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THE VIEW UP HIGH:
Lena Luthor & Kara Danvers Open Up On Dark Side of Fame and Power,
and Running a Media Empire Together
Story by Nia Nal
YOU’VE heard of power couples, perhaps even wish to be the better half of one. Here, we sit down with National City’s favorite pair, Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers, in a worldwide exclusive to talk about the ups and downs of fame, their two furry children, and how they deal with each other in a professional setting.
WHEN you imagine the home of the rich and famous, you might think of lavish high-rise penthouses, thousand-square-meter mansions, or perhaps beach houses with sprawling shorelines as the front lawn. Not the Luthor-Danvers home. Located just a stone’s throw away from the headquarters of CatCo Worldwide Media Group (CatCo Group), at the top floor of a midrise apartment building, the cozy three-bedroom space is the opposite of every rich-and-famous stereotype one can think of—only the high ceilings could possibly hint to it being owned by two names in various Forbes lists, but the tightly-packed bookshelves, messy coffee table, and pet hair-dusted, scratch-laden furniture could almost be part of any other American home.
Lena Luthor, 30— Lena, she insists, and makes me promise to mention her as such in this article—brings a tray with two cups of coffee and a plate of croissants to the living room. It’s an altogether different experience to see Lena in the comfort of her own home. In public, she is usually wearing her battlewear—CEO power dresses and suits with heels not everyone could walk in. Not that she looks any less powerful in her blouse and jeans; if you have been to any event where Lena Luthor is in attendance, you would know that her mere presence commands the attention of the room—nevermind the high cheekbones and sharp jawline that are traits perhaps only reserved to royalty or to women crafted by god herself. These aside, the way Lena carries such simple attire with authority and elegance is an indication of how graceful and impressive she is as a person.
She laughs when I note of this and blushes when she says “you clearly have never seen me trip on dog toys. Let’s keep it like that.”
She also apologizes for the mess and for the late appearance of her wife of two years. “They’re supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago,” she says as she settles on the loveseat across my place on the couch, “so Krypto probably got distracted or something. Or worse, Kara did.” Lena laughs as Streaky, their black half-Persian, half-Siamese cat, jumps to her lap and immediately settles down to nap. Despite her aloof demeanor, Lena promises she is a loveable cat.
“Kara came home with her one night, around three years ago, claiming she found her alone in a box in the alley down by the street,” Lena tells me as she coaxes purrs from the feline. “To be honest, the ability to say no to [Kara] is a skill well-honed by the years,” she says conspiratorially, “but I couldn’t very well turn down an abandoned kitten and a pouting Kara.”
As if on cue, the door to the apartment bursts open and a large white labrador comes bounding in. He runs over to Lena, followed by Kara Danvers, 32, in her jogging attire. The dog greets the CEO with licks on her face and the blonde a kiss on her lips. It’s an intimate moment I’m almost apprehensive to see, but if there is anything this power couple is used to, it’s the spotlight on their relationship.
Kara—she insists as well—apologizes several times and promises to be ready for the interview in “ten minutes tops, you can clock it,” before leaving with a kiss to Lena’s forehead.
Lena introduces me to Krypto. “He’s quite the protective one,” she grins, and perhaps that explains why he watches me with such rapt attention.
“We made new friends,” Kara explains when she returns to join us, now dressed the shirt-and-slacks combo she is often seen wearing in pictures. She looks dapper, handsome—words very much associated with her, along with other more colorful ones, if social media is anything to go by—but at the same time adorable as she peppers kisses on Krypto’s head. “I couldn’t very well drag him back without playing with our new friends, right, boy?”
She sits beside Lena. It’s a wonderful experience, seeing them—like seeing love in the flesh, the way they lean into each other like home isn’t this lovely, comfortable space we are currently lounging in, but each other.
