Hearing an ego maniac admit that for everything he's done, some that impacted the entire world, he too will die and eventually be forgotten. Most mega narcissists in comics usually believe they will live on forever or seek to leave mark nobody will forget, but Lex admits he knows that everyone will eventually be forgotten. Really sold me that he wasn't delusional like other villains and he fully realizes what he is doing
On a certain level he is lying to himself but that’s not the lie. The lie he tells himself is that he hates Superman because he’s a humanitarian who believes they should never place their lives in the hands of a godlike man like him. That’s not the truth, he doesn’t care about the date of humanity, he hates Superman because he steals the spotlight he wants. Even in the Death of Superman he sees through the eyes of Superman and sees the atoms of the universe and is amazed by it, when he loses it he becomes devastated saying theirs so much good he could do with this power and Superman tells a Lex defeated by existentialism that “You could have helped everyone at any point” and Lex for the first time admits he Superman is right.
And he’s right too. Irl religious figure be getting obscured more and more everyday. What was christianity’s true savior’s name again? Heyzuez or moistcritikal?
@Zero Bullet's given enough time everyone gets lost to time. Even looking into our own history their were marvels of the age that even in documentation was believed to never be forgotten, we forgot it. The most “unforgettable” people in the grand scheme of things only happened relatively recently. The further back you go the less we know
That scene where Lex shows up to Superman’s funeral and hugs Lois always stood out to me. It’s one of the most emotional scenes in the series that’s I’ve seen so far. I really love it when writers give villains standards and a little dignity.
Is the show worth checking out for someone in their 20s? I never watched because I thought it was dumbed down for little kids. I do enjoy the animated movies though.
@@John-Doe-Yo yes absolutely. Justice League is classic DC, that holds up. JL Unlimited expands the roster and has storylines that aged with the audience that watched Justice League at the time.
"No, 'cuz I'm evil!" Cracks me up every time. The best brain swap episodes are always the one where actors have to play each other, rather than just switching who dubs which character.
Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor is by far the best iteration of the character, in fact his performance alone should be acknowledged as one of the best villain performances in media.
In terms of live action, I still have memories of both Michael Rosenbaum's (voice actor for DCAU Flash) and Kevin Spacey's interpretations of the character. But yes, in the realm of voice acting, Clancy Brown is to Lex Luthor what Tim Daly or George Newbern is to Superman. Edit: I mistakenly typed Batman instead of Superman.
He should do more villain roles, I always think if I'd live to see the day the SIlmarillion gets adapted he'd make a great voice actor for the Father of Dragons Glaurung cause unlike Smaug he is a pretty damn villainous mastermind
Fun Fact: In every instance in the comics where superman died, Lex IMMEDIATELY took the responsibility of protecting everyone in the absence of Clark. Lex would be one of the greatest heroes of mankind if not by his Ego and bad choices in life... Well... But that wouldn't be Lex Luthor too...
To be fair he would've only taken that path because Superman existed and died, so in a way even Superman inspired him to do something good. Somewhat funny when you think about it.
I feel like Earth 3 Lex is the exact same as any other version of Lex. But in Earth-3 Ultraman showed up with the crime syndicate and started trying to take over the world and shit. So Lex decided to go and save the world from Ultraman and the crime syndicate… which is what any other version of Lex would’ve done.
I think Luthor is a perfect example of a villain who will team up with the heroes if the world depends on it. He is truly smart, and in multiple shows (Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice) it's his tech and wits that save the day. You can really see that if he put his mind to it, he COULD do all the great things he claims he could do. But his egomania gets in the way because he knows, as much as he does, the problems he solves, he'll always be second fiddle to Superman. And he hates it. But when the chips are down and the Earths in danger, and not even Superman can fix it? That's where Luthor shines. He's going to help save the world, no matter what. After all, Earth's where he keeps his money.
Going too hard. What's this if Superman can't fix it. Superman didn't get the chance to talk to metron. And he still beat darkseid. And Lex was the one that created the problem. Which is usually the case. Luthor's problem isn't that people love Superman more. He was evil before then. It's backwards. People like superman because he's not evil.
@@DSan-kl2yc Superman did NOT beat Darkseid. He almost did, yes, but in the end Darkseid won. If Luthor hadn't come in and saved the world by killing both himself and Darkseid with the Anti Life Equation, the world would have become ruled by Darkseid
Not just "where he keeps his money", but Luthor, for all is faults, genuinely believes in human exceptionalism. He really does want humanity to be the best it can be. If it comes down to dooming the human race or working with Superman, he's going to work with Superman every time. A lot of things about Luthor are bullsh*t, but his belief in the human race isn't one of them. Now, obviously, it's because he sees so much of *himself* in humanity, but hey, no one's perfect.
@@ZekromAndYugiAndDrago123 "Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt in your life, times a thousand. Now imagine that pain continuing. *Forever.* Oh, that's right. You don't have to imagine." Yeah. Darkseid won. It was all over but the screaming & crying.
