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Superman is arguably the greatest superhero ever created. He is the personification of all that is good in our world, the one beacon of light when all else is dark. He is the one hero that cannot falter in the face of evil.
Such an entity of peace and justice needs an equivalent response. In Lex Luthor, the Man of Steel has that perfect match, and best of all, Luthor isn't just a simple creature of darkness (hello, Doomsday!). What makes Lex such a fantastic character becomes evident when you look at the world from his point of view. He's not necessarily trying to rule the world; in his eyes he's saving it. Think about that for a second - Luthor is trying to savethe world from the unwieldy, crushing rule of an alien from Krypton. This man craves to be the world's savior, yearns to have "his" people worship the ground he walks on and refuses to see that birthright seized by another.
Like many villains on our roster, Luthor is a man physically outmatched by his foe. Rather he must conjure up ways to outsmart his opponent, relying on his resources to attempt to reshape the world to his satisfaction. One can only wonder what the world would be like if Lex actually applied his knowledge to making the world a truly better place rather than obsessing over one man. Would he be the great savior he claims to be? The mere fact that we ask that question is a sign of a well-written, deeply layered villain.