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maskormenace
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carrieskryptonite〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: July
AGE: 26
JOURNAL:julyflame
IM / EMAIL: fairladypsyche
PLURK: JulyFlame
RETURNING: Yes!
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Lex Luthor
CHARACTER AGE: mid-late thirties
CANON ORIGIN: DC Animated Universe
CHRONOLOGY: Superman: The Animated Series, after the two-part episode "Little Girl Lost".
CLASS: Hero.Really.
HOUSING: If you really want to freak anyone out, put him in one of the houses with DC characters. He's still going to move out sooner than later.
BACKGROUND:
Lex on the DCAU wiki.
Earth in the DCAU is fairly similar to that of the real world, however, there are a plethora of differences between it and our world.
Much like the DC universe it is an offshoot of, there are several extra cities, and a few different countries- this is as much to preserve the spirit and body of the DC universe in its animated counterpart as it is to avoid getting into sticky political situations with cartoons aimed towards children.
In the realm of technological progress, Earth during the late 90s of the DCAU is ahead of ours in some ways; billion dollar battle-suits are not only able to be created but are usable, meteors large enough to threaten the Earth are no huge threat thanks to continued development in space technology, and the ability to create clones from sentient, humanoid beings (albeit flawed versions, when it comes to certain alien species) exists.
Much of this, of course, is thanks to a profound difference; unlike here, their Earth (and the one of the DCU) is not as stymied or limited by regulation of technological or industrial development, and leaders of the financial world are not burdened by the same regulations and limitations that prevent certain financial pursuits. All that comic book science sure helps, too, between allowing for the creation of this advanced technology and the presence of metahumans.
Not all of this is legal (yet), and often can fall under the close minded impression of being ‘immoral’, but on the DCAU’s Earth, the dollar is almighty, and those who are on top are king.
In Metropolis, that king is Lex Luthor.
After all, you don’t see the Koch brothers all but owning a city here, do you?
While some do not agree as to the ethics of it (see, for example, the Daily Planet, and in particular one Lois Lane), the proof is irrefutable; the existence of wide spanning vertical monopolies that take up the entire width and breadth of a single city’s workforce that runs in the millions are in full force (under the ambitious eye of Lex Luthor), while in the same time frame on our Earth, Microsoft was facing civil action against a monopoly over bundling its web browser with its operating system.
With all of this, the rise of the Nietzschean Ubermensch is a considered guarantee, men and women who rise above the ‘standard’, to dominate and lead the world, and bring about a new golden age of intellect, progress, and development, and with few of the weaknesses that currently drag humanity down.
Or at least it was, before the rise of the superhero.
The Batman in Gotham was an anomaly- with as terrible and rife with low-lives as that city is, it was as likely as not that he was the production of the stunted and twisted minds of Gotham’s criminals- at least until there was incontrovertible proof he existed. Even then, he was a normal man, using fear as a weapon.
Then Superman came along.
The ‘Man of Steel’, come from an alien world, a mockery of the philosophical underpinning of the+ very title given to him by the media, here to save humanity from itself. Underpinning his presence and actions with 'American' values, 'helping' and 'saving' each and every person in need, with nary a consideration in regards to separating the wheat from the chaff. Not allowing himself to be bought, setting himself above everyone, including Lex, when every man has his price.
Superman's appearance on Earth heralded the arrival and discovery of bigger and greater threats: rogue militaristic Kryptonians released from the Phantom Zone, intent on taking over the planet; the super-intelligent computer Brainiac, which wanted to pull all of Earth's knowledge from the planet before destroying it; and, the most dire of all, revealed the shadow behind the machinations of Intergang- the ruler of Apokolips, Darkseid, who attempted to conquer Earth in his search for the Anti-Life Equation.
Lex's place in this world is a high one- as the CEO of one of the world's largest multinational corporations, after rising from low origins, he has power and influence, and the money to back his skills and intelligence up.
Fortunately, Superman has one potentially fatal weakness that will keep the natural order of things as they should be, with Lex at the top, even with the alien interfering in his plans for Metropolis- and the world.
