Superman has had plenty of enemies since he first arrived on the scene, but none of them have given him as much grief as Lex Luthor. The crooked businessman has spent decades plotting against Superman and has almost succeeded in killing the Man of Steel on numerous occasions. This summer, James Gunn and DC Studios are giving us another version of the famous conflict, with David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult stepping into the iconic roles.
But how did it all start? Well, that depends. At times, Superman might say he first met Lex on a giant floating city. Other times, he’ll insist they were childhood friends. Every once in a while, he may even claim they roleplayed as pirates when they were babies. (I’ll explain that one soon.)
As we await the latest take on this rivalrous relationship, let’s take a look at Superman and Lex’s prior first meetings…
1940 – Action Comics #23
Luthor and Superman’s rivalry began in 1940’s Action Comics #23, when the villain (who wasn’t yet bald) used his scientific resources to manipulate two European countries into starting a war. Luthor’s hope was that he would be able to take advantage of the chaos and rule the world. When Clark Kent got wind of this plan, Luthor sent his henchmen to kidnap the reporter, but they found Lois instead.
They took Lois to Luthor’s first lair—a floating city in the sky. It wasn’t long before Superman arrived to rescue Lois, and upon meeting Luthor he remarked, “What sort of creature are you?”
“Just an ordinary man—but with th’ brain of a super-genius,” Luthor responds. “With scientific miracles at my fingertips, I’m preparing to make myself supreme master of th’ world.”
And thus, the dynamic is introduced. Luthor has an ego bigger than a country and wants to prove his genius, and Superman grinds his gears by knocking him down a peg. There have been some changes over the years, but that is still an accurate summation of their relationship.
1960 – Adventure Comics #271
By 1960, Superman’s backstory had evolved, with lore establishing that a teenage Clark Kent fought crime as Superboy. This gave the comics an opportunity to retell Superman and Luthor’s first meeting and finally give the villain a first name—Lex. He was just known by his last name of Luthor prior to then.
Adventure Comics #271 reveals that Luthor had idolized Superboy as a teenager and had saved the young hero’s life when he almost died from Kryptonite exposure. Lex and Superboy became fast friends, with the teenage scientist working to find a cure for the Boy of Steel’s Kryptonite weakness.
When a fire broke out in Lex’s lab, the youngster begged Superboy to save him. Superboy used his super-breath to save him. However, in the process he blew some fumes onto Lex’s scalp, causing him to permanently lose his hair. Despite the fact that this was clearly an accident and Superboy had done EXACTLY what Lex had asked him to do, the teenage scientist blamed Superboy for his baldness and vowed revenge.
Believe it or not, this was the canonical version of their first meeting for the next 26 years. Plus, it’s the first version of Superman and Lex’s backstory that establishes them as childhood friends, something which other adaptations like Smallville and Superman: Birthright would borrow from.
1962 – Superboy #102
In Superboy #102, we learned that Superman and Lex Luthor had actually met earlier than we previously believed—but in fairness, they were both babies, so we could forgive them for forgetting this one. The story depicts an infant Clark and Lex attending a children’s masquerade party on a boat. Clark is dressed up as Samson and Lex is dressed as a pirate.
I don’t know how to describe what happens next, because it’s…uh…something.
Baby Lex commands Baby Clark to walk the plank, and none of the adults do anything to stop this. There’s also a boat with criminals nearby and Baby Clark flies over to their boat and knocks their guns into the water. Remarkably, all of the Smallville parents who witness this just assume that’s the way Baby Clark fell when he walked the plank.
Anyway, everyone collectively agreed to ignore this one and treat Adventure Comics #271 as Clark and Lex’s first meeting…for a time.
1978 – Superman: The Movie
In 1978’s Superman, Lex Luthor, as played by Gene Hackman, is the greatest criminal mind on Earth. At least that’s what he keeps telling people over and over again. Luthor is so confident of his genius that instead of waiting for Superman to stumble onto his plans, he sends out a special audio signal, inviting the Man of Steel into his underground lair.
Superman, as played by Chris Reeve, arrives at Luthor’s lair, where the villain taunts the hero about innocent lives he’s threatened.
“Is that how a warped brain like yours gets kicks?” Superman asks. “By planning the death of innocent people?”
“No, by causing the death of innocent people,” Luthor answers.
It’s vintage Reeve vs. Hackman, and one of the best parts of the movie.
1986 – The Man of Steel #4
In 1986, the reality-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths changed Lex Luthor from a criminal scientist to a corrupt businessman. (It also erased the Baby Clark and Baby Lex story from the timeline, thank you very much.)
