NakedMoleRat
Master Member
What I don’t need is a 20 something Lex going up against a 20 something Superman. Let Lex be in his 50’s, there no shame in that.
Superman: Legacy
- Thread starter Lightning
- Start date
Riceball
Master Member
I don't know about a 50 something Lex, but he should definitely be in 30s or 40s to be credibly established as the Lex we know and to be believable as Lex too. The only way a 2o something Lex could work is if they change his backstory and make him initially not a villain, ambitious and maybe with somewhat flexible morals but not an all and out bad guy yet. But Clark/Supes does something that disrupts one of Lex's plans, disastrously, which causes Lex to turn to the dark side, so to speak. That might work, but I'd prefer the classic already established Lex though. He would definitely resonate with today's audience who tend to see any and every big time CEO as some sort of evil villain to hated and reviled.
Lightning
Master Member
bonus points if it causes him to lose his hair.
You know, there's one villain I don;t think they have done in the movies yet that Giancarlo Esposito's gravitas and persona would fit even better than Lex Luthor...
Brainiac.
He's a villain Superman has had a lot of trouble with in his encounters with him, and has proven to be a real match for him time and again. I can really see Esposito doing the voice acting for him like they had James Spader do for Ultron, and I think in Braniac's case, it would fit much better.
He's a villain Superman has had a lot of trouble with in his encounters with him, and has proven to be a real match for him time and again. I can really see Esposito doing the voice acting for him like they had James Spader do for Ultron, and I think in Braniac's case, it would fit much better.
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Bloop
Sr Member
Nicholas Hoult will be 34 soon (born December 7th, 1989). I think the idea that he's younger stems from people recognizing him from his prior roles, like the X-Men movies or Warm Bodies, which were filmed a decade ago. That, and generally he has a youthful appearance. So the concern may be less his age and more the perception of his age.
I don't know if there's a "right" age for Luthor in a Superman story, as a lot of it comes from personal preference, based on our own history with the character.
Riceball
Master Member
Yeah, I'm not sure there's a "right" age but I do think that there's a "good" age and I feel that's about 10 - 15 years older than Sups/Clark. Old enough to be believable as an ultrawealthy businessman and the head of a business empire. Cast Lex too young and it, to me, strains credibility that he's much of a super villain, certainly not if they portray him as classic Lex who's an evil Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk and already the head of a global multi-billion business that's like Apple, Disney, Amazon, Tesla, and Google all combined. Even in his 30s would be a stretch, but more believable as long as Lexcorp is scaled down and is not so large that it's into nearly everything, yet.
Bloop
Sr Member
I agree. I didn't care for Jessie Eisenberg's version of Luthor. A big part was how he was written, but I also didn't care for his performance.
What I'd like to see is a villain that doesn't think he's a villain. It's not new, but I don't need to see as many megalomaniacal villains in these types of movies. If Luthor sees himself as the hero, his motivations are different than just being mentally deranged or even "just" narcissistic. Luthor should be cold & calculating, and only start making mistakes when his obsession with Superman gets the better of him.
I guess the real motivation of Luthor has been that he desires power, and Superman becomes his obsession not only because he thwarts Luthor's plans, but he also possesses incredible physical power that Luthor does not. He hates Superman not only for what he does with his power, but also for simply having that power.
rocketeer25
Sr Member
I know my opinion is heavily influenced by his portrayal of Kingpin in the Daredevil series, but I think Vincent D'Onofrio would be a great Lex Luthor
Paul Andrew
Master Member
I'm ok with a younger Lex, especially if they paint him as a bit of a nepo-baby trying to get out of his father's shadow.
My favorite interpretation of Lex Luthor (and many of Supes' rogues gallery) is from the animated series. It never got out of B:TAS' shadow but it did a lot with Superman and his villains I think few ever matched since. Lex was one of them. When Superman shows up, Lex is already established. Comparatively similar in a way that the Kingpin is for Marvel, the only exception to Lex is that he can operate in broad daylight; he doesn't need to hide like Kingpin. He can commit crimes all he likes, his influence is quiet but everywhere; he is protected by the law. Superman can do all these incredible things with his fantastic abilities but Lex is capable of making actual lasting change, good or ill, and it's Superman that can't do a thing to stop it. Lex is a "true" villain in this regard. He does what he wants to mock Superman because he enjoys it and, simply, because he can.
Riceball
Master Member
That would work, I just wouldn't want to see a 20 something Lex that's already as established as classic Lex is, to me that's just not believable. I could potentially see him as a sort of Zuckerberg like character that heads up some sort of tech start up that got huge, fast, but even that's a bit of a stretch for me and it would have to be one company with a singular focus and not a multi-national conglomerate.
NakedMoleRat
Master Member
It’ll never happen.
Insert snarky Millennial with a “rare disease” that makes him lose his hair and becomes extremely intelligent who hates Superman because…reasons!
That’s what we’ll get. No motivation, no reason, just jealous revenge for no reason.
Lightning
Master Member
Hey us elder millennials are 40 now, thank you very much.
NakedMoleRat
Master Member
That was a little snarky!
Paul Andrew
Master Member
This guy reminds me of the creep that ran the Tilt-o-Whirl ride at the nasty carnival that came to my hometown, every 4th of July…
“The super power of ‘The Tilit-O-Whiirler’ is to stare at you in a way that induces nausea and discomfort and makes you leave the immediate area…”
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