#alexander joseph luthor

[johnny-boy-17]

MAWS Lex Thoughts

To start off, Studio Mir has done so good with the Superman source material. They’ve taken what works, given new some tweaks to some stuff for the modern age, and when it hits, it hits hard. Like, this is one of the better iterations of Clark I’ve seen, I quickly came around to this ‘fresh-outta-college’ version Lois, and I adore Jimmy Olsen’s new ‘tackboards, strings, and cryptids’ vibe. 

All this to say that I am absolutely salivating at the idea of how these folks do Lex Luthor, who they’ve just unveiled (subtly at that).

Introducing Luthor as a salty, underpaid, and unappreciated intern to a tech-bro was absolutely the right way to go about this, and I’m so eager to see his rise to the top of Metropolis. He barely had any lines, and already I got the impression that he’s a social-darwinist who would construct a building just to hang an L over everyone else in the city. 

That said, I rarely find that Lex has been done full justice. My ideal version of Lex is one that just leans into a Randian philosophy while also being a total toon about it. 

And if the Incredibles and Bioshock have taught me anything, it’s that Ayn Rand’s idea of a ‘Titan of Industry’ makes for a marvellously compelling antagonist. Case in point; Andrew Ryan and Buddy “Syndrome” Pine.

I dare even say they have some Lex qualities each if you go looking. Ryan has canonically destroyed ecosystems (plural) just so the poverty-striken “parasites” couldn’t enjoy it, and Syndrome has committed homicidal atrocities just to prove that anyone can be a super with proper technology. 

Both of those actions are not out of the question for Lex Luthor. This is a man who would blot out the sun just to kill Superman and claim it was for cancer prevention. This is a man who constructed a flying Alexa that reads Moby Dick at a frequency high enough to tunnel out of prison. This is a man who cured cancer just so he could do f*cking nothing about it. This is a man who purchased radioactive space-rock just to f*cking spite an immigrant from the stars. 

But of course, most diabolically, this is a man who stole 40 cakes when nobody was looking.

Anyway, after the Writers win the strike/create a new entertainment industry, I am super excited to see what these guys do (with Lex). 

[camo-wolf]

[infjpaladin]

This is really good.

[suzukiblu]

Ko-fi thank-you sentences for Sam; further progress in "Match is technically also a Luthor".

The thing parked outside is . . . theoretically a towncar. Theoretically. 

Match doesn’t actually think towncars are typically equipped with obvious armor and subtly “concealed” weaponry as accents, though. At least not the kind that’s clearly designed to handle open warfare, anyway. There are tanks he’s seen that were less prepared for open warfare.

“Right on schedule, Mr. Luthor,” the chauffeur says, then holds the car door open for Luthor as the bodyguard slips into the front passenger seat. Match . . . doesn’t actually know what he’s expected to do here. Obviously the chauffeur’s going to be the one driving, but he’s never ridden in a car; only the kind of transport vehicles the Agenda uses, most of which are military-issue or at least militarized designs. 

The chauffeur raises a pointed eyebrow at him, still holding the door open. Luthor’s already settled into the back of the towncar and seems to be occupied with skimming the contents of a tablet that was left on one of the seats. 

Match . . . doesn’t have any orders. Or even instructions. Or–anything. 

He’s supposed to get in the car, he thinks. It’s the logical deduction, that he’s supposed to do that. 

But no one’s told him to do that. 

Technically, he could still kill any one of them. Kill all three of them, if he’s careful about it. Luthor isn’t going to be able to pull out any kryptonite if he’s having a TTK-induced massive stroke. Technically, he could kill them all and just go back into the facility and–

“‘Joseph’ seems appropriate, but also implies I’m willing to share,” Luthor muses idly, not looking up from his tablet. “But ‘Alexander’ is just too on the nose, and doesn’t account for your brother anyway.” 

. . . “share”, Match wonders? Share what? 

“Superboy isn’t my brother,” he repeats. Luthor spares him a dry look. 

“I’m your father,” he says. “I’m perfectly aware of who your siblings are.” 

. . . Match cannot process a damn word that the man just said, so just gets in the towncar and sits stiffly on the opposite side of the backseat. Luthor returns his attention to his tablet and the chauffeur shuts the door. Match feels an odd sense of–he’d call it “panic”, almost, if he was the kind of thing that could feel anything like that. 

“I suppose one of you could be ‘Alex’ and the other could be ‘Xander’, of course,” Luthor says, tone back to musing as the chauffeur gets in the driver’s seat and starts up the car. “But that also doesn’t seem like much effort, which seems a bit hypocritical of me after I was just judging your respective manufacturers’ lack of it.” 

Match doesn’t know how or even if he’s supposed to respond to any of that. Some of the staff at the Agenda just talked to hear themselves talk; some of them expected him to function as a sounding board. A . . . “rubber duck”, one of the engineers had called him once, laughingly patronizing, though he hadn’t understood the apparent reference. 

“I don’t have a father,” he says. Luthor spares him another dubious look. 

“Oh, don’t you?” he says. “I designed your DNA myself. You’re a masterpiece, by the way, so you’re welcome for that. A perfect blend of Kryptonian and human. Sublimely arranged and maximized.” 

“Biologically, that wouldn’t make you a parent,” Match says. “Superman and Paul Westfield were the only DNA donors to the initial design.” 

“It’d actually make me more of one, in my opinion. But I said a perfect blend,” Luthor snorts dismissively, rolling his eyes. “Paul Westfield’s DNA was anything but ‘perfect’.” 

Match . . . pauses. What does that mean? Who else’s DNA would . . . ?

Oh, Match thinks. 

“The tactile telekinesis is much more effective with Luthor brainpower behind it,” Luthor informs him. “Just for the record. Westfield’s DNA wouldn’t have you capable of crushing cities or splitting atoms.” 

. . . oh, Match thinks again. 

“Splitting atoms?” he asks slowly. 

“I told you,” Luthor says, pointing the tablet pen at him and tapping it against his chest. “You’re a masterpiece. The radiance of a thousand suns. And I am Death, destroyer of worlds.” 

