Smallville’s 10 Darkest Lex Luthor Scenes, Ranked

Smallville Puts his Lex Luthor through a lot in order to send him down the path of evil. Over 7 seasons, he goes from victim to villain, committing some of the most heinous acts in the show’s history. Lex, wonderfully brought to life by Michael Rosenbaum, is a force of nature in SmallvilleBut he starts off his journey unsure of where his morals begin and stop. This is largely due to the complicated relationship he has with his father, business magnate Lionel Luthor. Their dynamic is strained at best due to Lionel’s harsh parenting of Lex.

however, Lex doubles down on becoming a better person after being saved by the young Clark Kent. The two are fast friends, though their bond is tested by both their fathers’ feud and Lex’s growing fascination with Clark’s seemingly inhuman feats. While Clark becomes a hero, Lex just descends further and further. Unfortunately, the cracks in their friendship become their undoing, as Lex both falls victim to and causes tragedies. Here are some of Lex’s darkest moments over SmallvilleRanked:

10

Lex hesitates to save Lionel

Season 1, Episode 21 “Storm”

During Smallville In season one, Lex is sent by Lionel to take over a LuthorCorp factory in the small town. The younger Luthor is unhappy with the assignment and sees it as his father testing him. finally, Lex earns his respect and is offered a chance to move to Metropolis with his father, But by that point, he had made friends in Smallville. As a result, he declines. In retaliation, Lionel conspires to shut down the factory in order to force Lex to quit.

This leads to a chess match in which Lex counters with an employee buyout followed by Lionel buying the bank to stop him. Before any resolution is reached, a tornado hits Smallville, and Lionel is injured. Lex has the choice to save his father or let him die. Although he ultimately makes the moral choice to save Lionel, his dark side almost wins out. This is an early example of Lex’s struggles with doing what is right versus what benefits him, back in the first season.

9

Lex fights his inner child (literally)

Season 7, Episode 16 “Descent”

Much later in Lex’s time on SmallvilleLex is critically injured in season 7, episode 12, “Wreck.” His phone reveals that he knows the locations of Lois Lane and Kara Zor-EL/Supergirl. Clark is forced to enter his mind in order to verify the information, and as a result, he must relive part of Lex’s childhood. During his trip through his former friend’s brain, Clark meets both sides of his personality: Lex, the evil adult, and Alexander, the innocent child. The latter helps Clark find his friends, while the former tries to stop Clark by showing him a memory of Lex and Lana together.

Just before he retreats from Lex’s brain to save Lois and Kara, Clark sees Lex strangling Alexander and saves the young boy. Clark makes Alexander promise not to stop fighting, And the rest of season 7 builds on that. Alexander shows up again as hallucinations the real Lex has about his increasingly evil deeds. The encounters are tough, especially in episode 16, “Descent,” which shows Lex pushing Alexander into a burning fireplace. The visual representation of Lex’s good and bad sides demonstrates that he chooses to be evil, and this is what makes him beyond redemption.

8

Lex thinks that killing Clark is his birthright

Season 7, Episode 20 “Arctic”

Also in season 7, Lex becomes deeply involved with Veritas, a secret society made up of Lionel, Virgil Swann, Robert Quinn and others who all bought the Traveler Prophecy. The traveler was said to be a powerful being from another world who would need to be protected until he came of age and saved the planet from destruction. Lex eventually connects the dots and realizes that the Traveler is Clark. He is then manipulated by Brainiac under the guise of Kara into believing that his destiny is to defeat the Traveler.

Lex secures the location of the Fortress of Solitude by examining his orb, A Kryptonian device that was previously hidden in the Luthor mansion. He and Clarke have a climactic confrontation, and Lex’s god complex is on full display. The years of hurt from Clark lying to him combining with his lust for power make Lex completely cave in to his delusions of grandeur.

Clark desperately pleads with Lex not to destroy the fortress, but the latter replies, “You will never threaten the world again, Kal-Al.“ The moment is as tense as it is tragic. Lex is all the more dangerous because he truly believes he is the savior of humanity, which becomes his undoing when the fortress collapses.

7

Lex kills Tess Mercer

Season 10, Episode 22 “Finale, Part 2”

After nearly three full seasons away from the show, Rosenbaum’s Lex returned to Smallville for its final. During the episode, he is reunited with Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), his former employee who is actually his half-sister. Lex pulls Tess in for a hug and says, “i love you sister“As he stalks her. He then adds, “You know I’m actually saving you.” After being asked what he’s saving her from, Lex replies, “of returning to me.”

It’s a sad moment, until Tess reaches up to touch Lex’s face and says, “Clark has already done that.” She doses Lex with a neurotoxin that erases his memories and dies, redeeming herself with her final fight. With this, Tess is able to do what Lex never could. Even so, the scene ends on one of Smallvilles coolest shots. Lex steps to look out the window of his office and the letters of the LuthorCorp sign fall away, making it read LexCorp.

6

Lex forces Lana to ingest kryptonite

Season 8, Episode 14 “Requiem”

In season 8, Lana Lang returns Smallville. She left Clark at the end of the previous season because she knew her ex-husband, Lex, would never stop coming after her. She returns for Chloe Sullivan’s wedding and contemplates rekindling her romance with Clark. In an interesting twist, She gains superpowers after donning a suit made by LuthorCorp for Lex. Lana’s superpowers allow her and Clark to have a more intense physical relationship and engage in heroics. However, a jealous Lex sets a trap for the lovers.

