Lionel Luthor
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| Lionel Luthor | |
|---|---|
| Family | Lachlan Luthor (father, deceased), Eliza Luthor (mother, deceased), Lillian Luthor (wife, deceased), Lex Luthor (son), Julian Luthor / Cloned as Grant Gabriel (son, deceased), Lucas Luthor (son) |
| Occupation | Founder, Former Chairman and CEO, Former Special Advisor (LuthorCorp) |
| Played By | John Glover |
| Status | Deceased (Descent) |
"Clark, the real test of a hero is knowing when the greater good will be served by an evil act. To save the Earth, the cost of one life is the price that must be paid." - Lionel Luthor (Vessel)
Lionel Luthor was the founder of LuthorCorp, the scheming father of Lex Luthor, and the emissary of Jor-El. He was also a member of Veritas.
Before he died, Lionel served as Chairman and CEO then as Special Advisor of LuthorCorp. He used to have connections with the criminal underworld through his childhood best friend, Morgan Edge. Lionel was the father of three sons; however one of his sons died as an infant.
Lionel graduated summa cum laude with a chemistry degree from Princeton University and had two PhDs in biochemical engineering and macroeconomic modeling from Yale University. [1] He is buried in Metropolis.
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[edit] Personality
"One day you'll thank me, Lex. Smallville isn't in your future. It's just a brief chapter in your biography." - Lionel Luthor (Tempest)
Lionel Luthor was extremely rich, powerful, manipulative, and intelligent; he was prone to forming numerous Machiavellian schemes. For most of his appearances, he was obsessed with obtaining power and control over everything he encounters. With all these character traits, Lionel may be described as a sociopath. If a person dared to back out of their "agreement" with Lionel, they were met with swift retaliation (costing them their job, blacklisting their family members, and in extreme cases, having them killed). Lionel seemed intent on controlling Lex as much as possible, to mold him into his own conquering, amoral image ("Greatness is a rarefied air one has to be taught to breathe." (Stray). Lionel saw himself as a modern Philip of Macedonia and named his firstborn son Alexander after Philip's son, Alexander the Great. His second legitimate son was named Julian - perhaps an homage to Julius Caesar.
However towards the end of the fourth season, Lionel's personality transformed completely, resulting in a more caring (but still manipulative) man, such as in the episode Mercy when he was upset about his driver's murder and covered him up with his coat. Lionel still shows these feelings all the way up to the sixth season when in Rage; he admits his feeling towards Martha Kent.
In Season 5 he became the oracle of Jor-El, but when the Fortress of Solitude "died" in Zod, he lost his connection to it. However, in Phantom, Martian Manhunter revealed to Clark that Lionel was still an emissary of Jor-El.
[edit] Early Life
Lionel grew up in Suicide Slums, the son of Scottish immigrants Lachlan and Eliza Luthor. His father allegedly abused him when growing up. Lionel conspired with Morgan Edge to kill his parents to collect the insurance money to fund his future and LuthorCorp. Their criminal dealings continued well into their adult years after their lives have taken divergent turns, as seen in the episodes Phoenix and Shattered. Sometime before the 1980s, Lionel married a woman named Lillian who came from a wealthy family. They have two children: Alexander "Lex" Luthor and Julian Luthor. Lillian smothered Julian to death when he was an infant; Lex took the blame and Lionel has resented his surviving son ever since.
Lex has often been a victim of Lionel's wrath; Lionel frequently puts him in harm's way under the motive of "making Lex stronger." Lex has survived many attempts on his life and his business. However, all that Lex wanted from Lionel were things that Lionel found foreign: kindness, respect, and love.
Before the Meteor Shower and Julian's birth, Lionel was working on a project called "Veritas", which was discovered in his briefcase by Lillian. Veritas was an "Astronomy" club involving the Teagues (Genevieve, Edward, and Jason), the Queens (Robert, Laura, and Oliver), and Swanns (Virgil and Patricia) having to do with what they referred to as "The Traveler." Lionel believes the Traveler to be Kal-El, and Lionel has "kept his secret" longer then Clark had even known about.
