Role in Smallville
In 1989, Lionel and his son Lex (Matthew Munn) come to visit Smallville, with Lionel intending to buy the Ross Creamed Corn company, when they are caught in a meteor shower that results in Lex losing all of his hair. Twelve years later, Lionel exiles his son back to Smallville to run the local LuthorCorp fertilizer plant, as a test. When Lex (Rosenbaum) 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 storm force debris to smash through the mansion, and Lionel is pinned under a fallen 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 (Paul Wasilewski) 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 same 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, much to the dismay of Clark Kent (Welling).
In season three, it is revealed that Lionel conspired with Morgan Edge (Rutger Hauer) 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 (Allison Mack) discovers the truth, and uses that evidence to assist Lex in having Lionel arrested for the murder of his parents. In the episode "Memoria", it is shown that much of Lionel's anger toward Lex is because he blames him for the death of Lionel's infant son Julian. It is revealed later that Lex took the blame to protect his mother, who was the true killer. It is also discovered in season three that Lionel has 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 (Jane Seymour), 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 season ten's "Luthor", Clark unintentionally visits a parallel universe known as Earth-2, where Lionel found and adopted Clark. Lionel raised Clark Luthor to be a murderer, going by the alias Ultraman, who kills anyone in his way, including Lex (at the approval of Lionel). When the real Clark escapes back to his own reality, Lionel follows him. In "Beacon", the alternate-Lionel makes it appear that he is the Lionel Luthor of that reality, and assumes control over LuthorCorp from Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman). Feeling remorse for favoring his reality's Clark over Lex, in "Beacon" and "Scion" Lionel twice attempts to find and raise "Alexander Luthor"/Conner Kent (Lucas Grabeel), a hybrid clone of Clark and Lex who eventually develops Clark's powers. However, both attempts end in failure. Lionel eventually loses LuthorCorp when Tess proves he is an imposter. While visiting Lex's grave, Lionel laments that he would give anything to have him by his side and is approached by Darkseid. In the series finale it is revealed that Lionel discovered Lex had used parts of his various defective clones to create a perfected one to ensure his legacy in the event of his death, and attempts to give the clone Tess's heart, the only organ not duplicated successfully. Tess escapes, and Lionel offers his soul to Darkseid in exchange for Lex's life, giving Lionel's heart to Lex's clone. Afterward, Darkseid possess Lionel's body and attacks Clark, who is able to not only vanquish him, but destroy Lionel's body.
Read more about this topic: Lionel Luthor
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