"You and I... we will both be great men... because of each other. We have a destiny together, Clark... only on different sides." - Lex Luthor

"And I'll always be there to stop you... always." - Clark Kent

"Oh, I'm counting on it." - Lex Luthor

Finale, Part 2

Clark Kent and Lex Luthor have a complex relationship, beginning as a close friendship and moving steadily toward mutual enmity.

Contents 1 Clark's secret 2 Early Life 3 Season One 4 Season Two 5 Season Three 6 Season Four 7 Season Five 8 Season Six 9 Season Seven 10 Season Eight 11 Season Nine 12 Season Ten 13 Season Eleven 14 In the Comics 15 Quotes 16 References

Clark's secretEdit

"I could have helped you become a hero!" – Lex to Clark in Arctic

Although Lex did not exactly know the entire story behind Clark's alien origins, he knew there was something odd about his friend from the moment that Clark saved him by pulling him from Elbow River following a car accident. Lex was sure his car had hit Clark, and was immediately doubtful of Clark's claim that he dove after him. Lex gave Clark the opportunity to share his secret on his own terms as their friendship grew, but often could not resist asking Clark prying questions. Clark used a temporary loss of his powers to "prove" his vulnerability. Nevertheless, Lex's curiosity was not that easily satisfied.

Lex financed Dr. Steven Hamilton's excavation of Miller's Field, where Clark's ship had landed years ago, and unearthed the key to the ship. Although Lex knew that this was of alien origin, he never connected it with Clark. Lex blackmailed Roger Nixon into investigating the car crash. However, when Nixon's investigation violated the Kents' privacy, Lex demonstrated that he was not ready to trade Nixon's secrets for the Kents' lives, and thus shot and killed him. Nevertheless, Lex continued to research Clark and even stole a vial of Clark's blood from his fiancé Dr. Helen Bryce. Lex also suspected a connection between Clark and the Kawatche Caves, causing Clark to continually deny that he could read the Kryptonian symbols.

Lex eventually witnessed Clark's superpowers while in a drug-induced psychosis, confirming his beliefs. Nevertheless, the memory was lost after intense shock treatment. Not knowing what memories had been lost, Lex became desperate to recover them, which made Clark nervous.

In 2004, Lionel sent Clark a key to a secret room in the Luthor Mansion that compiled all the information Lex had gathered on Clark over the years. Three months after the fact, Lex had the room cleared out and told Clark that he was done obsessing over him and asked for his forgiveness. Lex kept his promise and did not investigate Clark for almost a year. However, he did question Clark's immunity to an airborne toxin and took advantage of Clark's temporary amnesia to ask him questions about the caves. He again "tested" Clark and was confused that his suspicions were proved wrong when he saw a video of Clark getting burned by a security laser, a subsequent brief exchange of punches leaving Clark with a bruised and bloody lip. Nevertheless, his suspicions were re-awakened when Clark came back from the dead after being shot. Lexumed that Clark was the fast-moving blur in a security camera photo when a LuthorCorp facility was attacked. However, Lionel prevented Lex from discovering the truth by giving Clark an alibi.

Clark and Lex's growing animosity towards each other made it unlikely that Clark would ever willingly tell Lex the truth about his origins and powers, but also invited the possibility that Lex would do anything to discover it. After Clark was injured by meteor rocks and trapped in a cave-in with Lex, Lex confronted Clark about his suspected powers. Lex admitted that he had seen a chisel bend after he stabbed Clark with it. Having survived that, Lex was confused that Clark was now injured, but Clark didn't answer.

After the sudden arrival of Clark's Kryptonian cousin Kara Kent, Lex extended his curiosity towards her as well, intending to use her to reveal Clark's secret. Eventually, Brainiac, disguised as Kara, confirmed to Lex that she was an alien, insinuating that Clark was too. Lex received confirmation of this when he visited the Arctic Circle. Having come across violent aliens in the past, Lex was convinced that Clark was on Earth to destroy it and, in order to save the world, he must kill Clark.

