Why is LEX LUTHOR Bald? || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync

One of Lex Luthor's identifying characteristics is the fact that he's bald, but he wasn't always. So how did Lex Luthor lose his hair in the first place? Well, there are a few reasons in the comics as to why this happened that range from natural hair loss to more exciting backstories involving his hair being burned off. But the first time Luthor appeared bald in a comic was not an intentional choice, but a complete accident! Today we're learning about all the reasons in and out of comics as to how Lex Luthor became bald.

Every Wednesday, Comic Misconceptions explores the fun trivia, interesting ideas, and mind-blowing theories regarding comic books and the rich history and culture that surrounds them!

—————————————————————

RELATED VIDEOS:

The REAL Origin of Superman Explained

Why Can't People Tell Clark Kent is Superman?

Lois Lane Dated Superman's Dad?!

—————————————————————

SOURCES:
Action Comics #23
Superman #4
Superman #5
Superman #10
The Man of Steel #4
Adventure Comics #271
Superman: Birthright #8
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #79
Origin of Lex Luthor (Super Friends Cartoon)

—————————————————————

LISTEN to the NerdSync Podcast!

BECOME a NerdSync Patron!

[Malicious_Hero]

I always thought it was just due to some kyrptonite poisoning. 

Though I also like the theory that Superman flys into his home every night and just shaves his head again.

[algi]

The clothes of the bald henchman also reminds me of newer depictions of Luthor. It's like the henchman took over the original Lex's business.

[PhantomObserver]

Honestly, I preferred the "male pattern baldness / regular head shave" theory. It means that Luthor doesn't have to suffer a personal injury to muster a mad-on for Clark; his ego is cankered enough as it is. (Besides, he could then point to himself as a trend setter as lots of celebrities do the hairless look: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Patrick Stewart, Bruce Willis, etc.)

[JaxBlade]

100 pushups, 100 situps 100....no wait... if he did that he could actually match superman :P

[jakewareham]

Why is LEX LUTHOR Bald? Because he doesn't have any hair.

[isaacgazmararian]

I like Smallville's reasoning behind it. It's basically the same as the fire one exert the kryptonite meteor is what burns off his hair. 

[DariusJohnIsaacDavis]

I always thought that Luthor was bald due to cancer contracted from over exposure to Kryptonite but hey, The More You Know. 

[Jomster]

He took on Saitama's training regiment of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and 10 Km runs everyday, but he decided to stop after 15 months.

[BurnRoddy]

As for why Lex baldness I knew the back story about the freak lab accident but I always considered it a trait of Luthor's personality.

Nowadays it is frequent to find young boys with dreadlocks or tattoos working in important jobs but back then society was completely different. When Superman was created up until the early 60's people believed that society is driven by reason and the more civilized you were the better you were.
This is why back then Superman was called ''THE MAN OF TOMORROW'' not '' THE MAN OF STEEL''. 

If you look at the old 1930's and 1940's cartoons and even many of the golden age comics you'll notice many of the bad guys and lowlife punks had tattoos and wore very short hair or were bald. That's because the more ''outside'' of the norm they seemed to be, the more savages they were. This is true to Lex Luthor's bald henchman you mention in the video. And I think this is also why the image of the bald Luthor was accepted. 

He is the antipode of Superman, who is genetically superior in body and mind but appears to be frail to show sensitivity so he's a civilized person, Luthor OTOH is maybe the biggest genius mankind has ever produced but he is ruthless because his reasoning is driven by his own puerile ego so he's a savage.

[MrMonsterLoki]

i like the version in smallvile where he lost it because of the meteors that came to earth when Clarks ship landed

[GwenS]

My favorite explanation for Luther being bald is the explanation that he wasn't bald until he started his rivalry with Superman and it was carrying around the Kryptonite that caused him to go bald due to the radiation from the Kryptonite this is been seen in several iterations of the character and it's the one that I think is the most logical

[acediadekay]

Hey Scott there is also a really cool reason why Martian Manhunter is afraid of fire. As far as I know, (I may mess op so of the details, it have been some time) - :
The Guardian of the Universe insisted that the Martians was too powerful, and that they needed a way to keep them in check. So the Guardians decided to implement the fear of fire in Martian GNA, with made sense since there existed a race called The Burning on Mars (Fernus), that now has an advantage against the Green Martians. So Martian Manhunter is not weak to fire his GNA is just messing with him.

[Calzaki]

The BIG one you missed is where Lex lost his hair just from handling Kryptonite for a long period of time, keeping it on his person in case Superman ever caught him unaware, thinking the radiation only affected Kryptonions but finding out that after prolonged contact it caused symptoms similar to radiation poisoning like baldness. This has been played around with a few times, the most recent being that the Kryptonite didn't cause his baldness but did give him cancer. However the original version was a kinda acknowledgement that he had hair and then lost it after he met Superman

[DavidbarZeus]

Actually, my favourite version of how Lex lost his hair is the Smallville TV show explanation.  In the pilot of Smallville, Lionel Luthor is visiting Smallville on the day that Clark lands, and Lex is with his father.  Clark lands in Smallville in the midst of a Kryptonite meteor shower, and Lex is close enough to the blast site of one of the meteors that the radiation kills his hair, kind of like chemotherapy does.  Interestingly enough, the kryptonite radiation also cures him of the asthma that Lex had suffered from up to that point.

[mimf]

There are two kinds of shrine things: the creepy kind and the normal kind.
Creepy: Having the normal things like action figures and well as like if the person/thing had feathers the fan would have one of their feathers and that kind of stuff
Normal: Having the same stuff minus the weird "artifacts"

[SylviaMoonbeam]

I like the version in the Smallville show. Lex has crazy long red hair in that, but lost it all in the first episode. Lex is out in the field watching the kryptonian meteorites falling, and one crashes close enough to badly burn him. The one time Lionel is a good father in the show, he rushes over to him and instantly comments on his burnt hair

[kiToro]

I honestly like birth right and people in smallville being scared of lex and it was actually clarks kents fault that drove him into full on villain I really like that and also him being connected to supermans origin being interested in aleins and alein life and even seeing krypton from a split second and because of supermans weakness lex is now furious and hates superman and I just like that origin so much well done with this episode well done i'm going to get superman birth right because I think it sounds pretty good

[honeyham]

I prefer the Smallville reason that he got the accident through radiation poisoning from a Kryptonite meteor that in turn also supercharged his immune system so he was never sick and always lived in the fittest of physical health that he could

[BurnRoddy]

I love your take in Golden Age real life back stories Scott, informative yet so distinctively yours in every detail of it from the subtle humor to the change of topics everything has an identity of it's own.
With that said I love when people does it because it gives kids an idea of how unreal was the world of comics back then and I really really appreciate it that you take your time to do so.

[senorpuric]

I actually like the Smallville explenation. The meteor rain