| “ | I don't think so. I'm from out of town. Unexpected visit. But I guess I'm back in the Nick of time. Wouldn't want to miss how it all turns out. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to a newspaper vendor after arriving on Earth-1, "Luthor" |
The Earth-2 version of Lionel Luthor in the TV series Smallville appeared in four episodes of the show's tenth and final season.
Like his normal universe counterpart, he is portrayed by John Glover.
Lionel first appears in "Luthor." Clark Kent accidentally activates the mirror box, a Kryptonian device that transports him to Earth-2, an alternate universe where Kal-El was found and adopted by Lionel Luthor rather than the Kents. Lionel named Kal-El "Clark" and raised him to become his enforcer as he successfully took over Metropolis. He also allowed Clark Luthor to kill that Earth's Lex Luthor, though he came to regret it. By the end of the episode, Clark manages to retrieve the mirror box and use it to return to his world, but is unknowingly followed by Lionel.
In "Beacon," Lionel reveals himself on the prime Earth, and proceeds to seize control of LuthorCorp from Tess Mercer and Oliver Queen. He later travels to Suicide Slum, where he finds Alexander Luthor, a teenage clone of the original Lex Luthor, and takes him under his wing so he can groom him to be his successor. Later, he is confronted by Martha Kent, only for Alexander to knock Martha unconscious and turn against Lionel, whom he knocks out before setting fire to the Luthor Mansion. Fortunately, they are both saved by Clark Kent.
In "Scion," Lionel confronts Tess in the ruins of Cadmus Labs and disbelieves her claims that Alexander is dead (in actuality, Alexander was revealed to be a genetic clone of both Lex and Clark, and underwent a transformation into Conner Kent). When Conner runs away from the Kent Farm after learning that half of his DNA came from Lex, Lionel finds him in the ruins of the Luthor Mansion and gives him a Red Kryptonite ring, causing Conner to fall under the extraterrestrial mineral's personality-altering sway. Later, after Clark destroys the Red Kryptonite ring and restores Conner to normal, Lionel appears with a chunk of Green Kryptonite, weakening both Clark and Conner. He tries to drag Conner away, but Conner declares he's not a Luthor and destroys the Kryptonite with a burst of heat vision. Lionel then leaves the scene.
In the episode's final act, Lionel is sitting in his office at LuthorCorp when Tess comes in and informs him she has exposed him as a fraud, leading to Lionel being escorted out of the building by security guards. In the final scene, Lionel visits Lex's grave and expresses his wish that Lex was still alive. At that moment, Darkseid materializes before a terrified Lionel.
In "Finale," Lionel has Tess taken captive with the intention to transplant her heart to LX-0, a "perfect" clone of Lex manufactured from other, less-than-perfect clones. However, Tess gets free, shoots Lionel, and escapes. Lionel, mortally wounded, opens the room containing LX-0 and crawls toward the table. When Darkseid materializes, Lionel asks him to restore Lex to life; Darkseid agrees in exchange for Lionel's soul and rips out Lionel's heart and transplants it into LX-0, restoring Lex to life. Darkseid later inhabits Lionel's corpse to confront Clark. When Clark gains the power of flight, he flies through Darkseid, destroying his vessel and seemingly the villain himself.
Quotes
| “ | Ah. Now is the moment for an apposite quote from one of my favorites, Marcus Aurelius. "When you arise in the morning, think what a privilege it is to be alive. To breathe, to enjoy, to love, to think." [...] We Luthor men must seize our day. You only live once, son. | „ |
| ~ Lionel, to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | I assume you will properly expense the services of the ladies Mandie and Bambie. We don't want to risk another audit. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | This, uh, Ultraman persona you've come up with--genius. It's a great way to strong-arm our opponents. But your display of ego is attracting too much attention. You're getting reckless. Now, button up! | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | Think, Clark. Think what it took to build this empire--hard work, dedication to family. [...] And more than a little spilt blood. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | You know what they say--burning the candle at both ends. Trite, but true! | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | I don't want to watch you making stupid mistakes, Clark. I know what you're capable of. You can make a father proud! | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | You watch out for those emotional reactions. [...] The heart--it'll blind you, son. You want to be your own man; that's natural. But remember, Clark, I am your father, and I alone raised you in my own image to become the man that you are today. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | You could conquer the universe. The Man of Tomorrow, Clark Luthor! | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | I sometimes shudder to think what would have happened to my little Traveler if he had been discovered in that cornfield by the first ignorant farmer that came along. Where on earth would you be now? | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | My prodigal daughter. You've returned. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess Luthor, "Luthor" |
| “ | Don't lie, Tess. You're no good at it. You never were. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess Luthor, "Luthor" |
| “ | Clark is a god among men. Though how he could love you, a consummate disappointment, is beyond me. You're nothing but trouble, Tess. You're corrupting him. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess Luthor, "Luthor" |
| “ | I have worked too long and too hard to let you, a little half-bred tramp with a Magdalene complex, ruin everything. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess Luthor, "Luthor" |
| “ | Simply put, sweetheart, you're just not special enough. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess Luthor, "Luthor" |