Lex's realization left him bitter and betrayed. He told Clark that they could have accomplished anything together and that, if Clark had trusted him, he could have helped him become a hero. Clark's fear of Lex discovering his secret proved justified, as Lex then de-powered Clark and destroyed the Fortress of Solitude with the Orb, despite this attack leaving him critically injured.

Lex didn't tell anyone Clark's secret, not even his trusted employees such as Tess Mercer or Regan Matthews.

Early LifeEdit

Clark and Lex's first encounter occurred the day Clark's spaceship crashed to Earth, during the meteor shower of 1989. Lex was in a nearby cornfield and was injured. Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent discovered Clark and decided to keep him; as they were driving away from the crash site with their newfound son, they encountered Lex's father Lionel Luthor, who begged them to help his injured son. The five of them then made their way to safety.

Young Clark tried to bond with Lex on the way to Smallville Medical Center, but Lex was still in shock from his ordeal. After this, Lex blanked out his childhood, yet he always felt that his life had been deeply effected by the meteor shower and investigated it throughout his adult life, leading him closer to discovering the Traveler, not realizing that this was in fact Clark.

Season OneEdit

"We have a future together, Clark, and I don't want anything to stand in the way of our friendship." – Lex to Clark in Pilot

Clark and Lex met again when Clark was 14 and Lex was 21, when Lex drove his car off of Loeb Bridge, hitting Clark and sending both of them into Elbow River. Clark rescued Lex from drowning; in return, Lex showered Clark with gifts and favors to show his gratitude. Despite Jonathan's dislike of Lex and the rest of the Luthors, Clark wanted to see the best in Lex and they quickly built up a friendship.

Jaded by his father's upbringing, Lex seemingly saw Clark as the personification of everything a person should be and a direct contrast to his own destructive and self-serving youth. He also idolized Clark's relationship with his father, seeing it as something he would love but would never obtain with his own father, even sharing his regrets about his relationship with his mother with Clark. Clark viewed Lex as worldly and informed, quickly misjudged and intriguingly out of place in the small country town.

Clark was impressed with Lex's experience and maturity. He frequently took advice from Lex, particularly concerning the troubles in his love life, as he yearned for Lana Lang, despite her dating Whitney Fordman. Lex tried to help by setting up a date for Clark and Lana, and offered them tickets to a concert and a free ride in a limo. Lex said he considered Clark much like a younger brother, trying to use his influence to improve Clark's quality of life. Although Clark never called on these favours for himself, he was willing to use them to help his friends, such as asking Lex to hire the Metropolis Sharks to play a game with Whitney Fordman as their quarterback when Whitney's father was diagnosed with a terminal illness so that he could fulfil his promise of seeing his son play for the Sharks.

Despite the good-natured facade of their relationship, both kept some secrets from each other. While Clark kept his alien origins and superhuman powers a secret from him, Lex started an investigation into the Kents in secret, suspecting that Clark was far from normal due to the anomalies in the original bridge rescue, although the temporary loss of Clark's powers to Eric Summers halted Lex's investigations.

Season TwoEdit

"Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. I like the sound of that." – Clark to Lex in Red

Despite Jonathan discovering that Lex was investigating Clark through Roger Nixon, Clark remained friends with Lex after Lex proved his allegiance when he protected them from Nixon, killing him. Lex even invited Clark to his wedding to Desiree Atkins a few months later. However, Lex's new relationship with Desiree caused problems in his relationship as he was being manipulated by Desiree's meteor-enhanced pheromones. Desiree had initially planned to use her powers to seduce Clark and make him kill Lex in a jealous rage, allowing her to inherit Lex's fortune. When Clark proved immune to Desiree's advances, she told Lex that Clark had come on to her and framed Clark for arson. Although Lex admitted that these actions were out of character for Clark, Lex was under Desiree's spell. Nevertheless, when Clark proved Desiree's guilt, his relationship with Lex was repaired.

