The Many Faces of Lex Luthor: 2019 Update

Bullets bounce off Superman’s skin. He can bend steel in his bare hands. He can move fast enough to break the sound barrier, defy the laws of gravity, and create fire with his eyes. He is one of the most powerful beings the world has ever known. Yet the one man who has proven to be his arch enemy for eight decades is a mere mortal. Though he can’t go toe-to-toe with Superman on a physical level, Lex Luthor provides a constant challenge with his cunning intellect, vast resources, and sheer strength of will. The untouchable man behind it all, Lex is the definitive nemesis for the Man of Steel.

The first appearance of Luthor (who was not yet given a first name) was in Action Comics #23 in 1940. Initially a typical “mad scientist” type character, he had a full head of red hair when he debuted. The more famous bald depiction of the character showed up the following year, in Superman #10. Over the years he would evolve from mad scientist, to a ruthless, corrupt businessman, and even the President of the United States.

The first actor to bring Lex to the screen was Lyle Talbot in the 1950 serial “Atom Man vs. Superman.” The “Atom Man” in the title actually refers to Luthor himself, who develops a machine that can disassemble and re-assemble people atom by atom. Lyle Talbot had actually played Police Commissioner Jim Gordon just one year earlier in a “Batman and Robin” serial. Talbot also shared the screen with another famous Superman actor; he costarred with George Reeves in the film “Thunder in the Pines” in 1948.

Superman had several animated outings from Filmation in the 1960s, including “The New Adventures of Superman” in 1966, “The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure” in 1967, and “The Batman/Superman Hour” in 1968. During this time, Jackson Beck served as Lex Luthor, as well as Perry White and the narrator. Beck was also the narrator of the 1940s “Adventures of Superman” radio series, and did the voice of Bluto in the Popeye cartoons of the 1950s.

The next Lex to appear on screen would also come in animated form, when he was a villain on the “SuperFriends” cartoons of the 1970s. Here, Lex was the leader of the Legion of Doom, a group made up of Bizarro, Scarecrow, Brainiac, Toyman, and assorted other DC rogues, whose sole purpose was the destruction of the Justice League. Voice actor Stan Jones, who did voices for the “Heathcliff” and “Transformers” cartoons, provided Lex’s voice throughout the series’ various incarnations.

Luthor hit the big screen in a big way when Gene Hackman made the role his own in “Superman: The Movie” in 1978. Here, Lex was the self-proclaimed “greatest criminal mind” of his time, and made his home in a vast underground lair. His grand scheme was to artificially inflate the price of worthless desert land by detonating a missile on the San Andreas fault and sinking the west coast. He surrounded himself with less-than-competent assistants in the form of Ned Beatty’s Otis and Valerie Perrine’s Miss Teschmacher, whose name he tended to shout angrily.

Much of “Superman II” was filmed simultaneously with the first “Superman,” under the direction of Richard Donner. Due to creative differences, Donner was not brought back on board to finish the second film after the first was completed, and he was replaced by Richard Lester. Gene Hackman did not return at this point, and all remaining Lex Luthor scenes were filmed with a look-alike and voice impersonator. All scenes in “Superman II” with Gene Hackman in them were filmed under Donner’s direction during the production of the first film. “Superman II: The Donner Cut” was released on DVD in 2006, and restored some previously unseen Hackman scenes.

Hackman did not appear in “Superman III,” but he did return once more for “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” in 1987, working with future Lex Luthor Jon Cryer as his nephew, “Lenny.”

In 1988, a short-lived animated Superman series by Ruby Spears featured Michael Bell as Lex. Bell’s very long list of voice work includes the voices of Drew Pickles and Chas Finster on “Rugrats” and QuackerJack on “Darkwing Duck.”

