Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor (Alexander Joseph Luthor) is Superman's archenemy, created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster and first seen in Action Comics #23 (April 1940). He is an ordinary human with no superpowers or secret identity; his weapons are a brilliant mind, great wealth and influence over politics, science and technology. Early stories cast him as a vain mad scientist, but since the mid-1980s he has usually been a ruthless corporate tycoon running LexCorp. He resents the admiration heroes receive, sees Superman as a threat that keeps humanity dependent, and often leads villain teams such as the Legion of Doom, sometimes fighting in an armored warsuit. IGN placed him fourth on its 2009 list of the 100 Greatest Comic Book Villains. On film he has been played by Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg and Nicholas Hoult, among others.