7 Times Lex Luthor was DC Comics’ Most Evil Villain

There are few villains in all comic book history as iconic as Lex Luthor. The archenemy of Superman, Luthor has used his genius-level intellect, endless resources, and access to Kryptonite in his never-ending quest to destroy DC Comics’ paragon of hope. Although Luthor claims that his mission to kill Superman is for the betterment of mankind, all his actions show what his vendetta is really about. At the end of the day, Luthor is just a pathetic and egomaniacal maniac who demands that the entire world praise him like a god. Luthor couldn’t care less about humanity and has committed countless atrocities to annihilate Superman and satiate his own fragile ego.

As one of DC Comics’ most prominent villains, Luthor has carried out many horrific and vile deeds. Such actions range from ruining a single person’s life on a whim to orchestrating a genocide. These are the moments that prove Lex Luthor is the one of the most evil villains DC Comics has to offer.

7) Destroyed a Waitress’s Life

Not all Luthor’s evil deeds involve Superman. Sometimes he spends his free time ruining people’s lives just for fun. When stopping by a diner 900 miles from Metropolis, he offered the waitress, Jenny, a million dollars to quit her job, leave her husband, and become Luthor’s wife for just one month. Although Jenny initially refuses, Luthor begins picking apart her entire life story and exploits her feelings of unfulfillment. Luthor then leaves and says that he’ll wait in his limo for ten minutes to let Jenny think it over. However, when Jenny heads out to the limo to accept the deal , Luthor drives away laughing. It was an unbelievable act of cruelty that Luthor does merely for sadistic pleasure.

6) Paralyzed His Sister

Lex Luthor’s hatred for Superman is so deep that he’ll make his family suffer to prove a point. Despite his incredible wealth and intellect, Luthor’s sister, Lena, lives in poverty and suffers from a debilitating disease that has left her paralyzed and has begun to eat away at her brain. To prove to Superboy that he could heal Lena, Luthor concocted a cure that immediately gave Lena back the use of her legs and restored her mind. However, just as quickly, Luthor reversed the effects and said that he’d only ever permanently cure her when Superman was dead. Lena had nothing to do with Luthor and the Superman’s conflict, yet the villain needlessly harmed her just because he could and used the Man of Tomorrow as his pathetic excuse.

5) Made Learning Superman’s Identity Lethal

For a brief period, Superman had revealed his secret identity to the entire world, telling everyone that he was Clark Kent. However, Luthor felt it was more beneficial for humanity to see Superman as an alien god rather than a human. Luthor kidnapped and tortured the telepath Manchester Black until he released a mental attack that made almost everyone forget that Clark Kent is Superman. Except for himself, the Justice League, Teen Titans, and Superman’s family, if anyone discovers Superman’s secret identity, they’ll die. This almost happened to Superman’s close friend, Perry White, who suffered a nearly fatal stroke. Luthor always believes that he knows what’s best for everyone, and by trying to disconnect Superman from humanity, he turned the Man of Steel’s secret identity into a deadly weapon.

4) Made it Rain Superheroes

After the events of Infinite Crisis, Superman and many other heroes went missing, which gave Luthor the chance to take control of the superhero community. Luthor launches the Everyman Project, which allows everyday citizens to gain superpowers. However, when Luthor realized that he couldn’t obtain superpowers because he was incompatible, he lashed out like a petty child. On New Year’s Eve, Luthor revokes the powers of numerous Everyman heroes, many of whom were in the middle of flying. In an instant, dozens of people violently fell to their deaths over Metropolis, causing untold destruction and chaos. Being the selfish and egomaniacal man that he is, Luthor reasoned that if he can’t have superpowers, no one should.

3) Allowed Imperiex to Invade Earth

In the epic “World’s at War” event, the living embodiment of entropy known as Imperiex sought to destroy all of existence, starting with Earth. Imperiex ravaged the planet, destroying numerous countries, including Atlantis, and killing thousands of people. Lex Luthor, who was president at the time, formed a coalition of superheroes who, after following his plan, defeated Imperiex. However, it was eventually revealed that it was all an act. Luthor knew well in advance that Imperiex was coming to Earth and did nothing to stop it or to warn humanity. Instead, Luthor allowed Imperiex to kill countless people so that he could receive the credit for ending the catastrophe.

2) Destroyed New Krypton

The shrunken and bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor has been a staple of Superman lore for decades. In 2008, Kandor was finally restored to its normal size. Freed from their shrunken prison, the people of Kandor left Earth and established their own planet called New Krypton. Of course, Luthor would never allow so many Kryptonians to live, so he conspired with General Sam Lane to destroy their new planetary neighbors. Luthor had the Kryptonite-empowered supervillain Reactron explode, reducing New Krypton to rubble. Around 100,000 Kryptonians died that day, and Superman lost his people all over again.

1) Sold Out the Multiverse to Perpetua

In an act of extreme nihilism, Luthor and his Legion of Doom freed the malevolent creator of the multiverse, Perpetua to destroy Superman and the Justice League once and for all. Luthor absorbed the power of Martian Manhunter and, as Perpetua’s second in command, fought the League. After Luthor convinced humanity to submit to Perpetua’s will, the fully powered goddess reshaped the universe into her twisted image. She then began destroying the 52 Earths that made up the DC Multiverse, murdering trillions. Luthor only joined the fight against Perpetua when she backstabbed him and drained him of his powers. In his delusional attempt to make humanity abandon hope, Luthor doomed countless lives to subjugation and/or annihilation.

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