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Smallville character
Lionel Luthor
Location:	Smallville
Creators:	Created by Alfred Gough Miles Millar
First appearance:	"Pilot"
Portrayed by:	John Glover
Significant relatives:	Lex Luthor

Lionel Luthor is a fictional character in the CW Network television series Smallville, played by John Glover. The character was created specifically for Smallville, by show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. In the series, Lionel is the father of Lex Luthor, and founder and former CEO of LuthorCorp. The character was created to provide an antithesis to the parenting style of Jonathan and Martha Kent. In Smallville, the character has gone from Clark's nemesis to his ally, even dying to protect Clark's secret from Lionel's son, Lex. Lionel carries a strained relationship with his son, whom he sees as weak and tries to test on a regular basis. He also has a semi-romantic relationship with Martha Kent, following the death of Jonathan.

Although Lionel Luthor is the creation of Al Gough and Miles Millar, the character of Lex's father has made brief appearances or mentionings in the original Superman comics upon which the show is based. Following John Glover's portrayal of Lionel in Smallville, Lex's father is now referred to as Lionel Luthor in the comics.

Appearances

Television

In 1989, Lionel and his son Lex come to Smallville, with Lionel intending to buy the Ross Creamed Corn company. Twelve years later, Lionel exiles his son to Smallville to run the local LuthorCorp fertilizer plant, as a test. When Lex succeeds in making a profit for the first time in years, Lionel closes the plant down and blames it on Lex’s poor managerial skills. Lionel later confronts his son at the Luthor mansion, when Lex attempts to orchestrate an employee buyout to save the fertilizer plant. Strong winds from a tempest force debris to smash through the mansion, and Lionel is pinned under a fall support beam. Lionel is eventually saved by Lex, who hesitates to save his father, but Lex’s judgment to rush Lionel into surgery results in Lionel losing his eyesight. For half of season two, it is believed that Lionel is blind. Lex and his half-brother Lucas devise a plan that brings Lionel’s deception out into the open; it is revealed that Lionel was blind, but that his eyes healed and he intentionally neglected to tell everyone so that he could watch how they acted around him. This season, Lionel also becomes aware of the Kawatche caves, and takes over conservatorship from LexCorp in order to unlock the mysteries of the symbols on the cave walls.

In season three, it is revealed that Lionel conspired with Morgan Edge to murder Lionel’s parents, and use their insurance money to fund the start of LuthorCorp. Lionel has Lex committed to a mental institution when his son discovers what Lionel did. Chloe Sullivan discovers the truth, and uses that evidence to assist Lex in having Lionel arrested for the murder of his parents. Season three also saw Lionel diagnosed with a terminal liver disease, which he divulges to Lex while awaiting his arraignment. After being sentenced to prison for the murder of his parents, Lionel attempts to switch bodies with Lex so that his son can spend the rest of his life in prison while Lionel walks free in Lex’s body. Clark intervenes and Lionel switches bodies with him instead. When he and Clark switch back, Lionel discovers that his terminal liver disease is healed, and that he has a new found guidance in life. Released from prison by Genevieve Teague, Lionel begins searching for the three stones of knowledge. This quest leads to Lionel falling into a catatonic state after being downloaded with Kryptonian knowledge. Lionel is brought out of his catatonic state by Jor-El, who uses him as a vessel through which Jor-El can speak with his son, Kal-El (Clark). With Jor-El guiding him, Lionel begins assisting Clark by helping to make excuses for his behavior and unexplained disappearances. Season seven reveals that Lionel, along with three other wealthy families, formed a secret society known as Veritas, in an effort to protect an alien visitor known as the Traveler – the alien visitor is Clark. The secret of Veritas and the Traveler subsequently cause Lionel’s death at the hands of Lex, who realizes that his father has been covering up the truth about the Traveler.

In other media

Before Smallville, Lex's father made either brief appearances in the Superman comics, or was regulated to a mere mentioning by Lex. In the 1978, Richard Donner Superman film, as well as in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, Lex briefly mentions his father, though he never reveals his father's name. Both films indicate that Lex's real estate schemes are based on advice his father gave him as a child. In the live action Superboy television series, Lex Luthor's father appears in part one, or the two part episode, "Know Thine Enemy" in season four. In "Know Thine Enemy", Superboy becomes Lex Luthor in a virtural reality, where he watches as Lex grew up with an abusive father. This series does not give Lex's father a name either. In the 2004 miniseries Superman: Birthright, Luthor is not a billionaire and died in a fire Lex accidentally causes in an experiment (the same accident that makes him become bald).