Match doesn’t know how he feels about being called a . . . “masterpiece”. He’s an improvement on Superboy, the Agenda’s told him, but it’s not as if Superboy’s all that impressive a baseline to start from, so . . . 

So he doesn’t know. He’s still a clone either way; a copy of someone else. A copy of a copy, in fact. 

And apparently, he’s also an atomic bomb.

[supersleepyboys]

alexander joseph luthor my beloved meow meow my baby girl the love of my life the wind beneath my wings the most lovable sopping wet baby man in all of metropolis my love

[dc-vs-marvel-tournament]

[the-ides-of-march]

Competitors under cut (all matches were randomized except the first one)

@techno-danger vs The Presimint (@hellsite-hungergames) (aka me)

Ea-Nasir vs. Capitalism

The Wizard of Oz vs. Ron DeSantis

Tucker Carlson vs. Pikaman

Donald Trump vs. Mr. Monopoly

Mark Zuckerberg vs. King Charles

Light Yagami vs. Someone's Father named Dick

Marcus Junius Brutus vs. Zeus

Alberto Fugimori vs. Egg

Ted Cruz vs. Dream

Elon Musk vs. Barney the Dinosaur

Shinzo Abe vs. The United States

Julius Caesar vs. Catiline

Mike Pence vs. Ben Shapiro

Lex Luthor vs. God

Augusto Pinochet vs. Dr. Evilglaze

Mitch McConnell vs. Joe Biden

Ross Geller vs. y/n

Kim Jong-un vs. Jeff Bezos

Klaus Schwab vs. The Koch Brothers

Greg Abbott vs. The U.S. Healthcare System

Joey Drew vs. George Washington

Andrew Tate vs. Someone's Tio David

Ronald Reagan vs. Joseph Stalin's Mustache

Gordon Ramsay vs. Thomas Jefferson

Lin-Manuel Miranda vs. Jair Bolsonaro

Vladimir Putin vs. J.K. Rowling

Agamemnon vs. Alexander Hamilton

Scott Morrison vs. Someone's Grandpa

President Snow vs. Bruce Wayne

Emperor Palpatine vs. Santa Claus

Margaret Thatcher vs. Perry the Platypus

[hannahhook7744]

Tim Luthor Verse Picrew;

Tim Julias Luthor aka Rook. Hero.

Connor Julian Luthor aka Atlas. Hero.

Lucinda Lillian Luthor aka Mischief. Villain.

Alexander 'Alex' Joseph Luthor Jr, aka Alex. Hero.

Lena Luthor Jr, aka Brainiac 13. Anti-hero.

Perry Jerome 'Jerry' White Jr. Civilian. Tim's half brother.

Darla Aquista aka the Warlock's daughter. Villain to Anti-hero.

Bernard Dowd aka Dionysus. (Somewhat unwitting) Villain and love Interest to Tim.

(I didn't make Sebastian Ives but he's Tim's guy in the chair).

[ultfreakme]

Next time Jay’s invited to the Kent family home for a dinner and are interrupted, Martha takes out a gun and starts threatening the villain because she worked HARD ON A FULL COURSE MEAL WITH A NICE DESSERT and NO ONE will ruin it anymore.

Lex: SUPERMAN! I HAVE COME TO-

Martha with a gun: Shut your face Alexander Joseph Luthor or god help me I will do what Clark should have done years ago.

Lex and the entire superfam: 😲 😲 😲 

Martha: Now you could either go back, or have some food

They relegate Lex to a corner and Pa’s like “So how is your mother doing Jay?”

[johnny-boy-17]

ALEXANDER JOSEPH LUTHOR, HOW THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! HOW'S THE HAIR? HOW'S THE FAMILY? THEY FIND YOUR FINGERPRINTS YET?

[supercorpkid]

The Snap - part 3

Supergirl, Lena Luthor x Reader, Kara Danvers x Reader.

Word count: 2445.

Part 1

Part 2

“Hey,” Kara opens the door of your apartment and stares at your figure on the couch. Arms crossed, clearly upset. “watcha doing all dressed up?”

You swallow the pent-up anger, shooting daggers at her. Upset doesn’t even begin to cover how you truly feel. Why do people seem to forget all the plans they make with you?

“We had a dinner date!”

“Oh.” Lena finally remembers the plans. “I got caught up at work.”

“And you couldn’t have called so I didn’t waste my time putting on my clown makeup?”

“I forgot,” Lena says and you huff, angrier now. “it was an important meeting.”

You get up from the couch and go to the bedroom to change. Lena comes in a while later while you scrub your face off of makeup.

“Darling,” she starts.

“Why can’t you just say sorry like a normal person?”

“I said sorry!” Lena adds and you raise an eyebrow at her, sure that word never left her mouth. “Ok, wait,” she holds your hand before you move away. “I should’ve called, I’m sorry.”

“You should’ve been here, you asshole!”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Lena pulls you closer, taking a lock of hair from your face. “I should’ve been here, darling. Let me make it up to you.”

“You better.”

You swallow your anger alongside the memories.

“Oh, I don’t know.” You get up going towards her. “Someone asked me on a date this morning and I thought she’d remember it!”

“Who says I didn’t?” Kara picks you up in her arms and kisses your cheek, lovingly. “You look beautiful, baby. But we’re going flying and that might ruin your hair. And I plan on ruining your makeup with kisses.”

“Where are we going?”

“Oh, I made a reservation at a nice restaurant. La Pergola.”

“I don’t remember seeing this one. Is it new?” Kara shrugs but you barely move in her arms. “Where’s that?”

“Italy.” Kara gives you a chaste kiss and flies you to Rome.

Against your better judgment, you and Kara had been going out for months. It’s, um, a different relationship.

Some days you can just forget what brought you two together. You forget she was your wife’s best friend, her bridesmaid, her confidant. You forget Lena’s, puff, gone and that for years you had no one but Kara to talk things through. Some days you ride that wave up high, forgetting to even judge yourself, forgetting how shitty you feel for letting someone else (no, not someone else, Kara) touch your body instead of your wife. Because it’s so good. God, it’s so good and why shouldn’t you be allowed to feel good anymore? Why shouldn’t you be allowed to have companionship and a relationship with someone who truly gets you?

