#even pre crisis lena luthor

[bisupergirl]

"kara should actually be friends with x batfam member!" "no she should be teaming up with y batfam member!" you do not actually care about kara!! you do not care about her history or the characters that she's legitimately friends with!! she is a fully fleshed out character that deserves more than to be relegated to an accessory for whoever's the batfam character of the week!!

[cryingalexanders]

Earth-One Lex Luthor Traits

Sick and tired of people spreading nonsense about one of my favourite characters and denigrating the pre-crisis version of him, so I'm starting an education campaign about his character traits, particularly the ones going back to the silver age!

Questionable heroics

Source: Adventure Comics #271, Superman #164

Source: Superman #416

Silver age Lex did actually try to be a hero in Smallville, but it went wrong and he gave up. It wasn't about losing his hair (though later stories did make that conflation). But Lex occasionally doing heroic things was a theme throughout this era.

Lying and manipulation

Source: Adventure Comics #271

Source: Action Comics #544

Lex does this when he’s trying to control and manoeuvre things and get his way.

Hero-worship

Source: Adventure Comics #271

Source: Superman #416

Lashing out

Source: Superman #161, Superman #292

Source: Superman #416

While he’s known for his wider-scale cruelties, Lex also has this tendency to fall back on petty cruelty when he feels off-balance. This ranges from name-calling to visceral threats.

Jealousy and projection

Source: Adventure Comics #271

Source: Superman #386

It's never clear how aware Lex is that he's doing this, but in the post-Lexor storyline it did explicitly cross over into genuine delusion.

Emotional insecurity/abandonment issues

Source: Superman #292

Source: Action Comics #512

Lex has this tendency to undervalue or disbelieve how much he means to somebody. One issue heavily implied that this sense of abandonment was the root of why he wouldn’t believe Superboy’s entreaties to him.

Protectiveness

Source: Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #23, Action Comics #295

Source: Adventure Comics #387

Lex would be protective of specific people to the point of self-sacrifice, in particular Lena and her son Val.

Inadvertently hurting/endangering the people he wants to protect

Source: Adventure Comics #388

Source: Superman Family #214

Lex’s protectiveness was interesting because he would continue to do so even when they hated him or he made them hate him.

Spying on people

Source: Action Comics #317

Rushing into marriages

Source: Action Comics #318

Doting on children

Source: Action Comics #295, Action Comics #544

Callousness towards children

Source: Action Comics #407

The thing is not that Lex categorically protects or refuses to hurt children. He has no compunctions about threatening and traumatising them the same as he would an adult.

Preoccupation with his legacy

Source: Superman #286

Lex had a sense of pride over his villainous legacy.

Fighting with (and usually losing to) other villains

Source: Superman #286

His attempts to control, corral or dominate other villains would inevitably fail. They would often target or double-cross him as well.

Ennui

Source: The Joker #7

Source: Heroes Against Hunger

This was more subtle, but Lex being ambiguously depressed is an idea we have seen since.

Obsession as his downfall

Source: DC Special Series #5

Source: Action Comics #544

[luthwhore]

I want to preface this by saying that I haven't read every comic in which Lex has ever appeared, and most of what I've read has been from the last two decades or from the Bronze Age; I am still working my way through most of his post-crisis/pre-flashpoint content.

These are also recommended based on how much I personally enjoyed them, so there is a bit of subjectivity here. However, if I think a comic is particularly important to Lex’s canon and/or objectively well-written, I will try to make note of it, even if it doesn’t suit my own tastes.

Stuff listed as “further reading” is content I have more mixed feelings about or that features Lex less prominently, but still think is worth a read if you want to dig a little deeper.

There are a few things I recommend avoiding unless you really, really want to read it for historical reasons (often because the comics include triggering content), and I've tried to make note of these as well.

⭐️ = most important for current continuity 💜 = personal favorites

Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid ⭐️

Generally considered the definitive retelling of the Superman origin story, and the comic that reintroduced the idea of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor growing up together in Smallville to the mainline canon after it was written out during Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Further Reading

↳ Superman: Secret Origin (alternate telling from Birthright) ↳ Action Comics Special #1 - "The Last Will & Testament of Lex Luthor" ↳ Superman: American Alien (Superman origin story that actively contradicts Superman: Birthright, but has some fun Lex moments)

Lex Luthor: A Celebration of 75 Years 💜

Not a single comic, but rather a historical account of Lex through the ages. Rather than featuring entire arcs, it tends to feature a single issue that showcases the Lex of each era, so it's a good read to figure out what versions of Lex you personally enjoy. Some of the stories in this collection are included elsewhere on this list.

JLA: Rock of Ages by Grant Morrison (JLA 1998 #10-#15)

Lex and the Injustice Gang take on the Justice League! I really like Lex's characterization here because it really shows how Lex thinks, and it does a great job showing that despite being a villain, Lex does have standards and tries to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

Salvation Run by Bill Willingham & Lilah Sturges 💜

A villain vs villain story, featuring most of the DCU's villains being stranded off-world together and comparing Lex's style of leadership with the Joker's. Probably one of the best examples I've ever read of exactly how competent Lex is, and seeing him go head-to-head with the Joker is a delight.

Superman: The Black Ring by Paul Cornell (Action Comics #890-#900)

Might be a little hard to follow if you're not familiar with Green Lantern lore, but the arc does a great job with balancing Lex being villainous with still feeling fun and flawed and human. Not a lot of interaction with Superman until the very end, but there is a lot of Lois in this one. (Sort of. You'll see.)