John Glover

Lionel Luthor was created by Al Gough and Miles Millar specifically for the show, in an effort to provide a parallel to the Kents, as an "experiment in extreme parenting". Although Lex’s father has been depicted in other mediums in the past, the character of Lionel Luthor is entirely the creation of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Like Allison Mack, whose character Chloe Sullivan was also created for the show, Glover appreciates the "clear canvas" he has to work with when developing his portrayal of Lionel. In season one, John Glover had to travel from New York to Vancouver every week while filming his scenes, as Glover was already committed to stage acting in New York at the time. John Glover looked to a friend’s personal battle with cancer when trying to portray Lionel’s struggle with terminal liver disease. Glover recounts that his friend was a “cheerleader to people”, always supporting and boosting everyone when they were feeling bad. When he learned he had cancer he fought hard to get over it, but when he learned that it was terminal, that there was nothing he could do, he simply went to bed and stopped eating until he finally passed away in a week-and-a-half. This helped Glover understand how someone so powerful and full of life could end up taking their own life in the end – just as Lionel was preparing to do at the end of "Crisis" when he learned that there was nothing else he could do to stop his cancer.

Character development

Storyline progression

In season two, Lionel moved from recurring figure to a series regular. This season featured the gradual unveiling of Lionel’s increasing involvement with the characters of the show. It began with more direct involvement, by hiring Martha Kent as his assistant, and then indirectly when he became the conservator of the Kawatche caves and tried to unlock the mysterious of the symbols on the cave walls. For season three, Lionel materialized as the true villain of the show, specifically with his machinations to find out Clark’s secret, and driving Lex into a psychotic break that allowed Lionel to use electroshock therapy on his son to erase the knowledge that Lionel co-opted Morgan Edge to kill Lionel’s parents for their life insurance. The creative team attempted to experiment with the character of Lionel Luthor in season four, creating a storyline scenario where Lionel turned away from his evil ways. Greg Beeman concedes that the character development failed, and as a result Lionel returned to his normal self. To John Glover, trying to play Lionel as a straight arrow was "boring".

Season five explored the relationship between Martha and Lionel. Both Annette O’Toole and Al Gough agree that there was a small bit of attraction for Martha, but that she would never act on that feeling. It was also never the producer’s intentions to create a real romantic relationship between the two characters. Most of Lionel’s motivations in season five are shrouded in mystery, not even John Glover could make heads or tails of them. Glover admits to not being able to determine if his character is good or bad, so when he is portraying him on screen in season five he tries to present everything as if it was "good". Glover believes that it was Lincoln Coles actions in "Mercy" that made Lionel begin to rethink everything that he has done, and some of the things about himself. By the end of the fifth season, Lionel has learned that people have a responsibility to each other.

Writer/executive producer Brian Peterson laments that the creative team wanted to remind the audience that Lionel was still the same Lionel Luthor they had come know, so they intentionally held off on revealing Lionel’s usual antics until season six’s "Promise", where Lionel blackmails Lana into marrying Lex. Peterson was looking to "slap [the audience] in the face" with a reminder of who Lionel used to be. Even though Lionel blackmails Lana into marrying Lex, John Glover contends that the character was only trying to protect Clark, and he needed Lana’s help to do that. By the time season six began airing, John Glover realized that Lex had started down the path of the dark side and that his time on the show would be limited. Glover hoped that Lionel would still be able to influence his son as the show progressed from that point, as he believed that his character would be useless on the show without such influencing abilities. Glover contends that the conflict between Lex and his father is something very positive for the show, as Lionel’s endeavor to bond with Lex and the distrust between them "makes drama".

