Appearances: S1: Pilot, Hothead, Jitters, Shimmer, Stray, Reaper, Crush, Tempest; S2 - S7; S10: Abandoned
Family: parents, Lachlan and Eliza Meehan Luthor; late wife, Lillian Luthor; sons, Lex, Julian, and Lucas Luthor; daughter, Lutessa Lena Luthor
Bio: Born in Metropolis, Kansas, Lionel was raised in the poverty-stricken neighborhood of Suicide Slums by his abusive father Lachlan and "gin-soaked mother" Eliza. It was there that he'd met future crime boss Morgan Edge, and the two had conspired to kill Lionel's parents, with Lionel splitting the insurance money with Morgan and using his share to start up his company, LuthorCorp. Sometime prior to 1980, Lionel had met and fallen in love with a redheaded woman named Lillian. The two had married, and in 1980, Lillian had given birth to a son named Alexander, after Alexander the Great. Lionel had eventually hired Pamela Jenkins, another redhead, as a nanny for his son. During her employment, she and Lionel had carried on an affair, an affair which had led Pamela to secretly give birth to a baby girl, Lutessa Lena Luthor. Then, around 1984 or 1985, Lillian had developed a heart condition, requiring Lionel to hire a nurse, Rachel Dunleavy, to look after her. Much like Pamela, Lionel had had an affair with Rachel, resulting in yet another son, Lucas, who had been put up for adoption once Rachel had been found to be mentally unstable. Around 1987, Lionel had joined a secret society called Veritas, which had been founded by Dr. Virgil Swann and whose other members had included Robert Queen and his wife Laura as well as Edward Teague and his wife Genevieve. The aim of Veritas was to usher in an extraterrestrial being known as The Traveler, who'd been prophesied to be mankind's savior. In 1989, Lionel had taken a trip to Smallville to await the arrival of The Traveler, under the guise of a business trip to the Ross family creamed corn factory. He'd brought along his son Alexander, or Lex as he preferred to be called, just as a meteor shower had hit. Lex had been caught in a cornfield during the shower, which had rendered him permanently bald. While Lionel had gotten Lex to the hospital, with help from the Kents, he'd sent out a team to locate and apprehend The Traveler, only for his team to find a young boy named Davis Bloome. After realizing Davis was in fact not The Traveler, he'd had the boy dropped off in Metropolis to fend for himself. Two years later, in 1991, Lionel had pushed Lillian to have another child, and she'd eventually given him another son, Julian, so named for Julius Caesar. However, the morning Julian was to be baptized, Lex had caught his mother standing over Julian's crib, having smothered the infant in a bout of post-partum depression. Wishing to save Lillian from Lionel's wrath, Lex had instead taken the blame for Julian's death, telling Lionel that it had been an accident. Lionel had instantly become resentful of Lex, though had nonetheless covered it up, telling everyone that Julian had died of SIDS. Then, between 1991 and 1993, Lillian had developed cancer, eventually succumbing and leaving Lionel a widower. Despite having to raise Lex by himself, though, Lionel had fired Pamela Jenkins from her position as Lex's nanny, as he had feared Pamela's maternal influence on his son. In 2002, Lionel and Lex had been in Smallville when the town had been torn apart by tornadoes. While both had survived the ordeal, Lionel had ended up losing his eyesight. To help him, Lionel had hired Martha Kent as his assistant, though she had eventually quit upon learning he'd been investigating her son. Eventually, Lionel had regained his eyesight, but had continued to fake it in order to get an upper hand on those around him. In 2003, Lionel had developed liver disease, which, while incurable, didn't stop him from seeking out a cure. In 2004, high school reporter and one-time ally Chloe Sullivan had learned of Lionel's involvement in his parents' deaths, and had testified against him, putting him in prison. While there, he'd managed to obtain a Kryptonian Stone of Power, specifically the Water Stone which had body-swapping capabilities. Lionel had intended to use the stone to transfer his soul into Lex's body, but Clark had intervened and had switched with Lionel instead. By the time Clark had tricked Lionel into switching back, Lionel had been cured of his liver disease while also having been left with no memory of the switch (nor of Clark's powers). With help from Genevieve Teague, he'd been released from prison, but because of the soul transfer and the second chance at life, he'd decided to devote himself to doing good and helping others. However, his darker nature had won out after an encounter with Lex's evil double, Alexander. Lionel had then resumed his quest for the Stones of Power, managing to get the Water Stone back from Genevieve after her son Jason had killed Dr. Swann's assistant Bridgette Crosby for it. In May 2005, just as Smallville had been about to experience a second meteor shower, the Water Stone had activated in Lionel's pocket, downloading him with Kryptonian knowledge and causing him to go into a catatonic state. When he'd awoken months later, he'd become a vessel for Jor-El, saving Clark when his life had been threatened. For the next couple of years, Lionel had continued to act as vessel for Jor-El as well as for the library of Kryptonian information Clark would need along his journey. In the process, he'd grown closer to Clark, coming to view him as a son. This had made Lex jealous, and in 2008, Lex had learned about The Traveler and realized that Lionel knew who The Traveler was. When Lionel had refused to share that secret with him, Lex had killed him.
Portrayed By: John Glover & Tom Welling
Lionel in Clark's body S4: Transference Tom Welling |
Lionel Luthor (Earth-2) S10: Luthor John Glover |