Kara asks if she could have the other croissant on the plate. I say yes, of course, and she beams her usual sunny grin even as Lena rolls her eyes. Kara takes the croissant with careful hands, and says: "Let's get this show on the road, Nal."
YOU don’t see a lot of C-level executives rack up the same popularity as Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers have over the years. While most media moguls keep their fame up through breakthrough business deals or other less decent ways, Kara and Lena do so simply by, well, dating.
It’s not a surprise that such a lovely couple has developed a rather sizeable fanbase. Individually, they are already forces to be reckoned with: Lena Luthor was recognized as the youngest and most powerful CEO in the world when she took over the multi-billion dollar Luthor Corp back in 2016, and has made it twice into Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Science and Media, a rare feat. These don’t even go into the lengthy achievements she has both as a scientist, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Kara Danvers is a well-decorated journalist with two Pulitzer prizes under her belt for her investigative works in the city that resulted into major government probes and remedial legislative efforts. She was also listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Media, for increasing CatCo Group's web traffic by 500% during her stint as digital editorial director back in mid-2018, barely two years after she got into reporting.
"We're both strong, independent women," Lena says. That doesn't even start to cover their impressive curriculum vitae, and together, they are simply unstoppable.
The world first saw Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers together during the annual L-Corp charity gala six years ago—the first time anyone has ever seen potstickers be served at such a formal event. The mere mention of it brings laughter echoing in the otherwise quiet home. Kara apologizes to Streaky for startling her from her nap, but the cat leaves and finds her new bed on Krypto curled up on one corner of the living room.
“[Kara] mentioned [the potstickers] in passing when she interviewed me the first time,” Lena explains as Kara giggles. This was when Lena just moved to National City and Kara has just begun her reporting career. “ I just thought, why not add that to the gala menu?”
“I was very happy that night,” Kara laughs. “I mean, an L-Corp exclusive one day and my favorite food in the world the next? It was why we got so close.”
They may joke about it, but that is exactly how their love story goes: Ace reporter goes to interview the most controversial woman at the moment, they get brunch, their brunches turn into regular get-togethers, and the next thing you know, the tabloids are full of stolen photos of them laughing and leaning into each other, speculating if they were dating.
The speculations worsened during a Spheerical Industry conference in Metropolis, where the two were seen leaving the same hotel. Social media was rooting for them—dubbing them Karlena, sharing photos of them during the conference and the following mixer, even so much as tweeting and tagging them in several posts asking them if they were dating.
Kara says they did not really try to hide it. “There was nothing to hide, after all. We were friends having meals together. Good friends.”
“Until we realized we weren’t just that anymore,” Lena chimes in.
Kara turns to her with such a soft, endearing smile that butterflies fluttered in my own stomach. “Yes.”
The only confirmation the world got was when Kara posted a photo of Lena with Krypto, the reporter’s beloved canine, with a cheesy caption that broke the internet—and the heart of every man and woman who ever pined for either of them. “The next thing you know, she said yes, and here we are,” Kara laughs.
WE WERE FRIENDS. UNTIL WE REALIZED WE WEREN’T JUST THAT ANYMORE.
THE Luthor name has already been established decades ago, though not for the reasons we know today. Once upon a time, that last name was associated with Lex Luthor, convicted terrorist, and it was only several years later when Lena took over Luthor Corp did the name escaped the scandal that surrounded it. Luthor Corp was renamed L-Corp, rebranded itself as a force for good, and established itself as one of, if not the leading company in the biotechnology and engineering industry.
“There are still whispers sometimes,” Kara shares. “I don't think those ever go away, no matter who you are. The ones you get when people hear a name and their first thought is that one bad thing.”
Lena says she has learned not to let it affect her anymore. “There is that need to succumb to people’s expectations—it’s easier that way, too.” She smiles and takes Kara’s hand, and the blonde smiles at her lovingly. “I guess that is what is one of the things Kara has helped me with. She helps me stay afloat.”
