Lex Luthor and Lionel Luthor had a fraught relationship due to the latter's forceful and cruel parenting to the former. Lionel initially saw himself as the ruler of a great business empire, grooming Lex to take over someday. Lionel frequently tested Lex in order to build his guile and resourcefulness. Not wanting to be simply labeled as "the son of Lionel", Lex created his own company, due to which Lionel saw Lex as a rival. Even when Lex returned to Lionel's company to work with his father, Lionel constantly saw Lex as a threat and could never fully let Lex in. In many ways, Lionel represented the evil criminal mastermind that Lex was destined to become. Nevertheless while Lionel saw the error of his ways and worked to redeem himself, Lex took a darker path and finally became the product