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Lex Luthor (pronounced /lɛks ˈlu:θor/) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #23 (Apr. 1940) and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Originally a pulp magazine-inspired mad scientist known only by his surname, he was later rewritten as Lex Luthor, an inventor and former friend of Superboy. After losing his hair in a laboratory accident, Luthor holds Superboy (and later Superman) responsible and turns to a life of crime. Following the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lex Luthor was re-introduced as a Machiavellian industrialist and white-collar criminal, even briefly serving as President of the United States. Writers have revised Lex Luthor's classic origin from the 1970's, though the canonicity of these stories is undetermined. Luthor is rated #8 on Wizard magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list.
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