Further Reading

↳ President Luthor: Secret Files and Origins ↳ Superman's Nemesis Lex Luthor ↳ Lex Luthor: Man of Steel ↳ Superman: Last Son ↳ Superman: Unchained

Forever Evil by Geoff Johns ⭐️

The start of Lex's "hero" arc, which spans from the end of n52 until 2018. Functions as a bit of a reset for his character and sets the tone for everything from here on in Lex’s continuity. It gives some insight into Lex’s relationship with Lena post-reboot, and has a very sweet take on his relationship with Bizarro.

Justice League (2011) by Geoff Johns ⭐️ (Lex appears in #30-52, though you can start at #24 if you’re interested in the setup for Forever Evil)

Follows up on the events in Forever Evil and kickstarts Lex’s several years’ long time as a formal part of the Justice League. I really enjoy his dynamics with each of the Trinity here, particularly with Diana. I would recommend the Darkseid War arc in particular (especially if you’re a Clex shipper), but the whole thing is enjoyable. Lena also appears here! Read Justice League: The Darkseid War - Lex Luthor between #45 and #46.

Action Comics: Path of Doom & Men of Steel, by Dan Jurgens ⭐️ (#957-962, #967-970)

Continues on with the “Super-Lex” arc teased at the end of the previous Justice League arc. This is also where Jon Kent (Clark & Lois’s son) is introduced. There’s a lot more Clark & Lex interaction here than most of the other comics in Lex’s hero era, and you do get the sense that he is genuinely trying to do the right thing, even if his motivations for doing so are a bit…self-centered.

Superman: Imperius Lex, by Patrick Gleason & Peter Tomasi ⭐️ (#33-36)

The end of the Super-Lex arc, though not technically the end of Lex’s time as a hero. Make sure to read the n52 Justice League: Darkseid War arc first, since it references the events heavily. Great Clark & Lex content, including a scene of them being stranded on a red sun planet together.

Justice League: No Justice, by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, & Joshua Williamson

The official end to Lex being a hero and a member of the Justice League, as well as the setup for the Legion of Doom & Year of the Villain arcs. Imo, his reason for becoming a villain again is pretty contrived and frustrating, but it does set up what will end up becoming a very important dynamic between Lex and the Martian Manhunter in the next arc.

Further Reading

↳ Action Comics #23.1 - Bizarro ↳ Action Comics #23.3 - Lex Luthor ↳ Superwoman (2016) #1 - #8

⚠️ Note: Superwoman (2016) issues #1-8 feature both Lex and Lena and follow up on what was set up in Forever Evil and Justice League (2012), but the writing around Lena’s disability is extremely ableist. It does feature a lot of Lena and expands more on the backstory set up in Forever Evil, and there are a few good character moments for Lex, but Lena's treatment is pretty bad, so read with caution. ⚠️

Justice League (2018) by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV (#1-39)

Lex’s return to classic villainy, along with the Legion of Doom. The arc is a little weird in places and I’m not crazy about some of the choices made, but his dynamic with the other villains is fun, and I enjoy his relationship with the Martian Manhunter. I personally like both Snyder and Tynion as writers enough to power through the general weirdness of this arc, but your mileage may vary. It’s pretty dense and hard to follow at times and I felt like it didn’t really hit its stride until about issue #8, so you might need to power through a bit at the beginning.

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen by James Tynion IV

Follows up the “Year of the Villain” plot set up in Justice League. It’s weird as hell but it does have some good character moments for him, and more importantly, features the conclusion of the arc.

Further Reading

↳ Justice League Annual #1 ↳ DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1 ↳ Year of the Villain: Lex Luthor 💜 (Features an alternate universe where Lex is married to that universe's Kal-el. No, really.) ↳ Dark Nights: Death Metal ↳ Action Comics #1000 (special anthology issue)

Superman: Son of Kal-El (Annual #1) by Tom Taylor

I don’t have strong enough feelings about Lex in Son of Kal-El for me to recommend the whole series for him alone, but his interactions with both Clark and Jon in the annual are very enjoyable. (If you like the annual and you enjoy Jon, Lex is a recurring character in SoKE, and the series is a pretty quick read.)

Batman: The Abyss, by Joshua Williamson 💜 (Batman (2016) #118-121)

Technically a Batman story, but a very short one. Superman is currently off-world, so naturally Lex needs to find another hero to menace. Williamson is the current writer on the mainline Superman book and imo he is THE best Lex writer at DC. He really captures the way Lex earnestly views himself as a hero while doing the most unhinged bullshit you have ever seen. Worth a read if only to watch Lex take Bruce on the worst date of his life.

Action Comics #1050, by Joshua Williamson, Philip Kennedy Johnson, & Tom Taylor ⭐️

Provides context for the current Superman run. You could technically skip it, but with Williamson as a co-writer, I have no idea why you would want to. Lex is truly a mess in the most enjoyable way here.

Superman (2023), by Joshua Williamson ⭐️

The holy grail, the crown jewel, THE comic to read if you’re a Lex fan. The comic is only a few issues in as of writing this list, but Williamson really hits the perfect balance of making Lex funny and charming while still kind of being an asshole. (Updates monthly, though July-August won’t have new issues while the Knight Terrors arc is coming out.)

