Smallville’s 10 Darkest Lex Luthor Scenes, Ranked

Smallville puts his Lex Luthor through a lot of trouble to send him down the path of evil. Over the course of 7 seasons, he goes from victim to villain, committing some of the most heinous acts in the series’ history. Lex, wonderfully brought to life by Michael Rosenbaum, is a force of nature in Smallvillebut he begins his journey without knowing where his morals begin and end. This is largely due to the complicated relationship he has with his father, business mogul Lionel Luthor. Their dynamic is tense at best due to Lionel’s harsh upbringing of Lex.

However, Lex tries to become a better person after being saved by young Clark Kent. The two are fast friends, though their bond is tested by their parents’ rivalry and Lex’s growing fascination with Clark’s seemingly inhuman feats. As Clark becomes a hero, Lex descends further and further. Unfortunately, these ruptures in their friendship become their undoing, as Lex falls victim and causes tragedy. Here are some of Lex’s darkest moments Smallvilleclassified:

10

Lex hesitates to rescue Lionel

Season 1, Episode 21 “Storm”

During Smallville In the first season, Lex is sent by Lionel to take over a LuthorCorp factory in the small town. Young Luthor is dissatisfied with this task and sees it as his father testing him. Possibly, Lex earns his respect and is given the opportunity to move to Metropolis with his father, but by then he had made friends in Smallville. As a result, he refuses. In retaliation, Lionel conspires to close the factory to force Lex out.

This leads to a chess match in which Lex counters with an employee buyout followed by Lionel buying out 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. It’s one of the first examples of Lex’s struggle with doing what’s right versus what benefits him, in the first season.

9

Lex fights his inner child (literally)

Season 7, Episode 16 “Descent”

Much later, in Lex’s time, SmallvilleLex is seriously injured in Season 7, Episode 12, “Fracture”. His phone reveals that he knows the location of Lois Lane and Kara Zor-EL/Supergirl. Clark is forced into his mind to obtain this information and, as a result, has to relive parts of Lex’s childhood. During his trip through his ex-friend’s brain Clark knows both sides of his personality: Lex, the villainous 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 retreating from Lex’s brain to save Lois and Kara, Clark sees Lex choking Alexander and saves the boy. Clark makes Alexander promise not to stop fighting, and the rest of season 7 resolves that. Alexander appears again as hallucinations the real Lex has about his increasingly evil actions. These encounters are heavy, especially in episode 16, “Descent,” which finds Lex pushing Alexander into a burning fireplace. This visual representation of Lex’s good and bad sides demonstrates that he is choosing to be evil, and that is what makes him beyond redemption.

8

Lex thinks killing Clark is his birthright

Season 7, Episode 20 “Arctic”

Also in Season 7, Lex becomes deeply fascinated by Veritas, a secret society made up of Lionel, Virgil Swann, Robert Queen and others who believed in the Traveler’s 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 finally connects the dots and realizes that the Traveler is Clark. He is then manipulated by Brainiac under the guise of Kara into believing his destiny is to defeat the Traveler.

Lex checks the location of the Fortress of Solitude by pondering his orb, a Kryptonian device that was previously hidden in Luthor Mansion. He and Clark have a climactic confrontation, and Lex’s god complex is on full display. Clark’s years of pain from lying to him, combined with his desire for power, cause Lex to fully give in to his delusions of grandeur.

Clark desperately begs Lex not to destroy the Fortress, but Lex responds: “You will never threaten the world again, Kal-El.“ This moment is as tense as it is tragic. Lex is even more dangerous because he truly believes he is humanity’s savior, which becomes his undoing when the Fortress collapses.

7

Lex kills Tess Mercer

Season 10, Episode 22 “Final, Part 2”

After almost three full seasons off the show, Rosenbaum’s Lex returned to Smallville to its end. During the episode, he is reunited with Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), his former employee who is actually his half-sister. Lex pulls Tess into a hug and says, “I love you, sis,” as he stabs her. He then adds, “you know I’m really saving you. ” After asking what he’s saving her from, Lex responds, “to transform into me.”

