This article contains mentions of destruction , violence , and abuse .
Smallvilleputs its Lex Luthor through a deal so as to send him down the path of evil . Over 7 seasons , he goes from dupe to villain , invest some of the most heinous deed in the show ’s chronicle . Lex , toppingly brought to life by Michael Rosenbaum , is a force of nature inSmallville , but he embark on off his journeying unsure of where his morals start and stop . This is largely due to the complicated kinship he has with his begetter , business power Lionel Luthor . Their dynamic is strained at best due to Lionel ’s rough parenting of Lex .
However , Lex dabbles in becoming a salutary soul after being saved by the unseasoned Clark Kent . The two are firm friends , though their bond is test by both their father ' feud and Lex ’s grow fascination with Clark ’s seemingly inhuman effort . While Clark becomes a hero , Lex just deign further and further . regrettably , these cracks in their friendly relationship become their undoing , as Lex both flow dupe to and causes tragedies . Here are some of Lex ’s sullen moments throughoutSmallville , place :
10Lex Hesitates To Rescue Lionel
Season 1, Episode 21 “Tempest”
DuringSmallvilleseason one , Lex is sent by Lionel to take over a LuthorCorp plant in the small town . The young Luthor is infelicitous with this assignment and consider it as his Padre testing him . Eventually , Lex pull in his esteem and is offered an chance to move to Metropolis with his Father-God , but by this dot , he ’s made friends in Smallville . As a result , he decline . In retaliation , Lionel conspire to close up down the plant life in parliamentary law to storm Lex to leave .
This leads to a chess match wherein Lex counters with an employee buyout followed by Lionel bribe the coin bank to block him . Before any firmness of purpose is get through , a tornado hits Smallville , and Lionel is injured . Lex has the alternative of saving his father or letting him die out . Though he ultimately make the moral option to save Lionel , but his morose side almost make headway out . It ’s an early example of Lex ’s battle with doing what is right versus what benefits him , way back in season one .
9Lex Fights His Inner Child (Literally)
Season 7, Episode 16 “Descent”
Much later in Lex ’s prison term onSmallville , Lex is critically offend in time of year 7 , instalment 12 , " Fracture . " His phone reveal that he ’s knows the positioning of Lois Lane and Kara Zor - EL / Supergirl . Clark is wedge to go into his creative thinker so as to ascertain this information , and as a result , he has to live over parts of Lex ’s puerility . During his trip through his former friend ’s brain , Clark meets both sides of his personality : Lex , the villainous adult , and Alexander , the innocent small fry . The latter assist Clark find his supporter , while the former attempts to stop Clark by show him a memory of Lex and Lana together .
This visual histrionics of Lex ’s good and bad sides demonstrates that he is choosing to be evil , and that is what makes him beyond redemption .
Just before he retreats from Lex ’s brain to save Lois and Kara , Clark sees Lex gag Alexander and save the immature boy . Clark makes Alexander foretell to not turn back fight back , and the rest of season 7 get adept on this . Alexander read up again as hallucinations the real Lex has about his increasingly evil deeds . These encounters are grave , especially in episode 16 , " Descent , " which show up Lex shove Alexander into a lit open fireplace . This visual representation of Lex ’s good and big sides demonstrates that he is choosing to be evil , and that is what makes him beyond redemption .
8Lex Thinks Killing Clark Is His Birthright
Season 7, Episode 20 “Arctic”
Also in season 7 , Lex becomes deeply entralled with Veritas , a clandestine society made up of Lionel , Virgil Swann , Robert Queen and others who all corrupt into the Traveller prophecy . The Traveller was tell to be a sinewy being from another globe who would need to be protected until he come of years and saved the planet from destruction . Lex eventually connects the dot and realizes the Traveller is Clark . He is then fake by Brainiac under the pretext of Kara to believe his fortune is to defeat the Traveller .
Lex ascertains the positioning of the Fortress of Solitude by pondering his eyeball , a Kryptonian machine that was previously hidden within the Luthor Mansion . He and Clark have a climactic confrontation , and Lex ’s god composite is on full show . The year of hurt from Clark lying to him combining with his lecherousness for mightiness make Lex to the full cave in to his delusions of magnificence .
