Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor is a fictional character portrayed by John Glover in the television series Smallville. The character was initially a special guest in season one, and became a series regular in season two and continued until being written out of the show in season seven. The character returned to the show in season ten again in a special guest role as a parallel universe version of the character. In Smallville, Lionel Luthor is the father of Lex Luthor, and founder and CEO of LuthorCorp. Lex Luthor's father was first introduced in Superman comics by Jerry Siegel in 1961 and has since appeared in other Superman-related media under different names. Smallville is the first appearance in which the character has been an intricate part of a Superman adaptation. Series developers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar created Lionel Luthor for Smallville to provide an antithesis to the parenting style of Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent. In the DC Comics, Lex Luthor's father was originally named Jules Luthor, but later was renamed Lionel Luthor some time after Smallville. He debuted in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #23 and was created by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger.
During the story of Smallville, Lionel evolves from being a nemesis of Clark Kent who develops multiple schemes to uncover Clark's secrets, to becoming an ally who eventually dies to protect Clark's secret from his own son. Lionel has a strained relationship with Lex and regularly tries to test him. He attempts to develop a romantic relationship with Martha Kent following the death of Jonathan Kent, helping her advance toward the United States Senate. A parallel universe version of the character is later introduced in the show's final season who serves as Clark and his allies' adversary and plays a pivotal role in bringing Lex back from his presumed death.
Lionel's development from a main antagonist to an ally was difficult for the writers who felt the character's arc failed to achieve the status they wanted. Although they continued with the story arc, Lionel returned to using deception to protect Clark rather than exploit him. He is characterized as a sinister character who tried hard to further his own ambitions. Lionel's relationship with his son has been likened to that of Harry Osborn and Norman Osborn from Spider-Man comics.
Role in ''Smallville''
Earth-1 version
In 1989, Lionel visits Smallville to buy the Ross Creamed Corn company immediately before a meteor shower occurs. Twelve years later during season one, Lionel exiles his son Lex Luthor to Smallville to run LuthorCorp's local fertilizer plant as a test. When Lex makes a profit for the first time in years, Lionel closes the plant and blames Lex's poor managerial skills. Lionel later confronts his son at the Luthor mansion when Lex tries to orchestrate an employee buyout to save the fertilizer plant. When strong winds force debris to smash through the mansion, Lionel is pinned under a fallen support beam and Lex hesitates to save his father. In season two, Lex saves Lionel but loses his sight because of Lex's judgment to rush into surgery. Lionel is initially shown as blind until Lex and Lucas Luthor —Lionel's illegitimate son—devise a plan to uncover Lionel's deception; it's revealed that Lionel was blind but that his eyes healed and he intentionally neglected to tell anyone so he could watch how they acted around him. Lionel is later aware of the Kawatche caves and tries to unlock the mysterious symbols there, to the dismay of Clark Kent. Season three revealed that Lionel conspired with Morgan Edge to murder Lionel's parents and used the insurance money to fund LuthorCorp. Lionel has Lex committed to a mental institution, when his son discovers what Lionel did. When Chloe Sullivan discovers the truth, that evidence is used to assist Lex have Lionel arrested for his parents' murder. It is also revealed why Lionel is angry with Lex; he blames his son for the death of his youngest son Julian Luthor, although Lex took the blame to protect the true killer Lillian, Lionel's mentally unwell wife. Lionel also learns that he has a terminal liver disease, which he divulges to Lex while awaiting arraignment.Lionel is sentenced to prison for his parents' murder in season four. Lionel attempts to switch bodies with Lex using a stone from Clark's homeworld of Krypton but Clark intervenes and Lionel switches bodies with Clark instead. When he and Clark switch back, Lionel discovers his terminal liver disease is healed. Lionel is released from prison by Genevieve Teague, and begins searching for three stones of knowledge. During this quest, Lionel falls into a catatonic state after being uploaded with Kryptonian knowledge. Lionel recovers in season five when Jor-El's artificial intelligence takes over his body to speak with Clark. Under Jor-El's guidance, Lionel begins helping Clark by making excuses for Clark's behavior and unexplained disappearances throughout seasons five and six. Season seven revealed that Lionel and three other wealthy families formed the secret society Veritas to protect an alien visitor known as the Traveler. Lex realized Lionel had been covering up the Traveler's existence and murders his father. Season ten reveals that Tess Mercer is Lionel's illegitimate daughter fathered with Pamela Jenkins.
