Lex Luthor

A self-made billionaire from Metropolis, Alexander Joseph Luthor built his empire through ruthless ambition and a genius-level scientific intellect, becoming Superman's most dangerous adversary. Driven by ego and a conviction that metahumans threaten human potential, he founded LexCorp and weaponized his vast resources against the Man of Steel.

Few villains in comics history have proven as enduringly formidable as Lex Luthor, who first menaced the pages of DC Comics back in 1946 — a Golden Age creation by Don C. Cameron and Pete Riss — and has never stopped casting a long, dangerous shadow over the DC Universe since. With 551 catalogued appearances spanning eight decades and counting, he is one of comics' great constants, a fixture across landmark titles like Action Comics, Superman, and Adventures of Superman. Twelve of those appearances carry key-issue status, a testament to how often this character sits at the center of the stories that matter most, sharing pages with icons like Superman, Clark Kent, Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Green Lantern. If you're building a serious DC collection or simply want to understand the architecture of superhero comics, Lex Luthor is absolutely essential reading.