season five when the Kryptonian artificial intelligence Jor-El takes over his body to speak with Clark. With Jor-El guiding him, Lionel begins helping Clark by making excuses for Clark's behavior and unexplained disappearances throughout seasons five and six. Season seven revealed that Lionel and three other wealthy families formed the secret society Veritas to protect an alien visitor known as the Traveler (Clark). When the secret is uncovered, Lex murders his father, realizing he has been covering up the Traveler's existence. Season ten reveals that Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) is Lionel's illegitimate daughter fathered with Pamela Jenkins (Donna Bullock). Clark unintentionally visits the parallel universe of Earth-2 in season ten where Lionel found and adopted Clark's doppelgänger to be a murderer, and going by the alias of Ultraman who kills anyone including that universe's Lex, escaping back to his own reality but is followed by Lionel. Posing as his own doppelgänger, the alternate Lionel tries to make amends when he attempts twice to bring "Alexander Luthor"/Conner Kent (Lucas Grabeel), a hybrid clone of Clark and Lex that develops Clark's powers, to his side but fails. Lionel also assumes control of LuthorCorp from Tess but loses the company when his doppelgänger's daughter proves he is an imposter. However, he has already embezzled a large amount of money from LuthorCorp. At his nadir, Lionel is approached by the evil alien entity Darkseid. In the series finale, it is revealed that the alternate Lionel discovers that Lex is hiding beneath the Luthor mansion's remains after grafting various clones' vital pieces into himself. He then founded the genetic research company PreClox to assist Lex's scientists. A compatible heart could not be found among Lex's replicates and Lionel tries to give Tess's heart to Lex, but Tess shoots Lionel and escapes. Lionel then surrenders his soul to Darkseid, giving Lionel's heart for Lex's restoration. Afterward, Darkseid possesses Lionel's corpse to attack Clark, however, Clark destroys Lionel's body, dispelling Darkseid's threat. Portrayal Lionel Luthor was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar specifically for "Smallville" to provide a parallel to the Kents as an "experiment in extreme parenting". The character Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) was also created for the show. Lex's father has previously been depicted in other media. Lionel Luthor is portrayed in the program by John Glover; Glover said he appreciates the "clear canvas" he had to work with when developing his portrayal of