Lex was led to believe that Clark was his half-brother when Rachel Dunleavy, his father's former mistress, appeared in Smallville. Although Lex was skeptical and Clark knew that it wasn't true as he was an alien, both Clark and Lex admitted that it would be cool if they were brothers, indicating how close they felt to each other. Clark relied on Lex's help to preserve the Kawatche Caves, although Clark's trust in Lex over this was foolish, as Lex began to investigate their connection to Clark.

When Lex planned to marry for a second time, he again chose Clark as his best man. Clark was pleased, although because he prioritized dealing with the threats of his Kryptonian father Jor-El by destroying his spaceship, he failed to make it to Lex's wedding.

Season ThreeEdit

"Ever since I've met you, I've been defending you, making excuses for you to people like Pete, like my parents. Telling them, "You can trust Lex Luthor. He's a good guy. He's nothing like his father." I was wrong... This friendship's over." – Clark to Lex in Covenant

During Lex's honeymoon, his plane crashed and Lex was suspected to be dead. Despite being influenced by red kryptonite, Clark attended Lex's funeral, although he stood back from the group of guests. After Clark's red kryptonite ring was destroyed, Lex returned to Smallville unharmed, much to Clark's delight and relief. Clark and Lex maintained their strong friendship.

Lex discovered that Lionel had killed his parents, which led Lionel to wiping his memories despite Clark's efforts to stop him, making Clark feel guilty. Claiming to be scared about what Lionel would do if Lex re-discovered the truth, Clark went to Lionel for help in stopping Lex from trying to recover his memories, leading to Lionel's calling him on his true motivation: Trying to keep Lex from discovering his secret. When Lex discovered this, he was disappointed in Clark but, after Clark's insistence, Lex believed that Clark had Lex's well-being in mind.

When mythology from the Kawatche Caves started to come true, Clark learned that either Lex or Lionel would become his ultimate enemy, as the Starblade dissolved at their touch after the prediction that this would happen when Naman's ultimate enemy touched it. While Clark continued to believe the best in Lex and concluded that Lionel must be his ultimate enemy, Martha warned Clark that it could be Lex. Clark only considered this to be a possibility after Lionel gave Clark a key to Lex's secret room, which contained the evidence of Lex investigating Clark's secret. This caused the breakdown of their friendship, and Clark found it hard to trust Lex after this.

Season FourEdit

Clark's perception of Lex changed somewhat when Clark discovered that Lex had been protecting Chloe Sullivan from Lionel prior to his trial. Lex tried to buy back Clark's friendship by providing the Smallville football team with new jerseys after he found out that Clark had joined the team. When Clark was not impressed, Lex went further to repair their relationship by visiting the loft to hand over all of his research about Clark. As Lex arrived, Clark had been weakened by a kryptonite drink and then attacked by a jealous Jason Teague, who was under the influence of a love potion. Lex was concerned about Clark's injuries but, as the kryptonite wore off, Lex became suspicious of Clark's healing wounds. As Lex had scared off Jason, Clark agreed to listen to what Lex had to say and, after he was convinced that Lex had dropped the investigation into his life, they came to a tentative reconciliation.

Lex continued to try to completely win back Clark's friendship by giving him tickets to a Metropolis Sharks football game. Lex confided in Clark that he saw him as a brother, and became more open and honest with Clark by asking for his help with his investigation into a manuscript with Kryptonian symbols. This helped Clark trust Lex again, and he started to confide in Lex and rely on him for help, particularly when he blew his university interview and needed Lex's help to build bridges. Clark also confided in Lex about how hard it was to see his old girlfriend with his football coach. However, Clark felt that this trust was betrayed when Lex subsequently reported this immoral relationship to the school board, damaging Clark's relationship with Lana. Clark questioned Lex's motives for this, making him realize that their relationship was not yet back to where it used to be.

Despite their ongoing problems, when circumstance called for it, Clark continued to come to Lex for help.^[1] Clark also helped prove Lex's innocence when he was accused of murder. During this investigation, Clark discovered that Lex regularly had one-night stands and then made the women feel worthless by paying them off with diamond earrings. Clark was disappointed with Lex's treatment of these women and, when he confronted Lex about this, Lex admitted that he had treated them terribly but requested that Clark not give up on him yet.