Theres a good scene in a Superman animated movie, i cant remember its name, where Lex and his niece got like a potion that gives lex same powers as Superman. But it quickly runs out, so Lex needs another serum, but Superman took it and destroyed it in front of him. Lex then said "I couldve made everyone be able to see what i did! I could make the world better!" Superman then said "If you wanted to help the world, you wouldve done that years ago" And Lex just replied, defeated on his knees "You are right"
I have a head canon from that body swap episode in Justice League. In which rumors started spreading among the villains of Lex Luther not washing his hands. Rumors which still persisted even after Lex got his body back
Gotta love how instead of using Flash's voice in Luthor's body like some other body swap cliche, they actually kept the body's original voices BUT behaved as if their mind switched. Definitely one of the best episode imo due to how histerical it is
Lex showing up at the end and apologizing for taking the time to put on his "power suit" is one of the most badass moments in anything ever. Great character analysis, thanks!
Having not watched Smallville, Clancy Brown’s Lex remains my favorite in terms of growth and longevity. His monologue to Amazo is still one of Unlimited’s best scenes.
I had to read how it ended, but it makes more sense than other versions. Lex wasn't really evil, and fought Superman to make him the best he can be, to fight a more powerful evil coming.
I associate Clancy Brown with Lex Luthor in the same way I connect Mark Hamill with the Joker, Kevin Conroy with Batman, and George Newbern and Tim Daly with Superman.
Besides the great development, something I love about DCAU Luthor is how his journey is tribute to many different incarnations of Luthor: Superman TAS - He is corrupt CEO from the post-crisis DC continuity Justice League - After being expose as criminal, he becomes the mad scientist from the pre-crisis DC continuity. Justice League Unlimited - His role in Cadmus arc takes inspiration from the President Luthor storyline and "Whatever Happened to Man of Tomorrow" (in which Luthor mind is taken over by Brainiac). JLU Season 3 - Takes inspiration from the Super Friends show, in which Luthor becomes the leader of the Legion of Doom. One the best exemple of how Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and the other producers truly had a passion for comics and respect for the DC universe mythology.
@@hoodiek6802 Or at least work as consultants. Either way, the fact that WB didn't even gave those guys a role in the DCEU development really shows how much potential was wasted
it really is an impressive way they snuck this character arc for him throughout three separate TV series. Just another reason why the DCAU is top-tier storytelling
Lex confronting Darkseid in his "powersuit" was very poetic. First and foremost, Lex is a businessman and made Darkseid an offer he could not resist. And in an ironic twist, Lex finally got the last laugh on Superman. Superman didn't land the final blow on Darkseid. Lex Luthor did. And he didn't even need to throw a punch
@5:10 Lex bought an ENTIRE fake presidential campaign with $7 just to tick Superman off? Dang, take me back to 2005 when the price of everything was hella low!
You could become President of the United States with just 7 bucks back then!?!?!? What the hell did they do to this economy, i was born too late take me baaaack
The part where Lex Luther was bald perfectly condensed his entire character into one moment. Batman V Superman: Yawn of Justice could’ve learned a thing or two from this incredible character writing.
@@TheManOfTomorrow People don’t just become bald one day. You are living in a fantasy land. Baldness is not something you can gain through character development; baldness is an inherent part of someone’s soul that is with them from the moment they are born.
How much control Lex Luthor has over his circumstances is also shown by the clothes he wears. Whenever he is wearing the black suit and tie he is at his most powerful and most imposing while whenever he is in other clothes he is depicted as more vulnerable. While he was running Lexcorp during Superman the Animated Series, running for president, or facing off Darkseid with the anti life equation in hand him and his iconic black suit meant he was in absolute control.
Lex Luthor represents the best and worst of humanity at once. He's capable of things both great and terrible. He has so much potential and yet squanders it on a petty grudge. But at the end of the day he's not unwilling to risk himself for what he perceives to be a greater good. He's like Superman, but in many ways his opposite.
Rewatching the last few episodes of JLU while mildly drunk had me chuckling everytime Lex spoke to (or even of) Brainiac. He just sounded so desperate, not just for the godhood he covets, but for the company, the kindred intellect, the partnership he had with Brainiac, even if he knew of it for just a short time. Even Brainiac seemed to want to hang out with Lex again, maybe it was just his hallucinations or maybe Brainiac was manipulating him, but there was just something about that "We could be together again" that made the unfeeling, heartless robot seem like he just wanted a friend, someone whose intelligence matches his own but has something else to balance it out. Then again I was mildly drunk so take this comment with a grain of salt
You skimmed over Lex’s character arcs and how they actually line up with a normal person’s. Lex learned how to share his life with someone else and was ready to “settle down” with them forever. Brainiac was basically his bride. And with Amazo, Lex learned how to become a father. Amazo, who’s main powers are to “copy” someone. Imprinted himself to Lex. Learning from him. And with Superman? It was almost a brotherly bond. Although he razzed his little bro, in the end, when it came down to it, he did everything to save him and show his affection the only way a big bro can.
Lex Luthor is probably my absolute favorite supervillain ever. Even more than Joker and Doctor Doom. I don't think there is an ever more perfect foil for a hero like Superman than Lex. He even acts as a dark reflection of Superman's belief that everyone can become tomorrow a better person than they were yesterday. Much as I like Lex being a billionaire prick, I liked how the DCAU evolved him into his more classic mad scientist Silver Age self who had a surprising amount of redeeming qualities and bravery.
It always bugged me how Lex basically possessed no humanizing qualities to speak of in Superman The Animated Series, I'm glad the Justice League era gave him so much character development and channeled some of the classic Pre-Crisis elements back into his persona.