As for Lex's place in the universe, his interactions with Superman start at the very beginning of the series' introduction of Clark Kent into Metropolis, establishing him as philosophically and thematically Superman's opposite.
He's unethical, ignores moral qualms, and is concerned about power and the right of the elite, going so far as to have a group of mercenaries attack the unveiling of a battle suit his corporation has created to steal it in order to machinate the need for the US government to contract a more powerful version- something that the reporter Clark Kent grasps upon and even suggests.
When Lois Lane pursues the investigation and gets in over her head, and finds just enough proof to imply that that Kent's theory was correct, but not enough for them to actively report Lex and LexCorp for involvement and responsibility over the initial attack, murder attempt on Lois, or fight between Superman and the man (John Corben) who took the battle suit and tried to use it.
Superman and Lex Luthor's first encounter sets the tone for their interactions for the rest of the series, and that universe: Lex's speech on his personal power in the city, and offer to buy Superman out results in nothing, only mutual dislike and contempt for the other, which slowly grows into an obsession.
Because of this, Lex ends up discovering of the potential of Kryptonite as a weapon against Superman- a recurring and important issue- and often either aids in the creation or funding of many of the other villains in the series.
He creates Metallo through 'helping' John Corben with his would-be fatal disease; initially aids Brainiac with the gaining of information about Earth in exchange for information from the artificial intelligence; has Bizarro cloned from Superman in an attempt to have his own personal Superman; fires a whistleblower who becomes bitter enough from the experience to become a supervillain in his own right; even willingly works with the Joker in order to get his hands on a larger chunk of Kryptonite and have Superman killed (this doesn't not only work due to the Joker being the Joker, but it also results in the meeting and team-up of Batman and Superman, which will also later in the universe and past his canon point eventually help cause the creation of the Justice League). He forces the testing of a prototype supersuit before the creator feels it is ready for use, which results in a cop going on a crimefighting rampage.
When not directly responsible for Superman's troubles, Lex is often lambasting him through the media, attempting to blame him and take him to fault for things not panning out as they potentially could have, despite occasionally being the cause in the first place, though Lex does merit having the point that often enough the events in question would've not happened if Superman wasn't present in the first place- especially in the event of Superman releasing criminal Kryptonians from the Phantom Zone and allowing them to wreck havoc before being able to stop them.
PERSONALITY:
Lex is a natural leader, full of the charisma, confidence, and ambition it takes to rise above the crowd, even in a high-energy, high-stakes environment like Metropolis- and he certainly has, becoming its leading figure. In both himself and those who work for him, and are around him, he expects nothing but the best, in terms of success and personal achievements.
An elite figure in the corporate world, Lex has the ability to stand his ground, and ensure that the various companies under his control perform excellently and gain the best contracts and deals possible.
As an active figure in Metropolis, and the primary donor to many charities and projects around the city, his name is a frequent sight, bestowed upon a multitude of buildings, and constantly in the news for one thing or another that he has recently done for the city he calls home.
Due to his status and general influence, Lex has many detractors, such as the esteemed Lois Lane, who would no doubt explain the above as Lex being a ruthless narcissist. But really, what does Lois know of Lex? She only dated him.
Nonetheless, it is, in fact, closer to the truth than he would prefer the public to believe- which is to say, it is the truth.
He is a harsh master, and for those in his employ he deals with directly, he can be a terror; the slightest failure on their parts can result in a threat to their job security- or worse, against their lives. This is especially the case on the more ‘sensitive’ projects he runs which are against the law or would be against the law, if the law had any idea of what he was doing, and the ones that would destroy the public reputation he has worked so hard at cultivating.
His meteoric success and rise in the corporate world was chiefly due to his raw ambition, but it was also wildly aided by his willingness to be ruthless; corporate take overs, sabotaging deals between companies and manipulating stock prices in a series of moves that soon led to the creation of LexCorp and its various subsidiaries. Even large, successful companies such as Wayne Industries, which are unlikely to be subsumed, are at risk when they work with LexCorp; he is more than willing to break agreements to take advantage of the research or works created if it will benefit his bottom line or personal goals.