Further Reading

↳ Superman: Son of Kal-El ↳ Superman: Kal-El Returns ↳ Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (2019) ↳ Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton ↳ Action Comics: The Rise of Metallo

The Last Days of Lex Luthor, by Mark Waid 💜

Written by the same author as Superman: Birthright. This comic is a Black Label comic, which means it’s not part of the mainline continuity and is more “adult oriented” than the mainstream books, so the writer has significantly more freedom and it shouldn’t take a lot of prior knowledge. In this comic, Lex is dying, and Superman is trying to find a way to save him. (The comic will be 3 issues long, released every other month.) I would strongly recommend reading Superman: Birthright first, though it's not mandatory.

Smallville: Season 11, by Bryan Q Miller 💜

The S11 comic is a little bloated with random cameos from other DC characters and the art is pretty inconsistent at times, but there are some really nice moments in it if you want more Smallville Lex. You can skip the Titans & Lantern arcs if you’re not interested in the extended Smallville universe, but the rest of the comic features Lex pretty heavily. Prepare yourself to cry over Otis. If you read nothing else, read Smallville: Alien, particularly if you're a Clex shipper.

Batman: Last Knight on Earth, by Scott Snyder 💜

A post-apocalyptic/dystopian future story, following Batman as he attempts to make his way back to Gotham. Lex only appears in issue #2, but Scott Snyder really loves his villains unhinged and psychosexually obsessed with their heroes. Lex’s fate in this might make you tear up. ⚠️ Character death warning. ⚠️

Clark & Lex: A Young Superman Graphic Novel, by Brendan Reichs

Young Clark Kent enters a competition to win an internship at Luthorcorp, where he meets and befriends a young Lex Luthor. Heavy Smallville influence is present here! This novel is marketed as the first in a series, so we'll hopefully see more in the future.

Further Reading

↳ All-Star Superman (widely considered one of the best Superman stories ever written, but I would not recommend if you’re new to Superman) ↳ DC Bombshells ↳ Injustice: Gods Among Us / Injustice 2 / Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent (would not recommend these if you’re new to DC)

Prior to the changes made to Lex's lore in the wake of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", Lex had been a mad scientist first and foremost, and had generally been portrayed as fairly human and flawed. This version of Lex grew up in Smallville alongside Clark Kent, though in the 80s and beyond this would be written in and out of his continuity several times.

These can be a little campy and goofy at times, since the comics were still being marketed toward children and were largely episodic, but there are some truly excellent bits of characterization for Lex within the pre-crisis canon, and it really is a treasure trove of Clex content if you're into that.

How Luthor Met Superboy, by Jerry Siegel (Adventure Comics #271)

The original story of Lex and Superboy (Clark) meeting for the first time. Eventually retooled slightly for Elliot Maggin's "The Luthor Nobody Knows" and then massively overhauled for Superman: Birthright, but this is the original, and while a bit corny and dated, some parts of it still hold up!

The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman, by Edmund Hamilton (Superman #164)

Lex and Superman face off on a red sun planet in an attempt to prove once and for all which of the two of them is stronger. The start of the short "Lexor" arc wherein becomes a hero on another planet.

Luthor Unleashed!, by Cary Bates 💜 (Action Comics #544)

The conclusion of the Lexor arc (mentioned above). Lex has a wife and child on Lexor, and considers that he might even be able to let himself be truly happy there. Unfortunately for him, his obsession with Superman wins out.

The Luthor Nobody Knows, by Elliot S! Maggin 💜 (Superman #292)

This story is somewhat of a retelling of "How Luthor Met Superboy", but told via flashback from the perspective of Superman. It's a bit more introspective than the original Silver Age story, with Clark reminiscing on his relationship with Lex.

The Einstein Connection, by Elliot S! Maggin 💜 (Superman #416)

Long before Smallville decided to make Lex an Alexander the Great fanboy, pre-crisis Lex uphold Albert Einstein as one of his heroes. A great character study on pre-crisis Lex, and in general a great example of the more "frenemy"-esque dynamic that Maggin wrote Clark and Lex with.

The Ghost of Superman Future, by Elliot S! Maggin (Superman #416)

A story set in the far future, with an elderly Superman recounting his life, including his friendship with Lex Luthor and all of its many ups and downs and complications. Contains the first-ever reference to the idea of Lexcorp, though it would not be fully incorporated into the mainline canon until post-crisis when Byrne revamped the character. ** If you like this story, I would strongly recommend reading Elliot S! Maggin's short story "Luthor's Gift", as it delves further into the dynamic between Clark, Lex, and Lois and presents a very bittersweet story of the end of Lex and Lois's lives. **

Further Reading

↳ Luthor -- Super-Hero! (Superman #168) ↳ Lex Luthor -- Super Scalp-hunter! (Superman #282) ↳ The Parasite's Power Play (Superman #286) ↳ Seven-foot-two... and Still Growing! (Superman #302) ↳ Welcome to Luthorcon III! (DC Comics Presents: Annual #4)

There are some I would personally recommend only reading for historical purposes, as they do not have a lot of connection to Lex's current characterization and have largely been retconned. These contain some pretty triggering content and I will try to warn for it where appropriate.

Superman (1986) and The Man of Steel (1986) by John Byrne

John Byrne was tasked with rebooting the Superman franchise after Crisis on Infinite Earths and made a lot of sweeping changes to the Superman lore at the time. One of the changes made was to switch Lex from a mad scientist who grew up in Smallville and was friends with Clark Kent as a child to a corrupt billionaire who grew up in Metropolis. A lot of the emotional complexity and depth of the pre-crisis version of Lex was stripped away into making him more unambiguously villainous. The Lex of the Byrne era is... to put it delicately, very predatory and abusive to the women in his life. John Byrne is also a far-right conservative and his politics in general bleed through a lot into his work, so I don't recommend it on... pretty much any level.

