Lex Luthor is usually a jerk. Let’s be real. In almost every iteration of the DC Universe, he’s the bald billionaire with a god complex who spends his weekends trying to vaporize Superman. But the Injustice Gods Among Us Lex Luthor is a completely different animal. He’s not the villain. He’s the hero hiding in plain sight, and honestly, he’s the only reason the Insurgency even had a fighting chance against High Councilor Superman’s Regime.
When NetherRealm Studios dropped Injustice: Gods Among Us back in 2013, players expected the same old Lex. Instead, they got a man who was Superman’s best friend—until the world went to hell. It’s a tragic flip. Usually, Lex hates Superman because he’s an alien "false god." In this universe, Lex loves him like a brother, which makes the eventual betrayal and Lex's death at the hands of a grieving, enraged Clark Kent one of the most brutal moments in fighting game history.
If you’re looking at the lore, you have to realize that this Lex Luthor is a deep-cover mole. He’s the guy funding Batman’s entire resistance while pretending to be Superman’s right-hand man. He played the long game. It wasn't about ego; it was about survival.
The Secret Life of the Regime's Chief Strategist
In the Injustice timeline, things deviate from the "normal" DC world when the Joker tricks Superman into killing a pregnant Lois Lane and nuking Metropolis. Superman snaps. He kills Joker and decides that the only way to keep the peace is through absolute global tyranny. Most villains joined him out of fear or a shared desire for "order." Lex Luthor joined because he knew someone had to be on the inside.
This Lex Luthor is fascinating because he’s actually popular. The public loves him. In the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comics written by Tom Taylor, we see that Lex is basically the CEO of the world. He rebuilt Metropolis. He gave the Regime its technological backbone. But while he was building Superman’s surveillance state, he was also building a kryptonite suit and a way to pull heroes from a parallel dimension.
He was the ultimate double agent.
Think about the psychological toll that takes. You’re watching your best friend turn into a monster, and you have to smile and nod while he executes people in the street. You’re the one providing the tech that keeps the boots on the necks of the people. It’s a heavy burden, and the game doesn't always get to show that nuance as well as the comics do, but it's there in every interaction Lex has with the "Main Universe" characters.
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Gameplay Mechanics: Why Lex is a Technical Powerhouse
In terms of actual gameplay, Lex Luthor is a "gadget" character, but he plays like a heavy tank. He doesn't have the speed of The Flash or the agility of Catwoman. He’s a zoner. He’s built around his Warsuit, which gives him access to some of the most annoying—and effective—moves in the game.
His "Lex Probe" is a classic tool. It hovers, it fires, and it forces the opponent to respect the space. Then you've got the gravity mines. If you’re playing against a high-level Lex, you spend half the match just trying to find a footing without being launched into a combo. His character power is a shield that absorbs a hit, which is basically a "get out of jail free" card if you mess up a frame-perfect input.
Lex’s playstyle perfectly mirrors his personality in this game. He’s methodical. He’s not going to rush in swinging wildly. He’s going to set traps, wait for you to make a mistake, and then punish you with a massive orbital strike. It’s calculated.
The Tragedy of the "Good" Lex
We need to talk about his death. It’s the emotional climax of the first game’s story mode. Lex finally gets his chance to use the kryptonite weapon against Superman, but he’s interrupted by Shazam. By the time he gets back to the fight, he’s caught.
The dialogue here is chilling. Superman realizes Lex has been lying to him for years. Lex, dying, tells him, "My only regret is that I didn't hide the kryptonite better." It’s a gut punch. In a world where Batman is the symbol of the resistance, Lex Luthor was the one who actually did the heavy lifting. He sacrificed his reputation and eventually his life to stop a god.
Most people forget that Lex Luthor in Injustice isn't just a variant; he's a rebuttal to the idea that Lex is inherently evil. It suggests that Lex’s villainy in other worlds is a choice, not a destiny. In a world where Superman stays good, Lex is often the villain because he’s jealous. In a world where Superman goes bad, Lex becomes the hero because his humanity demands it.
