Character: Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor   ·   Show: Smallville   ·   Personality Type: Inventor & Scientist (combined traits)   ·   Type Equivalents: Type 8, Leader with a 7 wing, Enthusiast & Type 5, Investigator with a 6 wing, Skeptic (Enneagram), Inventor & Architect (Keirsey), ENTP & INTP (Myers-Briggs).

Character View
"I am invincible and successful." ("We Luthors are made of tough and definitely expensive material. . . . I realize that what I more than anything is to live 'happily ever after.' And do you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? Power. Money and power. See, once you have those two things, you can secure everything else and keep it that way", 5.9 Lex-mas.)

Defining Moments
The death of his younger brother, Julian Luthor (Crush, Memoria); losing his hair due to meteor radiation during the 1989 meteor shower (Pilot); the loss of his friendship with Clark Kent (Covenant); and his marriage to Lana Lang (Promise-Phantom).

Psychosis
Sociopathic tendencies

Traits Showing Desire to be Self-reliant & Have Justice (Inventor) & Traits Showing Desire to Gain More Knowledge (Scientist)
• Arrogant justice (Inventor). Victor Stone asks if Lex has a "God complex" and it appears he does, especially when he relishes control in the name of justice as he does with varied thugs (Kinetic, Run, Void, Static); Victoria and Sir Harry Hardwick (Leech); Paul Hayden (Precipice); Helen Bryce (Phoenix), Perry White (Perry); Mayor William Tate (Relic); Jason Teague (Sacred, Forever); Lionel Luthor (Skinwalker, Crusade, Gone, Vengeance, Arrow, Reunion, and others); Arthur "AC" Curry/Aquaman (Aqua); Chloe Sullivan (Mortal, Fragile, Hero); Dr. Milton Fine/Brainiac (Aqua, Oracle); Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Wither, Reunion, Rage, Justice); and Jimmy "James" Olsen (Fallout).

• Chased hope through Friendships (Inventor). He once hoped Clark's goodness would inspire him and sought to maintain their friendship in spite of mutual suspicion (Leech, Rogue, Asylum, Bound, Onyx, and others), saying "There's a darkness in me that I can't always control. I'm starting to think that's my curse, why every relationship I have ends badly. . . . Your friendship helps keep it at bay. It reminds me that there are truly good people in the world. I'm not willing to give up on that" (Devoted). Likewise, he attempts to retain Lana's friendship in Zero, Heat, Covenant, Gone, Commencement, and Splinter, telling her, "You are one of the few good things in my life" (Lockdown).

• Chased hope through the "Love of a good woman" (Inventor). He readily confesses his marriages are built on hopes that his wives, although as imperfect as he is, are still morally good enough to inspire him towards redemption (Heat, Precipice, Hydro). His emotional attachment to Lana is greater than his first two wives probably because they were friends prior to dating. On multiple occasions he implies that he wants her to recognize and value whatever goodness remains in him (Façade; deleted scene, Tomb; Void; Wither; Arrow). Truthfully, Lex may not necessarily seek salvation, but he may seek to retain the love of a woman who still sees his positive traits while still understanding his reliance on his badness to survive.

• Erudition (Scientist). He is multilingual (speaking German and Japanese) and an extensive reader (references Biblical, mythological, historical, and philosophical works, also mentioning Nietzsche, Whitman, Churchill, and Rilke, among others). In addition, he draws out as much information as he can about his obsessions, friends and enemies. His varied sources include his agents, classified records, as well as mainstream and tabloid news media.

• Friendly and charismatic (Inventor). He is extraverted and reassuring, often seeking out new friends and experiences. He initiated and pursued friendships with Clark (Pilot) and Lana (Metamorphosis), and introduced himself to the Kents (Pilot) and Chloe (Craving). In fact, despite impasses, he often remains civil with his father, Lionel (Mercy), old classmate, Oliver Queen (Reunion), and Lana (Kara, Fierce). He has also convinced skeptics to work with him like Dr. Steven Hamilton (Craving), Dr. Frederick Walden (Rosetta), Dr. Lia Teng (Resurrection), Chloe (Magnetic-Gone), Mikhail Myxzptlk (Jinx), and Dr. Pamela Black (Rage).

• Insatiable quest for information (Scientist). This is the investigator part of his complex personality make-up. Paving his power-trip to greatness, he launches projects researching kryptonite or Krypton technology (Craving-Nicodemus, Skinwalker, Rosetta, Delete-Crisis, Jinx, Krypto, Onyx, Arrival-Oracle, Cyborg, Zod-Subterranean), which include researching people infected by the two meteor showers to hit the Smallville area (Jinx-Cure). He also obsesses about proof of anything that would give him an advantage against his father (Magnetic, Shattered) and, chiefly, Clark's evident unusualness (X-Ray, Leech, Fever, Mercy, Fierce, and others).