Lex Luthor: An Unauthorized Biography by James D. Hudnall

This comic contains Lex's Metropolis-based origin story, which would be his accepted origin from Crisis on Infinite Earths through the publication of Superman: Birthright. On top of lacking most of the aspects of Lex that most people who like him actually appreciate, this comic continues the Byrne-era trend of Lex being sexually predatory and physically abusive to the women in his life. You've been warned.

[thatonebirdwrites]

Finally. I've been so ill lately, that it's taken me forever to edit this and get it posted. I feel bad about that. I've spent so many days bedridden. I could barely eat, barely get out of bed, struggling to even clean myself up. It was just awful. The flare-up was horrendous thanks to the disability hearing and some other harmful things that happened all at once. My dissociation has been through the roof.

But I'd like to think my health is stabilizing now? I hope so. Writing is my main coping mechanism.

Excerpt:

When the world shifts on its axis in a metaphorical sense, Lena Luthor prepares for the worst. It’s her coping mechanism. If she is prepared for the worst, then she’s prepared for anything, right?

This logic doesn’t hold up when faced with healing from trauma. How humans process trauma differs from aliens. She can rationally and logically prepare, but her work centers a human mind. Sure, she’s slowly branching L-Corp beyond human-centric models. Hiring several alien scientists and green-lighting their projects has aided in this endeavor. Opening Luthor Hospital to alien medical personnel and patients also aids in better understanding.

She’s talked with Sam, Nia, Kelly, and even J’onn about what to expect. Alex isn’t answering her phone, otherwise, Lena will have talked with her too. It’s J’onn that gives her the biggest insight.

“Think of it this way,” he says. He sits in his red armchair next to a wall of bookcases, the ground floor of the tower he’s been building since he left the DEO. Lena finds the wall fascinating, and wants to dig into the treasure trove of books, but instead, she focuses on J’onn. “Kara’s first thirteen years of life was in a rigid homogeneous culture. One where everyone had a place in society, often pre-determined from birth. She’s learned some flexibility in thinking since coming to Earth, but she’s also fallen into that rigid approach far more times than I can count.” 

Lena sighs. “Like her reaction to the Kryptonite during the worldkiller crisis.” 

“Yes.” J’onn leaned forward, his arms on his knees. “Her trauma spoke louder than her rational-mind, and her laser focus pointed in the wrong direction. That rigidity from her culture flared, and it is only when she realized she was losing you, that she made a decision to do better.”

“Wait, what?” Lena stares at him. “What do you mean losing me?”

J’onn smiles, sadly. “She shared of your elevator conversation. Where you said Supergirl acted like your mother. That you’d never trust her again. She came to me devastated, wondering how to fix it. I believe she still beats herself up over it.” 

“Oh.” In all honesty, Lena hasn’t thought about that conversation in over a year. “I tend toward overly dramatic language,” she says, quietly. “And at the time, I didn’t want to ever trust Supergirl again.” 

“What caused you to trust her again?”

Lena shakes her head. “I don’t know.” 

J’onn’s words haunts her the rest of that day and the next. 

She understands to an extent rigid thinking. She’s seen it in Lex and Lillian, and glimpses of it in her father. She also understands laser-focus on a topic, as she does it herself when chin-deep in a project. 

She wants to be able to view things through Kara’s lens, and she hopes Kara will be able to view things through her lens. It’s a simple metaphor, one to bridge the gap between her human experience and Kara’s alien one.

Likely it’d be easier to discuss this with Kara herself, but that proves daunting. So Lena leaves it for the therapy sessions. Yes, she knows unraveling a lifetime of trauma in one session of therapy is unrealistic. It doesn’t stop her from feeling frustrated that the first session is only fifty-five minutes. She wants to get it all done and over with in one go, but that isn’t how these things work.

She likes to think she’s prepared for the glimpses into Kara’s trauma. The deep grief Kara hides surfaces randomly. Lena has learned to sit with Kara, let her weep or rage as needed, and be present to hold her through it all. It’s not that different from what Kara has done for her.

This still isn’t enough to prepare her for therapy with Kara Zor El Danvers. She doesn’t realize until their first session how intricate and delicate the web is within Kara’s mind.

[radioactive-earthshine]

Thoughts on House of Brainiac pt 1 in Action Comics #1064

We got a good balance of action and whimsy, I really enjoyed seeing Lois taking time for herself to just (attempt) to do mundane things for herself with adult friends on her one day off.

I love that Kon and Kenan are regularly babysitting Otho and Osul. Also ngl it's funny that Kon doesn't even have a hero title here he's just 'clone of superman and lex luthor.

Kara is on a date?! 👀 I might have missed something but I do not recall her dating anyone so this is a fun little detail.

John and Lana as we know are now engaged and this was a fun way to remind the reader of that detail.

Clark playing with the ocean here was just a cute scene and was beautifully done.

The headband is a bit much...

Naturally because this issue starts so blissfully mundane and domestic and happy we know shit is gonna hit the fan and shit hit that fan. But not before we were given a little crumb to chew on...

They were interrupted before it could be revealed but we can assume this is an anniversary of some kind- maybe their marriage, maybe the day they met, maybe the day Clark came back to life, something else. We don't know yet so we're left in the dark until that bit is revealed eventually.

