Alexander Luthor Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985) |
Created by | Marv Wolfman George Pérez Jerry Ordway |
In-story information | |
Full name | Alexander Luthor Jr. |
Species | Metahuman |
Place of origin | Earth-Three |
Team affiliations | Secret Society Black Lantern Corps |
Notable aliases | Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor |
Abilities | Genius-level intellect Ability to manipulate matter and anti-matter Ability to fire offensive energy bursts Ability to form and control dimensional portals |
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.
Publication history
Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character made his first appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985). He had a prominent role in that series, and appeared 20 years later as one of the two primary antagonists of the sequel Infinite Crisis, alongside Superboy-Prime.
Fictional character biography
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Alexander Luthor Jr. is born on
Alexander materializes on the abandoned satellite which was formerly headquarters of the Justice League.
After defeating the Anti-Monitor (with the help of
Escape from "Heaven"
Infinite Crisis Secret Files reveals how the four survivors spent the years since the Crisis. The survivors have power over the dimension, and it reacts to their thoughts and emotions. Alexander (who has rapidly aged to his mid-30s) becomes colder and more detached from the well-being of the universe's living beings, progressively becomes as corrupt as his father's villainous counterparts. Superboy-Prime is frustrated, and Alexander uses this opportunity to convince him to help fix reality. Playing on his anger, Alexander only shows him negative aspects of the new reality to convince him that it is inferior;
Furiously trying to escape, Superboy-Prime unsuccessfully pounds on the barrier wall of the paradise dimension. This assault on the universe causes "ripples" which alter reality, creating parallel timelines (
Superboy-Prime's efforts frustrate him; he is not as powerful in the post-Crisis heaven, because he has no yellow sun to power him. Eventually Alexander reveals that his own powers are returning, and the two combine forces to break through the barrier wall. Together, they set into motion the events that culminate in Infinite Crisis:
- Superboy-Prime pushes the planet
- Alexander poses as Lex Luthor and starts the new Society of Super-Villains.[10]
- Alexander recruits the Psycho-Pirate to place Eclipso's Black Diamond in Jean Loring's Arkham Asylum cell.[11] Loring, as Eclipso, then seduces the Spectre into destroying all magic, leading to the death of the wizard Shazam and the Rock of Eternity's destruction, releasing many demons and causing terrible impacts on magic.[12]
- Superboy-Prime destroys the Justice League Watchtower and abducts Martian Manhunter.[13]
- Alex hijacks control of Brother Eye from
Infinite Crisis
Countdown
Alexander watches the events on the post-Crisis Earth for several years with his companions, and eventually convinces a pessimistic Kal-L to break the walls of their paradise to intervene on post-Crisis Earth.[15] Alexander tells Kal-L and his cousin Power Girl that they can help him bring aspects of Earth-Two into predominance over the merged universes (since Earth-One had become predominant Post-Crisis), which will help Earth-Two's Lois Lane recover from her current illness.[16]
"I'm you. Only better."
Lex Luthor does everything in his power to find his impersonator. Assuming the identity
Not only is Alexander masquerading as Lex Luthor, he is also using the Society to construct a massive dimensional "tuning fork" (like those in the original Crisis). The structure incorporates heroes and villains from the Earths who combined to form the post-Crisis Earth, and the remains of the Anti-Monitor.