The countless projects, buildings, and charities which bear Lex’s name are part of his plan to be the leading figure of Metropolis, and control as much of it as possible- as he tells Superman, he already employs two thirds of its populations under the many businesses he owns, whether they know it or not.
Lex also believes in the adage that ‘might makes right’, and that those with the intellect, ability, and power- people such as himself- to rule should do so, rather than lower themselves to help and perpetuate the continued state that humanity is in, letting the weak set the tone of discourse.
This has led to his intense dislike (read: hate) of Superman, and his belief that the alien is no doubt planning something; there is no reason for him to 'aid' humanity without some covert reason, after all. This slowly grows into a mutual obsession- Lex so sure that Superman needs to be gotten rid of, and Superman of the fact that Lex is up to no good.
That said, for the rare people he does develop feelings for, Lex is capable of leniency and small mercies; during the short period he dated Lana Lang, he was initially forgiving of her spying on his meeting with an arms dealer- even to the point of doubting her going to Superman with the information (despite the word of his bodyguard, driver, and general personal assistant Mercy Graves) until he personally saw her kiss Superman- at which point he ordered her killed due to the perceived severe betrayal.
This aspect of his personality is probably why, despite her frequent meddling (and the fact that she makes it so easy, really), Lois Lane hasn’t ended up killed on his orders- he still has some residual feelings for her. Even then, however, when she is in the way he has no compunctions against attempting to have her taken out of the picture.
POWER:
Outside of his intellect and various skills where technology and engineering are involved, Lex canonically has no 'real' powers.
For Mask or Menace, I'll be giving him:
Technopathy: Lex will be able to control technology via mental or spoken orders. The more advanced the technology behind the machine, the more finessed the control he can exact upon it can be. With this technopathy, he can make the machines do things that they are not originally programmed for, but he would not be able to make them do things that they are incapable of.
As an example, he would be able to make a roomba actively chase someone or something (because it has basic sensors, but not the programming to do that sort of thing unless someone hacks it) but he wouldn't be able to make a roomba shoot someone (unless he wired a electronically-controllable firearm to it, in which case God help us all).
Mineral Synthesis: Lex will be able to create minerals as long as he has a sufficiently large material base. The starting product does not have to involve or contain any of the elements that would lead to the minerals created, but their presence speeds the sythesis and would make it much easier.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[Lex has spent the better part of the day perusing the network. Reading, watching, listening. Seeing the faces and names of those present. Experimenting with one of the new powers granted to him by the Porter by telling the communicator to speed up the playback- not enough to make everything unintelligible, but fast enough to speed the process up so that it isn't as much of a chore.
It's only after he decides that he has learned enough from this that he sets the communicator a distance away, and sits back, his hands folded together, looking perfectly relaxed. He activates it mentally before he begins speaking, in an almost bored tone.]
How interesting.
A world where the USSR never collapsed. Technology able to bring people from other, different worlds.
And here we are, so many of us now granted abilities we didn't have in our own worlds, with the option of doing things with them.
The decision of what to do in our hands. Do we play along with this government- continue to abide by our own loyalties in the case of those of us who were Americans in our own worlds- and their expectations of what we will do for them in exchange for a basic standard of living, or do we deride it and not accept their assistance, and not assist them in turn? Or do we take some middle position, accept their aid while criticizing them at every turn?
What a fascinating conundrum it must be for those who think about it, particularly over the political aspects, with the presence of elected ambassadors. Even a candidate for the Senate.
It's an interesting scenario where power is concerned, isn't it?
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
A thread with the Kirk Langstrom on the test drive.
FINAL NOTES:
Lex will be coming in with a small chunk of Kryptonite.
Additionally, since the events of the episode
'Ghost in the Machine' Lex has been unknowingly been carrying a nanotech copy of Brainiac's programming inside of him.
This is discovered much later in DCAU, during the Justice League Unlimited years, beginning with the curing of his Kryponite-induced cancer (something he does not yet have at this pull point), and unexpected development of super-strength (another ability he does not have).
If this is acceptable to the mods, I would like him to keep the Brainiac nanotech in his body with the potential of a Brainiac plot in the future.
