Lex Luthor is NOT evil

[wearetheborg]

I'm not trying to make this into an Iraq debate - too much of that going around. I was just pointing out some similarities between what is happening in the real world, and between Lex's character. I'm finding it surprising that so people find Lex to be "black", yet their actions in the real world indicate their values to be otherwise, at least to me (and MANY others).


xrayvision, I agree 100% with you, the politicians did not do their job before, and now are turning against the pres for pure political gain. Slimeballs.

[xrayvision]

OK.

Well, at this point Lex is a complicated person to review. Though his methods are getting more & more questionable as time passes. It's tough to tell if he's really doing it purely for concern of his fellow humans or for personal gain. I'm starting to think he's forming this freak army to first eliminate the threat of aliens attacking, and then once that's done, he will either realize that nothing can stop him from ruling the world (until Superman shows up) or he has it planned from now that he will do that.

[wearetheborg]

Originally posted by xrayvision
It's tough to tell if he's really doing it purely for concern of his fellow humans or for personal gain.

I'd say he is doing it for both. But right now I think his personal gain benefits the human kind. But Lex will always put himself first.
As most of us would.

[Heilige]

Originally posted by xrayvision
OK.

Well, at this point Lex is a complicated person to review. Though his methods are getting more & more questionable as time passes. It's tough to tell if he's really doing it purely for concern of his fellow humans or for personal gain. I'm starting to think he's forming this freak army to first eliminate the threat of aliens attacking, and then once that's done, he will either realize that nothing can stop him from ruling the world (until Superman shows up) or he has it planned from now that he will do that.

If he was doing it for concern of his fellow humans, wouldn't he treat his fellow humans in a nice way? He has no friends? How can he care about humans if he likes none of them? And hurt the ones he does care about. Also, he wouldn't have witheld that info from Ageless of he cared about humans. He would have felt remorse for all of those humans in mass graves in Subtteranean. He didn't though. If he cared about humans, wouldn't Clark see that or anyone else?

[xrayvision]

I think a small part of him still does, and maybe always will. But you make a good point. He's not the best when it comes to treating people nicely and properly. He used to be pretty good in that regard. Especially his employees. In Insurgence, he made a comparison of what would happen to that #1 guy of his if he worked for Lionel vs. working for Lex. It's strange to see how he has turned into what he hated a few years ago. I'm surprised Clark never brought this up in the tunnel. That would have been interesting for Lex to respond to.

[j-kent]

From the outside and what he wants to appear to people, but not seem all evil...and his people skills definitely blotch out his true self...but come on look at the way he goes about doing things...manipulating and controlling people...evil is evil.

This is the way a Lex Luthor in every incarnation is portrayed. To the people he is a big man with resources, but to those who know him he's just the greedy man who craves POWER and to be in control.

[Angelina2809]

Lex is more bad than good but I also think that Lex wasen't able to let Clark die! Lex said to Clark that he was his only friend or the best friend he ever had! Maybe Lex miss the time with Clark too. Lex was only hugging Clark! In season 3 he hugged him twice and once in season 4. Yes, he is a evil - I mean look what he had done to Lana, Chloe, Chloe's Mum etc.! I think there is something good in Lex left! But we all know which future Lex will have, don't we?

[wearetheborg]

Originally posted by j-kent
.but come on look at the way he goes about doing things...manipulating and controlling people...evil is evil.

This is the way a Lex Luthor in every incarnation is portrayed. To the people he is a big man with resources, but to those who know him he's just the greedy man who craves POWER and to be in control.

I agree that he is manipulating and craves power etc.
But what I'm saying is that suppose superman didnt exist, but braniac and meteor freaks did.

Then would you not be glad to have Lex to keep those people at bay ?

The Lex in superman returns is different. His existence does nothing to protect people, but on smallville....sort of like a necessary evil.

Like the way US supports Pakistan, turning a blind eye towards its terrorist activities or the way it allied with Saddam during the Iran/Iraq war.

Originally posted by Angelina2809
Yes, he is a evil - I mean look what he had done to Lana, Chloe, Chloe's Mum etc.!

Lana - I have no answer, I'll reserve it for when things become more clear. But in the meantime, I'd like to point out that Lex has taken a bullet for Lana.

Chloe - he implanted a chip in her and spied on her. I dont think he has hurt her.

Chloe's mom - He developed the drug to get her out of the coma. Again, no inflicted harm. Sure he manipulated her, but he did not cause any harm to her. And the manipulation was just to get control over meteor freaks. Its not like that he asked her to control someone to rob a bank or kill someone, or blow up a building.