The device requires a vast power source to operate, which Alexander generates by manipulating the Spectre into destroying magic (as seen in Day of Vengeance). With sorcerers dead (and their resulting control over magic extinguished), the result is a raw form of magic that the device can tap into; this is personified by the power commanded by the wizard Shazam after his death. He needs lightning provided by one of Shazam's champions, Black Adam, who says the word due to influence from the Psycho-Pirate. Alexander programs the tower by granting sentience to the Brother Eye satellite, allowing the system to evolve into a brain capable of directing the tower's energies and mapping the new multiverse to help him find the perfect Earth he seeks.[18]
With the device Alexander can divide the universe, re-creating the multiverse. He seems successful in recreating Earth-Two (or a close facsimile); however, he notes that this objective is not his ultimate one (which is to gather elements from every Earth to create one single, perfect Earth). With the parallel Earths restored Alexander combines various Earths, randomly bringing them together to observe the result (despite the billions of lives he destroys) and destroying the result if unsuitable. At the center of the universe, Donna Troy and her team see gigantic representations of Alexander's hands creating a rip in space.[19]
As Alexander attempts to combine Earth-Two and Earth-Three (an act which would have killed Superman and
His plan foiled, Alexander decides that if he cannot create a perfect Earth, he will take this Earth by force and shape it as best he can. To that end, the Society meets in
Death
After losing a battle (during which he seriously injures Nightwing with a blast which apparently drains his power), Alexander is held at gunpoint by Batman for severely injuring Nightwing and causing Superboy's death. Wonder Woman stops him, telling Batman that Alex is not worth it; Alex flees, proclaiming that this does not mean that Wonder Woman is "better".
Lex Luthor and the Joker find him hiding in an alley in Gotham City. Alex broods over the failure of his plans (while reflecting that he is already coming up with another plan to achieve his goal), when he is distracted by a noise from further down the alley. The Joker mutilates Alex's face with his acid-flower (and lethal) joy-buzzer and Lex taunts his imposter for his mistakes, including underestimating Lex and excluding the Joker from the Society (the Joker was the only major villain not offered membership in the Society, due to his highly unpredictable nature). The Joker then shoots Alexander point-blank in the head with a shotgun, killing him, while Lex mockingly asks "Now who's stupid?".[21]
In
Although Alexander's body had a missing finger and a different genetic makeup from Lex's, 52 editor Stephen Wacker has confirmed that the body found in Gotham is indeed Alex, and Luthor altered it before police had discovered it.[22]
The Death of the New Gods mini-series (2008) reveals that Alexander was subtly manipulated by the Source into recreating the Multiverse.
Blackest Night
In the 2009–10
Justice League of America
Alexander next appears in Justice League of America in 2011. In the Hall of Justice, the Justice League is attacked by the Antimatter Universe's
Powers and abilities
Alexander's greatest talent is his genius-level intellect which he uses to manipulate other characters, outwit his enemies and engineer the Multiverse Tower. The circumstances of his escape from the doomed Earth-Three give him power over matter and anti-matter, which he can use offensively as bursts of energy or to form and control dimensional portals. He also has a form of precognitive abilities, enabling him to foresee the most probable events. Overuse of his power seems to drain him; following his attempt to restore the Multiverse (and a subsequent attack on Nightwing) he was left apparently as vulnerable as a normal human, clearly terrified when Batman appeared to be about to shoot him, and eventually being killed by the Joker.
See also
- Superman (Kal-L)
- Superboy-Prime
- Crisis on Infinite Earths
- Infinite Crisis
- Lex Luthor (DC Extended Universe), who is depicted as the son of Lex Luthor Sr.
References
- ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (May 1985)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 (June 1985)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August 1985)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986)
- ^ a b Infinite Crisis: Secret Files & Origins (April 2006)
- ^ Rann-Thanagar War (2005)
- ^ Villains United (2005)
- ^ Superman (vol. 2) #216 (May 2005)
- ^ Day of Vengeance (2005)
- ^ JLA #118 (September 2005)
- ^ The OMAC Project (2005)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #2 (January 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #5 (April 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006)
- ^ a b Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006)
- ^ "5.2 ABOUT 52 (with Stephen Wacker): Week 3". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007.
- ^ Blackest Night #1 (July 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night #3 (September 2009)
- ^ Adventure Comics (vol. 2) #4 (November 2009)
- ^ Adventure Comics (vol. 2) #5 (December 2009)
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #50 (October 2010)
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #53 (January 2011)