If Lex was 25, then sometimes it felt like the Inn workers were 15. Seen through that specific lens, Luthor was a young teenager going through a dark and emo phase, who would get overly excited at the mere prospect of imprisoning and interrogating enemies. It brought an enthusiastic and genuine side of him, which was in complete contrast with the cool and levelheaded guy he was trying to be.
Perhaps only Lex, who had known Luthor from the moment he was born, could see him as an awkward teenager. After all, he was a man with a genuinely frightening power, and a bloodline that boasted use of the power of time!
Time was such a dangerous concept that even Lex never dared to experiment with it. A small mistake while dealing with Karma caused Lex's body to blow up, but even the slightest of mistakes while tinkering with the laws of time would result in Lex ceasing to exist entirely. There was no recovery from that, regardless of how tough or durable his body was.