But then, some other times, you despise yourself. You hate to think about what you're doing and how selfish you feel betraying Lena like this. You abominate Kara’s cute smile and the fact that she makes you smile as well. You hate yourself and you hate her, and you feel no shame in slamming the door in her face or closing the drapes so you can’t see her pouting on the other side of the window.

It’s a different relationship, indeed. It’s on and off. It’s pain and love mixed together. It’s self-loath and self-preservation. But it’s mostly mourning in a less lonely way.

There’s no tombstone. There’s no body. People just disappeared and life went on for some, but not for others.

To remember those who were gone, they made a memorial with all the names of people in National City that were gone. You hate going there, it’s stupid, Lena is not there. And yet you can’t keep yourself from stopping by every time you drive around that park.

You know precisely where her name is, so you don’t even raise your head to look around. There are always people around, even if there are fewer and fewer nowadays.

Luthor, Alexander Joseph.

Good riddance.

Luthor, Lena Kieran.

Seeing her name up there always leaves a lump in your throat. You wonder if someday the sight of her name on a marble stone will not break your heart into a thousand pieces.

You look around, sure no one can hear you talking to a stone. Sure no one can judge you for what you’re about to confess to your wife for the first time in four years.

“Honey,” you breathe out. “You’re not back yet. And it’s been four fucking years. I-I think you might be gone for good, but I don’t want to leave you behind. You’re the love of my life.” You wipe your tears that came uninvited. “I shouldn’t be dating your best friend, I know. It’s messed up and weird and I hate that we did this. But I-God Lena, I hate to admit this but I like her. I’m hopeless and she is hope. I’m sad, and she is-Kara is happiness wrapped up in a cute pout and stupid glasses. I’m lonely with or without her, but when she is around I’m a little less lonely, and I think it’s because you’re a part of her and a part of me.”

You look around one more time, to be sure. “I’m sorry Lena. I really am. But I think I’m done being miserable and I want to believe that wherever you are, you don’t want that for me either. I love you honey, and I promise I’ll never love anyone as I love you, but at some point, I’ll have to try.” You clean your tears and leave the flowers you bought for her on the floor. “I’ll see you soon.”

You’re almost leaving when you look a couple of rows in front of you and see Kara. You walk to her and hold her hand.

“That was a good speech.” She says, and she doesn’t even have to glance to know it’s you. You give her a teary laugh. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I can’t really help it.”

“It’s ok.” You kiss her shoulder to prove you’re not upset. “I didn’t know you were out here.”

She shows you the flowers she bought for Alex and you agree with your head, cleaning the rest of your tears on her sleeve. Kara throws her arms around you, pulling you close and she kisses the crown of your head.

“See, Alex? I told you I wasn’t lying about it.” She jokes, making you laugh again.

Kara touches Alex’s name on the marble delicately, then places the flowers on the floor. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Home?”

“Home.”

“You know,” you start and Kara raises her eyes to look at you from the place she’s settled in your lap. “maybe I should move out.”

“Really? Why?” She gets up immediately, surprised and confused.

“It’s Lena’s place.” You explain.

“It’s your house too. You’ve been living here without her for almost five years now.”

“Baby, look around. She’s been gone for nearly five years and I haven’t been able to change a single thing about this place. Look, that lamp’s been broken for two years now and it’s still here.”

“Ok.” Kara makes her way to the lamp you’ve pointed to. “What else do you want to get rid of? Supergirl is in the business of moving now.”

You smile, looking at the lamp she’s holding so effortlessly.

“Hey,” you rub your eyes out from sleep. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Sorry, darling.” Lena looks up from her laptop, a shadow on her face from the light of the computer only. “I just got a call from Japan, it’s daytime there.”

“Hm,” you agree with your head, turning the lamp next to her. “Don’t work in the dark, it is bad for your eyes.”

She looks at the lamp, then at you. “I totally forgot about it. Thanks for caring, my love.”

You kiss her lips with a smile. “Don’t take too long, the bed is cold without you.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

You breathe out. “It’s ok, just leave it. I’ll buy another one later.”

It’s her time to sigh and sink onto the couch next to you, careful enough not to touch you. By now, she knows when a memory has come and what it usually brings.

“Do you want me to leave?” Kara pouts just a little, enough to make you smile.

“No, baby.” You show her your hand and she comes closer, laying her head on your chest. “Please, don’t leave.”

You slowly start changing the house. You throw the lamp away and buy a new one. You get rid of Lena’s uncomfortable couch that you never liked, and buy a new mattress lump-free (actually, the lumps are not so bad. But having sex in the same bed you and Lena used to, it’s somehow worse). You also get around some books and small items that belonged to Lena and put them in her home office. You’ll deal with that whole place a while later. You even open space in the closet for Kara to leave some pieces of clothing.

Sure, every time you move an item to her office you go around looking at everything, having deja-vus and memories. You sniff things for the smell of her; look at the dust settling on the desk because you have yet to find the courage to touch any of these things; then cry in her comfortable leather chair. Every single time.

But still feels like moving on.

“Guess what?” Kara calls from the front door, and you yell back from the bedroom, encouraging her to go on. “I went to China for a thing today and I saw this restaurant there. Baby, it’s called Changs! They have Changs in China!”

“Oh,” You match her enthusiasm when you see her smile. “Hope is as good.”

“Yeah, me too.” Kara is quick to dive in for an egg roll, but you’re quicker to steal a kiss from her lips.

“So what was the thing in China?”

“Hm,” she starts talking while chewing. “some people said they saw the ghosts of their loved ones that went out in the blip.” You furrow your brows. “I was afraid some fathoms were out of the fathom zone, but it was a dead end.”

“Kale, please!” You hear Lena’s voice and you jump-scare. Kara does the same, looking around for fathoms, and protecting your body with hers.

“Le-Lena?” It’s out of your mouth before you can hold back. Ghost of a loved one.