TAS Lex is the best. Utterly unfettered by qualms of "retribution" and "goodness of character" he is a pure, singular force which serves to empower himself at all costs. He wants power & the ultimate realization of his individual will and does not apologize for it, nor does he seek forgiveness from those beneath him. He is a good example of Nietzsche's Ubermensch, the only real problem is his slight need for public appeal.
For me Lex always wants to show that a simple man like him can save the world. To show everyone that he is better than Superman. Even if this must cost him everything.
A silly bit of very old Superman lore is that Lex Luthor and Clark Kent went to high school together. In a lab accident, Clark, as Superboy, unintentionally drove noxious vapors toward Lex that caused all of his hair to fall out, which is why Lex is such an implacable enemy of Superman. In "Red Son", because they grew up separately, Lex Luthor kept his hair.
You aren't going to mention the time when Lex and everyone else was turned into an ape and touched his head, noticing he is the only bald ape: "Figures".
Kinda gay to be a billionaire egomaniac that merges with an alien robot. What’re you doing, making each other more of yourselves and becoming closer with each other than would be possible with any other being?
@@luisrosario3781 Pretty sure he means master morality and freedom/individualism. Lex Luthor is def a great example of the rejection of leftst orthodoxy and the willful ignorance it pushes aka slave morality.
This is exactly what I referenced in another comment. Lex is a near-perfect realization of The Higher Man values that formulate The Ubermensch. He is completely and utterly devoted to self-empowerment at all costs; breaking the shackles of petty morality and qualms of "evil/good", simply realizing his own individual will by any means. He is capable, courageous and grasps at the infinite & unknown with a mighty self-assuredness. The only thing which holds him back is his petty desire for public appeal; he is desperate to craft an image of himself in the eyes of the masses, those beneath him. This prevents his full self-actualization and, ultimately, his full self-empowerment. There are plenty of times where Lex could have taken reign over all that is, all that exists; but refused to simply because it *SPECIFICALLY* didn't help him in his highly particular, highly petty vendetta against Superman for the hearts of those in Metropolis.
It's actually a known fact that if Lex hadn't gone bald, he'd be a well-liked, charismatic fella that, while not as materialistically successful as his villainous selves, is much happier, has a sphere of friends that cares for him and whom he cares for in return.
This is a really good video analyzing one of the DCAU’s best villains, with a legendary actor voicing him, and it starts and ends with a bald joke. Gotta love it, cheers.
I don’t know why the “I spent $7 on a fake presidential campaign” edit was the one that broke me but I had to pause the video cause of how hard I was laughing well done
I might be remembering this wrong but in the comics, Lex and Superman were friends. But one day, Lex's lab caught fire. Superman tried to save him but not without accidentally spilling chemicals on his head making him bald. After that, Lex hated Superman and wanted to get revenge for making him bald.
That's pre-Crisis lore when Luthor was just a mad scientist. Current lore just has Lex going bald naturally now and writers go back and forth on whether or not they want Lex acting more as his 80s CEO incarnation or the 60s mad scientist incarnation, mostly settling for varying mixtures of both.
Lex Luthor, as a young and brilliant scientist looked up to Superman and the two of them had a good relationship. They were friends. While working on a formula to protect Superman from Kryptonite Lex's lab caught on fire. Superman used his super breath to blow the fire out, but that ended up enveloping Lex in the chemically laden smoke the lab fire produced. Immediately afterward Lex's hair fell out. (He had red hair before this) Lex blamed Superman and this began Lex's career as Superman's most reoccurring villain.
Sorry but even if it isnt specifically said where the kryptonite is affecting him, I still find it funny to joke about lex getting prostate cancer from the kryptonite.
I love when after gorilla grod tried to turn everyone into an ape and lex beats him. As he gather the legion of Doom and wanted to explain his master plan someone said What , are you going to turn us all bald?!
This is why I love Lex Luthor more than the Joker. He is straight more fascinating on how despite his ego big enough to threaten the entire universe, he is somewhat aware and a bit nihilistic (and that could be a lie given it was to save himself from Amazon) of how all of what he did would be for nothing and wouldn’t even be remembered yet he still makes up his own purpose in life regardless of what throws at him and he strangely and shockingly admires and respect Superman due to the rivalry with him making Led improve his own craft and schemes and later for a brief moment becomes GOD. He is straight up PRIDE and yet has standards and expectations with what he does and to the specific people close to him that mean a lot in his life manufactory and not emotionally… like dahm. This essay is one big cosmic perspective and in some way, I do relate to Lex in the nihilism at times and wanting to make an impact and purpose on my life regardless of what will happen in the future… and like a lot of us, I LIKE MONEY!!!
Really love this analysis of justice league unlimited, probably my favorite dc show of all time. It is heavily slept on by many people, they really did well with their short run
And for anyone wondering why, Lex was merely a balding ginger before someone accidentally drew him as a bald henchman. So yes, bald Luthor was a happy accident.
To this day -- this is the Luthor I want for the big screen and they'll die before they give it us. The smart and tactful businessman moving pieces on the board with finesse...but instead we got some weirdo
I absolutely love these videos of yours. They remind me of the good old days, when cartoons used to have deep characters and actually had life lessons in them. Keep up the good work.