Earth-2 doppelgänger
Season ten featured an alternate doppelgänger of the character when Clark unintentionally visits a parallel universe where Lionel found and adopted Clark's doppelgänger to be a murderer going by the alias of Ultraman before escaping back to his own reality but is followed by Lionel. Lionel posed as his own doppelgänger as he assumes control of LuthorCorp from Tess and attempts twice to groom "Alexander Luthor"/Conner Kent to his side. However, Lionel fails to bring the hybrid clone of Clark and Lex to his side and loses the company when Tess proves he's an imposter. The series finale revealed that Lionel discovers the original Lex had transplanted body parts from Lex's replicates and was kept hidden. He founded the genetic research company PreClox as he embezzled a large amount of money from LuthorCorp to assist Lex's scientists with a compatible heart. Lionel tries to give Tess's heart to Lex but Tess shoots Lionel and escapes. Lionel surrenders his soul to Darkseid, giving Lionel's heart to effectively resurrecting Lex. Darkseid possesses Lionel's corpse to attack Clark who destroys Lionel's body and dispels Darkseid's threat.Portrayal
Lionel Luthor was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar specifically for Smallville to provide a parallel to the Kents as an "experiment in extreme parenting". The character Chloe Sullivan was also created for the show. Lex's father has previously been depicted in other media.Lionel Luthor is portrayed in the program by John Glover; Glover said he appreciates the "clear canvas" he had to work with when developing his portrayal of Lionel. In season one, Glover traveled from New York to Vancouver every week while filming his scenes because he was already committed to stage appearances in New York at the time. When portraying the character's struggle with terminal liver disease, Glover was inspired by a friend's battle with cancer; he said his friend was a "cheerleader to people", who supported and boosted others when they were feeling bad. When Glover's friend learned he had cancer he fought hard to get over it, but when he learned that it was terminal he went to bed and stopped eating until he died about ten days later. This helped Glover understand how someone powerful and full of life could commit suicide—which Lionel prepares to do when he learns his illness is terminal.
Character development
Storyline progression
In season two, Lionel moves from being recurring figure to a regular character. This season features the gradual unveiling of Lionel's increasing involvement with the characters of the show. It begins with more direct involvement when Luthor hires Martha Kent as his assistant, and then indirectly when he becomes the conservator of the Kawatche caves and tries to unlock the mystery of the symbols on the cave walls. During season three, Lionel becomes the villain of the show when he tries to discover Clark's secret and drives Lex into a psychotic breakdown. This allows Lionel to use electroshock therapy on Lex to erase his knowledge of Lionel's co-opting of Morgan Edge to kill Lionel's parents for their life insurance. The creative team experimented with Lionel's character in season four, creating a storyline in which Lionel is reformed. Executive producer Greg Beeman said the character development failed, and as a result Lionel returned to his normal self. John Glover found playing Lionel as a straight arrow was "boring".Season five explores the relationship between Martha and Lionel. Both Annette O'Toole and Al Gough said Lionel was slightly attracted to Martha, but that she would never act on that feeling. The producers had no intentions to create a romantic relationship between the two characters. Most of Lionel's motivations in season five are shrouded in mystery. Glover said he could not determine whether his character is good or bad, so when he is portraying him in season five he tried to present everything as if it was "good". Glover said he believes Lincoln Cole's actions in "Mercy" made Lionel rethink everything his past behavior and his own character. By the end of the fifth season, Lionel has learned that people have a responsibility to each other.
Smallville writer and executive producer Brian Peterson said the creative team wanted to remind the audience that Lionel was still the same Lionel Luthor they had come know, so they delayed revealing Lionel's usual antics until season six's "Promise" in which he blackmails Lana into marrying Lex. Peterson wanted to "slap in the face" with a reminder of Lionel's former character. Although Lionel blackmails Lana into marrying Lex, John Glover said Lionel was trying to protect Clark, for which he needed Lana's help. By the time season six began airing, Glover realized Lex was starting to become more villainous and that his time on the show would be limited. Glover hoped Lionel would still be able to influence his son as the show progressed; he believed his character would be useless on the show without such influencing abilities. Glover said the conflict between Lex and his father is very positive for the show because Lionel's attempt to bond with Lex and the distrust between them "makes drama".