Tom Welling only used the upper half of the Superman case for the last shot of Smallville . 13 days after the show ended , the actor has now revealed that he is opened to playing the Man of Steel in alive - activeness due to his son . One of them told Welling that they do n’t have a Superman costume at base for Halloween because it ’s take on by the actor , which made him deepen his stance on playing Superman in live - action . I would love to see him do it , though a multiverse crossover with the DCU might be his only probability at this spot .
Clark urgently pleads with Lex not to demolish the Fortress , but the latter replies,“You’ll never threaten the humanity again , Kal - El . “This minute is as tense as it is tragical . Lex is all the more dangerous because he authentically believes he is humanity ’s Deliverer , which becomes his unfastening when the Fortress collapses .
7Lex Kills Tess Mercer
Season 10, Episode 22 “Finale, Part 2”
After nearly three whole season off of the show , Rosenbaum ’s Lex returned toSmallvillefor its finale . During the episode , he is reunited with Tess Mercer ( Cassidy Freeman ) , his former employee who is actually his half - sister . Lex pull Tess in for a hug and say , " I have intercourse you , sis , " as he jab her . He then total , " you make out I ’m actually save you . " After ask what he ’s saving her from , Lex replies , " from turning into me . "
It ’s a sad moment , until Tess get hold of to contact Lex ’s grimace and says , " Clark already did that . “She doses Lex with a neurotoxin that erases his remembering and go , redeeming herself with her concluding activeness . With that , Tess is able to do what Lex never could . Even so , the scene ends on one ofSmallville ’s coolest shots . Lex footfall to look out the window of his office and the letter from the LuthorCorp sign fall away , make it take LexCorp .
6Lex Forces Lana To Absorb Kryptonite
Season 8, Epsode 14 “Requiem”
In season 8 , Lana Lang returns toSmallville . She left Clark at the conclusion of the previous time of year because she knew her ex - husband , Lex , would never stop fare after her . She follow back for Chloe Sullivan ’s wedding and ponders rekindling her romance with Clark . In an interesting winding , she gain superpower after donning a suit made by LuthorCorp for Lex . Lana ’s superpowers enable her and Clark to both have a more vivid physical relationship and engage in heroics . However , a jealous Lex sets a trap for the fan .
On top of the Daily Planet , Lex invest a kryptonite dud capable of taking out half of Metropolis . He reveals that Lana ’s suit is up to of absorbing the kryptonite to depower the bomb , but doing so would occur at the cost of her family relationship with Clark . Recognizing the outstanding good , Lana sacrifices her ability to be around Clark to save up the city because of Lex ’s trap . Undoubtedly , Lex ’s overjealous act is one of his most vindictive throughout the entireness ofSmallville .
5Lex Orders Julian’s Assassination
Season 7, Episode 10 “Persona”
Smallville season 7 introduces Grant Gabriel , a clone of Lex ’s deceased blood brother , Julian . The decease of his brother is one of the defining disaster in Lex ’s life as he took the blame for his female parent smothering the baby . Lex installs him as the editor of the Daily Planet . Grant was implant with memory board to trick him into recall he ’d been given up for adoption . This recoil on Lex as Grant seeks out a human relationship with Lionel , who was reform by this point in the serial publication . Not only does Lionel accept Gabriel , but he tells Lex , comparing the blood brother .
Tom Welling ’s journeying to becoming Superman was a difficult one , and many characters had heartbreaking deaths along the path in Smallville .
This deeply upsets Lex , who warns Gabriel to stay put away from Lionel . Gabriel does not comply , andLex order a bang on him . After he gets a schoolbook confirming the human action is done , the older Luthor walk onto his balcony and cry into the night . His pick to take out a clon of his pal is specially poignant given his late trauma and longing for Julian , making this one of Lex ’s lowest points .
4Lex Confronts Lionel About Julian And His Mother
Season 3, Episode 19 “Memoria”
One of the most moving and tragic scene inSmallvilleoccurs in time of year 3 , sequence 19 . After lose his recent memories earlier in the season , Lex undergoes treatment to go back them at the Summerholt Institute . alternatively of retrieve the lose calendar week , he remembered a long lost storage : that Lillian Luthor killed Julian instead of him . Lex spent his whole lifespan not just find shamefaced but also being mistreated by his dad as a termination of that tragedy . He confronts Lionel , and the resulting conversation is heartwrenching .
