When looking at Marvel and DC Comics, there are a lot of similarities in the hero and villain archetypes. When it comes to the two company's brilliant evil masterminds, two men stand at the front of the line. In Marvel Comics, it is Doctor Doom. While Reed Richards is one of the most intelligent humans alive, many believe that Doom is smarter. He is also devious and a threat to the world.
On the other side, there is little room to doubt the genius of Lex Luthor. While he might not be quite as smart as Doctor Doom, he has charisma, which Doom lacks. Luthor is a genius businessman who can convince anyone to follow him and was even President of the United States at one time. Here is a look at Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor, determining who is the more menacing threat.
10 POWERS: DOCTOR DOOM
When it comes to powers, it is clear that Doctor Doom has this part of the battle won hands down. Lex Luthor has no powers outside of his intelligence. He can create things that can help him, such as his battle suit, but he uses technology for that.
While Victor Von Doom uses technology for his creations as well, he also mixes in magic, which we will discuss later. When it comes to the difference, Doom is always in his armor. He can fly, shoot concussive blasts, and controls an army of robot duplicates. Lex Luthor may be smart, but Doctor Doom is Iron Man with a mean streak.
9 INTELLIGENCE: DOCTOR DOOM
The intelligence part is where things get a little shaky. Starting again with Lex Luthor, the guy is a genius. He has built and created items that have made Superman's life a living hell for years. He has found a use for alien debris known as Kryptonite that can almost kill the Man of Steel. The guy is smart, but he uses scientists to help him flesh out his ideas.
Doctor Doom has no room for petty scientists. Doom is smarter than Reed Richards, and if you don't believe him, he will vaporize you. Doom created all his toys and weapons, and he can do, oh so much more. When it comes to supervillains, everyone takes a backseat to Doom in the brain department.
8 CHARISMA: LEX LUTHOR
When it comes to being a criminal mastermind, it is more than just smashing and destroying things. Doctor Doom is all-powerful and one of the smartest men in the world, but he is so intelligent that he suffers from the same thing that afflicts Reed Richards. He can't relate to anyone in the real world. He has to rely on blowing things up.
Lex Luthor is very different. He also can't relate to anyone he considers below him, but Luthor is a liar and manipulator who has perfected pretending to relate to people. The guy is so charismatic that the United States elected him President despite his checkered past. That is the true mark of a criminal mastermind.
7 LEADERSHIP: LEX LUTHOR
As mentioned, Doctor Doom has no time to deal with anyone else. When he does end up in a partnership with another villain, it is usually a one-sided affair that Doom will end when he grows tired of their perceived incompetence. Doctor Doom is not a team player.
Lex Luthor is also not a team player, but he is a natural-born leader. As mentioned, he became President of the United States and served as the leader of the free world for a time. Even Superman seemed astonished that Luthor became such a respected leader, although his ulterior motives were suspect. Luthor can lead any supervillain team and has no problem delegating duties to those he considers beneath him.
6 MAGIC: DOCTOR DOOM
Lex Luthor is always searching for a way to tap into otherworldly means to achieve his evil goals. He uses alien technology to try to defeat Superman, Earth's technology to build weapons and devises to aid him, and hires anyone and everyone who can help him.
However, Doctor Doom does all that plus he has magic at his disposal. It is almost scary to think of what Lex Luthor could with magical powers. Doom learned magic from his mother and then developed them, even more, studying with Morgan le Fey among others. Added to his technological advances, Doom is almost absurdly overpowered.
5 ENEMIES: LEX LUTHOR
Doctor Doom has a few enemies like Iron Man, but when it comes to his chief nemesis, it is Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. Doom and Reed are the ultimate rivals, always trying to best the other in both scientific inventions and accomplishments while doing everything they can to sabotage the other's plans.
While Doom and Reed are equals in intelligence, Doom still has an advantage over Reed when it comes to his magic. However, when it comes to Lex Luthor and Superman, this is a smart human against arguably the most powerful being in the universe -- and Luthor still manages to win on occasion.
4 ALLIES: LEX LUTHOR
When it comes to the battle for world domination, some want to be the sole being in power. Others don't care how many lieutenants they have when they take over, as long as they are the man on top. Doctor Doom did take over the world once and he did divide up the world.
However, at the end of the day, Doom called himself God. As for Lex Luthor, he has no problem with joining up with people to fight. He was part of the Injustice League. Heck, he was part of the Justice League. Luthor has plenty of people to help him, from Sinestro to Deathstroke. Doom has people who know not to turn their back on him.
3 OVERALL GOALS: DOCTOR DOOM
Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor both have very distinct goals, and both men were able to achieve them. When it comes to Lex Luthor, his goal was simple in the beginning. Luthor wanted to save the world from Superman, an alien that he never could trust. To do that, he had to get the world on his side and eventually did so.
However, Doctor Doom didn't want to get the world on his side. Doom wanted to take over the world and rule it with an iron fist. He already had his own nation in Latveria, which gave him diplomatic immunity, but he wanted more. Doctor Doom wanted to be a God.
2 MAJOR WINS: DOCTOR DOOM
Lex Luthor had one major win in his life. He gained the respect of the United States when he won the election to become the President. No one thought that a former criminal and a conman could win the highest office in the U.S., but crazier things have happened. Superman didn't believe it would happen, but he had too much faith in the general population.
Doctor Doom wanted to be a God. After the incursion when all the Earths in the multiverse began to crash into each other and only one was left, Doom was able to somehow swing things to where he was God on this final surviving world. Yes, Luthor became President, but Doom became the supreme ruler over all.
1 FINAL DECISION: DOCTOR DOOM
This matchup was a close battle. Lex Luthor deserves the fear that people have in him, one of the greatest menaces in DC Comics history. He has almost beaten Superman, and not many people can say that. He also ruled the United States and has done more than nearly anyone in the DC Universe.
However, Doctor Doom is more powerful, has achieved greater goals, and at the end of the day is scarier than Luthor in every way. Lex may convince people he is menacing, but Doom just needs to look at someone to send them screaming into the night.