I don't know if it was intentional but when lex and Darksied are in the antilife equation tornado thing Darksied says "it's beautiful isn't it?" And before replying Lex looks at Metropolis rather than the Equation and saying "Yes, yes it is"
I love it because it shows one of my favorite parts about most versions of of Lex that above all else he loves Metropolis maybe not for the same noble reasons as superman but in his own way he loves his city
Justice League Unlimited left us a valuable lesson. Evil does not wash its hands.
So Lex in this universe is not really evil, he's just complicated
And bald
@@exilhannabal bald bald bald bald Bald Bald Bald, my eyes - SpongeBob movie 2004
all those evil people spreading corona
@@sheflashedus and negative things........😔😔😔😔🥺😥😿😥😿
Hearing an ego maniac admit that for everything he's done, some that impacted the entire world, he too will die and eventually be forgotten. Most mega narcissists in comics usually believe they will live on forever or seek to leave mark nobody will forget, but Lex admits he knows that everyone will eventually be forgotten. Really sold me that he wasn't delusional like other villains and he fully realizes what he is doing
On a certain level he is lying to himself but that’s not the lie. The lie he tells himself is that he hates Superman because he’s a humanitarian who believes they should never place their lives in the hands of a godlike man like him. That’s not the truth, he doesn’t care about the date of humanity, he hates Superman because he steals the spotlight he wants. Even in the Death of Superman he sees through the eyes of Superman and sees the atoms of the universe and is amazed by it, when he loses it he becomes devastated saying theirs so much good he could do with this power and Superman tells a Lex defeated by existentialism that “You could have helped everyone at any point” and Lex for the first time admits he Superman is right.
And he’s right too. Irl religious figure be getting obscured more and more everyday. What was christianity’s true savior’s name again? Heyzuez or moistcritikal?
His narcissim went hand and hand with his nihilism. Thats why he was so dangerous.
@Zero Bullet's given enough time everyone gets lost to time. Even looking into our own history their were marvels of the age that even in documentation was believed to never be forgotten, we forgot it. The most “unforgettable” people in the grand scheme of things only happened relatively recently. The further back you go the less we know
He does have a huge intellect and somehow manage to see through that ego sometimes
Still love in the episode where Amazo returns to kill him, his super secret hideout where no one would look for him was a barbershop.
I think Steel says "Gotta hand it to you Luthor. No one would think to look for you here."
That scene where Lex shows up to Superman’s funeral and hugs Lois always stood out to me. It’s one of the most emotional scenes in the series that’s I’ve seen so far. I really love it when writers give villains standards and a little dignity.
Is the show worth checking out for someone in their 20s? I never watched because I thought it was dumbed down for little kids. I do enjoy the animated movies though.
@@John-Doe-Yo yeah I think it’s worth watching, especially Batman the animated series
@@John-Doe-Yo yes absolutely. Justice League is classic DC, that holds up. JL Unlimited expands the roster and has storylines that aged with the audience that watched Justice League at the time.
@@samuelachkar6184 oh well I grew up on that but by the time unlimited and other stuff came out I was in highschool
He hates Superman, but also definitely respects him. He wants him gone, but at the same time I doubt Lex would be happy if he ever truly was.
"No, 'cuz I'm evil!" Cracks me up every time. The best brain swap episodes are always the one where actors have to play each other, rather than just switching who dubs which character.
I love the 'Cuz I'm evil!' but the highlight moment of the episode to was
"... I have no idea who this is."
I've never liked any brain swap episode, but I'll concede that those ones make a good deal more sense.
Then, the voice actor for Flash ended being cast as a live action Lex.
5:10 It only took 7 fucking dollars to piss Superman off. Now that's actually scary.
"Bruce, it's been five years, you still owe me 16 dollars"
I think the original line was 7 billion lol
@@jayglenn837 750 million
@@haddy106 "I spent $75 million on a fake presidential campaign. All just to tick Superman off"
Thats the over level 10 intellect move
Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor is by far the best iteration of the character, in fact his performance alone should be acknowledged as one of the best villain performances in media.
In terms of live action, I still have memories of both Michael Rosenbaum's (voice actor for DCAU Flash) and Kevin Spacey's interpretations of the character.
But yes, in the realm of voice acting, Clancy Brown is to Lex Luthor what Tim Daly or George Newbern is to Superman.
Edit: I mistakenly typed Batman instead of Superman.
Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor is equal in terms of Mark Hamil's Joker.
For me, They are the best versions of the character.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, is top.
The version presented in The Metropolitan Man is pretty good, too, though I remain partial to the animated one.
He should do more villain roles, I always think if I'd live to see the day the SIlmarillion gets adapted he'd make a great voice actor for the Father of Dragons Glaurung cause unlike Smaug he is a pretty damn villainous mastermind
5:10 “I spent seven dollars on a fake presidential campaign.” Your clearly intentional tiny joke edit didn’t go unnoticed.
Fun Fact: In every instance in the comics where superman died, Lex IMMEDIATELY took the responsibility of protecting everyone in the absence of Clark.
Lex would be one of the greatest heroes of mankind if not by his Ego and bad choices in life...
Well... But that wouldn't be Lex Luthor too...
