Lex Luthor is a universe unto himself. He not only believes that the world revolves around him, he does his very best to make sure that it does, bending his great intellect, wealth and power towards making himself the crux about which all things turn. He regards himself as essential, as a true ubermensch (not to be confused with alien supermen lauded for the mere possession of unusual biology). He indulges himself greatly and denies himself nothing, unless he thinks that denial will increase his greatness or his power. He has a formidable will and intense personal charisma and magnetism. He tends to control and push people around almost on instinct, with a kind of reflexive sense of dominance. All he sees, he owns. Arrogant, preening, vainglorious and absolutely corrupt, he believes wholeheartedly in his vision and in making the world a better place, reshaped in his image and forged in the shadow of his achievements.
| Intellect |
| Lex Luthor possesses one of the world's finest minds, generally regarded among the top dozen geniuses in the world. He has particular gifts in technology and scientific engineering, capable of making radical new insights and advances if he puts his mind to it. While he rarely works directly in the lab, he reviews the work of his employees and directs their efforts with his guidance. He can consume vast amounts of data in record time, perform complex calculations in his head and multi-task a half-dozen mental tasks at a given time. |
| Cunning |
| Lex has a particularly cunning mind, making him incredibly good at deceiving and manipulating others. He can quickly read other people's weaknesses and recognize the ways to get them to do what he wants. He can lie with such calm that he can fool a conventional polygraph. He thinks quickly on his feet and is always highly adaptable in any given situation. |
| Business |
| Lex Luthor is a cutting edge corporate mogul and financial shark. Control-obsessed, he micromanages even the small affairs of his company and makes sure every ounce of profit can be wrung out of their holdings. He's good at reading markets and anticipating trends and needs. Very few can manage a portfolio with his innate skill. Of course, he hires numerous underlings to do most of the day to day, but he always keeps a close eye and his hand is always behind the wheel, steering the ship. |
| Iron Will |
| Lex possesses incredible resolve and self-discipline. Combined with his intellect and his intense drive to conquer and succeed, he's proven to have an extremely formidable psyche. He has great resistance to mental manipulation and control. His mind is extremely difficult to read even by experienced telepaths. He can withstand highly adverse circumstances and can resist the lure of powerful charisma. Of course, there's an argument to be made that it isn't his incredible will but his incredible narcissism that makes all that possible. Either way, it's a useful talent. |
| Polymath |
| Lex has studied countless subjects, from architecture to zoology and tends to use the Renaissance man moniker as a way to demonstrate his wide range of knowledge. He speaks about a dozen languages, knows a great deal about history, art and culture. He has a gift for learning and can master a given subject in relatively short periods of time and is more than capable of speed-reading an entire book with comprehension in a matter of a few minutes. |
| Self-defense |
| While hardly a world-class combatant, Lex does do a certain amount of self-defense and physical training, both as a last line of defense and to keep himself physically fit. He mostly practices krav maga and kickboxing and, while not a top line expert in either, he's formidable enough that your average joe would probably take a beating. |
| Wealth |
| Lex Luthor possesses one of the largest personal fortunes in the world. In terms of sheer worth, he possesses somewhere in the range of thirty million dollars with an annual income of close to a billion in and of itself. He spends lavishly, but couldn't possibly spend enough to keep up with his income, which comes from a wide variety of sources including salaries, savings, interest, stock portfolio, patents and other investments. |
| Lexcorp |
| Lex is the primary shareholder and chairman of the board of Lexcorp, a descendent of Luthor Company. Lexcorp is a massive multinational conglomerate, with fingers in nearly two dozen different industries. They have cutting edge research and development, constantly pushing the frontiers of innovation. The corporation owns medical facilities, investment groups, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and communications, to name just a few. Lexcorp is centered in Metropolis, but has corporate offices in New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Moscow, Dubai and Calcutta. While there is a vast corporate infrastructure and bureacratic pyramid, Lex sits at the very apex of power in the corporation and, while a vast leviathan that moves slowly, it will, in the end, always bend to the will of its master. |
| Technology |
Lex has access to a wide array of technological tools and gadgetry, some of which exceed the conventional scientific paradigm and might seem like something out of a science fiction movie. That said, he rarely wields these devices personally and usually works by proxy. Some of the technologies to which he has access include:
Android and artificial intelligence of moderate sophistication.