Brainiac attacks Metropolis with the Czarnian army he had from a bottle-city and in the midst of the chaos Clark reveals that he doesn't have as much experience with Brainiac as Kara does - so we are not dealing with pre-Crisis OR pre-Flashpoint crisis canon in this case. Which was to be expected. Brainiac's encounters with Krypton pre-destruction has been a poignant part of Kara and Krypton's canon for a while now and would have been unwise to erase in my opinion. Having Clark leaning on her for direction is a welcome change from when he was exceedingly familiar with Brainiac.

As expected Brainiac is going straight after Luthor of whom they have had a long history together where Brainiac does in fact view him as the smartest human. Whether or not this is accurate is not really fairly quantifiable but Brainiac thinks he is, and that's what matters.

"Those Lobos" Amazing how LEX is calling Czarnians LOBOS. The smartest man on the planet people.

👀 We're gonna have to chew on this one.

Well Lex got what he wanted, his daughter to call him Dad.

Brainiac needs Lex's head for whatever he has planned and he took Lena and Mercy captive as a sort of bargaining chip to try to get Lex to comply, because this incarnation of Lex is not totally without feelings.

Lobos. Not Czarnians. Lobos.

He better start calling all Kryptonians Kal Els or Supermans.

While it is unlikely he had a direct hand in the attack this is likely something he started or helped to put in motion. And he confirms that he has an idea of what Brainiac is up to when he WARNS Clark to not allow Brainiac to obtain his family, or anyone WITH powers.

It is also interesting that he is referring to them as his family, not his 'brood' or 'kin'. Family.

Either way, Lex knows something more than what he is immediately revealing.

Remember, they CANNOT be captured. It's imperati-

.... Damnit.

So the worst thing just happened and all of Clark's family and close friends and several metas within Metropolis were snagged immediately.

However, Jon and Jay have NOT been shown to be captured (yet). We do not see either of them in this issue so it will be interesting to see if Jon (or Jay) will have some sort of part to play in this arc.

I wonder if Jay's powers would even let him BE captured in the first place. It might be likely that Williamson couldn't factor that in so he elected to keep it out entirely.

Huh. You know. THIS detail was originally Kieth Giffen's Czarnia when he made the back history of Lobo. Czarnia was such a utopia it didn't even have a police force because everyone simply... got along. Until Lobo was born and killed everyone. Now the Czarnian canon is quite different and for some reason every single member dresses exactly like Lobo which sigh while 'cool' makes the whole people feel one-dimensional and I do not LIKE it.

Just because I wear plunging neckline tops and yoga pants doesn't mean every human does as well. Heaven forbid if some alien species bases all of humanity based on my wardrobe. You're ALL wearing black and yellow.

Anyway, this "Lobo" is named General Chacal. And because he is named we're likely going to be dealing with him more.

ngl they are all so cute in their pink fairy bottles. Anyway, they're being taken into SPACE.

The last person to get nabbed is Lex who in an apparent show of self sacrifice prevents Clark from being taken. This could all be strategy but the comic is leading us to believe he does care for his daughter. So Brainiac wins this round.

The closing pages leaves a lot of mysteries still as to WHAT Brainiac is doing.

Thus far we know the following;

1.) He is LONELY and he wants to remedy that but he can't be normal about it. 2.) Lex and him have history involving his wildly important plan to not be lonely. 3.) His plan involves Kryptonians, and metas, so we can safely assume he is using their genetics in some facet. 4.) He NEEDS Lex to complete this plan. 5.) He intends to share his knowledge, what this means and with who is unknown but it could be he is intending to share it with other versions of himself due to the last page. 6.) Speaking of the last page, it is interesting because we are seeing a mosaic of different versions of Brainiac from across time and realities. It is still very much unknown what his plan is, he could be intending to make some sort of beefed up Frankenstein's monster version of a companion "Brainiac Queen" - or he might be planning on beefing himself up and a new population of Coluans or both. We simply do not know. Other mysteries; 1.) Destruction of Braal. - Why? 2.) I know Williamson mentioned he read L.E.G.I.O.N. so he is not ignorant that Brainiac DOES IN FACT ALREADY HAVE FAMILY that he's tried to kill multiple times. I hope he brings in Vril Dox II because if there EVER were an appropriate time, it is now. I'm really excited and next week we get pt2 in Superman 2023 #13. This is a big build up and it is hard to say where the fuck we're going.

[cantsayidont]

February 1961. If Lex Luthor was a teenager in Smallville when Clark Kent was Superboy, what happened to Lex's family? Jerry Siegel answered that question in a curiously roundabout way about a year later, in a story in SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE #23. Perry White assigns Lois to "write a story on witchcraft," and sends her to the New England town of Cardiff, where there were witch trials centuries earlier. In Cardiff, Lois visits the local library to learn more about the trials and notices that one of the alleged witches burned at the stake, Louella Thompsons, bore a striking resemblance to the town's current librarian, a young woman with the unusual name of Lena Thorul:

Learning that Lena was orphaned as a child, Lois soon works herself into a froth imagining that Lena is the reincarnation of Louella Thompsons, and that the accidents that killed her family might be the result of black magic. Lois then begins to think she's being watched, and experiences several bizarre events, including the mysterious disappearances of her camera and typewriter. She also narrowly avoids a car accident like the one Lena said killed her parents. Superman, as always in these stories skeptical of any kind of "superstitious magic," is convinced that there must be a scientific explanation — and since evil scientist Lex Luthor recently escaped from prison, Superman concludes there must be a connection. Locating Luthor's secret lab with Lois in tow, Superman finds that Luthor has been using remote "vision-screens" to monitor Cardiff and the Daily Planet offices, and used "super-science rays" to cause the mysterious disappearances of Lois's stuff. Superman even guesses the reason:

Superman then gets Luthor to explain the whole story:

In late 1962, Lena popped up again in the Supergirl strip in ACTION COMICS #295, which reveals that she moved to Midvale not long after her previous appearance. Lena befriends Supergirl in her guise as Linda Lee Danvers and applies for a job as an FBI secretary, but is rejected because, as an FBI official explains to Supergirl, "Our security check on Lena drew a complete blank! No one knows where she came from! There's no birth certificate! All we know is that she was found in the wreckage of a car after a serious accident, and once worked as a librarian in a small town! She's a complete mystery! A girl without a past!" Dismayed, Supergirl — who's unaware of Lois's earlier encounter with Lena — travels back in time and learns what Lex had previously revealed to Superman and Lois about his family.

