10 Smartest Comic Book Villains

8. Lex Luthor (DC Comics)

Lex Luthor - Superman's arch-enemy - is an intelligent man on a number of levels.

First of all, he is a highly successful businessman and business magnate. His LexCorp company is one of the biggest in the DC universe. Starting out as an aerospace engineering organisation, it grew through acquisition and became so much more. Now it incorporates airlines, fuel companies, media, banks, robotics, security, satellites, food and a number of other properties - all of which Luthor has shown a level of expertise in running.

He is also the inventor of his own power armour, which grants him a high degree of protection against attacks. Even the apparently exposed head is protected by an invisible full body force-field that is good enough to completely block energy blasts and resist at least a few super-strength punches from the likes of Superman. Without the force-field, the armour can be wrecked by high level physical attacks, although it is still bulletproof and capable of offering protection against lesser physical attacks.

The power armour also enhances Lex's strength to superhuman levels and carries an array of in-built weaponry. These weapons range from wrist-mounted machine guns and shoulder-mounted rocket launchers to advanced, long-range energy guns and short-range, wide-beam energy projectors.

The Apokoliptian computer systems that control the armour (which Lex could not only understand, but also develop further €“ an impressive feat of intelligence in itself) respond to the thoughts of the user and react at the speed of mental commands.

The armour is also capable of flight and contains a single use short-range teleporter that will send the pilot to the closest safe location it can detect if there is risk of the user suffering lethal damage.

In addition to this kind of technological ability, Luthor showed that, in pre-crisis continuity at least, he could build advanced technology using what was nothing more than rubbish. Whilst imprisoned, he used orange juice cans, a piece of spring and a lightbulb to make a fully-functioning time machine.

Luthor also possesses political planning skills that have seen him become the President of the United States of America, despite the fact that he is essentially evil, displaying an ability to manipulate people that requires extreme intelligence.