To be fair he would've only taken that path because Superman existed and died, so in a way even Superman inspired him to do something good. Somewhat funny when you think about it.
@@fabianlaibin6956 It's what the Paragon does after all. Inspires us to Be Better.
“If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve saved the world!”
“If it really mattered to you, Luthor, you would’ve saved the world years ago.”
@@theofficalchairmanrevoluti614 the way that breaks him...
I feel like Earth 3 Lex is the exact same as any other version of Lex. But in Earth-3 Ultraman showed up with the crime syndicate and started trying to take over the world and shit.
So Lex decided to go and save the world from Ultraman and the crime syndicate… which is what any other version of Lex would’ve done.
I think Luthor is a perfect example of a villain who will team up with the heroes if the world depends on it. He is truly smart, and in multiple shows (Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice) it's his tech and wits that save the day. You can really see that if he put his mind to it, he COULD do all the great things he claims he could do. But his egomania gets in the way because he knows, as much as he does, the problems he solves, he'll always be second fiddle to Superman. And he hates it. But when the chips are down and the Earths in danger, and not even Superman can fix it? That's where Luthor shines. He's going to help save the world, no matter what.
After all, Earth's where he keeps his money.
Going too hard. What's this if Superman can't fix it. Superman didn't get the chance to talk to metron. And he still beat darkseid. And Lex was the one that created the problem. Which is usually the case.
Luthor's problem isn't that people love Superman more. He was evil before then.
It's backwards. People like superman because he's not evil.
@@DSan-kl2yc Superman did NOT beat Darkseid. He almost did, yes, but in the end Darkseid won. If Luthor hadn't come in and saved the world by killing both himself and Darkseid with the Anti Life Equation, the world would have become ruled by Darkseid
Not just "where he keeps his money", but Luthor, for all is faults, genuinely believes in human exceptionalism. He really does want humanity to be the best it can be. If it comes down to dooming the human race or working with Superman, he's going to work with Superman every time. A lot of things about Luthor are bullsh*t, but his belief in the human race isn't one of them. Now, obviously, it's because he sees so much of *himself* in humanity, but hey, no one's perfect.
@@ZekromAndYugiAndDrago123 "Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt in your life, times a thousand. Now imagine that pain continuing. *Forever.* Oh, that's right. You don't have to imagine."
Yeah. Darkseid won. It was all over but the screaming & crying.
Theres a good scene in a Superman animated movie, i cant remember its name, where Lex and his niece got like a potion that gives lex same powers as Superman.
But it quickly runs out, so Lex needs another serum, but Superman took it and destroyed it in front of him. Lex then said "I couldve made everyone be able to see what i did! I could make the world better!"
Superman then said "If you wanted to help the world, you wouldve done that years ago"
And Lex just replied, defeated on his knees "You are right"
5:10 "I spent SEVEN DOLLARS on a fake presidential campaign"
I don't know why that made me laugh so hard.
well Russia spent a couple thousand dollars to sway everyone to vote for our real life Lex Luthor.
@@slewone4905 Lmao, trump may be evil, but he's such an idiot. Bezos is more Luthor than trump ever was.
@@slewone4905 Let's not give Joe that much credit.
@@ErikNilsen1337 Brandon can't count that high anymore
@@slewone4905 is russia in the room with you right now?
I have a head canon from that body swap episode in Justice League. In which rumors started spreading among the villains of Lex Luther not washing his hands. Rumors which still persisted even after Lex got his body back
That’s what the ladies loved. They already knew.
Gotta love how instead of using Flash's voice in Luthor's body like some other body swap cliche, they actually kept the body's original voices BUT behaved as if their mind switched. Definitely one of the best episode imo due to how histerical it is
Lex showing up at the end and apologizing for taking the time to put on his "power suit" is one of the most badass moments in anything ever. Great character analysis, thanks!
Having not watched Smallville, Clancy Brown’s Lex remains my favorite in terms of growth and longevity. His monologue to Amazo is still one of Unlimited’s best scenes.
As good as Rosenbaum is.. Clancy Brown is the iconic voice that I hear when reading comics with him. Like Conroy with Batman.
I had to read how it ended, but it makes more sense than other versions. Lex wasn't really evil, and fought Superman to make him the best he can be, to fight a more powerful evil coming.
Rosenbaums good, but his voice sounds too similar to the Flash for me
Rosey is a great proto Lex, but Clancy Brown is the gold standard
I associate Clancy Brown with Lex Luthor in the same way I connect Mark Hamill with the Joker, Kevin Conroy with Batman, and George Newbern and Tim Daly with Superman.
Superman : *”youre bad”*
Lex : “Yes. I am.”
Superman : *”youre B A L D”*
Lex : **evil anger**
Besides the great development, something I love about DCAU Luthor is how his journey is tribute to many different incarnations of Luthor:
Superman TAS - He is corrupt CEO from the post-crisis DC continuity
Justice League - After being expose as criminal, he becomes the mad scientist from the pre-crisis DC continuity.
Justice League Unlimited - His role in Cadmus arc takes inspiration from the President Luthor storyline and "Whatever Happened to Man of Tomorrow" (in which Luthor mind is taken over by Brainiac).
JLU Season 3 - Takes inspiration from the Super Friends show, in which Luthor becomes the leader of the Legion of Doom.