At first , Lionel resist to believe Lillian would do such a thing , but Lex explain that it was a mercy killing and that he took the blame so his Father of the Church would not kill her . John Glover , who plays Lionel , delivers some amazing facial acting as his role make Lex is being honest . Lionel says , " things would have been so , so dissimilar between us , " to which Lex responds , " yes , Dad , you might have really have it away me . “It ’s a laborious , well - acted scene that further characterizes Lex ’s psychic trauma and the tragedy that surrounds him .
3Lex Tricks Lana Into Thinking She’s Pregnant
Season 6, Episode 18 “Progeny”
Lex and Lana ’s relationship is at times difficult to watch . He met her when she was a teenager and he was an grownup . They became admirer while she was still quite vernal . ab initio , he is the bounteous fan of Lana and Clark ’s relationship , but as early as time of year 1,Smallvillehints that he ’s concerned in her . Their romanticism does n’t truly take off until season 5 , when they enquire Brainiac ’s ship together . He orchestrates Lana and Clark ’s break - upand offers his berm for her to cry on . After some back and forward , the two begin a real relationship .
Lana moves in with Lex , and before long after , she discovers she ’s pregnant . Lex offer and Lana assume , even after acknowledge she still eff Clark . Lana is narrate she suffered a miscarriage , but after she is hospitalized , she get hold out she was never pregnant . Lex injected her with hormones and tricked her into thinking she was pregnant so he would n’t lose her . Lana get out him later on , with no opportunity of the two ever rekindle their making love . Of all of Lex ’s bad activity , this is his most blatantly scurrilous and invasive , register his insecurity and unfitness to love .
2Lex kills Lionel
time of year 7 was Brobdingnagian for Lex ’s character development as a villain . away from confronting his inner good and try on to kill Clark , he also calls out Lionel for his actions with Veritas . After all , Lionel ’s fixation hurt Lex both physically and emotionally throughout his puerility . Lex tries to get response from his father about who the Traveler is , but Lionel , now on Clark ’s side , pluck a Hail Mary and lie , telling Lex he is the Traveller . Naturally , the younger Luthor understand through this lie immediately .
Recently , multiple former dramatis personae members expressed interest in an revivify Smallville subsequence , give bombination around the approximation . I need DC to take notes .
Further enraged by Lionel ’s dishonesty , Lex wave his triggerman . As Lionel pleads with Lex to see rationality and stop pursing the Traveller , his son threatens him for the location of the Orb . Lionel refuse and order Lex that this path offers no redemption . The latter coolly replies,“I was bring up in your shadow ; Now you ’re gon na die in mine,“before press him out of a window . Lex murder his forefather is the precise second inSmallvillewhen he became really , truly malign .
1Lex is institutionalized
Season 3, Episode 8 “Shattered”
In time of year 3 , Lex discovers his father place execution and insurance imposter with Morgan Edge . As a result , LuthorCorp is make on his crimes . so as to avoid criminal charges , Lionel penetrate Lex ’s staff , which enables him to drug his son and set up false scenarios to discredit him . Lex begins to hallucinate and behave unpredictably . Though Clark initially tries to protect him , he becomes more and more concerned that Lex is actually insane after he accidentally hurts Lana .
Lex gets Edge ’s placement from Lionel and tracks him down , with Clark in hot avocation . The ensue showdown causes Clark to expose his superpower by quit a car from Lex . The young Superman has the option to save his admirer from Lionel or protect himself . Clark chooses to use Lionel ’s gaslighting as a cover - up .
Afterward , Lex is shown locked off in a straitjacket . Lionel follow him through a windowpane and press his hand to the crank as " Hurt " by Johnny Cash play . Lex is utterly alone ; his father did this to him , and his best friend empty him . This sequence of issue severely damage Lex ’s mental wellness , and it ’s perhaps the most emotionally painful scene inSmallville .