On top of the Daily Planet, Lex placed a Kryptonite bomb capable of taking out half of Metropolis. He reveals that Lana’s suit is capable of absorbing the kryptonite to depower the bomb, but it would come at the cost of her relationship with Clark. recognize the great good, Lana sacrifices her ability to be around Clark to save the city because of Lex’s trap. Undoubtedly, Lex’s jealous act is one of his most vindictive throughout the whole of Smallville.

5

Lex orders Julian’s assassination

Season 7, Episode 10 “Persona”

Smallville season 7 introduces Grant Gabriel, a clone of Lex’s deceased brother, Julian. The death of his brother is one of the defining tragedies in Lex’s life when he took the blame for his mother smothering the baby. Lex installs him as the editor of the Daily Planet. Grant was implanted with memories to trick him into thinking he had been given up for children. This occurs on Lex when Grant seeks a relationship with LionelThat was reformed by this point in the series. Not only does Lionel accept Gabriel, but he tells Lex, comparing the brothers.

This deeply upsets Lex, who warns Gabriel to stay away from Lionel. Gabriel doesn’t comply, and Lex orders a hit on him. After he gets a text confirming that the deed has been done, the older Luthor goes out onto his balcony and screams into the night. His choice to take a clone of his brother is especially poignant given his previous trauma and longing for Julian, making this one of Lex’s lowest points.

4

Lex confronts Lionel about Julian and his mother

Season 3, Episode 19 “Memoria”

One of the most moving and tragic scenes in Smallville Occurs in season 3, episode 19. After losing his last memories earlier in the season, Lex undergoes treatment to regain them at the Summerholt Institute. Instead of recovering the lost weeks, he remembered a long lost memory: that Lillian Luthor killed Julian instead of him. Lex spent his entire life not only feeling guilty but also being mistreated by his father as a result of the tragedy. He confronts Lionel, and the resulting conversation is heart-wrenching.

At first, Lionel refuses to believe Lillian would do such a thing, but Lex explains that it was a mercy killing and that he took the blame so his father wouldn’t kill her. John Glover, who plays Lionel, delivers some amazing facial acting as his character realizes Lex is honest. Lionel says, “It would have been so, so different between us,” to which Lex responds, “Yeah, Dad, you might have really loved me.” It is a difficult, well-acted scene, which further characterizes Lex’s trauma and the tragedy that surrounds him.

3

Lex tricks Lana into thinking she is pregnant

Season 6, Episode 18 “Progeny”

Lex and Lana’s relationship is sometimes hard to watch. He met her when she was a teenager and he was an adult. They became friends while she was still quite young. Initially, he is the biggest fan of Lana and Clark’s relationship, but as early as season 1, Smallville Hint that he is interested in you. Their romance doesn’t really take off until season 5, when they explore Brainiac’s ship together. He orchestrates Lana and Clark’s break-up And gave her his shoulder to cry on. After some back and forth, the two begin a real relationship.

Lana moves in with Lex, and soon after she discovers that she is pregnant. Lex proposes and Lana accepts, even after admitting she still loves Clark. Lana is told that she suffered a miscarriage, but after being hospitalized, she finds out that she was never pregnant. Lex injected her with hormones and pretended she was pregnant so he wouldn’t lose her. Lana then leaves him, with no chance of the two ever rekindling their love. Of all of Lex’s worst actions, this is his most blatantly abusive and invasive, showing his insecurity and inability to love.

2

Lex kills Lionel

Season 7, Episode 16 “Descent”

Season 7 was huge for Lex’s character development as a villain. Besides confronting his inner good and trying to kill Clark, he also calls out Lionel for his actions with Veritas. after all, Lionel’s obsession hurt Lex both physically and emotionally throughout his childhood. Lex tries to get answers from his father about who the Traveler is, but Lionel, now on Clark’s side, pulls a Hail Mary and lies, telling Lex he is the Traveler. Naturally, the younger Luthor sees right through the lie.

Still excited by Lionel’s dishonesty, Lex brandishes his gun. As Lionel pleads with Lex to see reason and stop persecuting the Traveler, his son threatens him for the location of the orb. Lionel refuses and tells Lex that the path offers no redemption. The latter replies coolly, “I arose in your shadow; Now you will die in mine,“ Before he pushes him out of a window. Lex killing his father is the precise moment in Smallville When he got really, really bad.

1

Lex is institutionalized

Season 3, Episode 8 “Shattered”

In season 3, Lex discovers his father committed murder and insurance fraud with Morgan Edge. As a result, LuthorCorp is built on his crimes. to avoid criminal charges, Lionel infiltrates Lex’s staff, which allows him to drug his son and set up false scenarios to discredit him. Lex begins to hallucinate and behave erratically. Although Clark initially tries to protect him, he becomes increasingly concerned that Lex is actually insane after he accidentally hurts Lana.

Lex gets Edge’s location from Lionel and tracks him down, with Clark in hot pursuit. The ensuing showdown causes Clark to expose his powers by stopping a car belonging to Lex. The young Superman has the option to save his friend from Lionel or defend himself. Clarke chooses to use Lionel’s gaslighting as a cover-up.

Afterwards, Lex is shown locked away in a straitjacket. Lionel watches him through a window and presses his hand to the glass as “Hear” by Johnny Cash plays. Lex is completely alone; His father did this to him, and his best friend left him. This sequence of events severely damages Lex’s mental health, and it is perhaps the most emotionally painful scene in Smallville.