Is it the downside of fame? “I don’t think it’s fame. Maybe notoriety,” Lena says. “It’s more of the expectation that comes associated with one’s name. But the thing is when you get used to being in the public’s eye, you start filtering things. You take the constructive criticism [and] use it to be better, and you let the rest roll off your back.”
The couple had their own fair share of these criticisms. Of course, on the other side of people’s excitement of the news of them dating was the usual homophobia.
“That had been particularly gruelling,” Kara says. “Not really for us; we had each other and we didn’t care what other people think about us. It was the fact that people used us as a reason to bully our colleagues [and] Lena’s employees.”
Those criticisms have died down as soon as the next wave of scandals fresh from Hollywood circulated the web, but thankfully, Kara and Lena had emerged unscathed, with inspiring stories to share to the world.
“One of the things I always look forward to every month is the visit to the Luthor Children’s Hospital,” Lena tells. “There was one scheduled a few weeks after the story of us dating broke out, and the most memorable part of that visit was this young girl coming up to both us, thanking us for giving her the courage to accept herself.”
“I think that’s the one of the most important part of our story,” Kara says, a proud smile on her face. “That there are people out there who find strength in us being us, you know? And that somehow helps in their journey to find themselves and be themselves. Lena’s not going to admit it but we both cried when that girl said that.”
That girl, Amanda Johnson, is now 21 years old, cancer-free, a Luthor-Danvers scholar, and happily in a relationship with a fellow biology student in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She and her girlfriend volunteer every other month at the Luthor Children’s Hospital where they hang out with Kara and Lena.
“They’re practically my parents now,” Johnson jokes when I sat down with her for lunch. “They treat all of us scholars and volunteers like that, like family, and that’s the most beautiful thing about them.”
Diana Prince, famed philanthropist and art curator at the Louvre Museum in Paris, says you’ll never find people as kind as Kara and Lena. “I’ve known Lena for a long time. She inspires people. My impression of Kara when I first met her was that she was a ray of sunshine. She still is. They make each other better, and they try to make the world better, too, in their own little ways.”
This is how Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers use their fame and power—to unite and inspire, to find good in the world and to let it prosper. The Luthor Children’s Hospital has been offering free and subsidized healthcare for the longest time. The Jeremiah Danvers Foundation—named after Kara’s foster father and run by her, her sister, Alex, and their mother, Eliza—that started in Midvale in 2014 as a weekend project has spanned into several states. The project funds housing and offers transient rooms, hot meals, and part-time jobs for those in need, especially LGBT youth and struggling teen parents who have been sent away from their homes. Kara and Lena also have scholars they fund personally across the sciences and the arts. Their most recent venture together is a partnership with the Trevor Project for the Out to Innovate Career Summit for LGBT People in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the Treatment Advocacy Center to further access to mental healthcare.
“Hope, help, and compassion for all,” Kara says, meeting Lena’s glance and kind smile. “That’s what we believe in.”
HOPE, HELP, AND COMPASSION FOR ALL.
L-CORP bought CatCo Worldwide Media Group (CatCo Group) five years ago, and Lena Luthor has been sitting as the CEO of both companies for just as long. Kara Danvers has been part of the company for much longer, starting as assistant to Cat Grant, former CEO of CatCo Group and current board member, before graduating to junior reporter status.
She is currently CatCo Group’s Executive Vice President for Programming and CatCo Magazine’s Print and Digital Editor-in-Chief.
“My favorite thing is when people assume that Kara is in her position because she is my wife,” Lena says with a rather satisfied smirk. “It’s my favorite, simply because then I can enumerate her achievements and watch people fumble for excuses for what they just said.”
“To be fair, that only happened once,” Kara clarifies with a laugh.
I wonder who dared say such thing, but I don’t ask. But Lena is right—Kara Danvers has a reputation built from the ground up. She was already building her career under veteran journalist Snapper Carr, then CatCo Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and currently CatCo Group’s Vice President and Senior Editorial Director, before Lena came into the picture.