“Yes, darling?” Lena appears in your eyesight and you let out a shit-scared scream. Kara’s arm pushes you behind her, while the egg roll falls from her mouth and hit the floor silently. “What’s wrong? You two look like you saw a ghost.”

“Stay back,” Kara warns, voice thick with worry and scare. “don’t come anywhere near her.”

“What? Kara, what the hell is going on? Why can’t I go anywhere near my wife?”

You live on the top floor, and there’s usually no noise coming from the street, but all of sudden there are cars crashing, people yelling, and birds flying into buildings. The three of you run to the balcony and look down. The same chaos from the blip, except people is reappearing.

“Shit.” You look at Lena next to you. “You’re not a ghost.”

“Why would I-?” Her answer is cut short by you throwing your arms around her.

Lena is back. Shit. Shit. Shit. Lena is here. She is back. You can feel her in your arms and she smells the same she’s always had. Lena is, puff, back. Just like you’ve dreamed of all these years.

The tears cascading from your eyes are impossible to stop. You can’t talk. Breathing is almost impossible with all these overwhelming feelings exploding from your chest. You leave it to Kara to explain.

“Lena, you’ve been gone for more than five years.” You hold your wife tighter at the sound of Kara’s words. Five years and she is back. It’s a miracle. “One day, half of the life in the universe disappeared. You, Alex-” She stops. “Alex! Gosh! Alex is back, I have to go!”

She flies out and Lena is left to comfort you, even if she hasn’t completely understood what happened. She gets you to calm down, a whole five minutes later, but you still don’t let go of her while explaining, scared she might be turned into dust again.

“Oh,” Lena says when you finish your explanation. “Even though this all sound insane to me, the fact that you do look older now makes sense.”

“I am older than you. Two whole years.”

“You’re such a cougar.” She jokes the same way you used to. And you finally smile at the fact that Lena, your Lena is actually back. Right here, a touch away. “And I need a drink after all this new information.”

Lena makes her way to where she used to keep her whiskey and you follow her, close by. “You changed the couch.”

“Yes, this one is actually comfortable.”

She chuckles, looking inside an empty cupboard and moving to the next. “Who else was gone?”

“Alex, Kelly, M’gann. Oh, your brother.”

She looks back at you with a smirk. “Bet the world didn’t miss him a bit.” You agree with your head and Lena raises an eyebrow at you. “So where do we keep the whiskey now?”

“Again, honey, it’s been five years.”

“It doesn’t go bad like that.” She counterpoints.

“I drank it.” You say like it was obvious, but it isn't, because you never once drank whiskey with her. In fact, you always said you didn't like. “There’s an open bottle of wine in the fridge.”

Lena goes to the fridge for said wine but stops in her tracks. Oh no. She blinks at the refrigerator door, and the booth photos of you and Kara together. It’s more than smiles, more than friendship, and you can see it from miles and miles away. So, obviously, she can see it too.

You swallow deep, face getting hot and bothered. Everything you’ve ever told yourself as an explanation of why you let this happen disappears from your mind. You’ve been coming up with excuses, defenses, and pleas for years and years. And right now, as Lena stares at the photo of you kissing her best friend, none of them will work. None of them are right. None of them are true.

Confusion crosses her mind when she looks up at you, after holding the photo strip in her hand, like a bomb that might go off. “What’s this?”

[ssavinggrace]

in turn for annabeth art please receive my other dc x pjo fanfic’s opening

The dream came two days after finals.

It started like most dreams that involve her mother do; in the subway tunnels of New York with a powerless Yankees cap and a map. The stupid owl that had led her through the trials to make it to the Parthenon burned in a wall and Daedalus's sigil burned with it. This, Rachel had told her, was an amalgamation of her trauma and neuroses connected to her mother and the betrayal Annabeth felt all manifesting into the dreams warning her of who was about to invade. As far as a warning sign, it was extremely effective.

“Annabeth,” her mother whispered and Annabeth was dragged into a stately library with hundreds of scrolls, parchments, and books. Annabeth doesn’t stop to take in, she has stopped caring about where her mother took her in vain attempts to convince Annabeth to forgive for what happened four years ago. Much like she had stopped caring about what the gods wanted from her.

“What do you want?” she asked impatiently. “Another pick up in Athens? Some important scroll that you could’ve gotten yourself but just need Malcolm to go get never mind that he’s not prepared for it? Or is something more annoying like going on a quest for Zeus. Hurry up, I don’t have all night.”

Athena glowered. “This,” she boomed and Annabeth rolled her eyes, “is not the time for impatience, Annabeth. Your brother is in danger, Lex Luthor draws him close to discover the world of gods and men. It is your task to retrieve him.”

Lex Luthor, Alexander Joseph Luthor, CEO of LexCorp, egomaniac, supplies Superman’s rogues gallery [Speculation], control freak. Threat Level: A to S, do not fight without a child of Athena or Apollo to back you up. Annabeth’s chance of beating him: 97% with sufficient preparation, if not, 86%.

And Archimedes Payne, her younger half-brother by two years was supposed to be working for him.

Fuck, Annabeth thought, Archimedes what did you do?

you know, I may not know all to much about dc

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT WAS SO GOOD- I LOVE YOUR FUCKING WRITING

[whiskeyswriting]

Always The Second Choice Chapter 2: Last Resort

{ Masterlist } | { Previous Part }

As soon as the doctors gave her the all clear the next morning, Lily went home to her apartment. She knew Perry would yell at her, so she just logged on to work without letting anyone know. She takes her time reviewing the layout of the newspaper articles.

Lily is starting to nod off with her laptop on the verge of falling when a knock at her door startles her. “Coming,” she calls out to whoever is at the door.

“Delivery.”

“Be right there,” she stands slowly, careful not to open the wound on her side. When she opens the door, the man before her is just as surprised to see her as she is to see him.

“Mr. Luthor? What are you doing here?” Lily asks and carefully tightens the robe around her.

The man before brings his arms from behind and gives her a folder. “Your hospital bill is paid for. Why didn’t you tell me you were being discharged?”