NAME: July
AGE: 26
JOURNAL:
julyflame IM / EMAIL: fairladypsyche
PLURK: JulyFlame
RETURNING: Yes!
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Lex Luthor
CHARACTER AGE: mid-late thirties
CANON ORIGIN: DC Animated Universe
CHRONOLOGY: Superman: The Animated Series, after the two-part episode "Little Girl Lost".
CLASS: Hero.
HOUSING: If you really want to freak anyone out, put him in one of the houses with DC characters. He's still going to move out sooner than later.
BACKGROUND:
Lex on the DCAU wiki.
Earth in the DCAU is fairly similar to that of the real world, however, there are a plethora of differences between it and our world.
Much like the DC universe it is an offshoot of, there are several extra cities, and a few different countries- this is as much to preserve the spirit and body of the DC universe in its animated counterpart as it is to avoid getting into sticky political situations with cartoons aimed towards children.
In the realm of technological progress, Earth during the late 90s of the DCAU is ahead of ours in some ways; billion dollar battle-suits are not only able to be created but are usable, meteors large enough to threaten the Earth are no huge threat thanks to continued development in space technology, and the ability to create clones from sentient, humanoid beings (albeit flawed versions, when it comes to certain alien species) exists.
Much of this, of course, is thanks to a profound difference; unlike here, their Earth (and the one of the DCU) is not as stymied or limited by regulation of technological or industrial development, and leaders of the financial world are not burdened by the same regulations and limitations that prevent certain financial pursuits. All that comic book science sure helps, too, between allowing for the creation of this advanced technology and the presence of metahumans.
Not all of this is legal (yet), and often can fall under the close minded impression of being ‘immoral’, but on the DCAU’s Earth, the dollar is almighty, and those who are on top are king.
In Metropolis, that king is Lex Luthor.
After all, you don’t see the Koch brothers all but owning a city here, do you?
While some do not agree as to the ethics of it (see, for example, the Daily Planet, and in particular one Lois Lane), the proof is irrefutable; the existence of wide spanning vertical monopolies that take up the entire width and breadth of a single city’s workforce that runs in the millions are in full force (under the ambitious eye of Lex Luthor), while in the same time frame on our Earth, Microsoft was facing civil action against a monopoly over bundling its web browser with its operating system.
With all of this, the rise of the Nietzschean Ubermensch is a considered guarantee, men and women who rise above the ‘standard’, to dominate and lead the world, and bring about a new golden age of intellect, progress, and development, and with few of the weaknesses that currently drag humanity down.
Or at least it was, before the rise of the superhero.
The Batman in Gotham was an anomaly- with as terrible and rife with low-lives as that city is, it was as likely as not that he was the production of the stunted and twisted minds of Gotham’s criminals- at least until there was incontrovertible proof he existed. Even then, he was a normal man, using fear as a weapon.
Then Superman came along.
The ‘Man of Steel’, come from an alien world, a mockery of the philosophical underpinning of the+ very title given to him by the media, here to save humanity from itself. Underpinning his presence and actions with 'American' values, 'helping' and 'saving' each and every person in need, with nary a consideration in regards to separating the wheat from the chaff. Not allowing himself to be bought, setting himself above everyone, including Lex, when every man has his price.
Superman's appearance on Earth heralded the arrival and discovery of bigger and greater threats: rogue militaristic Kryptonians released from the Phantom Zone, intent on taking over the planet; the super-intelligent computer Brainiac, which wanted to pull all of Earth's knowledge from the planet before destroying it; and, the most dire of all, revealed the shadow behind the machinations of Intergang- the ruler of Apokolips, Darkseid, who attempted to conquer Earth in his search for the Anti-Life Equation.
Lex's place in this world is a high one- as the CEO of one of the world's largest multinational corporations, after rising from low origins, he has power and influence, and the money to back his skills and intelligence up.
Fortunately, Superman has one potentially fatal weakness that will keep the natural order of things as they should be, with Lex at the top, even with the alien interfering in his plans for Metropolis- and the world.