[edit] Season One
"If you're going to take me on, son, you're going to have to bring your game up to a whole different level." - Lionel Luthor (Tempest, Season One)
When on a business meeting in Smallville in 1989, he and Lex were hit by the meteor shower. Lionel found Lex in the cornfield, completely bald and was helped by the Kents to get him to the hospital. Because of that, Lionel had made it possible for the Kents to adopt Clark and Jonathan had to make the painful decision to convince Pete Ross's family to sell their property to Lionel to build his LuthorCorp Plant.
Years later, Lionel sent Lex to run the LuthorCorp factory in Smallville so he could keep him out of trouble.
Later again, Lionel returned to Smallville for a surprise visit, to compliment Lex's work at the plant in Smallville and offered Lex a new position in Metropolis as Special Advisor to the Chairman. Lex turned him down. Months later, Lionel then announced that the plant will be closed due to management problems beyond their control. Lionel did this to get Lex out of Smallville so he can keep an eye on him. While Lex and Lionel were arguing during the tornadoes of 2002 the storm blew out a window, Lionel was injured. Lionel called out to Lex for help, and Lex seemingly left him on the floor to die.
[edit] Season Two
"You haven't changed, Rachel. You're still irrational." - Lionel Luthor (Lineage, Season Two)
When trying to force Lex to return to Metropolis during a tornado storm, Lionel was injured and blinded. Lionel then went into therapy and moved into the Luthor Mansion with Lex as he refused to be gawked at by others. In the episode Red we see Lionel redecorating and conducting business at the Luthor Mansion. Lionel wonders aloud if Lex discovered the value of directness from his friend Clark Kent as he fingers flattened bullets (blocked by Clark earlier in the episode). Lionel hired Martha Kent to be his assistant during this time. However, Lionel found himself attracted to Martha. His sight had returned and tried to fake being blind for a couple of weeks until Lucas Luthor exposed the truth.
When Lionel's ex-lover Rachel Dunleavy came back into his life, she kidnapped Lex to force Lionel to acknowledge Clark as their illegitimate son. Rachel angrily stormed in on Lionel, accusing him of switching the DNA samples and forcing her to give up her child.
When Lionel learned that Clark Kent had a mysterious connection to the Kawatche Caves, Lionel did all he could to figure out who Clark really was, and more importantly, where he came from. Later on Lionel gives Martha a beautiful watch and tells her that she has been promoted and she has her own office there in Metropolis. Martha turns the promotion down, but they are held hostage before she can leave. Shortly after Martha quits her job completely, Lionel is shot twice by Sheriff Ethan Miller, but recovers and returns to Metropolis.
Later, Lionel offered Chloe Sullivan a column at the Daily Planet to help him get information on Clark Kent. At first she turns him down, but then she reconsiders his offer. At an attempt at peace with Lex, Lionel offered him a honeymoon trip, but then gets control of the Kawatche Caves, took possession of the Emily clone, and started to win her affections. At the same time, Lionel made a duplicate of the Kryptonian Key manufactured from the pattern one Dr. Frederick Walden's palm, using refined kryptonite and planned to insert it into the hole in the cave.
[edit] Season Three
"I believe we're put on this Earth for a reason, Clark. Our task in life is to find out what that reason is. Sometimes we can't do that alone." - Lionel Luthor (Legacy, Season Three)
He meets with Dr. Virgil Swann to ask about the hieroglyphics on the cave walls. Dr. Swann doesn't give him the information that he needs, but offered another arrangement. Lionel attempts to force his way into the wall, but is stopped by Jonathan Kent, whom they fight as Lionel sees the Key flying into the cave wall. In Lionel's quest for knowledge, he has his people torture Pete, resulting in Pete's departure. At the season's end Lionel is arrested, but not before setting in motion three things. He gives Clark the key to Lex's secret room, ending the friendship between Lex and Clark. He has Chloe and her father's safe house compromised, resulting in it exploding, and has Lex's brandy poisoned.
[edit] Season Four
Incarceration and release
"I wanted to see you, Lex, to say goodbye face to face. I have done many things in my life that I've come to regret. But there is one thing I'll never forgive myself. I never... said I love you." - Lionel Luthor (Transference, Season Four)
However, his schemes against Lex and Chloe fail. To keep Chloe Sullivan from testifying, Lionel sends a metahuman named Trent MacGowen to go after Chloe to kill her.