“Because I don’t usually talk to strangers about what’s going on in my personal life… And I’ll pay you back for the hospital bill. I never asked for you to pay it.”

His only response is to smirk and stare at her until she relents and accepts. Lily catches on to his game and crosses her arm and raises her brow at him. “Two can play this game.”

He leans forward and kisses her cheek. “Well I’m glad you’re home and that your injuries were not severe… If you ever need anything, my number is in the folder. It’s also saved in your phone,” he says before he turns and walks away.

She stares in disbelief at his retreating figure. She has no response for him. Huffing in annoyance, Lily steps back inside her apartment and checks her phone.

Sure enough, Lex Luthor was saved on her contacts list. She opens the contact and shoots him a text. 

Lily: Alexander Joseph Luthor! Sir please don’t feel the need to pay any additional medical bills for me. I can pay them off on my own. Even if it takes me a while.

Lex: First off, call me Lex. Not Alex or Alexander. But Lex. 

Lex: Secondly, I made a donation to the hospital and that’s how the donation was used. I don’t pay stranger’s bills.

Lily: I mean this with all respect but I don’t know you. I…

Lily: I know how it is with rich people. They pay off your debt and then treat you like they own you.

Instead of a text reply, Lily’s phone starts ringing. “Is that truly how you think of me?”

“I’ve seen the news articles. I’ve seen parts of the police reports. You, Lex, have given people plenty of reasons to not trust you.” 

Lex remains quiet for a moment. “Ah. I know. You’re more into the silent hero type. Into the Clark’s of the world… Well doll, let me be honest with you: he’s not worth your time. He won’t know how to treat a woman like you. In due time, you’ll tell me I was right.”

Lily hangs up on Luthor. Grumbling and mumbling under her breath, she finishes work and goes to bed. 

When she wakes up, Lily knew she had to try her last resort and decided to outright ask Clark out on a date. While nobody could see it, she wore her sexiest lingerie for a boost of confidence. 

Just after lunch, she walked up to Clark and asked him out for the next night. 

“Oh… Uh,” Clark looks at her a bit bewildered but then nods. “I… Yeah. I’ll go on a date with you.” From behind Lily, Jimmy gives Clark two thumbs up. 

Lily smiles widely. “Okay! Cool. We can meet up at the cafe downstairs and then head to a restaurant or movie or the museum…”

“It’s a date,” Clark says.

Once Lily leaves, Jimmy goes to ask Clark about what the plan is. Jimmy knew Clark just needed to get out there again to start moving on from Lois. Who else would be better for Clark than Lily? They had the same likes and interests. Both were highly intelligent. 

“I just… I don’t think I’m ready for anything.”

“She didn’t propose marriage, Clark. It’s just a date. Maybe she just wants to spend some one on one time with you and see if there’s anything there… Or maybe she just wants to feel needed and wanted.”

“I gave her my word. I’ll go.”

Jimmy just nods but thinking better of it he knows the plan he had would work. He returns to his desk and finishes nominating Lily for the charity date auction.

******

As she changes, Lily feels the excitement and nerves hitting her at full force at the same time. She slips on her coat and heads to the agreed upon coffeeshop. She orders her latte with lavender syrup.

Waiting for Clark, she takes out her tablet and opens the latest ebook she was reading. Lily drowns out the noise and loses herself in the book. The story of unrequited love and duels and dragons was too good to stop reading.

When she comes back to reality, she realizes that it had already been two hours and Clark never showed up. She checked her phone and there was no missed call or unread text messages explaining his delay.

She can feel the heat of people staring as she walks out alone, after being stood up. Instead of heading home, she heads to the hotel down the street and heads to the bar. 

Once inside, the televisions were all playing the news of Superman saving a plane from crashing. The news reporter, who is live, asks for a statement from one of the plane passengers. That’s when the camera pans over to Lois. Lois throws her arms around Superman and he flies off with her.

Immediately, Lily asks for a shot of tequila and she downs it as soon as it’s placed in front of her. She orders another and then another. 

Lily feels her shoulders drool and her body relax as the liquor takes over. She asks the bartender for two glasses of water. “Actually can I also get two Long Island iced teas?”

The bartender places the requested drinks in front of her, along with a few bottles of water. Lily sits at the bar nursing the drinks. 

She starts humming to herself “I want her long blond hair… want her magic touch… Yeah, 'cause maybe then… You'd want me just as much.” 

“A bottle of your finest whiskey please and two glasses,” a voice says next to Lily.

“You have a habit of following me… Are you a stalker?” Lily slurs teasingly at Lex. 

He chuckles and takes in her outfit, letting his eyes linger on the exposed skin of her leg. “I don’t have to stalk you in my apartment building. You’re the one that came here to the bar.” 

“Hmmm. I had a date… But I’m not… I’m not as beautiful as HER… I’m giving up on Clark. I’ll never measure up to perfect Lois,” Lily says under the influence of the tequila. 

Lex has the bartender take away the secon, untouched drink. “Close out her tab and add her total to mine.” He then has Lily drink two of the bottles of water. “Come on. We’re getting you up to a room to rest. You’ll be hungover soon if you stay down here drinking.”

Lex helps her down from the barstool and wraps an arm around her waist as he helps her up to his apartment. 

“You smell expensive,” Lily mumbles as she has her head against his chest. “Comfy,” she says as she nuzzles into him. 

He clears his throat as they’re not alone in the elevator. “Babe. I know it’s our honeymoon but don’t get too comfortable on my chest.”

Lily looks up at him and smiles and then gasps. “We’re married?”

Lex nods. “Mhmm. You just drank too much in celebration,” he says for the benefit of the other passengers in the elevator. He also knew his conversation would make front pages of The Daily Planet. 

Once they make it to his floor, he picks her up bridal style to carry her to his apartment. Lily nuzzles in closer to him for warmth. Lex unlocks the door and walks her to the master bedroom and gently lays her on his bed.

Lily struggles for a bit but she manages to fall asleep. The scent and warmth of the comforter keep her asleep. When she woke up the next morning, she found a sleek three-piece suit with a note for her.