As for Lex's place in the universe, his interactions with Superman start at the very beginning of the series' introduction of Clark Kent into Metropolis, establishing him as philosophically and thematically Superman's opposite.
He's unethical, ignores moral qualms, and is concerned about power and the right of the elite, going so far as to have a group of mercenaries attack the unveiling of a battle suit his corporation has created to steal it in order to machinate the need for the US government to contract a more powerful version- something that the reporter Clark Kent grasps upon and even suggests.
When Lois Lane pursues the investigation and gets in over her head, and finds just enough proof to imply that that Kent's theory was correct, but not enough for them to actively report Lex and LexCorp for involvement and responsibility over the initial attack, murder attempt on Lois, or fight between Superman and the man (John Corben) who took the battle suit and tried to use it.
Superman and Lex Luthor's first encounter sets the tone for their interactions for the rest of the series, and that universe: Lex's speech on his personal power in the city, and offer to buy Superman out results in nothing, only mutual dislike and contempt for the other, which slowly grows into an obsession.
Because of this, Lex ends up discovering of the potential of Kryptonite as a weapon against Superman- a recurring and important issue- and often either aids in the creation or funding of many of the other villains in the series.
He creates Metallo through 'helping' John Corben with his would-be fatal disease; initially aids Brainiac with the gaining of information about Earth in exchange for information from the artificial intelligence; has Bizarro cloned from Superman in an attempt to have his own personal Superman; fires a whistleblower who becomes bitter enough from the experience to become a supervillain in his own right; even willingly works with the Joker in order to get his hands on a larger chunk of Kryptonite and have Superman killed (this doesn't not only work due to the Joker being the Joker, but it also results in the meeting and team-up of Batman and Superman, which will also later in the universe and past his canon point eventually help cause the creation of the Justice League). He forces the testing of a prototype supersuit before the creator feels it is ready for use, which results in a cop going on a crimefighting rampage.
When not directly responsible for Superman's troubles, Lex is often lambasting him through the media, attempting to blame him and take him to fault for things not panning out as they potentially could have, despite occasionally being the cause in the first place, though Lex does merit having the point that often enough the events in question would've not happened if Superman wasn't present in the first place- especially in the event of Superman releasing criminal Kryptonians from the Phantom Zone and allowing them to wreck havoc before being able to stop them.
PERSONALITY:
Lex is a natural leader, full of the charisma, confidence, and ambition it takes to rise above the crowd, even in a high-energy, high-stakes environment like Metropolis- and he certainly has, becoming its leading figure. In both himself and those who work for him, and are around him, he expects nothing but the best, in terms of success and personal achievements.
An elite figure in the corporate world, Lex has the ability to stand his ground, and ensure that the various companies under his control perform excellently and gain the best contracts and deals possible.
As an active figure in Metropolis, and the primary donor to many charities and projects around the city, his name is a frequent sight, bestowed upon a multitude of buildings, and constantly in the news for one thing or another that he has recently done for the city he calls home.
Due to his status and general influence, Lex has many detractors, such as the esteemed Lois Lane, who would no doubt explain the above as Lex being a ruthless narcissist. But really, what does Lois know of Lex? She only dated him.
Nonetheless, it is, in fact, closer to the truth than he would prefer the public to believe- which is to say, it is the truth.
He is a harsh master, and for those in his employ he deals with directly, he can be a terror; the slightest failure on their parts can result in a threat to their job security- or worse, against their lives. This is especially the case on the more ‘sensitive’ projects he runs which are against the law or would be against the law, if the law had any idea of what he was doing, and the ones that would destroy the public reputation he has worked so hard at cultivating.
His meteoric success and rise in the corporate world was chiefly due to his raw ambition, but it was also wildly aided by his willingness to be ruthless; corporate take overs, sabotaging deals between companies and manipulating stock prices in a series of moves that soon led to the creation of LexCorp and its various subsidiaries. Even large, successful companies such as Wayne Industries, which are unlikely to be subsumed, are at risk when they work with LexCorp; he is more than willing to break agreements to take advantage of the research or works created if it will benefit his bottom line or personal goals.