Lionel gets a hold of the Stone of Water which he planned to use to switch bodies with Lex, but the attempt failed when he manages to switch with Clark Kent instead. While Lionel uses his newfound powers to attempt to regain his lost fortune and alienate Clark's friends, Clark arranges to have it all switched back to normal. When Clark and Lionel return to their original bodies, Lionel discovers that he is cured from his liver cancer. He doesn't seem to remember anything about his transference with Clark. Lionel tells Clark about the energy coursing through him that healed his liver.
Ever since he returned to his body, with no memory and his liver completely healed, Lionel dedicated
Lionel comes to visit Lex and tells him he wants to reconcile, as well as making the world a better place for everyone. Lex isn't listening to him, but decides to let his father use the guest house at the mansion. Lionel was the one that told Lana Lang about how Isobel was using her to get the stones. Lionel then gives Lana a map of China and Jason and says Lex are there, and he gives her the LuthorCorp Plane.
However, later, his completely peaceful nature was shattered when he faced Alex, Lex's evil counterpart.
Lionel revealed his deceitful nature once again, blackmailing Lex to give him the Stone of Air owned by Lana Lang or else he would reveal Lana's killing of Genevieve Teague. While Lex later tries to bargain with his father over the Stones, the Stone of Water that was in Lionel's pocket gives off a massive force of energy, putting Lionel in a coma. Lionel was placed in an upstairs bedroom. Before departing, Lex tells Lionel that he is now the son Lionel raised him to be.
[edit] Season Five
Jor-El's oracle
"That's enough to make a man believe in miracles. Isn't it, son?" - Lionel Luthor (Mercy)
Lionel was installed with all the knowledge of Krypton due to the Stone in his pocket.
After the meteor shower, Lionel tried sketching Kryptonian symbols on the floor of the office in the mansion,
After Jonathan Kent won the state senate race, Lionel asked for a partnership, but he was refused. He threatened to release incriminating pictures of Clark using his powers, causing Jonathan's temper to raise, resulting in the fatal heart attack to the senator-elect.
Lionel returned to his status as CEO of LuthorCorp, but was blackmailed by Lex to get out because of possible evidence linking him to Jonathan's heart attack.
With Jonathan gone, Lionel tried to be a friend to Martha, as she takes the place of State Senator, as well,
Lionel continues his work at LuthorCorp, but only at an area where he would not take total control of it.
Learning Clark's secret
A masked tormentor, Lincoln Cole, took Lionel hostage and orchestrates a series of elaborate games that he must win in order to stay alive. Lincoln Cole later bring in Martha Kent to torment him even more. When it came down to one of them killing the other with a gun, he pleaded for Martha to do it, to have her kill him, but she could not bring herself to do it. And when Lionel tried it on himself, it turned out that the gun was not loaded. They were later dropped down in a falling elevator until they were caught by Clark. As Clark realized that Lionel knew his secret, he confronted Lionel
Lionel had given Martha and Lois the LuthorCorp jet to use to get to the conference in Washington. He later confronted Clark with another message from Jor-El about Zod. Clark told him that he has to destroy the "vessel", otherwise Zod will be let into the world. Clark told him that the vessel is Lex. Lionel assured him that every hero's greatest test would be for the benefit of mankind, even if it meant conducting an evil act. Lionel witnessed Lex possessing Kryptonian powers, as he demonstrated on Lionel by tossing him onto the hood of his car. He told Clark about the encounter, and when Metropolis had broken out into riots during a powerful power failure, he gave Chloe a ride, but they were attacked by angry mobs.
[edit] Season Six
"I know, I know. The methods I have to use seem cruel, heartless but the truth is I am using them to protect you." - Lionel Luthor, to Clark Kent (Phantom)
Lionel managed to save Chloe and
Lionel kept his information about the Kryptonian symbols to himself, and is known to inform Clark and Martha about everything happening with Lex. Lionel meets Oliver Queen and welcomes him to Metropolis.