High energy weapons and shields.
Advanced vehicles, including some with low orbit capability.
Biological and genetic engineering.
Cloning, including humanoid cloning, with varying levels of stability and success.
Military grade weaponry.
Extensive containment facilities, including secret prisons and laboratories.
Hyperadvanced security systems.
Quantum computing and communications tech.
Microbiological research and development.
Xenobiological samples and extensive files and analysis of superhuman subjects (OOC Consent required for anyone of note).
Holographic and virtual reality tech. |
| Clean Hands |
| Lex believes strongly in the power of plausible deniability. While he has his hands in many corrupt and unsavory practices, sometimes outright villainy, virtually none of it can be traced to the man himself - at least, not in any sense that would stick in a court of law. He keeps layers of insulation between himself and his darkest projects, rarely showing his own face at the sight of some evil act. He is a puppet master, a spider at the apex of a web, and he weaves his strands with great care. Not to mention he pays plenty of lesser folk to take the fall for him with a smile and a Swiss bank account awaiting their release. |
| Underworld |
| Lex has significant (and well-disguised) ties with a variety of criminal syndicates and networks. He has access to the black market and significant criminal personnel, including soldiers of fortune, thieves, hackers and the like. He's extremely involved in international arms dealing and technology smuggling and has notable resources to call upon in those arenas. He also has increasing ties in the supervillainous and anti-heroic community. |
| Influence |
| Lex has a great deal of power and influence. He's extremely famous, has been on the cover of world magazines and attracts papparazzi coverage (although his personal estates and properties are assiduously secured and largely impenetrable to anything as mundane as your average journalist). He can get high level government officials at his beck and call on relatively short notice. He has a massive team of lawyers with which to threaten and cajole others to bend to his will and pays a significant amount in under the table bribes and corruption to make sure he gets his way. |
| God Complex |
| Some people have large egos. Some people have fatal hubris. And then there is Lex Luthor. Lex's self-estimation has reached such a density that it has formed a sort of psychic singularity, an all-consuming egomaniacal self-regard that makes him trust and believe in only himself and his own superiority. All others are fools, tools or enemies to be destroyed. Obviously, this isn't actually the case and so his flawless judgment has a few major flaws. |
| Pride |
| Lex's ego is matched by his pride in his reputation and his standing. Those who offend him are often treated with such hatred and vitriol, he overreacts to even relatively small slights and holds grudges over petty matters long after a wiser man would let things go. He never forgets an offense and keeps a regular count of his enemies. While this can make him a ferocious opponent, it also means that he alienates and distrusts others almost by default. |
| Fame |
| Lex is a well-known public figure, with wide regard and personal reputation. He can't simply show up places and not be noticed. If he's involved in a shady deal or a villainous pursuit, he must do so either in total secrecy or through conduits and proxies to prevent his identity from being exposed. While he's become good at that sort of thing, inevitably he will stick his neck out to do something foul now and again and, when he does, he risks exposure and the crumbling of his empire. |
| Resentment |
| Lex's sense of superiority gives him a particular sense of hatred for superhumans. He regards superhuman beings as essentially cheaters, being gifted unfair advantages, the equivalent of a steroid abuser in a professional sport. They succeed not by merit or worth but merely accident of birth or species or mutation. He finds them repugnant, revolting and, while occasionally useful, very rarely will he give a superhuman anything resembling respect. He, of course, often underestimates them because he underestimates most everyone that isn't him. |
| Control Freak |
| Lex hates being out of control. He has a maniacal need to be in charge. He will not accept the authority of others and will immediately attempt to usurp or overthrow anyone who begins to think they're his better. He also micromanages even tiny details well beyond the scope of his role at Lexcorp and can sometimes push himself to the limits as he doesn't always delegate as much as he should and works himself to the bone simply because he cannot stand even the whiff of failure. |
All-Around Villainy
Corruption
High Society
Superscience
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