One the best exemple of how Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and the other producers truly had a passion for comics and respect for the DC universe mythology.
Absolutely and they should've run the DCEU
@@hoodiek6802 Or at least work as consultants. Either way, the fact that WB didn't even gave those guys a role in the DCEU development really shows how much potential was wasted
@@alexandrefrauches132 Exactly like them right the stories.Superman in the DCAU is how he supposed to be portrayed
@@hoodiek6802 if that were to happen Timm would be shoving his Batgirl grooming fetish even more than he did
@@demonking86420 They would tell him not to do that
it really is an impressive way they snuck this character arc for him throughout three separate TV series. Just another reason why the DCAU is top-tier storytelling
"Lex Luthor is bald"
...big, if true
Of massive size, provided it is factual
@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 gargantuan, supposing it is substantiated.
Is he bald? Yes.
I didn't think you could convince me, but by the end I couldn't disagree. Lex Luthor is bald.
Lex confronting Darkseid in his "powersuit" was very poetic. First and foremost, Lex is a businessman and made Darkseid an offer he could not resist.
And in an ironic twist, Lex finally got the last laugh on Superman. Superman didn't land the final blow on Darkseid. Lex Luthor did. And he didn't even need to throw a punch
@5:10 Lex bought an ENTIRE fake presidential campaign with $7 just to tick Superman off? Dang, take me back to 2005 when the price of everything was hella low!
You could become President of the United States with just 7 bucks back then!?!?!? What the hell did they do to this economy, i was born too late take me baaaack
The part where Lex Luther was bald perfectly condensed his entire character into one moment. Batman V Superman: Yawn of Justice could’ve learned a thing or two from this incredible character writing.
Bro doesn't know what 'character arc' means.
Yeah the entire reason why Snack Spider wrote Luthor as some lunatic nutjob is because he didn't cast a bald actor.
@@TheManOfTomorrow People don’t just become bald one day. You are living in a fantasy land.
Baldness is not something you can gain through character development; baldness is an inherent part of someone’s soul that is with them from the moment they are born.
@@maybussell5099 Though those who have earned it through hard work and exercise ARE remarkable. See: Saitama.
@@segevstormlord3713 Saitama was always bald even before he lost his hair. That’s why be had the potential to become so powerful.
5:10 the 7 Dollars Edit made me lose my shit
why did they do that?! I feel so bad for anybody who never saw that scene before and thought Lex really says that XD
What’s it from?
Honestly it feels like something Lex would figure it out how to do that
He likes money.
@@Gojiro7 $75 Million
How much control Lex Luthor has over his circumstances is also shown by the clothes he wears. Whenever he is wearing the black suit and tie he is at his most powerful and most imposing while whenever he is in other clothes he is depicted as more vulnerable. While he was running Lexcorp during Superman the Animated Series, running for president, or facing off Darkseid with the anti life equation in hand him and his iconic black suit meant he was in absolute control.
That is an interesting observation!
Lex Luthor represents the best and worst of humanity at once. He's capable of things both great and terrible. He has so much potential and yet squanders it on a petty grudge. But at the end of the day he's not unwilling to risk himself for what he perceives to be a greater good.
He's like Superman, but in many ways his opposite.
Honestly Lex’s growth in the dcau is some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in tv
Rewatching the last few episodes of JLU while mildly drunk had me chuckling everytime Lex spoke to (or even of) Brainiac. He just sounded so desperate, not just for the godhood he covets, but for the company, the kindred intellect, the partnership he had with Brainiac, even if he knew of it for just a short time. Even Brainiac seemed to want to hang out with Lex again, maybe it was just his hallucinations or maybe Brainiac was manipulating him, but there was just something about that "We could be together again" that made the unfeeling, heartless robot seem like he just wanted a friend, someone whose intelligence matches his own but has something else to balance it out.
Then again I was mildly drunk so take this comment with a grain of salt
Bro, the seven dollar edit kill me haha
His personality is in his baldness
lol
So what would happen if he grew hair?
He's like One Punch Man, if he had done 100 evils, stolen 100 cakes, and ran 100 fake $7 presidential campaigns EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Silver Age Lex him going bald inspired him to become a villain. Lex nowadays sports the Bald look like the Ultimate Giga Chad who gives zero fks .
5:07 9:44
Lex : *"HELLO! I LIKE MONEY"*
Superman : "Why did you create a fake President Campaign"
Lex : *"MONEY!"*
You skimmed over Lex’s character arcs and how they actually line up with a normal person’s. Lex learned how to share his life with someone else and was ready to “settle down” with them forever. Brainiac was basically his bride. And with Amazo, Lex learned how to become a father. Amazo, who’s main powers are to “copy” someone. Imprinted himself to Lex. Learning from him. And with Superman? It was almost a brotherly bond. Although he razzed his little bro, in the end, when it came down to it, he did everything to save him and show his affection the only way a big bro can.
and then he proposed to darkseid with an anti life equation ring
"Even the greatest of us can't compete with time, or death."
Hits real hard
Lex Luthor is probably my absolute favorite supervillain ever. Even more than Joker and Doctor Doom.
I don't think there is an ever more perfect foil for a hero like Superman than Lex. He even acts as a dark reflection of Superman's belief that everyone can become tomorrow a better person than they were yesterday.