• Manipulation satisfies greed for information (Scientist). Lex wants what he wants and gets what he wants, often crossing moral boundaries. For instance, to undermine his father he conspires with Victoria Hardwick (Rogue), finds his half-brother, Lucas Dunlevy (Prodigal), and offers Chloe protection in exchange for information (Magnetic-Gone); he steals and lies about a vile of Clark's blood (Fever-Calling); he publicly exposes Jason's relationship with Lana (Jinx); he foregoes the feelings of sexual partners (Bound); he uses Clark's memory loss to inquire about the caves/stones (Blank); he tries to undermine Jonathan in a senate race (Lexmas, Fanatic); he harnesses Simone's powers to expose Clark's secret and divide Clark and Lana (Hypnotic); he escapes detection to pursue bionic and enhanced genetic research (Cyborg, Prototype); he maneuvers his father to test Lana's loyalty (Arrow); he hires and perhaps arranges the murder of Oliver's researcher, Dr. Black, for an experimental drug (Rage); he manipulates a blind "meteor freak" to identify others infected by the meteor showers, including Chloe (Freak); and he manipulates Kara's amnesia to uncover her true origins (Fracture-Hero).

• Motivating, resourceful and resilient (Inventor). He can be impulsively violent, but he can also be calm and pragmatic during crises. Notable examples: he offers to diffuse a hostage situation (Jitters); out-maneuvers Victoria Hardwick (Leech) and Carrie Castle (Drone); kills Nixon to save Jonathan Kent (Vortex); confronts Desiree Atkins (Heat) and Helen (Phoenix) about attempts on his life; relies on instinct to survive (Prodigal, Exile); takes charge of the resurrection project and Level 3/Level 33.1 (Crisis, Jinx); attempts to handle the misuse of an experimental drug (Scare, Thirst); seduces a disk from Molly Griggs (Delete); recovers from a poisoning attempt and confronts Lionel (Crusade); faces former Sheriff's Department officer, Greg Flynn (Lockdown); kills invisible assassin, Graham Garrett (Fade); and instigates an escape from capture (Sneeze).

• Project-oriented (Inventor). He declares plans for greatness in Hourglass and Leech. He quest includes creating his own company, LexCorp (Tempest-Exodus); taking control of LuthorCorp (Crusade to present); running for the senate (Exposed-Reckoning); working with army/government officials on several projects (Aqua, Prototype, Fierce); and seeing obstacles as challenges to overcome (Oracle, Arrow, Prototype, among others).

Traits Showing Fear of Submission and Vulnerability (Inventor) & Traits Showing Fear of Intrusion and Demands (Scientist)
• Claims he is always in control (Inventor). Lex wants control, but the emotion with which he responds or limited access to information makes him more emotionally and morally vulnerable than he thinks. Rashness or miscalculation places him and/or others in danger, particularly during his counter-attacks against Lionel (Tempest, Prodigal, Insurgence, Magnetic, Shattered), his attempts to uncover Clark's secret (Crisis, Sacred, Mortal, Hypnotic), and his drug research (Oracle, Vessel, Rage). He continues to struggle with his father for control of his life (Lexmas, Reunion, Static). Once resisting the persona of a tyrant (Hothead, Insurgence, Rush, Skinwalker), the more self-protective and ambitious he is, the more cruel he can be (Aqua, Lexmas, Cyborg, Subterranean, Justice, Prototype). Although having control or power brings some degree of satisfaction, it does not bring him long-term happiness as he must always be on-guard to threats against his security. He is also prone to lose control in his romantic relationships. Once he feels he is with a woman he thinks fulfils his expectations, he often gives them emotional control and is open to devastating manipulation as was the case with Desiree (Heat), Helen (Visage, Accelerate, Phoenix), and Lana (Hydro, Nemesis, Prototype, Bizarro).

• Independent and self-protective (Scientist). When disinherited by his father, Lex sought to earn his own way (Prodigal). He also protects himself with Roger Nixon (X-Ray), Dominic Senatori (Reaper, Suspect), Rachel Dunlevy (Lineage), Morgan Edge (Shattered), Agent Frank Loder (Crisis-Covenant), Jason (Forever), Orlando Block (Sneeze), and a crazed Level 33.1 patient (Static).

• Resistant to intrusion and obstruction (Scientist). He will isolate himself, preferring to process his angst alone or fight for his survival alone. He displays this in different ways: he closes his laptop or puts away papers (Tempest, Ageless, Fade and many others); resists Lionel's imposition on his life and choices (Red, Reaper, Memoria, Lexmas, Oracle, Static, plus others); initially stands against Helen's pressure for disclosure (Visitor); fights against Clark and Lionel's disapproval of his memory retrieval efforts (Memoria); challenges Perry (Perry); questions his therapist's efforts to diffuse him (Shattered); confronts Chloe about Clark (Commencement, Mortal); upset by AC/Aquaman's obstruction (Aqua); lies to Lana about his mother's warning (Void); and initially resists talking about Duncan (Reunion).