A series of controversial LuthorCorp experiments added to Clark's disappointment in Lex. First, LuthorCorp accidentally released a dangerous toxin which endangered the lives of many civilians, and then Clark discovered a project that experimented on dogs. Clark saw Lex's obsessive nature re-awaken, as he fiercely searched for the Stones of Power. Lex's fascination with unexplained phenomena ran concurrently but separately with his curiosity of Clark's background. Lex was willing to forgo parts of his investigations that directly involved Clark, but eventually, the two inevitably coincided.

Clark was reminded of Lex's potential for evil when black kryptonite split Lex in two, which caused the emergence of Lex's darker side. While he was divided into good and evil personas, Evil Lex committed murder, imprisoned his good side, discovered Clark's secret, shot Jonathan and attempted to coerce Clark into helping him rule the world. Although Clark was able to reverse the process and reunite the two sides of Lex, he remained wary of Lex's true nature.

This concern was justified, as Lex took advantage of Clark's amnesia by trying to get Clark to reveal secrets about the Kawatche Caves. When Clark's memory was restored, he remained unaware of the occurrences during his amnesia, although he was suspicious of Lex. After this, when Lex offered Clark and his parents a safe passage out of Smallville to be saved from the oncoming meteor shower, Clark refused.

Season FiveEdit

Lex still felt that Clark was not being honest with him, and confronted Clark to find out if he had been in the caves during some strange goings-on just before the second meteor shower. When Clark continued to lie, Lex was visibly frustrated and disappointed that his friend still could not trust him. As a result, Lex released three meteor freak criminals who held Clark's parents and Lana hostage in order to force Clark to reveal his superhuman powers. When Clark discovered that Lex was responsible, he angrily confronted Lex and viciously attacked him; this marked the end of their friendship.

Despite their new animosity towards each other, Clark continued to go to Lex for help when the need arose. They remained civil to each other for a time, but without the positive influence of the friendship to sustain him, Lex descended into cruelty and manipulation in order to get to the bottom of super-powered individuals, believing himself to be serving the greater good of humankind. Although Lex's attempts to torture and control Clark's new friends Arthur Curry and Victor Stone increased Clark's hostility towards him, Clark nevertheless refused to allow invisible hit-man Graham Garrett to kill Lex, his high value for life overriding his dislike for Luthor.

Lex was clearly disappointed about the breakdown of his relationship with Clark, as he dreamed of a world where he was much closer to him again. He finally expressed his regret at the loss of his friendship with Clark when they were forced to work together to find Lionel and Martha when they were kidnapped by Lincoln Cole. Lex hoped that they would be able to find some common ground between them. However, when Lex witnessed a video feed of Lionel saying how "special" Clark is, Lex was reminded of Clark's constant secrets and lack of trust in him. Also jealous of the growing bond between his father and Clark, Lex wanted Clark's life more than ever, which led to him secretly pursuing a relationship with Lana.

When Clark received an expensive plasma TV, he suspected Lex was trying to get back into his good graces but, as he arrived at the Luthor Mansion, Clark found Lex kissing Lana, thus ruining any chance of a reconciliation between Clark and Lex. After this, when Lex was in danger from Milton Fine, Clark made sure that he was safe, although he was unconcerned about any injuries that Lex sustained, marking a change in their relationship.

Season SixEdit

"I don't know, Clark. You were the only real friend I ever had, but somewhere along the way, you saw me as your nemesis and turned your back on me." – Lex to Clark in Nemesis

Lex became the Kryptonian vessel for the Kryptonian warlord General Zod and, while Clark briefly considered sacrificing Lex's life to defeat Zod, he ultimately decided that this was not an option, despite the breakdown of their friendship. After Zod was exorcised from Lex, Lex no longer welcomed Clark in his mansion. Clark wasn't invited to Lex and Lana's engagement party, but was invited to their wedding because Lex wanted him to see "what he had lost", indicating the level of resentment between the two.