Lily went to the bathroom and decided to shower to freshen up. She changes into the suit and heads to work. Before leaving she left a note to Lex thanking him for his time and care.

Upon arriving at the office, Lily finds a breakfast sandwich and a coffee on her desk. Sitting on her chair was Clark, holding a second bag with a pastry. “I’m sorry about last night… I… I have no excuse.”

She wants to yell that she deserves an explanation. That a call would have been nice. Hell. Even an outright rejection would have hurt less. Instead, she just says in a whisper “I know she’s back. I saw you two last night. I’m glad her plane landed safely.”

With those words, Lily tells Clark she knows that he’s Superman.

- -

🏷️ List: @askmarinaandothers @dragon-kazansky @bayisdying

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DC Cinematic Universe: Superman (Part VI)

Chapter Six: Powerless Power

There are few villains better known than Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor. The archenemy of Superman, Luthor was meant to be the brains to oppose Superman's brawn. But this was never truly meant to be, as Superman himself kept changing to become more than just raw brawn. So, over time, Luthor also had to change. Because of this, we've seen a lot of version of Lex Luthor, From mad scientist and maniacal supervillain, to vindictive businessman with lofty ambitions. Luthor's been the leader of the Legion of Doom and Injustice League, as well as a member of the Justice League and a member of the "SuperFamily". His history is extremely complicated.

But even then, there are a few things that have always stayed the same with Luthor. His lack of hair, his incredible mind, his love of Kryptonite usage, and most important of all...his absolute hatred and jealousy of Superman. Sometimes this hatred is disguised in xenophobia, and sometimes it's a lot more personal, based on a shared past. Most of the time, though, it's raw jealousy of the Man of Steel and the power he wields. But, again, why? I mean, I'm jealous of Superman as well, but that doesn't mean I'm Lex Luthor, right?

Luthor has 82 years of comic book history to parse through, and that would take...a while. So for most of this post, I want to talk about how I see Lex, how others have seen Lex, and why Lex absolutely is not the main antagonist of this film. Surprising? We'll get there.

Lex Luthor: Mad Scientist

Lex Luthor was first introduced to the comics in Action Comics #23, in April of 1940. At the time, he was introduced as simply Luthor, and has a brilliant scientist and inventor with a hatred for Superman. He would steal devices from the government, hang out in flying cities and abandoned temples for his lairs, and would basically do anything he could to get money or take over the world. But every time, he kept getting stopped by fuggin' Superman. And at the time...y'know, whatever. Dude's an ass, but he doesn't hate Superman specifically. And, in early appearances, he has hair! But once World War II came, two things happened. One, his hair went away, forever. And two, with the birth of Silver Age, came Luthor's hatred for Superman.

Originally, fun fact, his hair was lost in an experiment that he blamed Superboy for, causing his permanent baldness and hatred for Superman. Which, yeah, is stupid, but this is the '50s and '60s at this point; comics were silly, and I'm here for that. During this time period, he became responsible for creating Bizarro as a clone of Superman, leading the Legion of Doom and Injustice Gang, stealing 40 cakes (which is as many as four tens, and is terrible), and entering an ill-advised team-up with alien computerized being Brainiac. That partnership would be revisited in the comics and adaptation many times over the years. And then...Crisis. Once Crisis on Infinite Earths happens, everything about Lex changes. While Lex kept the baldness, the insane intellect, and the hatred of Superman, he lost the mad scientist schtick, and gained a Fortune 500 company.

Lex Luthor: Businessman

Starting in the mid-80s, Lex Luthor is the leader of LexCorp, an is an evil executive with a FUCKTON of money. Based in part of Donald Trump and the Devil (NOT FUCKING KIDDING), this Luthor is a pure intellect, and used said intellect to be rich as FUCK. He clawed his way up from the dirt, from nothing, and became one of the richest men in the world, as well as one of the most prominent men in Metropolis. And this is at the root of his jealousy for Superman.

Put yourself in Lex's shoes here. You were raised in Suicide Slums, some of the worst parts of Metropolis. Parents were abusive, the environment was poor, and you were locked in a position that would've prevented you from moving out of your position. But you, with an insane amount of hard work and dedication, as well as some desperation and extremely high intelligence, claw your way from th very bottom and scale to the highest heights. You are as tall as a human being can be, inside of the tallest building in Metropolis which YOU BUILT with your hard-earned money...

AND THEN SOME STUPID IDIOT FROM ANOTHER FUCKING PLANET COMES HERE WITH POWERS THAT SHOULD BE RIGHTFULLY YOURS? The ever-loving FUCK did THIS asshole do to deserve that power? It should be MINE! LEX FUCKING LUTHOR IS THE REAL SUPERMAN!!!

That is how you would feel in Lex's position, and that's mostly how Lex feels. But that's sort of the obvious take; there's more to it than that. Because Superman is a hero. By all rights, he is a heroic figure, but also uses his powers responsibly. Lex, on the other hand, is not heroic. He's not good, he wouldn't do good things with that power. He would use that power to wrest control of the world, no matter the costs. And Lex is smart, he knows that. He knows exactly what he would do with that power. And maybe he'd try to justify his actions, but he definitely wouldn't do good things with it. And again, he knows that.

He KNOWS that. And he doesn't care. HE STILL WANTS IT.

Lex Luthor: The Man Who Has Everything

No matter how you slice it, Lex Luthor is an intellectual giant. The only thing that holds him back is his arrogance, and even that doesn't really hold him back. Luthor's hunger for power makes him one of the most dangerous men on the planet, and he uses xenophobia and hatred to project these desires onto Superman. Superman can't be bought, and Lex can't be Superman. But he;ll be damned if he doesn't try.

The real goal of Lex Luthor is this: to look down on everybody. Sounds satirical, but it really means that Lex doesn't want to acknowledge that anyone is above him in any way. And so, he's richer than the rest, and he's smarter than the rest. And if he CAN'T become for powerful than someone on his own, then that somebody's gotta go. To me (and for my version of Lex), Lex's hatred for Superman is partially jealousy, but mostly greed and ambition.

Lex Luthor is the man who has everything...and it isn't enough.

