DC formally names the smartest person on Earth (and it isn't Lex Luthor)
Though he is well-known for his extraordinary intelligence, Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor admits he is not the smartest person alive. In "Action Comics #1066," Joshua Williamson and Laura Braga's backup narrative "Lena and Lex," Lex discovers a great insight regarding his daughter Lena Luthor's remarkable intelligence.
Daughter of Lex Luthor: a supercomputer brain
The narrative starts with Lex's daughter Lena hooked to Brainiac's system. Powerful villain Brainiac is trying to run Lena's mind as a processing center for his intricate system. Driven to save his daughter, Lex hooks his own mind into the system and strikes a moving dialogue with Lena. Lena tells Lex about her vivid memories of infancy during their conversation, which causes Lex to clarify that her time with Brainiac in the future turned her into a supercomputer with far higher than Brainiac's 12th-level intelligence.
Lex Luthor Says His Daughter Is the smartest DC Universe Person
Calculating person and master manipulator Lex notes Lena's potential exceeds even his own intelligence. She acknowledges that her cognitive capacity has been much improved by her contact to Brainiac's advanced technologies. Lex first handed Lena to Brainiac in return for futuristic technology, but she later returned fully grown to help Brainiac in his conquest from the past. Lena finally turned to her father, though, and reverted to her baby form. Driven not to repeat his past error, Lex gave his mother custody of his daughter, so shielding Lena from the world but isolating her. Years later, though, Lena returned motivated by an attempted murder on Lex's life.
Lena Luthor's intelligence changed things for Lex.
Lex's relationship with Lena has helped him to develop and reflect even if he is known for ambition and merciless nature. Lena's remarkable intelligence strikes him as having potential to surpass even his own. This realization has caused Lex to rethink his priorities and give his daughter's well-being top importance, so fostering a world in which her intellectual talents might bloom. Though Lex might not be the most intelligent person on Earth, he is definitely sharp enough to recognize the extraordinary genius of his daughter.
Lex's Evolution
Often presented as a villain motivated by ambition and self-interest, Lex Luthor shows Lena a startling degree of paternal affection and care. His awareness of her extraordinary intelligence has driven him to pursue a better world for his daughter as well as for his own aspirations. Driven by his love and appreciation of Lena's talents, Lex's motivations change and imply that even the most powerful enemies can be touched by family ties and a wish to foster unique ability.