That story reveals that while Lena's resemblance to Louella Thompsons was a coincidence, Lena does possess extrasensory perception. Learning that his sister has fallen in with a gang of thieves who want to use her psychic abilities for robbery, Luthor asks Supergirl for help:

Luckily, Lena actually uses her extrasensory powers to thwart the gang's attempted bank robbery. As she tells Supergirl:

From this point on, Lena became a semi-regular Supergirl supporting character. About two years later, in ACTION COMICS #317, she married FBI agent Jeff Colby and became Lena Thorul Colby. Supergirl kept her promise to Lex and didn't tell Lena about him, but in the Supergirl stories in THE SUPERMAN FAMILY #213–214 in 1981, Lena found out anyway, and was outraged that Supergirl had never told her the truth. Lena reconnected with Lex — whose concern about her wellbeing was completely genuine, if perhaps misplaced — and Supergirl expressed hope that Lena would eventually forgive her. However, THE SUPERMAN FAMILY #214 was Lena's last pre-Crisis appearance, so it seems they didn't reconcile before Kara's death in the Crisis in 1985.

Unlike in many modern stories, the pre-Crisis Luthors didn't appear to be particularly rich. Lex's comment in Lena's first appearance about their parents having "left everything" to her suggests that she might have inherited a little money, but given that she was working as a small town librarian and applying for secretarial jobs, she presumably wasn't independently wealthy.

In post-Crisis continuity, there was initially no indication that Lex Luthor had any siblings, but his parents were still killed in a car accident, which LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY strongly implied that Lex arranged so he could collect on their life insurance policy.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Pre-Crisis S5 AU. A DEO case involving a Lex Luthor copycat alien-killer forces Kara to visit Lillian Luthor in prison to help solve the mystery, since after the Myriad debacle Lena is refusing to answer Kara’s calls. Any HC’s on how a team-up with an emotionally vulnerable Kara and a jailed Lillian would go?

Ohhhhhh Lillian would milk the hell out of this. Especially since it's the self-fulfilled prophecy Lillian had laid out for Kara at the end of S2, about how when Lena learns the lie, she'll hate Kara for it.

But what would be even juicier is if Lena went back to Lillian after the reveal. Lena puts it together that her mother likely knew, seeing as how Lex did. And Lillian's resulting frankness is a balm to Lena's newly raw edges. She starts visiting the prison in earnest, reconnecting with her mother in a way they never had a chance to before.

But neither Lena nor Kara know that Lillian is speaking regularly with the other, until one day Kara shows up unexpectedly mid-Lena visit. They're both shocked, and Lillian watches with relish as Lena starts hurling accusations at her former best friend and Kara helplessly tries to counter them, to no avail.

When Lena storms out, maybe THAT'S when Lillian has her I-told-you-so.

"I warned you," she might say.

Kara doesn't deny it, only sighs as her shoulders droop. "Will she forgive me?"

Lillian regards her solemnly. "Once upon a time, I would have said never. But Lena's time in National City has softened her. Whether that will work in your favor or not-- who can say?"

Not exactly hope, but not exactly the biting cruelty Kara expects. The weight on her shoulders lifts, just a fraction.

Maybe, even now... she still has a chance.

[ao3feed-supercorp]

even above the stars

by andthenwhathappened108

Post Crisis. For 5 years Kara Zor-el has been presumed dead. When Lena gets a call from the DEO with 10-year-old Lorianne by her side in the middle of the night to be told that Argo exploded.

For 5 years Lena has been 'widowed' and a single mother for little Lori, battling to handle a company while being there for her daughter with her mother's powers. Lena remembered the years that has passed before Kara disappeared, how in the world can she grieve knowing the love of her life is out there?

For 5 years Kara has been stranded in the darkness of the universe once again, reliving her time when Krypton first exploded. Every day trying to get back to Earth after the loss of her mother and Kal-el. With hallucinations and weakened powers could she find a way home?

For 5 years Lorianne Zor-el Luthor-Danvers has to find a way to cope with the loss of her hero and mother, Supergirl. Every year, she tries to control her powers and her mother is not there to teach her. Her friends support her at every turn and find the path to take, whether it's taking her mother's cape or living a 'normal' life.