Two different actors brought Lex to life during the run of the “Superboy” TV series. Scott Wells played the role in the series’ inaugural season, from 1988-89. Lex started out as more of a nuisance than a nemesis to Clark Kent. That changed when the first season ended with a lab accident that caused Lex to lose his hair, which he blamed the Boy of Steel for. Sherman Howard played Lex in seasons two through four from 1989 to 1992. The change in appearance was explained by Lex having plastic surgery so Superboy wouldn’t recognize him. The change was a positive one, as fans seem to prefer Howard’s take on the character over the Wells version. Many years later Howard did the voice of Blight on the animated “Batman Beyond.”

The next Lex to take the small screen would be John Shea on “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” in 1993. Here, Luthor was the richest man in Metropolis, and the city’s most powerful man until a certain superhero came on the scene. Lex was behind most of Superman’s woes during the first season, though everyone else, including Lois Lane, was blind to his evil deeds. By the end of the season, commuting from New York to L.A. was taking a toll on Shea and he chose not to return. Lex was killed off in the first season finale, committing suicide after being exposed as a criminal mastermind. However, Shea continued to make occasional guest appearances as a resurrected Lex Luthor throughout the remainder of the series. (He was only bald in the season two episode “The Phoenix” – in all other episodes this Lex sported a full head of hair.)

In 1997, another animated incarnation of the bald billionaire hit the airwaves, when the producers of “Batman The Animated Series” turned their attention to Superman. Clancy Brown voiced Lex in “Superman The Animated Series,” “The New Batman/Superman Adventures,” “Justice League,” and “Justice League Unlimited.” He also voiced the role in an episode of the series “The Batman.” You may have heard Mr. Brown’s voice more recently as Surtur in the movie “Thor: Ragnarok.” He is also the voice of Mr. Krabs on “Spongebob Squarepants.”

In October of 2001, “Smallville” premiered on the WB. Here, Clark and Lex met as young men in Smallville, Kansas when Clark saved Lex’s life. Lex, played by Michael Rosenbaum, hadn’t yet turned into the ruthless villain he would one day become, and he and Clark started out as best friends rather than arch enemies. Rosenbaum’s Lex became one of the highlights of the show, as fans found his descent to the dark side proved just as intriguing as Clark’s journey to the world of flights and tights. Rosenbaum was a series regular for the first seven seasons of the show. The character was so popular that the writers found ways to continue to make his presence felt even after Rosenbaum departed the role, usually in the form of shadowy stand-ins, flashbacks, or clones. Fans were delighted when Mr. Rosenbaum returned for the series finale at the end of the tenth season so Lex could give Clark one last inspirational speech about how our enemies define us.

Michael Rosenbaum wasn’t the only actor who played Lex on “Smallville.” Here are some others:
-Matthew Munn played a young Lex in the pilot episode and in the second season episode “Lineage.”
-In the third season episode “Memoria,” Wayne Dalglish played a young Lex in flashback scenes that revealed a tragedy in Lex’s past.
-Lucas Grabeel played a teenage Lex in the episode “Reunion” in season six, which filled in some of the backstory between Lex Luthor and Oliver Queen. In a clever bit of casting, Lucas returned for two episodes in season ten as Connor Kent, who was partially cloned from Lex’s DNA.
-In season seven, Connor Stanhope played young Alexander, a mental manifestation of Lex’s good side. He also returned in season eight to play young Lex in a flashback, and again in season ten as a younger version of the aforementioned Lex clone/Connor.
-In season eight, we saw a scarred Lex hooked up to life support machines that included a breathing mask over most of his face. Kevin Miller played Lex here, with Matt Adler providing his voice.
-Mackenzie Gray played an artificially aged clone of Lex in the season 10 premiere. Mr. Gray later appeared as Jax-Ur in the movie “Man of Steel.”

Superman’s story really went to the dogs in 2005, with the premiere of the animated “Krypto the Superdog.” Lex appeared in a couple episodes of this show about Superman’s canine companion. Lex was voiced by Brian Dobson, and, keeping with the pet theme, he had an iguana named Ignatius.

