Updated
Lex Luthor explained: history, baldness and every actor
Who is Lex Luthor? Superman's archenemy since 1940: why he's bald, the warsuit, President Luthor, the best Lex comics and every actor to Nicholas Hoult.
The short answer
Lex Luthor is Superman's archenemy: a genius who sees an all-powerful alien as a threat to humanity and to his own ego. He first appeared in Action Comics #23 (April 1940) with red hair, and went bald through an artist's mistake in 1941. He has been a mad scientist, a corporate billionaire and even US President. Nicholas Hoult plays him in Superman (2025) and Man of Tomorrow (2027).
Who is Lex Luthor?
Lex Luthor is a self-made genius and, in most modern versions, one of the richest people on Earth. He believes humanity should rely on its own brilliance, meaning his, and not on an alien god. That conviction, mixed with deep envy, makes him Superman’s most persistent enemy, and arguably his most important one, because Lex can’t be beaten with a punch. For his full villain file, with every version and the best stories, see Lex Luthor explained.
Lex Luthor through the eras
| Era | Who Lex is | Key issue | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | A red-haired mad scientist bent on ruling the world | Action Comics #23 (April 1940) | Confirmed |
| 1941 | Bald, after an artist’s mistake in the newspaper strip | Superman #10 (May 1941) | Confirmed |
| 1960 | A Smallville teenager and former friend of Superboy, who blames him for his baldness | Adventure Comics #271 (April 1960) | Confirmed |
| 1983 | The green-and-purple warsuit arrives | Action Comics #544 (June 1983) | Confirmed |
| 1986 | A corporate billionaire, founder of LexCorp and the real power in Metropolis | The Man of Steel (1986), Marv Wolfman and John Byrne | Confirmed |
| 2000–04 | President of the United States | Adventures of Superman #581 (August 2000) to Superman/Batman #6 (March 2004) | Confirmed |
| 2003 | One of the two DNA donors for Conner Kent, the clone Superboy | — | Confirmed |
| 2003–04 | A Smallville youth again, in a modern origin | Superman: Birthright | Confirmed |
| 2011– | No Smallville childhood in the New 52; joins the Justice League after Forever Evil (2013–14) | — | Likely |
| 2023– | Memory-wiped and working beside Superman in Joshua Williamson’s Superman | Superman (2023–) | Likely |
| 2025– | An envious tech billionaire who builds Ultraman and a pocket universe | Superman (2025) | Confirmed |
For his businessman makeover, Byrne has said he drew on Donald Trump, Ted Turner and Howard Hughes. In 2026, Mark Waid’s “Lex Luthor: Year One” in Action Comics revisits his teenage years in Smallville.
Why is Lex Luthor bald?
- The real reason: an artist (credited to Leo Nowak) drew him bald by mistake in the 1941 newspaper strip, and the editors kept it. He’s bald in the comics from Superman #10 (May 1941). (Confirmed)
- The story reason: Adventure Comics #271 (April 1960) says a teenage Lex was working in his Smallville lab when a fire broke out. Superboy put it out, the fumes made Lex’s hair fall out, and Lex blamed Superboy ever after. (Confirmed)
- Today: modern versions often just show him shaved or naturally bald, with no fixed explanation. (Likely)
The warsuit
Lex’s green-and-purple warsuit first appears in Action Comics #544 (June 1983). George Pérez designed it to match Kenner’s Super Powers toy line. It gives him flight, strength and kryptonite weapons. It vanished after Crisis on Infinite Earths and came back in 2004 (Likely). Hoult’s Lex wears a practical warsuit in Man of Tomorrow, and the suit also appears in the Superman video games, from Injustice to Shadow of Apokolips.
President Luthor
In the comics, Lex ran for President of the United States. His campaign began in Adventures of Superman #581 (August 2000), he won in Superman: Lex 2000 #1 (on sale in November 2000; sources disagree on the cover date), and he served until he fell in Superman/Batman #6 (March 2004), at the end of the Public Enemies story. The presidency is collected in Superman: President Lex.
