Arrowverse, meet the Council of Luthors.
In Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant #1, the comic book tie-in to The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover, the Monitor isn't the only one assembling a crew to stop the destruction of the multiverse. As it turns out, the Lex Luthors of the multiverse have also assembled in an effort to stop the antimatter wave -- and maybe take over the world while they're at it.
As a result, "The Council" short story -- written by Marv Wolfman and Marc Guggenheim with artists Tom Grummett, Danny Miki, Chris Sotomayor and Wes Abbott -- involves several recognizable versions of the character, including Lex Luthor II, Smallville's Lex and the one from Super Friends. The most notable is, perhaps, Gene Hackman's Lex from the 1978 Superman film.
The short picks up with Supergirl's Lex, as played by Jon Cryer, during his imprisonment on the Waverider between "Part 2" and "Part 3." As Lex chats with Harbinger, she is suddenly struck from behind, and none other than Hackman's version of the character appears. He is recognizable due to his iconic blue suit, yellow ascot and matching carnation, as captured in the film screenshot above.
Hackman's Lex brings Cryer's Lex back to the council, which has some familiar thoughts on how this Crisis should go. However, Lex has some plans of his own, which were revealed in part when he took Kingdom Come Superman's place as the Paragon of Truth in "Part 3's" shocking cliffhanger ending.
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" will return to TV after the winter hiatus. The crossover will conclude on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in Arrow at 8 p.m. ET/PT and in DC's Legends of Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant #1 is now available exclusively at Walmart, with the second issue becoming available on Jan. 19.