Lionel Luthor was the father of Lex and Lena. He was not respected by the town of Smallville, and took this out on his "bookworm" son. When Lex was in his final year of high school, Lionel was the victim of a series of unusual and near-fatal accidents, which resulted in his being saved by the mysterious "Super-Boy" that haunted the town in those days.

This came to a head when his underlying heart condition was activated by an allergic reaction to medication. Upon his death, Lex Luthor took the insurance money on his father's claim and absconded.

Little is known of his life besides.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Under normal circumstances, Lionel Luthor did not possess any superhuman capabilities. On one occasion however, he came into possession of a Kryptonian relic that enabled him to switch minds with Clark Kent. Inhabiting Kent's body, Lionel had access to all of Clark's powers, but he was only aware of a few of his abilities. He used super-strength to lift a tractor. He used heat-vision to accidentally start a fire at the Kent Farm, then used his invulnerability to put the fire out. After unwillingly returning to his normal body, Lionel lost all memory of the incident, but felt a great change come over him, as if a portion of Clark's strong moral fiber had remained behind.

Abilities

• Business Management: Lionel Luthor was a cutthroat businessman and an expert strategist. He negotiated the boardroom the way a Roman general would lead a battlefield.

Strength level

Above Average: Although middle aged, Lionel Luthor was in surprisingly good shape. He possessed the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engaged in intensive regular exercise. While functioning as a conduit for the spirit of Jor-El, Lionel's strength and stamina appeared to increase. However, this was only a temporary effect.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Lionel availed himself of several vehicles owned by LuthorCorp - notably his personal limousine and helicopter.

Weapons

Lionel was known to always keep a handgun secreted away for emergency use, but traditionally he did not carry any weaponry. In his own mind, Lionel considered Clark Kent as his own "secret weapon". Lionel also briefly kept a kryptonite cage.

Other Media

Television

Smallville

Lionel Luthor appears in the television series, Smallville, as the father of Lex Luthor and Tess Mercer. He is the founder of LuthorCorp. In Season Seven, Lex kills Lionel by throwing him out of Luthor Corp Towers. In Season Ten, Lionel returns as a Earth-Two clone, Where he raised Clark as Clark Luthor, Ultraman