10 Comic Villains With The Best Motivations

4. Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor might be the poster boy for standard super-villainy, but there's a whole lot more to him than just a simple hatred of Superman.

Yes, in a great many ways, Lex Luthor is actually the ultimate comic book supervillain. He's rich, corrupt and resourceful, but he's also highly motivated, intelligent, and possesses the know-how to make his schemes work. The key to that motivation? Superman's presence - more specifically, what the Man of Steel's arrival could imply.

Lex Luthor, for all his skills, smarts and influence, is still a deeply insecure individual. He considers most people to be beneath him, but Superman is better; Kal-El is more powerful and more revered than Lex, and it is this jealousy, as well as Lex's own difficult upbringing, that fuels him to take on Earth's heroes.

Despite this, Luthor is also a pragmatist. He knows when to sit down and cooperate, and will do anything to safeguard his own interests. It's this determination that enables him to go toe-to-toe with the best and worst the DC Universe has to offer, and why he's remained so compelling since his original introduction back in 1940.