*also found on wattpad*

Words: 16711, Chapters: 5/30, Language: English

Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015), Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) RPF

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, Multi

Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers, Nia Nal, Original Danvers-Luthor Child(ren), Original Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen Child(ren), Winn Schott Jr., J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw, Andrea Rojas, Barry Allen, Kate Kane (DCU), Lex Luthor, Mar Novu | The Monitor, Mia Smoak, Original Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe Child(ren), William Clayton (Arrow TV 2012), Mon-El (Supergirl TV 2015)

Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe), Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe), SuperCorp Week, Argo City (DCU), Alternate Timelines, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Lex Luthor Being an Asshole, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor in Love, Underage Drug Use

from AO3 works tagged 'Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor' https://ift.tt/DkWtujb via IFTTT https://ift.tt/DkWtujb

[wonderbutch]

4 from supercorp playlist

eulogy by white ivy

i picked this song because it reminds me so much of pre crisis lena and kara, especially lenas last arc (the superman family 211-214).

lena finally finds out about lindas secret identity: she is supergirl, kara zor-el, who is also lenas best friend. things are fine, and it even makes their relationship stronger. but suddenly lena gets sick, and her mother in law tells lena the Big Secret: lex luthor is her brother. kara has known this for years, and was sworn to secrecy (and occasionally blackmailed/manipulated) by lex to not tell her. lena hates kara for this, and screams at her to leave. however, when kara comes back as linda, lena has forgotten that they are the same person, once again restoring kara’s secret identity.

kara eventually saves lena from a plot against her, and seemingly restores her relationship with lena (we never find out, it ends ambiguously and shortly after this comic kara dies during crisis on infinite earths)

this song reminds me of them so so much, losing each other because of this big secret, and not being able to fully make up because of kara’s death.

[black-coffee-and-sugar]

Maybe I simply missed this because Lord knows I don't have the greatest memory for my own life much less fictional lives but it's been nagging at me for some time now.

Why is Luthor Corp headquartered in NC post-crisis? The only reason it moved from Metropolis to NC is because of Lex's crimes and Lena wanting to "share her home with a Kryptonian". She wanted to rebrand the company as L-Corp and "make it a force for good". That was the whole point of the company HQ moving to NC in the first place.

But post-crisis, the rebranding never happened, Lex is still in charge technically so what was the reason for the move? Shouldn't it still be in Metropolis then? Like I would just like to know what exactly changed and what remained the same on Earth-Prime. We know that Kenny is apparently still alive and it was his death initially that helped Kara and Alex bond and develop their iconic Danvers sisters relationship. So since he didn't die, did that whole business with the sheriff still happen?

It makes you think that pretty much anything between S1 and crisis could be different. Did red daughter still happen? Does Sam still work for Luthor Corp? Did Edge still try to kill Lena with both Lex and Lillian around to end him? Did Supergirl still save Lena from the helicopter crash since Lex wouldn't have needed to try and kill her this time? The agent liberty stuff did happen, the show established that but was Lex the one who egged Ben Lockwood on or was there some other external influence? Lena still bought CatCo and she still sold it to Andrea but was the reason for that still the same? Hell even Andrea's activation by Leviathan happened differently post-crisis than what we saw in 5x06.

And then there's this: Winn didn't have Earth-38 memories until J'onn gave them to him which means everyone in the future was affected. This also means Mon-El's memories are gone and who the hell knows if his relationship with Kara played out the same way it did pre-crisis. I doubt they'll even talk about this and they should!

God this damn show and it's inconsistencies drive me crazy.

[cryingalexanders]

thoughts about pre-crisis Lex Luthor

now that I've read all of earth-one/pre-crisis lex's main canon appearances, I thought I'd list some things I noticed or found interesting.

It was consistent that pre-crisis Lex didn't care about money. Some stories went as far as to emphasise he could've been rich if he'd wanted to but he would actively scorn it!

By the time we get to the early 80s he's living a comfortable lifestyle, and had his own secret island base. But he still frets when Superman smashes millions of dollars worth of equipment

In the silver age he would buy abandoned places to use as bases under false names and keep them at the ready, presumably using money from bank robberies. They were usually on-theme too like museums, observatories, etc. I definitely think this is an element that should come back

The way he dresses. the coloured pants! his little ascots! they were such a thing for pre-crisis Lex

He also has this escape-artist thing going on, where he "enjoys the challenge" and there's a scene which hints at him being bored at having been out of prison for a while

I don't really mind this change and I think either way makes sense, but before Cary Bates and Marv Wolfman brought in elements influenced by the 78 movie in the early 80s... there was no indication that Lex ever mistreated his goons/lackeys. he would at least pay lip service to their wellbeing. it was his interactions with other villains that were much more hostile and laden with betrayal. (as well as cellmates when he had them)

Cary Bates had a great take on Lex, don’t get me wrong, he wrote some of his best pre-crisis stories, but he seemed to be taking a lot of cues from Donner/Hackman Lex going into the 80s, and I feel that kind of synergy lessened what was special about the comic counterpart.

There were writers, especially in the late silver age/early bronze age, who wrote Lex as more cold and overtly misanthropic. That's what I see in Waid's take on him. So it is drawing on the silver age, it's just specific stories rather than the general trends. e.g. Action Comics #363-365 is a very Waid-esque version of pre-crisis Lex.

Silver age Brainiac was actually pretty loyal to Lex and wouldn't leave him behind (Lex wasn't the same way back unfortunately). there was definitely subterfuge but they had a weirdly sweet relationship. it's sure different from modern stuff where they're always 2 seconds away from murdering each other whenever they interact (hell even the bronze age was like that because Brainiac became a darker character)

there's this one Superboy comic where it's established that Jonathan Kent and Lex hate each other because Jonathan denied him parole as a member of the reform school board. most of the time Jonathan seemed more indifferent to him though

on the other hand, silver age Martha felt sorry for Lex (and lowkey wanted to adopt him), even when he was trying to kill her son (if you don't know, pre-crisis Lex started trying to kill Superboy when they were teenagers in Smallville, but regardless of that goal he was generally considered a more lighthearted "menace")

I know that technically he had an older sister who was Nastalthia's mother but the actual flashbacks to his childhood treated him as the oldest sibling and it just being him and Lena, and that's the dynamic I prefer.