Lex’s rivalry with Superman flew back onto the big screen in the summer of 2006 with the movie “Superman Returns.” Delving into the continuity of the Christopher Reeve films, this movie gave us a Lex Luthor who had spent time in prison, but was ultimately released when Superman never appeared to testify at his trial. Kevin Spacey assumed the role of the bald mastermind, giving a performance that owed much to Gene Hackman, but took the character to much darker places than Hackman ever did.

Also in 2006, a direct-to-DVD animated feature, “Superman: Brainiac Attacks” was released to video store shelves. Although it was done in the same style as “Superman The Animated Series” and featured some of the same voice actors, fans were puzzled by its apparent disregard of continuity with the series. The film treated the story as the first meeting between Brainiac and Lex Luthor, despite a history between the two already having been firmly established in the previous series. The characterization of Lex depicted in this movie was also a departure, with a campy, goofy Lex Luthor eating popcorn and throwing a party when Superman gets trounced by Brainiac. Luthor was voiced in this installment by Powers Boothe, who had previously voiced Gorilla Grodd on “Justice League.”

In 2008, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” featured Batman teaming up with a rotating cast of guest-heroes. As one might expect, lots of heroes meant lots of villains, and Lex Luthor was no exception. Kevin Michael Richardson lent his voice to Lex Luthor in his three appearances on this animated series.

“Young Justice” premiered in 2010, and focused on a younger generation of heroes emerging from the shadows of the Justice League. Although teen heroes like Nightwing, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Superboy took center stage, there were plenty of old rogues still in the picture, including Lex Luthor. Mark Rolston provided the voice of Lex here. Though the series initially only ran for two seasons, it was recently revived on The DC Universe streaming service. Mr. Rolston continues to provide Lex’s voice, along with several other voices on the show. He also voiced Lex in the “Injustice: Gods Among Us” video game.

In 2016, DC’s two biggest heroes shared the cinema marquee for the first time in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The clash of these two titans was manipulated by Lex Luthor, naturally – played in this incarnation by Jesse Eisenberg of “The Social Network” and “Now You See Me” fame. Surprisingly, director Zack Snyder originally had a different character in mind for Eisenberg; he initially came in to read for the part of Jimmy Olsen. (Jimmy has a small appearance near the beginning of the film, played by Michael Cassidy – although Jimmy isn’t referred to by name in the theatrical cut.) Snyder apparently thought that Eisenberg’s energy could bring a quick, nervous eccentricity to the role that was essentially Lex Luthor reimagined for the digital era. In the film, Lex is actually Lex Luthor Junior, and he is quick to point out that his father was the “Lex in front of the Corp.” Lex manages to deduce the Man of Steel’s identity, kidnap Ma Kent, pit the caped crusaders against each other, and even unleash Doomsday before finally being locked away.

Fans hoping to catch another glimpse of Eisenberg as Lex needed to stay through the credits of 2017’s “Justice League.” A tag scene at the end featured Eisenberg’s Lex and Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke teasing the formation of “a league of our own.”

Also in 2016, “Justice League Action” debuted on Cartoon Network. As the title suggests, the series was a more action-oriented show, with each 15 minute episode tending to get right into the thick of things. Lex Luthor was voiced here by actor James Woods.