But if that's the case, why isn't Lex the villain of my movie? Easy answer: he's too smart for that shit. Yeah, maniacal laughter, ostentatious plots that lead to you as the perpetrator, a masterful crime with obvious fingerprints? Come on. Amateur hour. What does he look like, the Joker? No, no, no, Luthor is a behind-the-scenes villain. He'll fund villainy to get ahead in the world, but he won't be even a little obvious about it. Fact of the matter is, he should be Superman's worst enemy because Superman can't actually prove that Luthor is the villain. Clark Kent could be able to help uncover evidence, but it'd be extremely hard. Luthor should look squeaky clean to everybody, including Superman.

That doesn't mean, however, that Luthor won't be in the first film, or that he won't have something to do with the villains of the picture. In any case, he won't be the person who funds them directly. But indirectly? Absolutely. I will talk about those villains, I promise. But before I do that, I do want to go through some interpretations of Luthor. By now, you may have picked up on what I think makes the perfect Lex. In summary, those qualities are:

An unmatched intellect, above almost anybody else in this time, as well as the ability and propensity to invent scientific wonders

Money. So much goddamn money, and the power that comes from it.

Arrogance, and knowledge that only he can direct the world towards a proper path.

Hatred for anyone whom he perceives to be more powerful than him, in any way.

Power, and a hunger for more power.

And with that...

Lex Luthor: Adaptations

I'm not sure anybody's had as much fun as Gene Hackman had when playing Lex Luthor in the Reeves Superman films. And honestly, I have a lot of fun watching him. Taking a lot from the Golden Age version of the character, Luthor is a diabolical money-hungry supervillain with the arrogance to combat Superman's strength. He also uses Lex's favorite tool: Kryptonite. And he uses it pretty well, setting up a decent trap for Superman, while also being responsible for the temporary death of Lois Lane (in the first film). He also sides with General Zod and the Kryptonians, and creates the infamous Nuclear Man to take out Superman once and for all. Never works, but he always gives it the old college try.

More importantly, this Luthor is campy, but in a way that fits. Being arrogant, Lex shouldn't really care how he acts for people. However, I'd say that Lex has a public face, as well as a more diabolical private face and demeanor that people usually don't see. Like I said, Hackman has a really fun time with this role, and I really enjoy watching him. Not exactly my preferred version of the character, though.

Kevin Spacey takes over for Hackman in Superman Returns, and does a pretty OK job with it. Doesn't seem to take as much delight in being evil as Hackman did, but he definitely still enjoys himself. I honestly really enjoy this version of the character, and he takes the usage of Kryptonite to a much greater degree than any other version I've seen. He's in second place of the cinematic Luthors, that's for sure. And in dead fucking last...

Guuuuuuuuh, FUCK this version of Lex. Jesse Eisenberg's turn in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (STILL a dumb-ass name) is a very bad attempt to make a quirky, "millennial" version of Lex with a poorly-formed xenophobic motive to take out Superman. And the result is so bad, I blame it for helping destroy the DCU 5 years later. Eisenberg's Luthor, understand, is basically a take on the Gene Hackman Luthor...AGAIN. But in entirely the wrong universe and setting.

Is this Luthor threatening? No. He does threatening things, and he makes threats, but I'm never actually intimidated by him. Every time I see that stupid hair, all I can think of is "You want a Jolly Rancher?" or "Granny's peach tea." It's just silly. And maybe more importantly, he's not a smart man, he's just a homicidal maniac. Yeah, he manipulated both Superman and Batman into fighting each other; and yeah, he blows up a courtroom to frame Superman somehow; and yeah, he creates Doomsday (God, this is a shit movie), but none of these things logically should work. They rely only on the characters themselves being mind-numbingly stupid. And y'know, given that one of them is a DETECTIVE, I feel like that only worked because of bad writing. And, of course, it's obvious that it's Lex. That's why this is far more of a Hackman Luthor than anything else. Just doesn't work. Also, Eisenberg's acting is NOT good, for the record.

And yeah, I do like the Justice League after-credits scene with Luthor, hinting at the formation of the Injustice League. But that's a different story, and it's only a minute-long scene.

OK, before I get into my favorite Luthor, I wanted to highlight Jon Cryer in Supergirl and the Arrowverse shows. Because honestly, he plays a very interesting version of the character, and I would call him good! He plays off the xenophobic indignance and jealousy very well, and when he finally faces off against Superman in the crossover episodes, he's definitely effective. Cryer's Luthor really does seem like a megalomaniacal genius plotting against the Kryptonians at every waking moment of his life. I like it! And also, it's the first version I've ever seen with a beard, which is actually very interesting for some reason.

Where I struggle a bit with Cryer is that, while he's definitely a threat, he also looks like you could knock him over with a napkin. And it's true, I haven't seen all of his appearances, but he's definitely not physically threatening in any way. But you might be wondering why that's important. Well, let me point you to my favorite version of Lex Luthor. And this really shouldn't be a surprise.

Clancy Brown's decade-long take on the character in the DCAU is a marvel. Starting as a business man in Superman: The Animated Series, this Lex absolutely is a threat on first glance. Afraid of no one and superior to everyone, he goes toe-to-toe with Superman with no restraint, and constantly. Now, I mean that in terms of attitude, not physically, but he's also a powerhouse. See, Lex's arrogance, to me, should also extend to his appearance. If he really thinks he's better than everyone else, he should show it mentally and physically. In fact, in the comics, most versions of the character at least work out, with some versions doing a lot MORE than that.

But yes, this version of Lex begins as a well-built and threatening genius businessman. That all changes with Justice League. Despite mostly escaping the grasp of the law previously, this Luthor is allowed to dip into the true supervillain roots of the character, complete with Kryptonite-powered armor, supervillain organizations, and a life-threatening cancer caused by his constant exposure to a radioactive mineral! God, I love this version of Luthor so much.