Clark Kent first encounters Lex Luthor in The Man of Steel #4, when the Daily Planet assigns him to cover a party being thrown on one of Lex’s yachts. When a group of terrorists attack the gala, Superman intervenes. Lex, who is used to owning everything in Metropolis, offers Superman a check for $25,000 to join his security team.
Lex brazenly admits that he knew the gala would be attacked and ordered his security team to stand down in order to test Superman’s abilities. Superman responds by helping the mayor arrest Lex Luthor. Realizing that he’s no longer the most powerful man in Metropolis, Luthor swears vengeance on the Man of Steel.
1996 – Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series took a lot of its cues from Superman and Lex’s Post-Crisis relationship. Superman (voiced by Tim Daly) catches wind of Lex (Clancy Brown) breaking a trade embargo by secretly selling a military battlesuit to Kaznia, endangering many lives in the process. After Superman thwarts the sale, he flies to Lex Luthor’s executive window, giving the crooked businessman a menacing look.
Lex tries to buy Superman’s services and negotiate with the hero, but his continued silence frustrates him. As Lex’s temper erupts, Superman destroys a model of the battlesuit, tells Lex he’ll be watching him, and flies away.
Chills. Straight up chills.
2001 – Smallville
In this primetime teen drama, Clark meets Lex during his high school days. Lex fails to see some debris in the road, and accidentally hits Clark with his car before taking a plunge over a bridge. Thanks to Clark’s Kryptonian physiology, the collision barely scratches him, and he’s able to save the unconscious Lex from a watery grave.
Grateful for the rescue (but unaware of his powers), Lex befriends Clark. While their boyhood friendship only lasted a few pages in Adventure Comics #271, this bromance lasts for years before breaking down in Smallville’s fifth season.
2003 – Superman: Birthright
After some more reality altering events, DC retold the Man of Steel’s origin in a limited series called Superman: Birthright. Superman and Lex actually have three first meetings during this version of the story. First, they meet as teenagers at Smallville High before Lex goes insane and moves away. Then, an adult Superman confronts Lex for the first time when he secretly hijacks some helicopters. Clark Kent later interviews Lex Luthor for the Daily Planet, and due to his teenage mental breakdown, he seems to have lost all memory of their boyhood friendship (or is faking it).
2009 – Superman: Secret Origin
After another timeline shakeup, Superman: Secret Origin gave us another version of Clark and Lex’s backstory. As a young adult, Lex befriended a teenage Clark in Smallville, but they were never close. It’s as adults that their relationship really takes shape, when Lex Luthor angrily confronts Superman after the Man of Steel saves the city from Parasite. Lex tries to turn the crowd on the Man of Steel by asking him if he’s even human and proclaiming that the crowd can’t trust him. Sorry Lex, but Metropolis has a new golden boy.
2011 – Action Comics #2
After Flashpoint realigned DC’s timeline again, Lex Luthor was reimagined as a government contractor. When the military captures Superman in the New 52’s Action Comics #2, Lex has the Man of Steel strapped to an electric chair to test his abilities. He briefly tortures the hero, but Superman easily escapes, which frightens Lex. The New 52’s darker edge comes through in what happens next, as Superman holds Lex by his neck and threatens to break it before flying off. This embarrasses and infuriates Luthor, who vows to prove that he is the superior being.
2016 – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Although Superman (as played by Henry Cavill) doesn’t meet Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) until 50 minutes into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the villain has been planning the encounter much longer. Lex used his resources to discover Superman’s identity years before their first meeting and manipulated Batman into going after the Man of Steel.
The next time you watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, watch the scene where Lex meets Clark Kent for the first time at the LexCorp gala. Lex is laughing at his own inside joke, making references to Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent’s double lives, without either of them realizing he’s in on the secret.
“Ow, that is a good grip! You should not pick a fight with this person,” Lex quips as he shakes Clark’s hand.
Regardless of how they first met, Superman and Lex Luthor’s rivalry has had some fundamental truths throughout every continuity. Whether he’s a scientist, a brilliant corporate leader or the self-ascribed “world’s greatest criminal mind,” Lex is simply a petty man who can’t stand Superman being better than him. Who else would devote their very existence to defeating one of the world’s kindest and most gentle-hearted heroes? The good news is that for 85 years, through hundreds of attempts, Lex hasn’t succeeded yet. However, it’s pretty clear that he won’t ever stop trying. Some rivalries last forever, and with a new take on this one heading our way, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