Despite their growing dislike of each other, Clark saved Lex from Duncan Allenmeyer and a drugged-up Oliver Queen. However, Clark showed more concern with Oliver's actions turning him into a killer rather than just concern about Lex's life. As matters got worse between them, due to Lex's growing relationship with Lana, Clark was less inclined to save Lex and, when he heard that Lex had disappeared, he prioritized catching an escapee from the Phantom Zone rather than saving Lex. When Moira Sullivan forced Chloe to confront Lex with a gun, Clark also hesitated in saving Lex.

Clark joined Oliver's Justice League to put a stop to Lex's Level 33.1 experiments. When Clark discovered that he had kidnapped Chloe to test her meteor abilities and later threatened her, Clark was furious with Lex and vowed to fight him.

Clark and Lex were forced to confront the breakdown of their relationship when they were trapped in an underground tunnel. As they discussed their relationship, Clark questioned if they were ever really friends. Lex insisted that Clark was the only true friend he ever had, causing Clark to wonder if he had given up on Lex too soon. When Clark was trapped under rubble, Lex chose to help him get loose despite having the opportunity to save himself. After they found their way out, Clark confided in Martha that he felt responsible for Lex's descent into evil, as he had given up on Lex.

Their heart-to-heart was not enough to repair their relationship, as Lex continued to get involved with dangerous projects, including Project Ares, which resulted in the torture of Wes Keenan and unleashing a fully-powered Bizarro.

Season SevenEdit

"I love you like a brother Clark, but it has to end this way. I'm sorry." – Lex to Clark in Arctic

Clark kept his distance from Lex for a while, although Lex continued to pry into Clark's life but this time tried to use Kara Kent to get information.

Dr. Curtis Knox tried to kill Lex, but only managed to knock him unconscious before Clark sped in to save him. When Lex awoke in hospital, he was surprised to see Clark there but Clark remained hostile, comparing Lex to the evil Knox. Nevertheless, united in their desire to stop Knox from killing anyone else, Lex helped Clark track him down in order for Clark to defeat him. Clark resorted to asking for Lex's help again when someone was trying to kill Rachel Davenport, an actress in the new Warrior Angel movie, since Clark knew that Lex was a fan of the Warrior Angel comics and the attacks seemed to be motivated by the differences between the comic and the movie. Lex helped Clark find the clues he needed to solve the mystery and defeat Ben Meyers, although Lex was still clearly motivated by uncovering the truth about Clark, as he went to question Ben when he suspected that he had uncovered Clark's secret.

When Clark was faced with the decision of who to save during a fight between Lex, Black Canary and Green Arrow, Clark was willing to let Black Canary's daggers hit Lex, as he knew that it would not be fatal, but he destroyed Oliver's arrows and Lex's bullets.

Clark learned more about Lex's childhood when he was forced to use LuthorCorp's Project Intercept to go inside Lex's mind to uncover information about Kara's whereabouts. He saw Lionel and Lillian Luthor's fractured parenting had caused Lex to become the man he was today. Clark found Lex's innocent inner child and vowed to help the good in Lex, as he could see the evil side of Lex taking over. Clark confronted Lex about this and told him that he still cares about what he thinks and that he has seen that there is still good in him.

Nevertheless, shortly afterwards, Lex started a dangerous relationship with an amnesiac Kara in order to uncover the truth about the Kent family. Lex mentioned to Kara about his former friendship with Clark, saying they stopped being friends because "he grew up." When this was proving unsuccessful, Lex tortured Pete Ross and only stopped when Clark intervened. This made Clark start to doubt his rekindled hope in the good in Lex, which was ultimately destroyed when Lex killed Lionel.