Characterization

John Glover characterizes Lionel as a businessman who is merely disappointed in his son. To Glover, Lionel is this "rich and powerful businessman" who sees his son as nothing more than a "wuss" and "fraidy-cat". It was important to Glover that Lionel appears as human as possible when Glover is portraying him on screen. As the actor puts it, he does not want to simply "twirl [his] mustache". Glover describes Lionel as someone that will do whatever they need to do in order to get what they want. He characterizes Lionel as an intelligent man, who can read people easily. Lionel uses that ability to help further his goals. The character also has the ability to get past people’s defenses, and get them to do what he wants. Glover thinks that that type of power would be great if it could be used to help someone other than Lionel. Another characterization of Lionel is portrayed by the color scheme the surrounds him. The cold blues help to evoke the "sinister" nature of the character.

Relationships

The relationship between Lionel and his son Lex is a strained relationship; it has been likened to the relationship Norman and Harry Osborn share in the Spider-Man movie. Glover tries to make Lionel appear as though he is trying to "toughen [Lex] up". The character is made to "go out of his way, to give [Lex] tests, so [Lex] can prove himself". Glover sees the character as someone who is a rich and powerful business man, who is disappointed in his son. Glover's goal, for season one, was to show Lionel's attempts to make Lex tougher; he interprets the character's motto, in regards to raising Lex, as "no risk, no rewards".

"What I was working on, and continue to work on, is to see him strengthen Lex. Lionel doesn’t seem to be a man who wants his son to be afraid, so he’s gone out of his way to give him tests, so he can prove himself. That’s what locking him inside the plant in "Jitters" was all about. Lionel makes the decision to close the gate. It’s a tough decision, but he knows that if Lex survives, he will be a stronger person. No risk, no reward."

— Glover explains Lionel’s parenting techniques.

Glover believes that Lionel has two competing agendas with Lex – for Lex to become his own man, and for Lex to follow in his father’s steps. This becomes a frustration for Lex, because Lionel wants his son to be both “loyal follower” and the "best person he can be". This all plays into Lionel’s “pretty huge ego”. John Glover believes that if Lionel and Lex did not share the same blood, then Lionel would have "destroyed" Lex early on, as Lionel views his son as "weak". Lionel is also bound by the fact that Lex is his heir, even though Lionel does not trust his son. Lionel’s distrust stems partially from the fact that he believes that Lex is a bit spineless. As John Glover explains, "It’s not that [Lionel is] meant to be a foe; it’s just that the poor boy’s weak, so [Lionel must] mold him. Lionel is continually trying to strengthen his son, to teach him. [Lex is] just a hard student."

Another key relationship Lionel shares is with Martha Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive mother. First developed in season two, when Lionel hires Martha to be his assistant, it is further developed in season five. When Jonathan Kent died in season five, Glover felt like the attraction that Lionel had for Martha grew, because he now saw Martha as a single woman. For Lionel, Martha seemed to be more attainable now; Glover believes that what Lionel was seeking to attain was not based on some lustful attraction, but Martha’s "goodness". When Lionel is around Martha he tries to present a man that she could be with; he consciously attempts to change years of selfish behavior. Writer Holly Harold believes that his relationship with Martha parallels Lex’s relationship with Lana. Both men believe that these two women will be their saving grace, and pull them back from the dark side. Although Annette O’Toole and Al Gough agree that Martha has a small attraction to Lionel, they also agree that nothing serious would ever come from it.

Glover believes that Martha influenced Lionel to start believing in the fact that you need to sacrifice certain things to make the world a better place. With her leaving at the end of season six, Lionel no longer has that influence. Lionel is constantly battling the dark and light sides of his personality. According to Caroline Dries, it is because of this balancing act that the audience never knows what his real motivations are. For Dries, this is embodied when he threatens Lana into marrying Lex, only to reveal later that it was all to protect Clark. Glover describes his off-screen relationship with Annette O’Toole as being the reason why Martha and Lionel have such good chemistry. To the actor, when Martha and Lionel are talking to each other it really feels like he and O’Toole are sharing a conversation, and that level of trust is visualized on the camera.

Reception

By season four, at least one reviewer felt that Lionel should have left the show at the end at the hands of his terminal liver disease. Maurice Cobbs, of DVD Verdict, felt that he was taking away from the primary character’s screen time in season four.

External links

• Lionel Luthor at Smallville Wiki
• Lillian Luthor at Smallville Wiki