Lionel's help was enlisted by Lex to test Lana's loyalty.
Lionel accidentally admitted his feelings for Martha. He attended the Kent Thanksgiving dinner.
Over the course of the season, he became more and more of a father figure to Clark than even his own son Lex. Lionel often found himself being more encouraging and supportive of Clark than he ever was to Lex. This is not lost on Lex, who questioned Lionel on it. Lionel replies "Clark is the kind of son a father can be proud of" , furthering his preference of Clark over Lex. He even goes as far as to call Clark "son", a name he formerly used only with Lex. For his part, Clark (although sometimes somewhat begrudgingly) has come to return the father/son bond Lionel has for him. Clark often comes to Lionel when he needs advice, and often finds that only Lionel can point him in the right direction. Even Chloe points out to Clark that Lionel has become a father figure to him on one occasion.
Lex speaks to Lionel about Project 33.1. Lionel is concerned that the press will find out that Lex is experimenting on people with superhuman powers. He manages to discover there is a person with superhuman speed. Lionel was confronted by Lex and thought that Clark was in Mexico, but it turned out it was not Clark, but Bart Allen who was the superhuman speedster. Lionel covers for Clark when he was suspected in being in the LexCorp facility blown up by the "Justice League". When Clark was attacked in his barn by an Phantom Zoner Clark is put in a illusion world where we see Martha Kent married to Lionel and Lionel was the one that wanted to help Clark with his mental state and put Clark in the mental hospital.
In Promise, Lionel finds Lex at LuthorCorp Plaza alone; Lionel asks him what he'd be willing to do to make sure the wedding happens and he answers that he'd do anything. Lionel leaves as Lex receives a phone call. Lionel listens at the door when Lex tells the caller that he will meet him later. Lionel goes to see Lana and reads her letter and realizes that she doesn't intend to marry Lex. He correctly guesses that she knows Clark's secret. He reveals that he knows it too, but he also knows Clark's weakness. He tells her that if she doesn't marry Lex, he will kill Clark. Lionel meets Lex after the ceremony because he knows that Lex killed Dr. Langston. Lex offers him control of LuthorCorp or even Level 33.1 but Lionel just says he'll know when it's time to collect.
Lionel told Lana that the reason he forced her to marry Lex was to protect Clark. She later forced him to tell her how he was protecting Clark. It has not yet been revealed if he told her the truth or not.
Lionel had learned that Lois had stolen a cigarette carrier from the crime scene that had Lana been shot. He crept into her apartment to retrieve it. When she came in, Lionel took it and saw that there was a Flash Drive inside it and used it to see that Lex was working with Senator Ed Burke about Project Ares.
Lionel was watching a video about a phantom attacking a reporter in Patagonia, until Clark came in and accused Lionel of having Lana marry Lex. Before Clark came in, Lionel translated more Kryptonian symbols into the word "MIRROR". It is not known where he got the symbols from or how he is still able to translate them.
Lionel was demanded by Lex to get out of his life, but Lionel did not oblige. Lionel met Clark at his office, and threatened to kill him until Martian Manhunter stopped him, telling him that he was an emissary of Jor-El. He explained that the reason why he had Lana marry Lex was so she can get close to him to get information from him. He went to talk to Lana before she left Smallville, and saw her getting in the car, and it had exploded with her in it. Lionel told Clark about what happened, and begged him not to do what he would later regret. He took a piece of kryptonite in with him, to stop him from hurting Lex, but only used it against Bizarro, but it made him stronger. Bizarro then threw Lionel against the dam wall. The last we see of Lionel in season 6, he is unconscious against the dam wall, which is cracked and flooding.
[edit] Season Seven
"Kal-El is following his own destiny. I will do nothing to stop his course." - Lionel Luthor, to Zor-El (Blue)
In the season premiere, Lionel washed ashore after the dam broke. He was then dragged away by a mysterious figure. No one knew of this, so he was presumed dead by Lex and the media.
