Why Lex Luthor is Bald?

If you are a fan of Superman, there is no way that you are not aware of the name " Lex Luthor". Just as the villain "Joker" is associated with superhero "Batman", Superman is always had to deal with his major foe " Lex Luthor". If you have seen all the movie content and comic content about Superman, you would notice that Lex Luthor is mostly shown with a bald head. Are you curious to know why is he shown bald in most appearances? Read On...

Just like Superman has various versions of origin and growth, Lex Luthor's origins are also available in many versions and have been altered to the requirement of various publications and plots. In this post, we will discuss all the major versions behind Lex Luthor being bald, we will leave it to the wise judgement of readers to consider and associate the version as per their taste and historical experience with Superman content.

Version-1: "Chemical Exposure"

This version is quite different to that of others, in which it is shown that Lex was actually a great fan of Superman during their teenage days (Superman was just called Superboy then). When Lex Luthor moved to smallville along with his family, he was greatly attracted to the nature and superpowers of Superboy and both became good friends. It is said that Superboy (Later to become superman) supported Lex's interests by allowing him to use a fully fledged and stocked laboratory for experimental purposes. To help Superboy tackle the detrimental effects of Kryptonite, Lex started to work on finding a new antidote to the Kryptonite so that Superboy would not suffer from its radiations. More interesting facts about Kryptonite in our earlier post "Why Superman is So Vulnerable to Kryptonite".

While Lex was working on antidote to the Kryptonite effect, a fire accident occurred in the laboratory. In an attempt to save Lex, Superboy used his power in the form of "Superbreath" to extinguish all the flames, but with a excessive pressure. This caused the chemicals to spill on the Lex's body including his head. Upon recovery, Lex Luthor observed that he has lost his hair growing ability on the head due to side effects of chemicals that spilled on him during the fire accident.

Version-2: "Cancer from Regular Kryptonite Radiations"

This version is too scientific to digest. When Luthor received a first sample of Kryptonite rock, he crafted a ring out of it and wore on his finger. This made him feel that he is invulnerable to any humans, including to the man of steel. After certain years, he was diagnosed with advanced level cancer which is said to have occurred from long term exposure of his hand to the radiations of the kryptonite ring. Doctors suggested for the amputation of his hand, but later it was found that the cancer has metastasized to terminal stage. Hence, Luthor faked his own death in the form of his own plane accident. Later, he secretly got his own brain transplanted into a healthy clone of himself and introduced the new body as Lex Luthor II ( as a illegitimate son and heir to Lex Luthor I), but the new body did not support for growth of hairs.

Version-3: "Natural or Hereditary Baldness"

Nothing cinematic in this version, Lex is said to have thick hair during his teenage. but as he grew, his hair started falling due to hereditary baldness as he entered into his middle ages.

Version-4: "Maintained Shaved Head after his first jail term"

This version indicates that Lex wanted to maintain a shaved head always. When Lex was subjected to jail for the first time, as per the standard procedures in certain jails, his head was shaved just like other prisoners. But, it is said that Lex liked this appearance more villainy in nature and maintained the same appearance for the rest of his life.