CHARACTER STUDY: LEX LUTHOR
βΈ Β Β is your muse tall/short/average?
Lex is 6β²2β³, which is probably around average for men in superhero comics.
βΈ Β Β are they okay with their height?
Yes; that is, until a certain alien who could fly showed up. Lex despises how much heβs had to look up ever since.
βΈ Β Β whatβs their hair like?
lex vc I see now why miss lane tagged me in this...
When Lex had hair, it was black and coily, and he styled it in a short afro and then a flat top as he got older. In the 90s, when his brain was transferred into a cloned body, he had much longer hair which he had styled into locs and kept tied in a loose ponytail. The clone virus unfortunately caused his new body to breakdown and age prematurely, and his hair was an early casualty.
βΈ Β Β do they spend a lot of time on their hair/grooming?
More than one would assume, probably. Lex takes care of his bald scalp with various high-end moisturizers, sunscreens, and massages. He also spends a great deal of time and effort shaping his eyebrows.
βΈ Β Β does your muse care about their appearance/what others think?
Lex is all about appearances. He cares about his reputation to the extent that being perceived by others in a positive light is conducive to both gaining and spreading influence. And it feeds into his already massive ego, of course.
βΈ Β Β indoors or outdoors? Β Β indoors
βΈ Β Β rain or sunshine? Β Β sunshine
βΈ Β Β forest or beach? Β Β beach
βΈ Β Β precious metals or gems? Β Β gems
βΈ Β Β flowers or perfumes? Β Β flowers
βΈ Β Β personality or appearance? Β Β personality
βΈ Β Β being alone or being in a crowd? Β Β being alone
βΈ Β Β order or anarchy? Β Β order
βΈ Β Β painful truths or white lies? Β Β white lies
βΈ Β Β science or magic? Β Β science
βΈ Β Β peace or conflict? Β Β conflict
βΈ Β Β night or day? Β Β day
βΈ Β Β dusk or dawn? Β Β dawn
βΈ Β Β warmth or cold? Β Β warmth
βΈ Β Β many acquaintances or a few close friends? Β Β many acquaintances
βΈ Β Β reading or playing a game? Β playing a game
βΈ Β Β what are some of your museβs bad habits?
Underestimating his opponents and manipulating everyone around him ( even those he considers close to him ) are probably his two biggest offenses. His third is being a coward and either running away or talking his way out of a situation he isnβt in complete control of.
Basically just being Lex Luthor is a bad habit.
βΈ Β Β has your muse lost anyone close to them? Β how has it affected them?
Lex became fond of Subject B-0, otherwise known as βBizarro,β over the course of Forever Evil, and was uncharacteristically overcome when the clone died in his arms. He vowed to make another,Β βbetterβ Bizarro, and eventually did, but he didnβt bond with this one in the same way and ultimately gaveΒ βownershipβ of it to Jason Todd and Artemis of Bana-Mighdall; this might have given him a sense of closure.
When his younger sister, Lena, fell into a coma following the Darkseid War, he had a sort of βepiphanyβ and declared himself the new Superman in light of Supermanβs death to Kryptonite poisoning, hoping to make Lena proud of the man heβs become when heβs finally able to wake her. While itβs very likely that this was just a convenient excuse for Lex to don the Superman mantle, it does say a lot that Lena is made to be the crux of his decision and that he cites her approval as his biggest motivation.
βΈ Β Β what are some fond memories your muse has?
The only fond memories Lex has are with Lena, really. Walking her to and from school, taking her to the park to play, teaching her how to play chess, etc. He also enjoyed sneaking into the Metropolis Planetarium on Friday nights and using their telescopes to stargaze.
And letβs not forget the 42 cakes he stole from a school bake sale.
As far as more recent memories go, Lex will always relish his first victory against Superman.
βΈ Β Β is it easy for your muse to kill?
Yes, though he prefers not to and will only do it β orΒ arrange for it to be done β if he deems it absolutely necessary. After all, the best part about winning is getting to see the look ofΒ devastation on his enemyβs face when they realize theyβve lost.
βΈ Β Β whatβs it like when your muse breaks down?
When Lex has a strong negative reaction to something, be it anger or sadness, he throws himself into his work. I donβt think he βbreaks downβ so much as he turns into a machine, spending sleepless nights and restless days working out the issue; he effectively hits the βpauseβ button on everything in his life until heβs able to find a satisfactory solution or his body gives out on him, after which he decides thereβs more pressing matters to attend to.
βΈ Β Β is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life?
No, but he does trust in consistency; in well-established patterns and observable routines. Lex would never say he trusts Superman with his life, but he does trust Superman to save him from certain death so as to uphold his image as a hero and to avoid being a hypocrite.
I would say the closest person he comes to trusting with his life is Lena, but thereβs an argument to be made that it isnβt trust so much as Lex beingΒ completely delusional about the state of their relationship. Mercy is a close second.
βΈ Β Β whatβs your muse like when theyβre in love?
Assuming a man like Lex is even capable of love...Β
The best way I can describe it is a child with a brand new toy: at first heβs enthralled with it, constantly playing with it and taking it everywhere with him. Some time passes, and the toy isnβtΒ nearly as interesting as it was when he first got it. He begins to play with it less and less, until finally he grows bored of it and tosses it into the box with all his other forgotten playthings, occasionally digging it out only when he needs to.
Lex is the child. You are the toy.
And youβd better hope he never decides to make you his favorite toy.
Tagged by: @jornalistβ π
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