Lex as an uncle though. he’s so cute with Val (well, for the most part. it was complicated). his relationship with Nasty was bland though.

His relationship with Lena and by extension, Supergirl, was so interesting. Lex was usually so chill whenever he showed up in Supergirl, the way they had an understanding that he could be counted on to protect Lena, and I wish he and Kara would’ve interacted more during those times he had truces with Superman, considering she saw his protective/selfless side before Superman did.

[kincalling]

hello! im kara zor-el from DC comics! i have many timelines and incarnations, most of which hailing from the new 52 and pre crisis. i also have a cw timeline. i am looking for kal-el, kon-el, lena luthor/lena thorul, alex danvers, anyone really! even doubles! especially my family. i miss u all very much. you can dm me @wonderbutch and ill get back to u! thanks for ur time!

🎧

[bisupergirl]

scooby-doo! team up (2014) #74

my god? like mother like daughter like NASTY....

adventure comics (2009) #6 || justice league (2011) #41

wow like mother like daughter 🫶

[occidentaltourist]

I really want to understand why Lillian was so protective of Lena even while working with Lex. Pre-crisis Lillian wasn't like this, not when Lex was working with her at least. I mean she basically threatened Lex's life if something happened to Lena. I really hope we get an explanation to that because I feel like it came out of nowhere

For real. It’s like someone took the idea that ‘Lilian is an enigma’ as license to just have her say and do random things to surprise her children whenever it suits her - or more accurately, the plot.

The Luthors reminded us tonight why they’re such an asset to the show and how refreshing they can be in contrast to the sometimes monotonous SuperFriends, and I totally enjoyed all their scenes individually and together. Where was this energy through most of S5. Tragic!

[fanfictionfaberrycentral]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Supergirl (TV 2015) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers, Lex Luthor, Nia Nal, Querl Dox, Kelly Olsen (Supergirl TV 2015), Kelly (Supergirl TV 2015), Kara Zor-El Additional Tags: Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor-centric, Alex Danvers & Lena Luthor Friendship, Karaoke, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Pre-Crisis Series: Part 2 of I Know... Summary:

This is Part 2 of two different scenarios of how I imagine things would have played out if Lena secretly knew Kara was Supergirl all along. One in which Lena is as Luthor as they come. And the other in which she isn't.

I posted the original piece in January 2021. I just updated it and expanded Part 1 of the series (where Lena is as Luthor as they come). It goes into much more detail about what she does with Kara. Part 2 is where Lena is the teddy bear we all know she really is. It has also been updated and extended and is even fluffier than before! :)

[sapphic-luthor]

It’s been a while… but I totally used to flood your asks with all my season 5 questions and was the anon who talked about the multiple reasons and asked a bunch of other shit I can’t exactly remember now lol

But I’ve recently been talking with my friends about s5, and let me tell you, it gives me a huge mind fuck every single time. While the show didn’t seem to hold a lot of regard to canon in the first place, it occurred to me that by bringing Lex back, they destroyed everything previously established in the show.

They showed some of Lena’s backstory, but that essentially became moot episodes later. If Lex never tried to murder superman and wasn’t responsible for the deaths of a lot of other people, he never went to jail. It also means that the company never took a hit or required new leadership. There are so many implications for this new ‘reality’ for lack of a better word.

My question is how did the Luthors end up in National City. Like I’ve legitimately tried to think up a reasonable answer for this, but there is none. Lena only went to NC to rebrand the company and show Luthors and Supers could work together. So Lex rewriting reality negates all of that since there was never a reason for Lena to flee her family’s tarnished reputation. The new reality makes episode 5x13 impossible too because most of those events directly related to Lena coming to NC for a new start (which she’s no longer in charge of LuthorCorp) or directly involve her brother. And there’s no confirmation that Reign happened in this reality either since Lena brought Sam in to run the company for her.

I really don’t know why I’m trying to look for logic anymore. But any thoughts?

so i’ve gotten tangled in this as well, and in my opinion, the answer is “it’s complicated.”

a long thing about this below:

as far as the luthors ending up in national city, we don’t know the current canon reason anymore. but what we do know is that as far as lena is concerned, she moved to “share a home with a kryptonian” and restore the family name like she mentioned in 5x05. and yes, CoIE rewrote this to maybe or maybe-not exist, but lena still remembers that as being the reason why. so even though everyone else in this world might remember something totally different, (the luthors came for the sunshine! the luthors came for a new business venture!) that’s what’s in both our knowledge and lena’s feelings, and so i’m willing to treat it as canon.

there’s a weird, meta question about “what is reality” here: is it the thing that really happened, or is it the thing that everyone believes to have happened? what if there’s no way to prove one or the other?

for example, you mention the new reality making 5x13 impossible.

which, yes. if you could rewind the time of both kara and lena in their post-crisis lives, there would have been no betrayal (maybe), there would have been no lena being cold and isolated but ara breaking through (maybe) etc. but. kara remembers the pre-crisis world, and lena remembers the pre-crisis world. so both of them remember the events that led to their friendship, the fight they had, and the feelings they had toward one another.

as far as I’m concerned, that means it still happened, even if maybe to an objective omniscient viewer in this universe it didn’t.

this is a thing that the arrowverse hasn’t bothered to try to work out in text, and i think that’s because it’s simply beyond what they’re ready to address lmao