And then, THEN, Justice League Unlimited comes along, and Lex is allowed to play BOTH roles. And this is where he hits his stride. Regaining his wealth and running for President throughout the series, he partners up with Brainiac in mind and body, then flees justice and joins the Legion of Doom. Eventually, he takes over and uses their resources to bring back Brainiac, only to kick off the events of the series finale. Lex Luthor in the DCAU is a versatile, plotting, intimidating bastard in the best possible ways, and I love him. There has not been a better version of this character.

...Oh, shit.

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor...Jesus Christ, how do I even start this? Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor is an insanely complicated character, who we as an audience watch skillfully descend into abject evil over the course of several seasons. He goes from being Clark's best friend to his bitterest enemy, taking his loved ones away from him, and plotting against him in every possible way. He goes from being a victim of his father's manipulations and machinations, to...well, spoilers for how that story ends, but it's bad. Lex Luthor makes you believe he can be good...even though you know that he'll become one of the biggest villains the world has ever seen.

I'm sure that if you looked, you'd see a fuckton of essays written about this version of Luthor on here, because it genuinely is very good. The only thing holding it back, I think, is the realistic nature of the CW shows. This Luthor is definitely more of a businessman, whose genius lies in his acumen and strategy more than the sciences. In fact, this version of Luthor is not a scientist, hiring others to do those jobs for him and punishing them when they fail. He's a brutal mastermind, but a somewhat incomplete version of the character. He's also not quite allowed the came pomp and circumstance that other versions are allowed, never really becoming a supervillain. And I think that's something Lex should be allowed to do. Still, this is an excellent version of the character, and one of the few that you'll actually find yourself caring about.

And with all of that said...what is my version of Luthor? Yeah, let's get to that before I start talking about the other good versions of the character, like this one.

My Lex Luthor

When the film starts, it's apparent that Luthor is a force in Metropolis, as he should be. His central facility, LexCorp, looms over the skyline from the distance, and you should never truly escape its shadow. LexCorp should be all over the city, but this should still be a pretty peaceful city. That's because Lex's influence shouldn't be felt near any form of criminality. In fact, Lex himself won't even be seen in this film until close to the very end. Superman will never think of him as a villain, or see his seedy connections. There are maybe some investigations focusing on Luthor, but nobody's really onto him. Part of that is because he's subtle, and part of it is because he sends a representative, Mercy Graves, to investigate and control any dialogue against him. To pursue legal action, of course. Of course.

Anyway, Luthor is always around the periphery in the first movie. But by the time we get to the theoretical third movie, he'll be going toe-to-toe with Superman, in person. That's right, I'm proposing a trilogy, and Luthor is the central villain throughout and at the end. See, while he's in his ivory tower, he is indeed hating Superman, and the power that he holds over him. And Luthor has only one thing to say in regards to those with power: surpass them or remove them. But first, he has to observe the limits to this power, as well as any weaknesses that there may be. And his strategy begins with stress-testing this "Superman", and making him a little more necessary than he was previously.

Through multiple connections, and without a paper trail, he steals the unpublished blueprints for a powerful prototype weapon from an unknown engineer (John Henry Irons) working for a subsidiary of a subsidiary of a subsidiary (Amertek), and manages to get these designs smuggled to a local gang leader (White Rabbit, AKA Angora Lapin) in the less-policed areas of Metropolis. The result of this act is perhaps the first fight we see in this theoretical movie, as Superman stops a conflict between this gang and another. And yes, I just threw in some Steel Easter eggs in there, but that';'s a story for a different occasion, obviously.

However, this even has a surprising consequence. See, these weapons almost have enough firepower to hurt even Superman, but the ordinance isn't quite enough to really hurt him. Still, the potential for these weapons is noticed by the true villains of the movie: Intergang. And promise I'll get more into Intergang in the next chapter, but for now, let's get back to why this matters to Lex. See, Intergang's also got some connections. And those connections are able to supply them with upgrades and new weapons, as well as one MAJOR new weapon. Again, more on that later. But the major thing these guys bring into this universe is Kryptonite. Had to come from somewhere.

And that, of course, gets the attention of one Lex Luthor.

When Intergang's head soldier goes head-to-head with Superman, he seriously hurts him. However, the damage he takes in the fight will require some upgrades, which will be supplied by Intergang's benefactors. After the final fight, Luthor will have observed the effects of Kryptonite on Superman, and will probably have some ideas of what to do with it. In some of the last scenes of the film, we'll see the recovered sample of Kryptonite secretly make its way into Luthor's hands, marking his first actual appearance in the film.

So, while Luthor does indeed have a connection to the villains, his main goal doesn't crystallize (pun intended) until these final moments. We learn about Lex and get a hint into his plans. And what are his plans? Simple: use Kryptonite to find new ways to take out Superman. Oh...and to make some friends along the way. And he takes that Kryptonite to Infinity Labs, a subsidiary of LexCorp and a direct competitor to S.T.A.R. Labs. There, they'll experiment with the Kryptonite. In the process, they'll find that its unique radioactive and chemical signature can be used to harm Superman...and for other purposes. In fact, Lex Luthor will use this to make his own group of superhumans, whom he'll call Infinity, Inc. But we'll get to this version of the Superman Revenge Squad in the next movie (and in a couple of chapters).

But for now, for this movie, Lex is a behind-the-scenes villain. When the second movie starts, Lex will be put front-and-center, as will his opinions of Superman. I'll admit that putting Lex in the second movie was a smart move on Snyder's part, even though the rest of the movie is a fucking garbage fire. But I digress. Next time, we'll FINALLY look at the villains of this film, which includes the dangerous Intergang, and their own private soldier: Metallo.

And they're gonna FUCK up Superman.

Index: Superman

Part I: Why I Love Superman

Part II: On Lois Lane

Part III: The Kents

Part IV: The 'Rents

Part V: The...Frendts?

Part VI: Lex Luthor

Part VII: The Real Villains

Part VIII: Superman's Rogues Gallery

Part IX: The Story - Act One

Part X: The Story (Acts Two and Three)

Part XI: The Story - Climax

Part XII: Epilogue (Part One)

Part XIII: Epilogue (Part Two)

[mortiferumsomnum]

Lex Luthor's full name is Alexander Joseph Luthor???