, Lex became Superboy, but he kept the secret from his best friend Clark Kent. When Mr. and Mrs. Kent were attacked by a mugger, Lex took Mr. Kent to a nearby hospital, hoping to save his life, but his effort was futile. As a result, Clark moved away from Smallville to live with his rich uncle Kendall, in Gotham City.
Years passed and Lex eventually became Superman. He moved to Metropolis, where he started working as a journalist for the Daily Planet and was eventually tasked to interview Clark Kent in Gotham. Lex introduced Clark to his co-worker, Lois Lane and soon, Clark and Lois started a relation, much to Lex's dismay. When Lois was captured by Braniac, she was saved by the combined work of Superman and Batman. Lex's curiosity took the best of him and he used his X-ray vision to see the man behind the cowl and he was shocked to learn that Batman was Clark Kent. After this revelation, Batman and Superman teamed-up in several occasions until Clark and Lois got married. Lex was the best man at her wedding and later, Clark revealed his and Lex's secret to Lois.
Shortly after this, a spaceship landed on Earth and Supergirl came to Earth. She was first greeted by Lex, took her to the Kents, and she was given a secret identity as Linda Kent, Clark's cousin. Later, Superman, Batman and Supergirl stopped the Toyman, but during the encounter, Batman was exposed to a special ray gun from Toyman and he started dying from the effects of Gold Kryptonite. Lex finally deduced Clark's Kryptonian past, heritage and the accident that eliminated his powers. For this reason, he created a special machine that cured Clark by transferring his powers to Clark and the the gold fever was turned on him. Clark recovered his Kryptonian powers and Lex turned human again, but he became a dangerous source of golden kryptonite radiation. For this reason, Lex decided to leave Earth on a special ship he built, knowing that Superman's legacy would be continued with Clark, who dropped the Mantle of the Bat and became the righteous Man of Steel.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Using his chemical formula, Lex gained some powers, all of which disappeared after he transferred them to Clark Kent. These include, but are not limited to:
- Enhanced Vision
- Heat Vision
- X-Ray Vision
- Flight
- Invulnerability
- Super-Breath
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Strength
Abilities
Notes
- This version of Superman, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
Related
- 2 Appearances of Lex Luthor (Earth-167)
- 4 Images featuring Lex Luthor (Earth-167)
- Quotations by or about Lex Luthor (Earth-167)
- Character Gallery: Lex Luthor (Earth-167)
Footnotes
  Daily Planet Staff member |