Editing Lex Luthor (section)

==== Silver Age Lex Luthor ====
In 1956, DC Comics reimagined the Flash with a new secret identity, costume and origin. This led to the new [[Silver Age of Comics]] and the first DC Comics reboot, with characters across the board being reimagined or having their histories and nature redefined. The earlier Golden Age stories of Superman and Batman were later said to have taken place on [[Earth-Two]], a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]] that was part of the larger [[Multiverse (DC Comics)|DC Multiverse]].

The Silver Age version of Luthor was introduced in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #271 (April 1960), now given the first name "Lex" (later said to be short for Alexis, eventually [[retcon]]ned as Alexander) and an [[origin story]]. Originally hero-worshiping Superboy, teenage Lex Luthor of Smallville is determined to prove he is Earth's greatest scientist by creating artificial life. His recklessness and inexperience causes a fire in his lab and he calls on Superboy to save him. The Boy of Steel puts out the fire but, in the process, accidentally destroys the artificial life form and the years of research notes that led to its creation, while fumes from the chemical fire cause Luthor's hair to fall out. Unwilling to hold himself responsible for the lab fire and the destruction of his own life's work, Luthor decides that Superboy was jealous of his intellect and caused the fire himself. Believing he's been betrayed by his hero and friend, Lex swears revenge. His first attempts at that are grandiose scientific and engineering projects around Smallville to steal Superboy's thunder. When these attempts, for which, unknown to Luthor, Superboy was supportive as consolation that Lex was at least being constructive in his vendetta, each go disastrously awry and force Superboy to intervene while earning the citizenry's scorn, Lex's hate for Superboy only grew in rationalization of his failures.<ref>''Adventure Comics'' #271 (April 1960). DC Comics.</ref>

This revised origin makes Luthor's fight with Superman a personal one and suggests that if events had unfolded differently, Luthor might have grown to be a more noble person. Luthor's ego preventing him from personal growth and the tragedy that he and Clark could have been a force for good together are played up in various stories throughout the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in [[Elliot S. Maggin]]'s novels ''[[Superman: Last Son of Krypton|Last Son of Krypton]]'' and ''[[Miracle Monday]]''.<ref name="cbr maggin">{{cite web|author=Callahan, Timothy|date=September 4, 2008|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?id=17934&page=article|title=Elliot S! Maggin's Noble Humanity|work=Comic Book Resources|access-date=November 2, 2008}}</ref>

The Golden Age version of Luthor appears again as a villain still alive and well on [[Earth-Two]]. To distinguish him from the modern-day Lex Luthor, the original incarnation is shown as having kept his red hair and is retroactively given the first name Alexei. In ''DC Comics Presents'' Annual #1 (1982), Alexei Luthor of Earth-Two and Lex Luthor of Earth-One team up. It is shown that Alexei is arguably colder and more villainous, perfectly willing to destroy all of Earth in order to prove his superiority, whereas Lex hesitates to do so because he had no desire to rule a lifeless world and doesn't want his sister to die.<ref name="DCP Annual">''DC Comics Presents'' Annual #1 (1982). DC Comics.</ref>

Years later, Lex Luthor and the villain Brainiac recruit an army of super-villains during ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', including Alexei Luthor from Earth-Two. When Alexei argues that the army doesn't need two Luthors, Brainiac agrees and executes him.