Have you guys seen the finale of justice league ? The US army teamed up with Lex to develop weapons to stop superpowered freaks (including the justice league).
Off topic, but in the end, the Flash (voiced ironically by Rosenbaum) plays a pivotal role, its a scene not to be missed.

[silverfist]

Lana - I have no answer, I'll reserve it for when things become more clear. But in the meantime, I'd like to point out that Lex has taken a bullet for Lana.

No answer? Lol. He faked a pregnancy so she would marry him. That part is pretty obvious now even though we may not have the exact details. He has also lied through his teeth many times around her. Even if he may have saved her life in the past, it is obviously that he's now treating her terribly.

Chloe - he implanted a chip in her and spied on her. I dont think he has hurt her.

If someone implanted a chip in my body against my will, a chip that could be used for the purpose of tracking me down and possibly killing me, I would indeed consider myself "hurt" by that person.

Chloe's mom - He developed the drug to get her out of the coma. Again, no inflicted harm. Sure he manipulated her, but he did not cause any harm to her. And the manipulation was just to get control over meteor freaks. Its not like that he asked her to control someone to rob a bank or kill someone, or blow up a building.

Oh he did her no harm? He may not have directly slapped her in the face or anything like that, but he placed her in a room with some psycho and order him to attack her as an experiment. Unless she had been able to stop him, she could very well have been killed right there. And Lex didn't know if she could do it, that's why he was testing her! And yes, he wanted control over just "meteor freaks" because that was all she could offer. He wanted her to help him imprison certain people just because they were "different" and could be used. "But he did it because he thinks they are dangerous!" you might argue. Well, if I thought that all asians for example were dangerous because all of those I've met had done bad things to me, I could with that logic try to track down and imprison all asians in my country to start with. So the arument that "Lex thinks it's for a good purpose so therefore he isn't a bad person..." just doesn't work. Of course he thinks that what he's doing is right, just like superman, otherwise he wouldn't be doing it.

[bromy]

Lex Luthor is not actually evil in the same way that other well written villains are not evil. They believe what they are doing is the right thing for the greater good. What makes Lex so dangerous is that he will do what he can to obtain what is for the greater good by any means necessary. It's the same in the X-Men movies (not comic book because 'Evil' is in the Brotherhoods name), Magneto is doing what he believes is right, for the greater good of mutant-kind and be damned with anyone who gets in his way. Lex is more into finding out the solution to a problem and if he needs to crack a few eggs in the process, it doesn't bother him. If Lex were truly evil, and I mean truly evil, everyone around him would be dead. Evil people do not differ from their goals and the people who get in their way. Evil is being bad for the sake of being bad. Lex Luthor has purpose, he has drive and forever will have purpose and drive. If anything I would call him a well rounded sociopath.

[boatsboston]

This has been a good debate. There are good reasons to believe Lex is evil, he has done many evil acts. Some believe these acts were done with good intentions. I believe some were but as the saying goes "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".

When does one become evil? If he does any good after that point is he still evil?

In Star Wars Darth Vader killed thousands maybe millions but he saves his son at the end and now he's good again.

All I can say is Lex is a very complicated man. His fear and anger has twisted him into a very bad guy but there is still some humanity in him that sometimes points him in the right direction.

[All about Clark]

I think Lex is evil. He lies and deceives so much he's twisted things up in his own mine.

The fact remains that Lex hurts others for personal gain. I will never see him as good until this changes.

[jimmyolsenblues]

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[wearetheborg]

Wow bromy, u'r my homey

Magneto is indeed like Lex, but more down the bad path.

Regarding Chloe's mom - I choose to believe Lex had told the freak to just scare her.

Clark has also on occasion thrown non-criminals meters away onto car hoods

Originally posted by boatsboston

When does one become evil? If he does any good after that point is he still evil?

IMHO, its a gradation between evil and good.
Pure evil & good are rare to find.

The irony is, Lex has come down the evil path BECAUSE of a good deed he did, when he chose to protect his mother (as a kid), and endure his father's wrath for the rest of his life.

That last scene in Memoria...one of the best scenes in tv history. I felt so sorry for Lex

[Bookwrm17]

I don't know if I would call Lex taking the blame for Julian's death a good deed. But nor would I pinpoint that as the reason Lex is evil. As I said in another thread, Lionel's treatment of Lex definately had an influence on who he is today, but ultimately Lex is responsible for his own actions.

Evil people will always try to justify their actions. No one WANTS to be the bad guy. Lex may tell himself (and others) that his treatment of the meteor freaks is really for the good of mankind, but we know he has his own personal motives.