Clark immediately suspected Lex being responsible for his death and met with Lex after Chloe received evidence of the murder. In Lex's mind, his good side tried to get Lex to tell Clark the truth but, instead, Lex requested that Clark leave. When Clark refused, Lex revealed how jealous he had been of Clark's relationship with both Jonathan and Lionel, who both thought a lot of Clark. Clark retorted by insisting that Lex could have had the same thing if he tried and blamed Lex's inability to sustain a proper relationship. Clark insisted that even he had tried to be his friend, but Lex had been corrupted by power and control and was so caught up in what's been going on in Smallville that he hasn't looked at the people around him. Lex maintained that after so many years to gain Lionel's affections, he focused on Clark instead and wondered why his own father would do that but Clark simply said that Lionel probably trusted him more than Lex.

By this point, it was clear that there was no going back for the two former friends. Despite Lex insisting that nobody other than him was allowed to be at Lionel's funeral, Clark attended, believing that Lionel deserved better. When the two met at Lionel's grave, Lex walked away in disgust, as Clark's presence reminded him of his father's closeness to somebody else's son over his own flesh and blood.

When Jor-El sents Clark into a reality where Clark didn't exist, Clark sees that Lex is the President of the United States. Much to Clark's shock, Lex is actually worst in the alternate reality due to Milton Fine's maniulations.

When Clark encounters Lex, Clark tries to get Lex to change his mind about the bombs but Lex says the best way to fix something is to start over and says that the best and brightest people have been taken to bunkers all over the world. Using Kryptonite bullets, Lex coldly shoots Clark and Kara.

When Lex has the briefcase, Clark calls from the floor for Lex to change his mind but Lex doesn't listen and initiates the launch. After he wakes up with blue light surrounding him and in one of Jor-El's pocket dimensions, Clark realizes that the world wouldn't be better without him and also that his and Lex's assiocation actually was effective.

With renewed concern over Lex's evil ways, Clark did everything he could to prevent him from discovering his secret. Nevertheless, Lex finally discovered the truth, having been manipulated by Brainiac, and used the orb to track down the Fortress of Solitude, where he confronted Clark.

As Clark tried to reason with Lex, it became clear that Lex felt it was his destiny to defeat "The Traveler." Lex expressed disappointment that Clark had never trusted him with this secret, as he felt that he could have helped Clark become a hero, but Lex's actions had proved to Clark that he couldn't be trusted. After reffering to Clark as Kal-El, Lex inserted the Orb into the Fortress' console, which brought Clark to his knees as his powers were taken from him and the Fortress began to fall apart around them. Lex admitted that he thought of Clark as a brother, but insisted that this was the way things had to end between them.

Season EightEdit

"You're a coward, Lex. Come out here. Face us..." - Clark

"No, Clark. It's time for you to face your defining moment. You can walk away, sacrificing innocent lives to stay together, or defuse the bomb and sacrifice your love forever." - Lex

Requiem

Four weeks later, Lex was presumed dead and Clark was found in Russia. Lex's true status remained unknown until the day of Chloe's wedding to Jimmy Olsen. After tracking down some e-mails that Lex had been sending to his protégé Tess Mercer, Oliver Queen warned Clark about the dangers that Lex posed now that he knew Clark's secret. Nevertheless, Clark prioritized Chloe, which made Oliver suspect that Clark still saw the good in Lex, although Clark denied this.

Lex made sure he was able to keep an eye on Clark through nanotechnology unknowingly implanted into Tess' eyes, as well as recovering videotape from Chloe's wedding. Lex re-emerged when Lana stole his only chance of survival, the Prometheus suit. He relied on a kryptonite ring to protect him when he faced Clark while still on life support. Lex finally got his revenge on Clark by setting up a kryptonite bomb, being fully aware that Lana's Prometheus suit would absorb all the kryptonite, thus preventing Clark from ever being able to be close to Lana again.

Furious with Lex, Clark tracked him down with the intention of killing him, but Lana stopped him and forced him to re-evaluate his morals. Realizing that he couldn't go through with it, Clark turned to leave his animosity with Lex in the past. However, Oliver then set off a bomb,

appearing to kill Lex. Clark showed no remorse that Lex was dead, although once he discovered that Oliver was responsible, he voiced his disapproval. Remarkably, despite everything that Lex had put Clark through, Clark still considered that Lex's life was worth saving. As a sign of respect only shown to Jonathan and Lionel at their funerals, Clark also grabs a hand full of debris from Lex's explosion site and lets it fall to the ground, making peace with his once close friend.