Much as I like Lex being a billionaire prick, I liked how the DCAU evolved him into his more classic mad scientist Silver Age self who had a surprising amount of redeeming qualities and bravery.
I always love lex being a douche that has just a tiny sign that hes capable of becoming a good person
It always bugged me how Lex basically possessed no humanizing qualities to speak of in Superman The Animated Series, I'm glad the Justice League era gave him so much character development and channeled some of the classic Pre-Crisis elements back into his persona.
My favorite version of him is Rebirth in the comics
@@TheDoctorofOdoIsland Some would consider his ambition and lust for power humanizing enough, what's more human than that lol
TAS Lex is the best. Utterly unfettered by qualms of "retribution" and "goodness of character" he is a pure, singular force which serves to empower himself at all costs. He wants power & the ultimate realization of his individual will and does not apologize for it, nor does he seek forgiveness from those beneath him. He is a good example of Nietzsche's Ubermensch, the only real problem is his slight need for public appeal.
For me Lex always wants to show that a simple man like him can save the world. To show everyone that he is better than Superman. Even if this must cost him everything.
A silly bit of very old Superman lore is that Lex Luthor and Clark Kent went to high school together. In a lab accident, Clark, as Superboy, unintentionally drove noxious vapors toward Lex that caused all of his hair to fall out, which is why Lex is such an implacable enemy of Superman. In "Red Son", because they grew up separately, Lex Luthor kept his hair.
“7 dollars” killed me hahaha, thanks for this man. Made my day! God bless you :)
the best part of growing up on these cartoons is knowing every single line when they came up
You aren't going to mention the time when Lex and everyone else was turned into an ape and touched his head, noticing he is the only bald ape: "Figures".
After that when lex beat the gorilla
He was explaining his master plan to the legion of doom
Someone asked
What, are you going to turn us all bald?
When you edited it to say “$7” I lost it
5:09
i like how you cut it in a way that makes him say "7 dollar presidental campaign"
Ok I'm ready; bring on the Brainiac/Luthor slashfic
Isn't any :<
I would know, having checked basically everything
Kinda gay to be a billionaire egomaniac that merges with an alien robot. What’re you doing, making each other more of yourselves and becoming closer with each other than would be possible with any other being?
Egobrainiac
Ew.
Lex just always wanted to prove the world didn't need superman. That humans were good enough. So this is totally in character.
Maybe I'm wrong, but lex feels like the perfect Nietzschian man
Are you referring to the concept of the Ubermensch or moreso nihilism?
Übermensch
@@luisrosario3781 Pretty sure he means master morality and freedom/individualism.
Lex Luthor is def a great example of the rejection of leftst orthodoxy and the willful ignorance it pushes aka slave morality.
This is exactly what I referenced in another comment. Lex is a near-perfect realization of The Higher Man values that formulate The Ubermensch. He is completely and utterly devoted to self-empowerment at all costs; breaking the shackles of petty morality and qualms of "evil/good", simply realizing his own individual will by any means. He is capable, courageous and grasps at the infinite & unknown with a mighty self-assuredness.
The only thing which holds him back is his petty desire for public appeal; he is desperate to craft an image of himself in the eyes of the masses, those beneath him. This prevents his full self-actualization and, ultimately, his full self-empowerment. There are plenty of times where Lex could have taken reign over all that is, all that exists; but refused to simply because it *SPECIFICALLY* didn't help him in his highly particular, highly petty vendetta against Superman for the hearts of those in Metropolis.
It's actually a known fact that if Lex hadn't gone bald, he'd be a well-liked, charismatic fella that, while not as materialistically successful as his villainous selves, is much happier, has a sphere of friends that cares for him and whom he cares for in return.
5:10 Damn bro inflation got outta control
This is more indepth than i expected from a video titled "Lex Luthor is bald"
Hell yeah. My favorite version of the ultimate bald man.
I love how petty lex is, hes the reverse flash for superman.
Here's to the best Lex Luthor we're probably going to get for a very long time.
I love how the clipping on the one line leaves Lex saying "I spent seven dollars on a fake presidential campaign"... like, same dude
The DCAU made Lex one of my favorite villains.
"and in Justice League Unlimited he returns".. Indeed.. The Return.
6:48
Fun Fact: After living in Luthor's head, that's probably not the first time Brainiac's heard this.
Luthor’s Boyfriend
@@spoopyskeleton2010 Luthor's breedable boywife
luthor the gays
@@bwackbeedows3629 yo I didn’t notice before I don’t think but i love your pfp, Hylics is so underrated
Oh, dude a Keeps sponsorship would have been perfect for this one!
This is a really good video analyzing one of the DCAU’s best villains, with a legendary actor voicing him, and it starts and ends with a bald joke. Gotta love it, cheers.
I don’t know why the “I spent $7 on a fake presidential campaign” edit was the one that broke me but I had to pause the video cause of how hard I was laughing well done
How he talked Amazo around shows why so many villains follow Lex.
Now I gotta rewatch both these shows back to back.
I have never watched this show, but God this Lex is great.
Damn, wish I could watch it for the first time.
Find a way to watch JL and JLU. Or really, watch as much of the DCAU as possible.
U can always pirate it
Best DC adpatation out there.
5:10 - Just want you to know that this edit did not go unappreciated.
