Bullets bounce off Superman's skin. He can bend steel in his bare hands. He can move fast enough to break the sound barrier, defy the laws of gravity, and create fire with his eyes. He is, in short, one of the most powerful beings the world has ever known. Yet, the one man who has proven to be his arch enemy for over 60 years, is a mere mortal.

Though he can't go toe-to-toe with Superman on a physical level, Lex Luthor provides a constant challenge with his cunning intellect, his vast resources, and his sheer strength of will. The untouchable man behind it all, Lex is the definitive nemesis for the Man of Steel...

...Unless, of course, he's his best friend.

In this second installment of the "Many Faces Of..." series, we'll take a look at the various actors to portray Lex Luthor over the years, and how the character has evolved through his different incarnations.

Lex first appeared in Action Comics #23, in 1940. Initially a typical "mad scientist" type character, he had a full head of red hair in his first appearance. The more famous bald version of the character showed up the following year, in Superman #10. Over the years he would evolve from mad scientist, to a ruthless, corrupt businessman, and even the President of the United States.

The first actor to bring Lex to the screen was Lyle Talbot, who played the bald baddie in the 1950 serial "Atom Man vs. Superman," which featured Kirk Alyn as Supes. Ironically, Talbot had played Police Commissioner Jim Gordon just one year earlier, in the "Batman and Robin" serial that starred Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan as the Dynamic Duo. Talbot also shared the screen with another famous Superman actor, when he costarred with George Reeves in the film "Thunder in the Pines" in 1948.

Superman had several animated outings from Filmation in the 1960's, including "The New Adventures of Superman" in 1966, "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure" in 1967, and "The Batman/Superman Hour" in 1968. During this time, Jackson Beck served as Lex Luthor, as well as Perry White and the narrator! Beck was also the narrator of the 1940's "Adventures of Superman" radio series, and did the voice of Bluto in the Popeye cartoons of the 1950's.

The next Lex to appear on screen would also come in animated form, when he was a villain on the "SuperFriends" cartoons of the 1970's. Here, Lex was the leader of the Legion of Doom, a group made up of Bizarro, Scarecrow, Brainiac, Toyman, and assorted other DC rogues, whose sole purpose was the destruction of the Justice League. Voice actor Stan Jones, who did voices for the "Heathcliff" and "Transformers" cartoons, provided Lex's voice throughout the series' various incarnations.

Luthor hit the big screen in a big way when Gene Hackman made the role his own, in three out of the four Christopher Reeve "Superman" films. Hackman's Luthor appeared in "Superman" in 1978, "Superman II" in 1980, and "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" in 1987. Here, Lex was the self-proclaimed "greatest criminal mind" of his time, and made his home in a vast underground lair cooking up schemes of world domination.

Much of "Superman II" was filmed simultaneously with the first "Superman," under the direction of Richard Donner. Due to creative differences, Donner was not brought back on board to finish the second film after the first was completed, and he was replaced by Richard Lester. Gene Hackman did not return at this point, and all remaining Lex Luthor scenes were filmed with a look-a-like and voice impersonator. All scenes in "Superman II" with Gene Hackman in them were filmed under Donner's direction, during the production of the first film.

In 1988, a short lived animated Superman series by Ruby Spears featured Michael Bell as Lex. Currently, Bell provides the voices of Drew Pickles and Chas Finster on Rugrats.

Two different actors brought Lex to life during the run of the "Superboy" TV series. Scott Wells played the role in the series' inaugural season, from 1988-89. The season ended with a lab accident that caused Lex to lose his hair, which he blamed the Boy of Steel for. Sherman Howard played Lex in seasons two through four, from 1989 to 1992. The change in appearance was explained by Lex having plastic surgery so Superboy wouldn't recognize him. The change was a positive one, as fans seem to prefer Howard's take on the character over the Wells version. Howard has gone on to appear on shows like ER, SeaQuest, and Malcolm in the Middle. He also did the voice of Blight, a villain on the animated "Batman Beyond."

The next Lex to take the small screen would be John Shea, on "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" in 1993. Here, Luthor was the richest man in Metropolis, and the city's most powerful man... until a certain boy in blue came on the scene. Lex was behind most of Superman's woes during the first season, though everyone else, including Lois Lane, was blind to his evil deeds. By the end of the season, commuting from New York to L.A. was taking a toll on Shea, and he chose not to return. Lex was killed off in the first season finale, committing suicide after being exposed as a criminal mastermind. However, Shea continued to make occasional guest appearances as a resurrected Lex Luthor throughout the remainder of the series.

In 1997, another animated incarnation of the bad, bald billionaire hit the airwaves, when the producers of "Batman The Animated Series" turned their attention to Superman. Clancy Brown voiced Lex in "Superman The Animated Series," "The New Batman/Superman Adventures," and continues to voice the character on Cartoon Network's "Justice League" series. Most recently, Brown can be seen as Brother Justin Crowe on the HBO series "Carnivale." He's also the voice of Mr. Eugene H. Krabs on "Spongebob Squarepants."

In October of 2001, "Smallville" premiered on the WB. Here, Clark and Lex meet as young men in Kansas, when Clark saves Lex's life. Lex, played by Michael Rosenbaum, has not yet turned into the ruthless villain he will one day become, and he and Clark are best friends rather than arch enemies. Fans are intrigued by the question of just what will push Lex over the edge and turn him evil, and enjoy seeing a version of the young Mr. Luthor that they can empathize with and relate to. Mr. Rosenbaum has appeared in several films recently, including "Sorority Boys," "Poolhall Junkies," and "Bringing Down The House." Prior to playing Lex, he was Jack of "Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane," and he was in the movie "Urban Legend." He can also be heard on the aforementioned "Justice League," as the voice of The Flash.

Rosenbaum isn't the only actor who has played Lex on Smallville, however. Matthew Munn played a young Lex in the pilot episode and in the second season episode "Lineage." Matthew has previously appeared on "The Lone Gunmen," and the Sci Fi original movie "Shadow Realm."

With the April 28th episode, "Memoria," Smallville adds a third name to that list, with Wayne Dalglish portraying the young Lex in flashback. The 13 year old actor has a first degree black belt in karate, and has appeared on "The Guardian" and "Everwood."

Clearly, Lex has evolved considerably from his initial design as the stereotypical mad scientist. He has proven that he can hold his own against one of the most powerful men in the universe, despite having no actual powers of his own. His ability to exist above the law often makes things very difficult for Superman, and while Lex can't beat Supes physically, he more than makes up for it with his intelligence and cunning. Though Hackman's Luthor may have been the only one to spell it out, Lex certainly is one of the greatest criminal minds of his or any other time. Superman has thrown punches with the best of them, but in the end, it's Lex's brains that make him a match for the Man of Steel's brawn, and continue to make him such an intriguing character that fans sometimes can't help but root for the bad guy.

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