I've had the overall relationship arc for NEBS outlined for a long time but I've also been working under the impression that it would be better to use one "villain" for the entire thing. The recent discussion/poll on major villains on L&C got me to thinking/rethinking something, however, and caused a major epiphany that has considerably unstuck my muse on that story. I suddenly realized that I need a distinct villain for each major stage of their relationship because several villains play off where they are at certain points so well. At the moment, I'm currently brainstorming a-plots to employ with each of the five villains I've chosen and have run up against an interesting dilemma.
I can't figure out how to plot for Lex Luthor of all people.
My problem partly has to do with wanting a reason for a head-to-head Lex Luthor-L&C confrontation that doesn't center, at least not completely, on him being in "love" with Lois but it also goes deeper than that. What did Lex actually DO on L&C as a villain? Okay, let me ask it another way and maybe you'll see more what I'm getting at. In what specific episodes is Lex truly the villain - meaning that he is ultimately known to be the bad guy by either Lois or Clark/Superman - as opposed to being a nebulous mastermind manipulating things behinds the scenes completely under everyone's radar while someone else takes the immediate blame? What "crimes" does he actually attempt or succeed in?