There have been a slew of direct-to-DVD (and/or direct-to-digital) DC animated features over the past decade or so. As you would imagine, Lex appears in a decent amount of them. They include:
-“Superman: Doomsday” in 1997 – James Marsters voiced Lex in this adaptation of the famous Death of Superman storyline from the comics. Marsters has another super-connection, having played Brainiac on “Smallville.”
-“Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” in 2009 – Clancy Brown once again reprised the role of Lex in this adaptation of the Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness comic book storyline that involved Batman and Superman taking down President Luthor.
-“Crisis on Two Earths” in 2010 – Chris North voiced a heroic version of Lex who sought the Justice League’s help in defeating the evil Crime Syndicate.
-“All-Star Superman” in 2011 – Anthony LaPaglia voiced Lex Luthor in this adaptation of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s revered miniseries of the same name.
-“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” in 2012 – Steve Blum provided the voice of Lex Luthor in this adaptation of the pivotal comic storyline that rebooted the DC Universe and launched the “New 52” era of comics.
-“JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time” in 2014 – Fred Tatasciore voiced Lex in this tale of time travel.
-“Justice League: Throne of Atlantis” in 2015 – Steve Blum once again played Lex, in a brief appearance at the end of this Aquaman-centric film.
-“Justice League: Gods and Monsters” in 2015 – Jason Isaacs voiced Lex in this alternate universe tale about decidedly darker incarnations of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
-“Justice League vs. Teen Titans” in 2016 – Steve Blum once again voiced Lex, as well as Toymaster this time, in this adventure that pitted the two titular teams of heroes against each other.
-“The Death of Superman” in 2018 – Rainn Wilson of “The Office” fame brought an eccentric air to Lex’s voice in this second attempt to adapt the Death of Superman storyline.
-“Reign of the Supermen” in 2019 – Rainn Wilson reprised the role for the direct sequel to the previous installment, which saw four Supermen rising to take the place of the fallen son of Krypton.

Lex has been seen on the big screen once again recently in a surprising place. He can be seen briefly in “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” where he is voiced by Ike Barinholtz. Barinholtz has another DC connection as well – he played Officer Griggs in the 2016 film “Suicide Squad.” This isn’t the first appearance of a Lego Lex, as the character has shown up in several direct-to-DVD superhero-themed Lego movies as well, such as “Batman Be-Leaguered,” “Attack of the Legion of Doom,” and “Justice League vs Bizarro League.” In all of those installments he was voiced by prolific voice actor John DiMaggio.

Over the course of the four seasons of CW’s “Supergirl,” we’ve only seen Lex Luthor once; in the season two episode “Luthors,” we saw a flashback to the day that a young Lex met his little sister, Lena, for the first time. Aidan Fink played young Lex in this episode. Despite the fact that we haven’t seen Lex in the modern day just yet, there have been plenty of allusions to him. In a season two episode, Winn Schott referred to Lex setting off an earthquake in California, an apparent reference to the events of “Superman: The Movie.” We’ve even seen an important artifact from the comics that’s never been portrayed in live action before: Lex’s warsuit, which has appeared in the comics, video games, and even action figures since it debuted in the 1980s. (The suit appeared in storage in season two, and Lex’s mother Lillian even wore it for a bit in a season three episode.)

With the March 17, 2019 episode “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” “Supergirl” fans will finally get to see the show’s version of Lex Luthor in the modern day. Jon Cryer will play Lex, and this isn’t the actor’s first foray into playing a member of the Luthor family. Cryer played Lenny Luthor, Lex’s nephew, in “Superman IV” back in 1987. And, while Mr. Cryer is probably best known for his comedic roles like Alan Harper on “Two and a Half Men,” some clips from the upcoming episode certainly suggest that his Lex will be more menacing than campy.

(In 2018, before Lex was announced as appearing on “Supergirl,” a DC Universe “Metropolis” series based around Lois Lane and Lex Luthor was proposed but it never happened.)

Clearly, Lex has evolved considerably from his initial design as the stereotypical mad scientist. He has proven that he can hold his own against one of the most powerful men in the universe, despite having no actual powers of his own. His ability to exist above the law often makes things very difficult for Superman, and while Lex can’t beat Supes physically, he more than makes up for it with his intelligence and cunning. Though Hackman’s Luthor may have been the only one to spell it out, Lex certainly is one of the greatest criminal minds of his or any other time. Superman has thrown punches with the best of them, but in the end, it’s Lex’s brains that make him a match for the Man of Steel’s brawn, and continue to make him such an intriguing character that fans sometimes can’t help but root for the bad guy.

Read some of Russ Dimino’s other “Many Faces” columns here.