“[Kara] was a breath of fresh air in the newsroom when she came in, her naivety and optimism aside. She had thirst for truth, and that’s what made her a great reporter,” says Carr. The success of a teacher is measured by the success of his student, he says, and he can definitely deem himself a great teacher with what Kara has accomplished thus far.
So how does a wife-and-wife tandem work in the bullpen and the boardroom, you ask?
CatCo Group’s Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Multimedia Director James Olsen laughs first when I ask this question. “When Lena comes over to join discussion of stories, Kara is more fired up than usual. And not in the ‘I have to impress my wife’ kind of way, but in the ‘I have to impress my boss’ kind of way. They stoke each other’s competitiveness, and the way they exchange sharp arguments when they debate which story deserves more focus is an amazing thing to watch that sometimes, the bullpen goes quiet.”
“It’s quite a treat,” Grant says. “You don’t often see relationships like this. Not a lot of media companies can boast that their executive team thirsts for the actual truth. [They] bring to the table brilliance that challenges everyone. It’s one thing to have executives leading your company, and it’s another thing to have powerful leaders in executive seats.”
This great leadership is something that is seen by every employee and staff. CatCo Group has one of the lowest attrition rates in the city and has the highest satisfaction rate. When employees are asked for reasons, they chalk it up to great management.
“Lena isn’t the usual CEO who locks herself up in her office. When she first bought CatCo [Group], she personally went around the office to check in on everyone, and she still does that to this day. Kara is the same; if you needed help on a copy, just holler across the bullpen and she’ll come running to you with ideas,” Olsen says.
“But [work] is stressful. Don’t tell anyone I said that,” Kara laughs. “We’ve tried to keep it apart from our personal lives, of course, but it does seep in sometimes. The crucial thing is to not let it get in the way of our relationship.”
“That becomes a problem when there are some decisions regarding work that are brought home,” Lena adds.
“We deal with it rationally of course,” Kara says. “But there are occasions when she would literally look me dead in the eye with this expression that can only mean I’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
Lena says that has never happened, fortunately, and Kara laughs, “I’m trying to keep it that way.”
Despite the stress of work, they say they are thankful for the media group, since it was where they got to know each other. Kara says she wouldn’t change a thing about how they met. “Even if I was a mumbling, bumbling idiot that first time,” she shares. Kara says her very own cousin, Clark Kent, also an award-winning investigative reporter and The Daily Planet’s Editor-in-Chief, was a witness to that very moment.
When asked about it, Kent laughs. “I remember that moment,” he shares fondly. “[Kara] has grown leaps and bounds as a reporter since then, but that moment was memorable simply because I knew I was watching the beginnings of some great love. Look at them now.”
Look at them now, indeed. Well-known names in their respective fields and happily married with two furry children, a supportive fanbase, and a media empire to boot.
“Working with and for [CatCo] kind of shaped us, both as individuals and as a couple. When you’re at the frontline of the worst and best stories the world has to offer, your perspective really shifts,” Kara says. “As reporters, we tend to stick with the facts and figures, but the most important thing is to not forget the heart of it all: the people.”
Lena agrees. “It’s why we do what we do. Because we owe it to the people. Media is a powerful tool coveted by many. I guess that is what you could call the dark side of our careers. It’s having control of such a powerful thing.” And there is always the choice to make, Lena says. “We want to use it for the good—to deliver truth no matter how good or bad it is, to invoke hope and inspire in the midst of what's happening, [and] to bring together people.”
“Yes,” Kara agrees. “At the end of the day, that is the goal. We are stronger together, after all.”
WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.
This article originally appeared in the August 2022 Issue of ELLE.
Nia Nal is a senior editor at ELLE. She previously worked at The Washington Times as junior reporter and CatCo Magazine as staff writer. Follow her at @niawrites.
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edit by justqueerios