Lex Luthor is a major antagonist of the DC Animated Movie Universe; serving as a minor character in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, a minor antagonist in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis and Justice League vs. Teen Titans, a secondary antagonist in The Death of Superman, a supporting antagonist and anti-villain in Reign of the Supermen, a minor character/anti-villain in Batman: Hush and a major supporting character in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, and Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Lex was voiced by Steven Blum. In The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, Batman: Hush and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Lex was voiced by Rainn Wilson.
Biography[]
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox[]
In the Flashpoint timeline, Luthor had allied himself with Deathstroke as the two did what they could to survive the war occurring between Themiscyra and Atlantis. Deathstroke's ship was later boarded by Aquaman's army and Luthor was presumably killed off-screen. This death was negated along with the entire Flashpoint after the Flash set the timeline straight again.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis[]
Luthor appears briefly in a post-credits scene, approaching Ocean Master in Belle Reve in order to make a proposal to him, presumably to recruit him into the Legion of Doom.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans[]
Luthor appears early on in the film when he leads the Legion of Doom in an attack on the Hall of Justice. He combats Superman in his War-Suit but is ultimately defeated along with the other villains.
The Death of Superman[]
Due to his past affiliation with the Legion of Doom, Luthor remains under house arrest, but continues to manage LexCorp. After Superman thwarts a robbery by Intergang who were using Apokoliptian technology, Lex is visited by the Man of Steel who accuses him of supplying the weapons to Intergang. Luthor denies this, of course, informing Superman that he's been unable to conduct any activities without the authorities knowing about it and smugly stating that there is no way to prove otherwise.
When Doomsday rampages through Metropolis, the Justice League attempt to stop the monster. All of the League members are defeated, save for Superman, but even the mighty Kryptonian cannot stop the creature. Luthor intervenes by attacking Doomsday in a kryptonite-powered battle-suit, managing to wound it with his suit's shoulder-mounted cannon. Doomsday quickly recovers and retaliates, brutally striking Luthor and tearing his mech-suit apart. Superman recovers and manages to save Luthor before he is killed.
After Superman's apparent death, Luthor appears at the funeral wearing a neck brace. However, his injuries from fighting Doomsday weren't that severe and he only wore the neck brace to garner sympathy from the public. He gave a rousing speech at the funeral, acknowledging his past rivalry with Superman but ultimately honouring the fallen hero.
Reign of the Supermen[]
In the months following Superman's death, Luthor had mended his public image whilst continuing to conduct illicit experiments using Kryptonian DNA he had salvaged following the battle between Superman and Doomsday. Using the blood of Superman as well as his own blood, Luthor had genetically engineered a replacement for the Man of Steel: Superboy. While the truth of Superboy's origins were concealed from the public, Luthor claimed that the young metahuman and he were working together to keep Metropolis safe. The reality was that Luthor was exploiting Superboy in order to improve his public image and had the means to dispose of him if he could not be controlled.
After Cyborg Superman announces his plan for a new Justice League: a Cyber Corps, made up of normal people who gain superpowers with robotic parts, Lois Lane recognizes the technology as from Apokolips and questions Luthor's involvement, as he has stolen the technology before. Steel confronts Intergang, the buyers of Luthor's technology, only to find that they have been attacked by the Eradicator. Steel follows the signal of the weapons to the Fortress of Solitude, while Lois breaks into Luthor's attic and meets Superboy, who reveals that he knew Luthor had intended to kill him, which has shaken his loyalty to his "father".
Steel and the Eradicator fight while Lois and Superboy, and later Luthor receives a video call of their fight. At the same time that Lois and Luthor watch a transmission from Cyborg Superman's mind, revealing Darkseid and his plans to invade and form a plan just as Superman, Steel, and Superboy head to Metropolis.
Luthor uses a Mother Box to free the Justice League, who were actually imprisoned in another dimension, to help Steel and Superboy defeat the drones.
Weeks later, the Justice League meets at the Watchtower and they agree that in order to end the war with Darkseid they must go face him on Apokolips. The League is revealed to have invited (reluctantly) Luthor to join as their newest member.
Batman: Hush[]
Luthor is visited by Batman asking for information on a delivery list of an ethylene compound to track down Poison Ivy's location. Luthor provided him with the location and demanded to be treated with respect, since he was a Justice League member now. Batman reminded him that he was only a probationary member, much to Luthor's ire.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War[]
Now a member of the Justice League, Luthor, along with the other members, attends the Justice League's briefing of their planned attack on Darkseid and Apokolips. Luthor audibly expresses his disagreement with Superman's plan, opting to negotiate rather than fight, but Superman shoots down his proposal of sending an envoy to Apokolips. Luthor agrees to stay in his place as Superman refuses to take the chance that Darkseid will cooperate, and they must get rid of him forever. Later, Luthor accompanies the Justice League as they invade Apokolips. Upon arrival, they are attacked by Paradooms, genetic hybrids of Parademons and Doomsday. Despite the League's efforts, they are utterly decimated, with the League's members either killed or captured. It is unknown how Luthor escaped without injuries, but it is likely he surrendered.
Two years later, after Darkseid has conquered Earth after the defeat of the Justice League and the Teen Titans, Luthor reclaimed his position as the top of LexCorp as he acts as a New God representative between Earth and Apokolips, while secretly relaying intel to Lois Lane in favor of her resistance force but keeping himself anonymous. Luthor serves as an act of communication to Earth by Batman, who has been brainwashed to become Darkseid's right-hand man. Given that LexCorp is home to Earth's one and only boom tube, which is the only means of traveling to and from Apokolips, Batman gave Luthor orders to transport the Paradooms to Earth after being alerted of the resistance force's attacks on the World-Reapers.
When the resistance force invade LexCorp to use the boom tube, they are confronted by Luthor in his battle-suit. After Luthor hurts Damian, Raven momentarily loses control of herself and a portion of Trigon emerges, which destroys Luthor's suit and would have killed him if Raven did not regain her control. Luthor reveals to the group that he is Lois' anonymous source, acting as a double agent. Luthor joins the resistance force, giving the depowered Superman his battle-suit equipped with kryptonite-laced weapons (which is ironic considering it was created to kill Superman), and the other fighters their own kryptonite-laced weapons to combat the Paradooms. Using the boom tube to transport Superman, John Constantine, Raven, Damian Wayne, and Etrigan to Apokolips, Luthor is contacted by Batman who becomes aware of Luthor's betrayal, which puts an end to Luthor's double agency. Luthor stays behind with Lois and the Suicide Squad to combat the Paradooms, intent on keeping them away from the boom tube and thus Apokolips. The group do well at first to fend them off, but become vastly outnumbered, and Luthor erects a kryptonite barrier to buy time for him to set the self-destruct sequence of LexCorp. Soon after, Luthor's corpse is seen, having been gored to death by a Paradoom.