The Real Reason Lex Luthor Is Bald In DC Comics
Lex Luthor, one of the greatest villains in comics, has justifiably become the main antagonist against Superman and his attempts at being a hero in Metropolis and across the globe. Even though Luthor has no superpowers, he's still managed to beat Superman from time to time through a combination of his vast resources and towering intellect. With his menacing actions comes an iconic look, as Luthor's bald head has become a trademark part of the character's appearance — but it wasn't always that way.
Lex had long hair in his first pre-Crisis appearance in 1940's "Action Comics" #23 (by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Paul Cassidy). However, that changed after Luthor was accidentally drawn as bald in a "Superman" newspaper strip in 1941. The villain's lack of hair was explained two decades later in 1960's "Adventure Comics" #271 (by Siegel, Al Plastino, and Mort Weisinger), where Superboy and Luthor become friends and work together to make an antidote for the effects of Kryptonite. In the story, we learn that Luthor loses his hair after a fire breaks out in his lab. Superboy attempts to contain the flames with his super-breath, accidentally causing a gas explosion and leaving the young scientist hairless. As a result, Luthor becomes permanently bald and turns against Superboy, blaming him for what happened.
The post-Crisis explanation for Luthor's lack of hair is much simpler: He simply went bald naturally. But regardless of the reasoning behind the supervillain's baldness, it remains a crucial aspect of his appearance across the numerous adaptations of the character.
Lex Luthor has largely remained bald ever since
Lex Luthor has remained bald throughout his history in the pages of DC Comics' various Superman titles. But on the big and small screen, different versions of Luthor have brought the iconic villain to life with a variety of looks.
Famously, Gene Hackman refused to shave his head while portraying Lex Luthor in 1978's "Superman: The Movie." Instead, the villain wears wigs to cover up his baldness (which is finally revealed at the end of the film via a bald cap), though it was actually the actor having his hair styled in different ways. In the live-action "Superboy" television series, Luthor (played by Scott James Wells) loses his hair in the same way as he did in the comics: he causes a lab accident, and Superboy's actions to save him cause Lex to go bald and start a vendetta against the hero. In "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor initially has long hair, but towards the end of the movie, when he's in prison, he sports the villain's iconic look, which was later seen again in "Zack Snyder's Justice League."
For James Gunn's upcoming "Superman" reboot film, Nicholas Hoult is getting jacked and has gone bald to bring the Man of Steel's greatest foe to life. Even eighty-plus years after Luthor's first comic book appearance, his lack of hair remains a key part of a look that very few iterations of the character have attempted to stray from.