Season NineEdit

"Although Lex Luthor is your ultimate opponent, you will triumph over him." - Kent Nelson in Absolute Justice, Part 2

Kent Nelson revealed to Clark that Lex will become his ultimate opponent and also pointed out that Clark would one day succeed in triumphing over Lex.

Season TenEdit

"Hello Clark. I can't say I love what you've done with the place." - Lex

"Lex" - Clark

"You still it the same way: astonishment mixed with a hint of dread but with a hopeful finish." - Lex

Finale, Part 2

After Clark had died after defeating Major Zod, he found himself in limbo and saw Lex. Clark came back to life and went to Chloe, asking for her help to find anything on Lex's secret facilities since Jor-El told him about a dark force coming and remembering that Doctor Fate had said Lex would be his ultimate adversary. Later, Clark went to Cadmus Labs which was in ruins and to his surprise found Tess and told that one of Lex's clones from the first set destroyed the Lab and handcuffed her so that Clark would be able to come rescue her and give him a message to meet him out at Lawson's Field.

Clark arrived at the field and spoke with "Lex" who blamed Clark for everything that had happened to him in his original self's life. "Lex" told him that it was pride (the greatest of the seven deadly sins) that made Clark become the man he is. Enraged by the things said to him, Clark strangled "Lex", nearly killing his former friend's clone but stopped when he noticed that the clone's nose began to bleed. "Lex" revealed he was already dying as his mutated body was decaying. But before he died, Lex's clone told Clark that he had to make a choice, either save Lois from burning at the first place where the original Lex first saved him or save the people of Metropolis, whom are endangered due to "Lex" planting bombs on the rooftop of the Daily Planet with the hope that no matter what the choice, Clark would no longer be seen as a hero, not being fast enough to save both. "Lex" died as Clark sped off to prevent the death of Lois at the crucifix and the death of citizens in the rush hour under the falling Daily Planet globe, thus proving "Lex" wrong.

After accidently transporting himself in an alternate Earth ruled by an alternate-reality Lionel Luthor, Clark discovered that his doppelganger Clark Luthor was Lex's foster brother and murderer after Lex branded an "L" on Clark Luthor's arm, much to Clark's horror. Back in the original Earth, Clark Luthor complimented Lex's acomplishments.

Sometime later, Clark discovered that "Alexander Luthor"/Conner Kent is a hybrid clone of Clark and Lex while mentoring Conner.

While looking for Tess for answers involving Darkseid's planet coming towards Earth, Clark encountered Lex (who had been restored by his clones's best pieces and the alternate-Lionel's heart) at the Luthor mansion's remains.

Lex told Clark that it was not family or friends that defined who people become, but their enemies. Clark tried to tell Lex that he could change, but instead Lex said that they will both be great men in the world because of each other; with Clark on the one side and Lex on the other. Clark told Lex that he will always be there to stop Lex, and Lex said that he would be counting on it and that their story hasn’t been written yet.

Calling Clark by his birth name Kal-El, Lex told Clark that he can only be as great as Clark becomes and tells him about what he learned in the Veritas journals about Darkseid. Lex told Clark that they both know who can save the world, Clark apologized for not being able to save Lex, then abruptly departs, leaving Lex in the ruins of his home.

When Jor-El showed all of Clark's trials, the first one was when Clark saved Lex. When Lex killed Tess, she rubbed a chemical on his face which made him forget both his friendship and entity with Clark and thus ensuring that Lex completely forgot Clark's secret.

