Lionel Luthor

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Lionel Luthor is the name of Lex Luthor's father in the Smallville television series. Lex's father also made several appearances or mentions in the original Superman comics upon which the show is based, though his name there was never given as being "Lionel."

The comics

In the Silver Age era Superman comics, Lex's father Jules was a fairly nondescript individual who moved his family to Smallville, where his son Lex became friends with Superboy. However, after Lex turned to a life of crime, Lex's father disowned his son, moving with the rest of his family (which included his wife Arlene and Lex's young sister Lena) out of Smallville and, in shame, changing their last names to "Thorul," an anagram for "Luthor."

Following John Byrne's 1986 revamp of Superman's origins, Lex's parents' backstory was altered so that Lex's father and mother were killed in an automobile accident perpetrated by their son. Lex had taken out a large life insurance premium on the couple, which he used to launch his conglomerate LexCorp.

With the 2004 comic series , Lex's family history has been altered yet again, incorporating elements similar to the Smallville television show as well as Silver Age aspects and fusing them with the family story provided in Byrne's revamp. Now according to Superman canon, Lex killed his parents, but hired an actor to play his father, Lionel, when he moved to Smallville.

In Teen Titans (3rd series) #26, a flashback shows Lex Luthor naming the Superboy clone "Project Lionel", after his father. However, this scene takes place in Superboy's mind, so is not reliable, especially as Luthor is portrayed as the familiar bald figure, whereas at the time the flashback is set, he had shoulder-length hair and a beard (of course, this may simply be a continuity error, and/or the writers thought that the readers would be confused if the Luthor in the flashback was the longhaired version). While some think this appearance was done to make Lex look similar to Glover's Lionel, this is untrue. During the '90's at which point Superboy was intoduced, Lex Luthor had cloned himself into a new body, which had long red hair and beard. This of course, predated Glover's Lionel Luthor.

Smallville

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the Smallville TV series, in which he is played by John Glover, Lionel Luthor is very different from his comic book counterparts, who were fairly quiet and low-key individuals. Lionel has some of the characteristics of the comic book Lex and was the one to have his parents Lachlan Luthor and Elisha (Meehan) Luthor killed with the help of criminal Morgan Edge.

Lionel Luthor is a sociopath; lying and deceit are his most powerful weapons. He also uses his abundance of wealth and his twisted mind to devise numerous plans to obtain what he wants -- because what Lionel Luthor wants, Lionel Luthor gets.

This proves to be true most of the time, except when it comes to Clark Kent and the mystery of the caves. Luthor does all he can to figure out who Clark Kent really is and, more importantly, where he came from. He, like most others in Smallville, hasn't had any luck deciphering either Kent or the caves.

It is of some debate whether or not Lionel knows about Clark's abilities. In an episode, Clark uses his superior strength in front of a supposedly blinded Lionel. It was later revealed that Lionel faked his blindness for some period of time after regaining his sight. More recently it has been revealed (Ep. 100, Reckoning) that Lionel does in fact know about Clark's secret abilities.

Clark Kent and the caves were Lionel's primary missions, along with other usually business-related schemes. Unfortunately, Lex is also a victim of Lionel, as Lionel frequently puts Lex in harm's way under the motive of "making Lex stronger." Though there are rare moments in which he wants to get even with Lex for his disloyalty and disobedience.

Lex has survived many attempts on his life and his business, no thanks to his father. All Lex really wants from Lionel are the things that Lionel finds foreign: kindness, respect, and love.

In several episodes he is shown to have a romantic affection to Martha Kent, whom reminds Lionel of his late-wife Lillian.

Recently in Smallville, Lionel had a transformation into a good man...or so it appears. Lex doesn't believe the change is sincere, but Lionel tries to prove it to him with wise advice and genuine concern. He has given up his more recent mission to find stones that will give him copious knowledge, a mission that Lex is now bent upon.

As much as Lex tries to be his own person, there are signs that he will become what he has always fought against becoming: his father. Only time will tell if Lionel has truly changed into an honest citizen, and whether it is too late for Lex to make the same metamorphosis.

In the finale of season four, Lionel revealed his deceitful nature once again, blackmailing Lex to give him the stone owned by Lana Lang or else he would reveal Lana's killing of Genevieve Teague. Lex refuses. While Lex later tries to bargain with his father over the stones, the stone in Lionel's pocket gives off a massive force of energy, putting Lionel in a coma. Lex orders his men to place Lionel in an upstairs bedroom, fully expecting him to die in the upcoming meteor shower. Before departing, Lex tells Lionel that he is now the son Lionel raised him to be. However, Lionel is discovered to have survived the meteor shower, and is now instilled with all the knowledge of Krypton due to the stone in his pocket.

He later became a host for Jor-El, as he saved Clark's life and restored his powers. In episode 100, when Lionel visited Jonathan on the farm Lionel shows Jonathan a picture that will "destroy their family" if it ever got out. This instigated Jonathan to attack Lionel throwing him around the barn which in turn caused his heart attack. Later, in the episode "Oracle" Lionel says it was a misunderstanding; that he never got a chance to explain his true intentions.

In the episode "Mercy" it is revealed that Lionel possessed the knowledge of Clark's true nature and name since he held the crystal that formed the Fortress of Solitude. At the end of the episode Lionel is overcome with a headache. He scrambles to his desk and as he drops to his knees he frantically starts jotting down something on a sheet of paper. In the episode "Oracle" it is revealed that doesn't understand what he is writing down, but he believes that what he is writing down is meant for Clark to see. At the end of the episode we learn that he's been repeatedly writing down "Zod is coming."

In the Season 5 Finale, Lionel gives counsel to Clark regarding his situation and what is required of him to stop the coming of General Zod. He claims that sometimes a hero must commit an evil act for the betterment of society - even if it's murder. When it's revealed the vessel is his son Lex, Lionel goes to find his son. There is a verbal altercation between the two and Lex (whom has been given Kryptonian abilities) strikes his father and sends him flying into a vehicle. Lionel survives the fight and tells Clark he must do what has to be done. At the end of the episode he was attacked after saving Chloe Sullivan while the two were trying to escape LuthorCorp towers during the riot caused by Brainiac's computer supervirus.

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