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

6

Lex forces Lana to absorb kryptonite

Season 8, Epsode 14 “Requiem”

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

On top of the Daily Planet, Lex placed a kryptonite bomb capable of destroying half of Metropolis. He reveals that Lana’s suit is capable of absorbing kryptonite to de-energize the bomb, but this would cost her relationship with Clark. Recognizing the greater good, Lana sacrifices her ability to be close to Clark to save the city because of Lex’s trap. Without a doubt, Lex’s act of jealousy is one of the most vengeful in the entire series. Smallville.

5

Lex orders Julian’s murder

Season 7, Episode 10 “Persona”

Smallville Season 7 introduces Grant Gabriel, a clone of Lex’s late brother Julian. His brother’s death is one of the defining tragedies of Lex’s life, as he took the blame for his mother suffocating the baby. Lex installs him as editor of the Daily Planet. Grant was given memories to trick him into thinking he had been given up for adoption. This backfires on Lex as Grant pursues a relationship with Lionelwhich was reformed at this point in the series. Lionel not only accepts Gabriel, but 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 receiving a message confirming that the deed has been accomplished, the older Luthor walks onto his balcony and screams into the night. His choice to eliminate a clone of his brother is especially poignant given his past 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 “Memory”

One of the most moving and tragic scenes in Smallville occurs in season 3, episode 19. After losing his recent memories at the beginning of the season, Lex undergoes treatment to regain them at the Summerholt Institute. Instead of making up for 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 that tragedy. He confronts Lionel and the resulting conversation is moving.

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

3

Lex tricks Lana into thinking she’s pregnant

Season 6, Episode 18 “Progeny”

Lex and Lana’s relationship is sometimes difficult to watch. He met her when she was a teenager and he was already an adult. They became friends when she was still very young. Initially, he is the biggest fan of Lana and Clark’s relationship, but in the first season, Smallville suggests he is interested in her. Their romance doesn’t really take off until Season 5, when they investigate Brainiac’s ship together. He orchestrates Lana and Clark’s breakup and offers her a shoulder to cry on. After some back and forth, the two begin a real relationship.

Lana moves in with Lex and soon discovers that she is pregnant. Lex proposes and Lana accepts, even after admitting that she still loves Clark. Lana learns that she suffered a miscarriage, but after being hospitalized, she discovers that she was never pregnant. Lex injected her with hormones and made her think she was pregnant so he wouldn’t lose her. Lana leaves him later, with no chance of the two rekindling their love. Of all of Lex’s worst actions, this is the 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. In addition to confronting his inner good and trying to kill Clark, he also criticizes Lionel for his actions with Veritas. In the end, Lionel’s obsession hurt Lex both physically and emotionally during his childhood. Lex tries to get answers from his father about who the Traveler is, but Lionel, now on Clark’s side, does a Hail Mary and lies, telling Lex that he is the Traveler. Naturally, young Luthor realizes this lie immediately.

Even more enraged by Lionel’s dishonesty, Lex brandishes his gun. As Lionel pleads with Lex to see reason and stop chasing the Traveler, his son threatens him over the Orb’s location. Lionel refuses and tells Lex that this path offers no redemption. The latter responds coldly, “I was raised in your shadow; Now you will die in mine,“ before pushing him out the window. Lex murdering his father is the precise moment in which Smallville when he became truly, truly evil.

1

Lex is institutionalized

Season 3, Episode 8 “Broken”

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

Lex obtains Edge’s location from Lionel and tracks him, with Clark in pursuit. The ensuing confrontation causes Clark to expose his powers by stopping Lex’s car. Young Superman has the option to save Lionel’s friend or protect himself. Clark opts to use Lionel’s gaslighting as a cover-up.

Afterwards, Lex is shown locked in a straitjacket. Lionel watches him through a window and presses his hand to the glass as Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” plays. Lex is completely alone; his father did this to him and his best friend abandoned him. This sequence of events seriously harms Lex’s mental health and is perhaps the most emotionally wrenching scene in Smallville.