Creation Story
Lex Luthor is Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman antagonist. Action Comics #23 (April 1940) introduced Luthor as a red-haired mad scientist manipulating European powers toward war from a dirigible base. Siegel wrote; Shuster pencilled. The character was designed as Superman’s intellectual opposite: where Superman is physically overwhelming but ethically simple, Luthor is physically unremarkable but intellectually devastating.
The red hair was the original visual character. Superman #4 (Spring 1940) gave Luthor his first cover appearance in that form. One year later, Superman #10 (May 1941) changed everything. Artist Leo Nowak drew Luthor bald, apparently confusing him with one of his bald henchmen from a previous issue. DC did not correct the error in time, and reader response to the bald design was strong enough that editorial retained it. The bald Luthor has been canonical for over eighty years; it is one of the most consequential artistic errors in comics history.
The Golden Age Luthor ran through the late 1940s and 1950s as a recurring Superman antagonist across Action Comics, Superman, and related titles. He was one of the few Superman villains to persist consistently from the Golden Age through the Silver and Bronze ages without substantial reinvention.
The Byrne reboot
John Byrne’s Man of Steel #4 (October 1986) reimagined Luthor as a corporate-CEO villain. Post-Crisis, Luthor was no longer a mad scientist with domed-island lairs; he was the billionaire chairman of LexCorp, the most powerful corporation in Metropolis, operating legal and political schemes against Superman from public office and corporate boardrooms. The Byrne framing is the foundation for every subsequent Luthor portrayal, including Michael Rosenbaum’s Smallville performance and the modern comics continuity.
President Lex
Superman: Lex 2000 (January 2001) launched one of the most politically ambitious Superman storylines in DC’s history. Lex Luthor wins the 2000 U.S. presidential election in-continuity and serves as President for several years of publishing. The arc runs through multiple DC titles and concludes with Luthor’s impeachment during the Public Enemies arc (2003 to 2004). The President Lex era is a high-water mark for Luthor as a solo character: the storyline centers on his political competence rather than his villainy, forcing Superman to navigate a legal framework where Luthor holds official authority.
Collector context
Action Comics #23 is the Lex Luthor Golden Age key. High-grade CGC 9.0+ copies have crossed $150,000 at auction. The book sits in the second tier of Superman Golden Age keys behind Action Comics #1 and is a foundational Superman-rogue collectible.
Secondary keys: Superman #4 (first cover). Superman #10 (first bald appearance). The Man of Steel #4 (1986 Byrne reboot). Superman: Lex 2000 (2001 President Lex storyline launch).