Season ElevenEdit

Six months later, Lex routinely watches Superman's flight above the city. He thinks that Superman is serious danger to the Earth. Later, he met Clark Kent on the street. Lex introduced to Clark, because he doesn't remember Clark. Lex only knows Clark from the newspaper clippings that they were friends when they were young. Lex hardly recognizes Kent. Clark is suprised that Lex knows that they knew each other years ago. After seeing Clark's clumpsiness, Lex doesn't understand how they could ever be friends. Clark response 'As you said, we were younger'. After talking Lex turned around to see Clark gone,(having sped away after hearing a siren to help.). Suddenly, Lex heard a voice and turned around to find that it was his deceased sister,Tess.

In the ComicsEdit

In the Superboy comics, the brief friendship between the two started when Lex saved Superboy from a kryptonite meteor. Their friendship came to an end when Superboy used his super breath to put out a fire in Lex's lab. The result was the destruction of Lex's experiment (which would be hard to replicate) and the fumes causing him to be permanently bald. Afterwards, Lex would try to outdo Superboy in making Smallville a better place (but failed as he never took the time to test his inventions or discoveries). Lex would merelyume that Superboy was jealous and sabotaged his experiments.^[2]

In most modern comics, Clark and Lex are only peripherally acquainted with each other, Clark breaking various stories about Lex while Superman and Luthor often find themselves in conflict. Lex has repeatedly claimed that Superman is responsible for his villainy as he focuses on attempting to remove Superman to provide humanity with a 'realistic' example to aspire to, claiming that Superman's presence limits mankind's development, but Superman has noted that Lex has never shown any interest in satisfying anything but his own ego, regularly turning down opportunities to create or achieve something that would have benefited the world simply because he would be unable to kill Superman if he took such action.

QuotesEdit

Clark: Lex, if this friendship was so important, why'd you lie to me for so long?

Lex: I don't know, Clark. There's a darkness in me that I can't always control. I'm starting to think that's my curse, why every relationship I have ends badly.

Clark: We all have a dark side, Lex.

Lex: Yeah. But I can feel mine creeping over the corners. Your friendship helps keep it at bay. It reminds me that there are truly good people in the world. I'm not willing to give up on that.

Season Four, Devoted

---

Lex: Clark, the days of you barging into my home to give me sage advice are over.

Clark: Lex, don't bother trying to cover it up. The days of me believing your lies are over.

Season Five, Aqua

---

Lex: Our story hasn't been written yet, Kal-El. And every villain is only as great as his hero. But, you see, that all relies on you saving us from the coming Apocalypse.

Season Ten, Finale, Part 2

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ He came to Lex for help when Lucy Lane came to Smallville in financial trouble in Lucy. Clark also asked for Lex's help when he found a baby that aged rapidly in Ageless.
2. ↑ Adventure Comics #271

Clark Kent in Smallville Family Kents: Martha , Jonathan • House of El: Jor-El (ai, clone), Lara, Kara, Zor-El, Conner Kent 'Ships Chloe • Pete • Oliver • Emil • John Jones • Lex (destiny) • Lionel • Brainiac • Jimmy • Tess • Davis • Zod Relationships Lana Lang • Kyla Willowbrook • Alicia Baker • Lois Lane (destiny) Work Smallville Torch • Justice League • Daily Planet Details Powers (loss, vulnerabilities, training) • secret • attire • glasses • blood • fighting style Homes Krypton (knowledge) • Kent Farm (house, cellar, barn, loft, truck) • Fortress • Apartment (telescope) Other Kal • Kal-El (ship) • Superman (suit, crest) • aliases • destiny • vision • No tights, no flights • Near-death experiences • Episodes

Lex Luthor in Smallville Family Luthors: Lionel, Lillian, Julian, Lachlan, Eliza • Tess Mercer • Lucas Luthor Clones LX-13 • Conner Kent • Grant Gabriel • Adrian Cross • Clones 'Ships Clark (destiny) • Lionel • Jonathan • Jason • Oliver • Brainiac • Tess • Lana • Chloe • Helen • Lois • Kara Work LuthorCorp • Talon • Daily Planet • LexCorp Other Luthor Mansion • Lex's resume • Compass • Destiny • Black glove • Watch • email • Homicides • Near-death experiences • Episodes