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Why He Didn't Make it to Injustice 2
A lot of fans were bummed when the sequel roster was announced and Lex was missing. From a story perspective, it makes sense—he’s dead. But in a game with "Multiverse" endings and magic, they could have brought him back. Instead, his legacy lives on through his gear and the continued fallout of his actions.
Brainiac takes over the "villain" role in the second game, but the vacuum left by Lex is felt. Without Lex to provide the scientific counter-balance to Superman’s raw power, the Insurgency feels much more desperate. Lex was the brains. Without him, Batman is just a guy in a suit trying to keep a crumbling world together.
Mastering the Lex Luthor Strategy
If you're still jumping into the servers or playing local sets, you've got to understand that Lex is all about the "Gravity Squeeze." This move is his bread and butter for controlling the flow of a match.
- Space is your friend. Do not let characters like Doomsday or Grundy get in your face. Use the Lance Blast to keep them at mid-range.
- The Shield is life. Always have your character power active. It breaks the opponent's momentum and lets you trade hits favorably.
- Orbital Strike setups. Don't just throw it out. Use a knockdown or a wall bounce to guarantee the hit. It’s one of the highest-damage supers in the game if you time it right.
Lex is a "thinking man's" fighter. You aren't going to win by button mashing. You win by being smarter than the person sitting next to you, which is exactly how Lex would want it.
The Impact on DC Lore
The Injustice Gods Among Us Lex Luthor actually changed how DC writes Lex in the "regular" comics. We started seeing more "Anti-Hero" Lex arcs, like during the New 52 Justice League run where he actually joined the team. The game proved that Lex is more interesting when he has a noble goal, even if his methods are questionable.
He’s the ultimate pragmatist. In Injustice, his pragmatism led him to heroism. He saw a threat to humanity, and he acted. It didn't matter that the threat was his best friend. It didn't matter that he would be remembered as a traitor by the Regime or a mysterious benefactor by the Insurgency. He just did what had to be done.
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Honestly, it's a bit of a shame we don't get more of this. Most media prefers the "Ego-driven Lex" because it's easier to write. But the Injustice version is the one that sticks with you. He’s the guy who gave everything—his money, his company, his life—for a world that probably hated him anyway.
Common Misconceptions About Lex in Injustice
Some players think Lex was "forced" into helping Batman. That's not true. If you read the Year One comics, Lex is actually the one who pushes back against Superman's more extreme measures early on. He wasn't blackmailed. He chose the side of humanity from day one; he just knew he couldn't win a fair fight against a guy who can fly through the sun.
Another mistake? Thinking he’s a low-tier character. Lex has some of the best frame data on his projectiles in the game. He’s a nightmare for anyone who doesn't have a reliable teleport. If you know how to "tick throw" with his command grab, you can melt health bars in seconds.
Actionable Steps for Injustice Fans
If you want to dive deeper into this specific version of the character or master his gameplay, here is what you should actually do:
- Read the Year One through Year Five Comics: Seriously. The game only gives you the cliff notes. The comics show the slow breakdown of the Lex/Clark friendship, and it is heartbreaking. It gives his death in the game way more weight.
- Practice the "Orbital Strike" Combo: In the training lab, work on landing a back-3 (heavy overhead) into an immediate Orbital Strike. It’s a high-damage sequence that most people can't block on reaction.
- Watch competitive footage from 2013-2014: Look up players like "WhiteBoy" or others who mained Lex in the early EVO years. The way they utilize the mines for stage control is a masterclass in fighting game zoning.
- Check out the "Luthor's Legacy" gear sets in Injustice 2: Even though he isn't playable, the gear descriptions for other characters provide some cool lore nuggets about what happened to LexCorp after his passing.
Lex Luthor in this universe is a reminder that even the most "villainous" characters are capable of change when the stakes are high enough. He isn't the hero we expected, but he was exactly the hero that world needed. He's a complex, tragic, and incredibly fun character to play, and he remains one of the best parts of the entire Injustice franchise.