• Separation from feelings/ethics to accomplish tasks (Inventor). There are occasions he suppresses his compassion, guilt or ethos to remain focused on an immediate goal. For example, he doesn't relate to Lana's sentimentality about the Talon (Kinetic), bypasses Helen to acquire information on Clark (Fever, Calling), continues research on Clark's unusualness (Covenant, Blank), rationalizes the reality of Lana's hurt when exposing or undermining her troubled relationships (Jinx, Hypnotic), imprisons and researches "meteor freaks" for the purpose of creating a "super army" (Jinx, Cyborg, Static, Subterranean, Justice, Freak, Prototype), delays reaction to Lana fainting on the highway (Arrival), agrees to malign Jonathan in a bid for the senate seat (Lexmas), uses ex-cons as guinea pigs for an experimental drug (Rage), abandons his researcher to save himself (Phantom), and arranges Patricia Swann's assassination to acquire a key to uncovering Clark's background (Traveler).

Under Stress
• Negative: Self-deception. He justifies much of his research is acts of good will and global protection (Talisman, Jinx, Spell, Aqua, Cyborg, Oracle, Static, Justice, Wrath, Artic) and he will do what he thinks is necessary to succeed (Lexmas, Lockdown, Subterranean, Freak, Nemesis). His unethical methods, however, eclipse his good intent. Very aware of public dissent to his methods, he hides his work (Cure). But self-deception allows him to believe in his good intentions and push toward his goals.

• Negative: Denial of failure and identification with success. In connection to self-deception, he prefers to express hope and surety in the midst of failing romances (Heat, Accelerate, Prototype, Phantom), combustible situations (resurrection project, Crisis; resources to rebuild the destroyed super-vaccine, Oracle; building a "super warrior", Phantom), and horrible moral odds (Splinter, Lexmas, Justice, Cure).  [NOTE:  This trait may also be listed under his desire to be self-reliant & have justice where he sees problems as challenges to be met and overcome.]

• Negative: Implosion. He desires control his physical and emotional environments. But he sometimes experiences emotional/psychological overload (loss of impulse control) when a goal is jeopardized or when multiple goals become critical simultaneously. For instance, he attacks his high school friend, Duncan, when his plan to survive being bullied is rejected (Reunion); he destroys a parking attendant's car windshield (Dichotic); he manhandles Lana and Chloe during a crisis (Commencement); and he slaps Lana when she walks out on him and their marriage (Phantom).

• Negative: Confrontational when suspicious. Raised in an environment of betrayal, he remains hypercautious about Lionel's machinations (Leech, Phoenix, Shattered, Mercy, Arrow, and more); Bob Rickman's movements (Hug); Helen's apparent betrayal (Visage); Clark's relentless secret-keeping (Leech, Blank, Mercy, and others); Adam Knight's unusualness (Hereafter, Obsession); Jason's intentions towards Lana (Façade, Sacred, Recruit); Lana's dishonesty (Commencement, Fallout, Prototype, Kara); Chloe's protection of Clark (Commencement, Mortal); Oliver's intrusion in his life (Reunion); and Kara's alien status (Fierce).

• Positive: Helpful. As early as S1, he puts himself in the way of others for their good as he does when he directs a company buyout (Tempest), donates football equipment to the Smallville High football team (Devoted), and even empowers Lana to find her strengths and independence (Kinetic, Drone, Precipice, Legacy, Talisman). And for various reasons, he has actively shown a desire to fix problems in the lives of Helen (Precipice), Lucas (Prodigal), Whitney Fordman (Kinetic), Victoria (Shimmer), Ryan James (Ryan), Clark (Rogue, Leech, Kinetic, Redux, Perry, Memoria, Covenant, Devoted, Onyx, and others), Jonathan and Martha Kent (Nicodemus, Vortex, Dichotic, Phoenix, Devoted), Kara Kent (Fracture), Lois and Lucy Lane (Lucy), Lana (Zero, Perry, Magnetic, Hereafter, Velocity, Resurrection, Obsession, Sacred, Onyx, Commencement, Lockdown, Vengeance, Fade, Vessel, Sneeze, Reunion, Static, Freak, Noir), Lionel (Vortex, Talisman, Mercy), Lillian Luthor (Crush, Memoria), Pete Ross (Forsaken), Amanda Rothman (Zero), and Chloe (Delete; Gone; deleted scene, Thirst; Tomb).

Photo credit: LexandLana.net
Graphic credit: Bittbox.com