Lionel finally awoke to find himself chained to a bed by a woman, Marilyn. Lionel managed to get loose, but was knocked out by Lana Lang. After Lex Luthor tried to free Lionel, Marilyn had a gun pointed at his son, and Lionel snuck up behind her and beat her to death. Lionel went to see Lana and knew she was behind his disappearance. He warned her not to continue with her sense of retribution or something bad would happen.
Lionel had returned to LuthorCorp and was kept out of the loop about Kara. Later, he helped Clark save Kara by shooting Agent Carter.
Lionel was later attacked by Zor-El, who threatened to kill him if he didn't tell Clark to trust him. Lionel refused, claiming that Clark was following his own destiny. Clark showed up and saved Lionel, who was later hospitalized with minor injuries.
Grant Gabriel went to Lionel and told him he was the clone of Julian Luthor. Lionel was proud and happy to see the man his "son" had come to be. Unfortunately, he was disgusted that his real son Lex had done this. When Lionel took Grant to a steak restaurant in Metropolis, Lex had an assassin find Grant and kill him in front of Lionel.
Lionel had let Clark and Chloe know of what happened to Lex and was there to watch over Lex and Clark as Project Intercept allowed Clark to go inside the mind of Lex. After Lex died, Chloe healed him and Clark awoke to see Chloe dead in Lionel's arms. Lionel was confused when Clark told him to bring Chloe to her Talon apartment without taking her to a doctor. For (probably) the first time ever, Lionel told Lex that he loved him.
Lionel was at the Kent Farm discussing the situation about Kara with Clark and Lana. Unbeknownst to Clark, Lionel had Kara's bracelet in his vault, which Lex knew about and Clark later found out about.
While in his office,
Lex eventually came to believe that the LuthorCorp Plant in Smallville was only a cover-up to see the Traveler, and confronted his father about this in his office. Lionel tried to warn Lex not to press him about Veritas, telling his son that Lex was actually the Traveler. Unfortunately, Lex did not believe any of this, and shattered the office window by shooting it. Lex tore the locket off of his father's neck and pushed him out the open window, letting him to fall to his death. Lex found the locket to be empty, however, as Lionel had left Chloe the Veritas key earlier that day. Lionel also left a Kryptonian message for Clark, who realized that Lionel, like Jor-El and Jonathan, had played an important role in making him the man that he is. Lionel had indeed changed for the better.
Following Lionel's death,
[edit] Trivia
- Lionel speaks the first line of dialogue in the series in the pilot episode, and is also the first character we see on screen. (He is reading a Daily Planet article explaining the recent plane crash of Oliver Queen's parents).
- Although Lionel had been a series regular cast member since Season Two, he had not appeared in every episode because John Glover was only contracted to do about 13 episodes per season.
- After years of suspicion, investigation, and research, Lionel definitively learned about Clark's super-powers in Season 5 in Mercy. However, he learned that Clark was an alien named Kal-El in Hidden when he emerged from his coma as Jor-El's oracle.
- Lionel killing his parents, in order to collect insurance money to start a company, is similar to a plot in the comics' 1986 Man of Steel reboot of Superman continuity, where it was revealed that Lex Luthor had killed his parents to collect insurance money.
- Just prior to Lionel's death, when Lex declares that "No one will even remember your name", is a nod to the fact in much of the DC expanded universe (where Lex's past is largely unexplained), little mention of Lex's father is made.
- Despite Lionel's death, John Glover still appears in Sleeper's credits as a main cast member. This had potentially hinted towards a possible re-appearance, much like Jonathan Kent in Void and Oracle; as of the Season 7 finale Arctic however, Lionel is yet to be seen again in the show.
- Lionel is left handed.
- Lionel is a wine connoisseur and has a genuine passion for piano, orchestra, and opera music.
[edit] See Also
- Luthors
- Lex Luthor
- LuthorCorp
- Lionel and Martha
- Jonathan and Lionel
- Lex and Lionel
- Episodes featuring Lionel Luthor
Categories: Articles needing cleanup | Main characters | Season 1 characters | Season 2 characters | Season 3 characters | Season 4 characters | Season 5 characters | Season 6 characters | Season 7 characters | Belle Reve patients | Deceased characters | Luthors | Member of Veritas | Secret keepers | Temporarily metahuman | Villains