The countless projects, buildings, and charities which bear Lex’s name are part of his plan to be the leading figure of Metropolis, and control as much of it as possible- as he tells Superman, he already employs two thirds of its populations under the many businesses he owns, whether they know it or not.
Lex also believes in the adage that ‘might makes right’, and that those with the intellect, ability, and power- people such as himself- to rule should do so, rather than lower themselves to help and perpetuate the continued state that humanity is in, letting the weak set the tone of discourse.
This has led to his intense dislike (read: hate) of Superman, and his belief that the alien is no doubt planning something; there is no reason for him to 'aid' humanity without some covert reason, after all. This slowly grows into a mutual obsession- Lex so sure that Superman needs to be gotten rid of, and Superman of the fact that Lex is up to no good.
That said, for the rare people he does develop feelings for, Lex is capable of leniency and small mercies; during the short period he dated Lana Lang, he was initially forgiving of her spying on his meeting with an arms dealer- even to the point of doubting her going to Superman with the information (despite the word of his bodyguard, driver, and general personal assistant Mercy Graves) until he personally saw her kiss Superman- at which point he ordered her killed due to the perceived severe betrayal.
This aspect of his personality is probably why, despite her frequent meddling (and the fact that she makes it so easy, really), Lois Lane hasn’t ended up killed on his orders- he still has some residual feelings for her. Even then, however, when she is in the way he has no compunctions against attempting to have her taken out of the picture.
POWER:
Outside of his intellect and various skills where technology and engineering are involved, Lex canonically has no 'real' powers.
For Mask or Menace, I'll be giving him:
Technopathy: Lex will be able to control technology via mental or spoken orders. The more advanced the technology behind the machine, the more finessed the control he can exact upon it can be. With this technopathy, he can make the machines do things that they are not originally programmed for, but he would not be able to make them do things that they are incapable of.
As an example, he would be able to make a roomba actively chase someone or something (because it has basic sensors, but not the programming to do that sort of thing unless someone hacks it) but he wouldn't be able to make a roomba shoot someone (unless he wired a electronically-controllable firearm to it, in which case God help us all).
Mineral Synthesis: Lex will be able to create minerals as long as he has a sufficiently large material base. The starting product does not have to involve or contain any of the elements that would lead to the minerals created, but their presence speeds the sythesis and would make it much easier.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[Lex has spent the better part of the day perusing the network. Reading, watching, listening. Seeing the faces and names of those present. Experimenting with one of the new powers granted to him by the Porter by telling the communicator to speed up the playback- not enough to make everything unintelligible, but fast enough to speed the process up so that it isn't as much of a chore.
It's only after he decides that he has learned enough from this that he sets the communicator a distance away, and sits back, his hands folded together, looking perfectly relaxed. He activates it mentally before he begins speaking, in an almost bored tone.]
How interesting.
A world where the USSR never collapsed. Technology able to bring people from other, different worlds.
And here we are, so many of us now granted abilities we didn't have in our own worlds, with the option of doing things with them.
The decision of what to do in our hands. Do we play along with this government- continue to abide by our own loyalties in the case of those of us who were Americans in our own worlds- and their expectations of what we will do for them in exchange for a basic standard of living, or do we deride it and not accept their assistance, and not assist them in turn? Or do we take some middle position, accept their aid while criticizing them at every turn?
What a fascinating conundrum it must be for those who think about it, particularly over the political aspects, with the presence of elected ambassadors. Even a candidate for the Senate.
It's an interesting scenario where power is concerned, isn't it?
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
A thread with the Kirk Langstrom on the test drive.
FINAL NOTES:
Lex will be coming in with a small chunk of Kryptonite.
Additionally, since the events of the episode
'Ghost in the Machine' Lex has been unknowingly been carrying a nanotech copy of Brainiac's programming inside of him.
This is discovered much later in DCAU, during the Justice League Unlimited years, beginning with the curing of his Kryponite-induced cancer (something he does not yet have at this pull point), and unexpected development of super-strength (another ability he does not have).
If this is acceptable to the mods, I would like him to keep the Brainiac nanotech in his body with the potential of a Brainiac plot in the future.