Morden Man — Roleplayer Guild

The New Frontier: DC/Marvel One Universe RP application:

Alexander “Lex” Luthor, Jr.
Neutral Evil.
Justice League of America, LexCorp.

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind." -- Gordon Gekko.

History:

Lex Luthor was the most powerful man in America, more powerful even than the President some would have you believe, until he arrived. Superman. The caped wonder that had saved Robert Kelly’s life and declared America’s Mutant Registration Act as unjust and in contradiction to America’s proud history of tolerance and acceptance. In that moment Lex knew he had to tame the Superman or destroy him and set into motion the events would lead to the creation of the Justice League of America. After Superman rejected a personal invitation from Lex himself to lead the JLA and answer to him personally, Luthor spent millions unearthing superheroes of his own that might eclipse Superman in America’s hearts. In Captain America and Thor he found the leadership and strength that the Justice League needed. Within months, Luthor’s new Justice League was the talk of the town and Superman had found himself on the outside looking in.

Several years have passed since the formation of the Justice League and more and more Lex finds his hatred for Superman waning. He lusts for a confrontation with the so-called Superman, for his Justice League to humble him, but at the back of his mind Luthor has acquired a begrudging enjoyment of the adoration his Justice League has earned him. Once hated, treated with suspicion, Luthor is finally popular and a part of him fears that his charade, already extended much longer than he initially tended, might be permanent.

Supporting Cast:

Captain America – Steve Rogers leads Luthor’s Justice League of America. The two men have worked closely in recent years and have developed a friendly relationship – Lex is taken aback by the Super Soldier’s intelligence, having at first considered him a dolt, and often turns to Rogers for advice. From the outside some might even consider Rogers to be a good influence on Lex.

Thor – The powerhouse of Luthor’s Justice League of America. Thor is fiercely loyal to Lex. LexCorp scientists discovered Mjolnir in New Mexico and helped Thor transition into life in Midgard. When not working with the Justice League or otherwise disposed, Thor works as Lex's personal bodyguard at some of the business meetings with his less savoury clients.

Black Widow - Black Widow handles the Justice League's dirty jobs. Her background and skills make her perfect for corporate espionage and Lex makes use of Natasha (to the benefit of LexCorp) in this regard often. Of all the members of the League she is the member Lex trusts the least but simultaneously has proven to be the most useful. 

Amanda Waller - Director of SHIELD. Lex and the Justice League of America work with SHIELD often and despite her initial distrust of Lex and his methods she considers him to be a valuable asset in the fight against mutant terrorism. Lex has friends in powerful places that have helped Waller secure her place within SHIELD after Nick Fury's acrimonious resignation from the organisation. 

Nick Fury - Former Director of SHIELD that resigned in disgrace after the disappearance of Reed Richards and his crew. Fury was deeply suspicious of Lex and had long tasked SHIELD to look into his activities, especially his business interests in places like Latveria and Kahndaq, so Fury's resignation came as welcome news to Lex. Luthor suspects the old war horse is still out there plotting against him despite the success of his Justice League.

Tony Stark - CEO of Stark Industries and one of Lex's lifelong rivals. Lex resents Tony for his having been born into privilege. Before Stark changed his stripes, he would treat Lex with disdain for having grown up in Suicide Slums and his insults have stayed with Lex to this day.

Bruce Banner - Former LexCorp employee that as a result of direct pressure placed onto him from Lex turned himself into the Hulk. Lex considers the Hulk's strength to have been "stolen" from him, considering the Hulk persona LexCorp technology given it was produced in his labs, and often sends the Justice League after the Hulk. Publicly his rationale is that the Hulk is dangerous - privately he covets the Hulk's immense strength.

How (if at all) does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?:

Up until the second Superman reveals himself to the world Lex is exactly the same as mainstream Lex. In the New Frontier universe the rejection he faces at Superman's hands leads him to form a super team of his own in order to outshine Superman. For the most part, given the Justice League's close cooperation with the government in the fight against mutant terrorists, he has achieved this goal. Perhaps his domination of Superman in this respect has made him complacent, sloppy even, and having worked beside Captain America he sometimes finds himself feeling... positively heroic. It's an impulse he's in denial about but one, I hope, that might make for interesting reading down the line.

Sample:

LexCorp Tower
Metropolis

Lex stood in the lobby of the Justice League’s headquarters in LexCorp Tower with a glass of whiskey in hand. It had been a long evening. The Wrecking Crew had attacked a bank in downtown Metropolis and taken nearly twenty hostages. Thor was in Asgard dealing with some so-called “unfinished business” and the Justice League had been shorthanded. Eventually Captain America and Black Widow had managed to get control of the situation and the Wrecking Crew were apprehended without major casualties. All the same Lex had been worried there for a minute. His team had yet to come up short but he was concerned what would happen when they did. He couldn’t afford the people of Metropolis turning to Superman in their hour of need.

The sound of feet scuffing along the marble floors alerted Lex to the presence of somebody else in the lobby and stood by the doorway was Steve Rogers. His cowl was down but his uniform was still on. The legendary red, white, and blue shield was slung over his back and for the first time since Lex had met the Captain he seemed tired.

“Lex,” Rogers asked as he wandered over to him. “Can I ask you a question?”

Lex smiled.

“Ask away, Captain.”

“Why do you hate him so much?”

Luthor knew straight away which him Rogers was talking about. 

“I don’t hate him,” Luthor said as he took a mouthful of whiskey and grimaced. “I hate what he could be. He’s powerful enough that he could kill us all and we would be powerless to stop him. How is a person meant to feel safe sharing a world with someone – something – like that? How do you go to bed at night knowing you draw breath only because men like him allow it?”

“You could same the same of Thor,” Rogers said as his piercing blue eyes delved deep into Lex’s soul. “Or even the Flash.”

“You could,” Lex shrugged. “But Thor is a warrior, Captain, and the Flash is a superhero. Neither of them pretend to be anything more. This Man of Steel? This Superman? He thinks he’s a god amongst men. He holds himself up as an example to the world, looking down on all those that see the world differently than he does, without a care for whether he might be wrong. A man like that, super or not, is dangerous to us all.”

Luthor could see in the Captain’s eyes that he wasn’t wholly convinced. Only Thor truly shared Lex’s dislike for Superman but that seemed to be for entirely different reasons. Nonetheless Lex was sure that eventually time would vindicate him. All it would take was one very bad day and the Superman would do something that would make them all see that Lex was right. They’d thank him then, they’d hold him up as a prophet, and when his Justice League was sent to bring Superman in Luthor would be the one that slapped the chains on him. He’d make sure of that.

In the inside pocket of his suit Lex felt the buzz of a phone ringing and reached for it with a groan. He scanned the name on the screen and then looked to Rogers with a smile.

“Do you mind, Captain? I have to take this.”

Steve nodded.

“Of course.”

Lex watched as Captain America wandered out of the room and shut the doors behind him. He gave it several more seconds and wandered over to the lobby’s large windows before pressing the phone against his head.

“Victor,” Luthor smiled. “I presume you’re calling about the vibranium?”
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