Every actor who has played Lex
| Actor | Where | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lyle Talbot | Atom Man vs. Superman (serial) | 1950 |
| Gene Hackman | Superman, Superman II and Superman IV | 1978, 1981, 1987 |
| Scott James Wells | Superboy (season 1) | 1988–89 |
| Sherman Howard | Superboy / The Adventures of Superboy | 1989–92 |
| John Shea | Lois & Clark | 1993–97 |
| Michael Rosenbaum | Smallville | 2001–11 |
| Kevin Spacey | Superman Returns | 2006 |
| Jesse Eisenberg | Batman v Superman; Justice League | 2016–17 (2021 cut) |
| Jon Cryer | Supergirl (TV) | 2019–21 |
| Titus Welliver | Titans (season 4) | 2022–23 (years Likely) |
| Michael Cudlitz | Superman & Lois (seasons 3–4) | 2023–24 (years Likely) |
| Nicholas Hoult | Superman (2025); Man of Tomorrow (2027) | 2025– |
Voices: Clancy Brown is the definitive animated Lex, in Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000) and Justice League Unlimited. Others include Stanley Jones (Super Friends), Michael Bell (the 1988 Superman cartoon) and Rainn Wilson (The Death of Superman, 2018, and Reign of the Supermen, 2019).
The best Lex Luthor comics
| Story | Creators | Year | Why read it | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lex Luthor: Man of Steel | Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo | 2005 | Lex as the hero of his own story; the top pick on every list, and an influence on Hoult’s Lex | Confirmed |
| The Man of Steel #4 | John Byrne | 1986 | Introduces the businessman Lex | Confirmed |
| Superman: Birthright | Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu | 2003–04 | Lex in Smallville, in a modern origin | Confirmed |
| Superman/Batman: Public Enemies | Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness | 2003–04 | President Lex frames Superman, and falls | Confirmed |
| Action Comics #890–900, “The Black Ring” | Paul Cornell, Pete Woods | 2010–11 | Lex’s own solo run | Likely |
| All-Star Superman | Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely | 2005–08 | Lex’s final, eye-opening moment | Likely |
| The Last Days of Lex Luthor | Mark Waid, Bryan Hitch | 2023 | A late, dark Lex chapter | Likely |
More reading ideas are in our Superman comics reading order.
Lex in Man of Tomorrow
In Superman (2025), Hoult’s envious Lex builds Ultraman and imprisons Superman in a pocket universe: see our Superman (2025) guide. In the sequel, Man of Tomorrow (US release 9 July 2027), Lex and Superman are forced into an uneasy alliance against Brainiac. That team-up is official; anything more about the plot is rumour for now. Read everything we know in our Man of Tomorrow guide, and meet the rest of the rogues’ gallery in Superman’s villains.
Questions
Why is Lex Luthor bald?
There are two answers. In the real world, an artist drew him bald by mistake in the 1941 newspaper strip, and the editors kept it; he's bald in the comics from Superman #10 (May 1941). In the stories, Adventure Comics #271 (1960) says teenage Lex lost his hair when Superboy put out a fire in his lab, and he blamed Superboy.
When did Lex Luthor first appear?
In Action Comics #23 (April 1940), created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Surprisingly, he had red hair: he only became bald a year later.
Was Lex Luthor ever President?
Yes, in the comics. His campaign begins in Adventures of Superman #581 (August 2000), he wins in Superman: Lex 2000 #1, and he falls from power in Superman/Batman #6 (March 2004). Sources disagree on Lex 2000's date: it went on sale in November 2000 with a January 2001 cover.
Does Lex Luthor have superpowers?
No. His weapons are genius, wealth and technology. His best-known gadget is the green-and-purple warsuit, first seen in Action Comics #544 (June 1983), which gives him flight, strength and kryptonite weapons.
Who plays Lex Luthor in the new Superman films?
Nicholas Hoult plays Lex in Superman (2025), as an envious tech billionaire, and returns in Man of Tomorrow (2027), where Lex reluctantly teams up with Superman against Brainiac.
What is the best Lex Luthor comic?
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (2005), by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, tops almost every list. It tells the story from Lex's point of view, as the hero of his own story, and it helped shape Hoult's Lex.
Who is Lex Luthor?
Superman's arch-enemy: a genius, billionaire and sometimes President. He first appeared in Action Comics #23 (April 1940) with red hair; an artist's mistake made him bald. Nicholas Hoult plays him in the DCU.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Lex Luthor
- Slashfilm: every live-action Lex Luthor ranked
- Den of Geek: Lex Luthor actors
- DC Guide: Superman: Lex 2000 #1
- Smash Pages: a quick history of Lex's presidency (5 February 2025)
- Publishers Weekly: Superman: President Lex
- WhatCulture: best Superman and Lex Luthor stories
- iFanboy: Lex Luthor, where do I start?
- ComicsAlliance: best Lex Luthor stories by decade
- Variety: Man of Tomorrow to feature a Lex Luthor team-up