| “ | I'd call that an understatement. Of course, your progenitor would have every right to hold a grudge, considering the extreme measures you and I took to silence him. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | You remember, um, Lear, son? Shakespeare, King Lear. Wanted to abdicate, retire. Lear had three children. He tells them he will divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest portion to the one who loves him most. Two of the children declare their lavish devotion; the youngest, his favorite, is blunt and plainspoken. Stop me if you know where this is going. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | So, uh, what was the plan, Clark? Murder your father, then, with your whore sister, escape to another world? | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | Your betrayal has been staring me in the face, but I couldn't admit that I'd been so wrong about you. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | We are long, long overdue for a father/son talk. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | Well, you never were, were you? I made your destiny--your future, our future--my whole preoccupation. For God's sake, Clark, I let you kill Lex, your own brother, my son! [...] I've been afraid of you, Clark--of your power. You know, you may want to use that, uh, box and escape from here, but the truth is that I'm the one that's been a prisoner all this time. [...] Not worry about you?! [...] That's all I've ever done--worry about you! I have sacrificed everything for your sake. I failed you, Clark. Because no true son of mine, no true Luthor, would have let me live this long! [...] You're right; I made you this way. And because I have failed you, Clark, it's got to be survival of the fittest! Whether you're on this earth or any other, I am the most fit! I will be the survivor! | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Clark Kent, "Luthor" |
| “ | Yes, well, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Beacon" |
| “ | What? You got a hug for your long-lost daddy? | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Beacon" |
| “ | It doesn't matter where I'm from, Lutessa. I am still your father and, as far as this trusting world believes, the same man who successfully faked his own death. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Beacon" |
| “ | I betrayed you for that boy in another life. But now, here, we've got another chance. We'll work together. You're my flesh and blood, my only son. With my help, you will succeed. You will rule our family dynasty, no matter what it costs. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Alexander, "Beacon" |
| “ | Are you making an accusation against my son? No one will take your word. You're a convicted felon. You should have stayed out of the spotlight, but you wanted celebrity. You made one fatal mistake--you trusted them, the people. They're vulgar, uneducated, and stupid, and they don't even know when you're fighting for them. Must be heart-wrenching. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Oliver, "Beacon" |
| “ | You always remember, son--a Luthor's home is his castle. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Alexander, "Beacon" |
| “ | I find you very attractive, Martha. I understand why I had such strong feelings for you. I loved to give you presents. There was a wristwatch. You remember? [...] Engraved "To Martha, with deep affection." Did you share that with your husband? | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Martha, "Beacon" |
| “ | Listen to me, son. Don't let hate master you; make it your servant. Use it. Let it build inside you. Your hate can make you strong. I can teach you how. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Alexander, "Beacon" |
| “ | I'm not the Lionel you knew. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Lois Lane, "Scion" |
| “ | His first crush. It's good to know the Luthor libido is still intact. Great men, great passion. Let him enjoy himself. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), "Scion" |
| “ | Let's go, son. Remember who you are. You were meant to become a god! Together, we can make sure you do. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Conner as he tries to take him away from Clark Kent, "Scion" |
| “ | Now, if you're threatening me, you need something more powerful than hot air. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Scion" |
| “ | You, uh, may want to change yourself to impress Clark Kent, but we both know, don't we? Deep down, you'll always be a Luthor. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Scion" |
| “ | Together, we could have ruled this world. I would give anything, my son, just to have you by my side. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), standing at Lex's grave, "Scion" |
| “ | It's good to have you back. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, after she's been captured by his men, "Finale, Part 2" |
| “ | Do I catch the tiniest hint of a doubt? Are you worried that your savior in red might not prevail? [...] It's ironic; I'm the only one who seems to believe in him, isn't it? | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess, "Finale, Part 2" |
| “ | It's time you embrace your lineage, Tess. Time to become the Luthor you were destined to be. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess |
| “ | Lex is missing a heart. And who better to save him than the sister who loves him? Luthors are survivors. You are one of us, my dear. It's all right. When the day is done, I will see the Luthor name resurrected, more powerful than ever. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess |
| “ | Tess. Tess, Tess. You must see that you're the cause of your own undoing. He's your brother. Don't you understand? I thought Conner's heart would have been a more poetic choice. You've hidden him so cleverly, there's no alternative. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess |
| “ | Lex is worth everything to me. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess |
| “ | Finally you will serve an important purpose in my life. | „ |
| ~ Lionel (Earth-2), to Tess |
| “ | I never intended to live forever. There's only one life I care about. Let my son live. | „ |
| ~ Lionel's (Earth-2) last words, to Darkseid |