Clancy brown is such a high tier voice actor it’s actually crazy. The RANGE on this man
Amazo: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
Lex: You pass butter.
Amazo: OH GOD
"I spent seven dollars on a fake presidential campaign, all just to tick superman off"
bro that title is so true ✊🏻😔
In the immortal words of that one wig salesman from Despicable Me 2...
YOU ARE BALD... AND THAT'S BAD!
"I spent 7 dollars on a fake presidential campaign" caught me off guard. That was hilarious.
Damn, Lex really stopped the League's 2 most powerful threats (Amazo and Darkseid) by being bald
The fact that it is cannon that he is that way because Supes blew it out of his head is some of the most hilarious golden age jank
I might be remembering this wrong but in the comics, Lex and Superman were friends. But one day, Lex's lab caught fire. Superman tried to save him but not without accidentally spilling chemicals on his head making him bald. After that, Lex hated Superman and wanted to get revenge for making him bald.
That's pre-Crisis lore when Luthor was just a mad scientist. Current lore just has Lex going bald naturally now and writers go back and forth on whether or not they want Lex acting more as his 80s CEO incarnation or the 60s mad scientist incarnation, mostly settling for varying mixtures of both.
This is so much an silver age of comics plot point, everything back then was SO WEIRD for no reason
Lex Luthor, as a young and brilliant scientist looked up to Superman and the two of them had a good relationship. They were friends. While working on a formula to protect Superman from Kryptonite Lex's lab caught on fire. Superman used his super breath to blow the fire out, but that ended up enveloping Lex in the chemically laden smoke the lab fire produced. Immediately afterward Lex's hair fell out. (He had red hair before this) Lex blamed Superman and this began Lex's career as Superman's most reoccurring villain.
This is by far the best video name, ever.
5:10 Lex spent how much? Man really is a genius if he could get a whole presidential campaign setup with 7 dollars
I love dialogue like "but we saw it this time!" It tells us so much about this world and these characters
5:10
Such a subtle but _utterly hilarious_ edit.
For anyone curious about what happened to Amazo, check out Justice League Infinity, a comic sequel made by some of the JLU writers and creators.
Sorry but even if it isnt specifically said where the kryptonite is affecting him, I still find it funny to joke about lex getting prostate cancer from the kryptonite.
"I spent 7 dollars on a fake presidential campaign all just to tick superman off" LOL
The anti life equation I heard that in a LEGO game
That title is such life changing information
The I spent $7 on a fake Presidential Campaign edit actually made me crack up...
you did lex so dirty at 6:50 lmao
I've never seen such a bold and controversial title to a video, respect my brave friend, respect😤👏
Luther couldn’t find the anti bald equation
5:10 That would have been amazing if Lex Actually instead spend Seven Whole Dollars
I love when after gorilla grod tried to turn everyone into an ape and lex beats him. As he gather the legion of Doom and wanted to explain his master plan someone said
What , are you going to turn us all bald?!
The DCAU version of Lex Luthor is my personal favorite villain (followed closely by Gul Dukat) and this was a brilliant analysis.
Good taste in villians
I clicked for the title. Expecting a short clip reel for everytime someone mentions his lack of hair.
This is why I love Lex Luthor more than the Joker. He is straight more fascinating on how despite his ego big enough to threaten the entire universe, he is somewhat aware and a bit nihilistic (and that could be a lie given it was to save himself from Amazon) of how all of what he did would be for nothing and wouldn’t even be remembered yet he still makes up his own purpose in life regardless of what throws at him and he strangely and shockingly admires and respect Superman due to the rivalry with him making Led improve his own craft and schemes and later for a brief moment becomes GOD. He is straight up PRIDE and yet has standards and expectations with what he does and to the specific people close to him that mean a lot in his life manufactory and not emotionally… like dahm. This essay is one big cosmic perspective and in some way, I do relate to Lex in the nihilism at times and wanting to make an impact and purpose on my life regardless of what will happen in the future… and like a lot of us, I LIKE MONEY!!!
Really love this analysis of justice league unlimited, probably my favorite dc show of all time. It is heavily slept on by many people, they really did well with their short run
And for anyone wondering why, Lex was merely a balding ginger before someone accidentally drew him as a bald henchman. So yes, bald Luthor was a happy accident.
Came back to watch this a second time. Love your stuff IP!
To this day -- this is the Luthor I want for the big screen and they'll die before they give it us. The smart and tactful businessman moving pieces on the board with finesse...but instead we got some weirdo
I absolutely love these videos of yours. They remind me of the good old days, when cartoons used to have deep characters and actually had life lessons in them. Keep up the good work.
The Mr Krabs reference is very apt. Few people know that Clancy Brown voiced both Lex and Krabs
I don't know if it was intentional but when lex and Darksied are in the antilife equation tornado thing Darksied says "it's beautiful isn't it?" And before replying Lex looks at Metropolis rather than the Equation and saying "Yes, yes it is"
I love it because it shows one of my favorite parts about most versions of of Lex that above all else he loves Metropolis maybe not for the same noble reasons as superman but in his own way he loves his city
Lex's lack of hair is fascinating
Incredible title. Really captures the character.
The animated universe of dc is so great and there's the live adaptation
Love the "7 dollars on a presidential campaign" edit.