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In 2001, Smallvilleexplored the worlds of Superman and his arch-rival Lex Luthor in a way that films cannot compete with. The superhero television show that started it all delved into why and how these legendary characters became the men audiences know and love. In doing so, it delivered a Lex Luthor quote that defines every version of the character across all adaptations.
In Smallville's "Onyx," Lex delivers his most iconic line to Jonathan Kent when he says, "You were right about me all along, Mr. Kent. I am the villain of the story." In a single line, Smallville conveys the nuances of a character-driven villain and the tragic inevitability of Lex's destiny. It's a powerful and defining line of dialogue that has yet to be topped in any other version of the character.
Lex Fought Against His Darkness and His Destiny
Lex Luthor begins Smallvilleas a spoiled rich kid sent to run a Luthor Corp plant in the middle of nowhere as punishment. As he speeds around Kansas in his Porsche, he loses control of the car and hits a teenage Clark Kent, crashing into a river.
When Clark saves his life, Lex sees the light. He wants to be a better person. In the first few seasons of Smallville, Clark and Lex are best friends, and Clark is a positive influence on the billionaire Playboy. With renewed determination and humility, Lex takes his new job in Smallville seriously, looking to prove to himself that he has what it takes to run a business.
After he does a respectable job turning the dying plant around, his father, Lionel Luthor, wants him back in Metropolis. Lex is apprehensive about returning, knowing that the big city and his father bring out the worst in him. He fights to stay in Smallville and on his path of redemption.
Lex goes to war with Lionel, and while he does it for the right reasons, chess games of manipulation and sabotage only serve to reinforce his worst instincts. Lex's descent into darkness was a slow one. As he started to suspect Clark was keeping secrets from him, he employed underhanded tactics behind Clark's back. A wedge was slowly driven between the two friends, and their paths began to diverge.
Lex’s Trajectory Into Villainy Paralleled Clark’s Destiny
One of the things that Smallville tackled beautifully was the inevitability of Lex's villainy. The show explored what made him into the man he would become. It answered the question of where his darkness came from and why he gave in to it. The answer was incredibly human and relatable. It was fear. Lex craved power not because he was a megalomaniac, but because he feared being powerless and unloved.
Lex was drawn to the Kent family because of his deep desire to be loved. The warmth and the acceptance the Kents gave Clark were a thing of envy to Lex. He wanted to be a part of it. He spends much of his time trying to get on Jonathan's good side, but Mr. Kent doesn't trust Luthor.
In Smallville Season 2, Lex locates his illegitimate half-brother, Lucas. Lucas grew up on the streets and was only out for himself. At one point, Lucas betrays Lex and makes a deal to steal his brother's inheritance. Lex was fired and kicked out of his home. There was only one place he thought to go, and that was the Kent farm.
Lex stays with the Kents, working on the farm and enjoying the simplicity of manual labor. In an episode of Talk Ville, the Smallville rewatch podcast, Michael Rosenbaum wondered why Lex wouldn't go to a hotel. Series creator Al Gough answered simply, saying that all the money in the world couldn't buy the one thing Lex really wanted, which was a family.
Lex was driven by his desire for love and his fear of being hurt or powerless. This created a toxic cocktail that sent him down a dark path that paralleled Clark's journey to become the greatest hero the world has ever known.
'Onyx' Masterfully Created a Visual Representation of Lex Luthor's Character
There were two sides to Lex, and this idea was never more perfectly illustrated than in season four's "Onyx." When Lex comes into contact with black kryptonite, he is physically split in two. One version of the bald billionaire was kind and generous.
That version of Lex wanted to make the world a better place. The other was corrupt and power-hungry; he wanted the world, and he was set on making Clark bring it to its knees. While evil Lex uncovered Clark's secrets, good Lex bonded with his recently released father. Lionel had a life-changing experience and wanted to become a philanthropist.
Lex was going to help him by supporting his cause. When evil Lex learned of good Lex, he wanted to kill that part of himself, but he wasn't sure what would happen to him. He kidnapped and imprisoned his doppelgänger. Evil Lex then humiliated Lionel, causing his father to revert to his wicked ways, ensuring that once he was whole, that toxic influence on him would return.
In the meantime, Lex donned a meteor rock ring and went to force Clark to do his bidding. He held the Kent family at gunpoint and shot Jonathan Kent before delivering the most definitive Lex Luthor line in the history of the character. The iconic line, "I am the villain of the story," and its context in "Onyx" foreshadowed Lex's inevitable descent into darkness.
Much like there were two sides of Lex in the world, there were two sides to him inside his mind as well. In season seven's "Descent," where Lex kills his father and fully embraces his darkness, he literally kills the good part of himself, throwing it into the fire to burn away. The battle waging inside him was over, and he would become the villain of the story.
