The Greatest Criminal Mind of Our Time: Nicholas Hoult IS Lex Luthor

[SupermansPal]

My biggest issue with Eisenberg was his performance. He felt like a cartoon character. Like he was in a completely different film than everyone else.

Rosey was right. Lex needs to be grounded and real, with gravitas. Not quirky and crazy.

I still have absolutely no idea where his Riddler-like ticks even come from.

 

[Invader Joker]

Hoult's pretty good at playing manipulative Sociopath types. Hoult's character Tony in Skins was a manipulative scumbag in the first season and he played a Psychopathic A&R exec in the Britpop era in the film Kill your friends.

He's good at playing sociopathic but it's the intimidating part that I've never seen him play. Even in Kill Your Friends he was really manic in a way reminiscent of Eisenberg.

 

[DCDAVE]

As I recall, there was some dialogue to the effect that the mechanism of Keefe’s wheelchair was in a lead housing. And this was why Superman didn’t/couldn’t detect the explosive within. But I don’t think this explanation was necessary; because I don’t think failure to anticipate the terrorist attack reflects on Supes’ intelligence.

Typically, villains score some preliminary victories over the hero — where the Evil Scheme™ unfolds precisely according to plan. (Otherwise, there are no stakes and no sense of a true threat.) And this, for Lex, was one of those victories.

Excellent points. BVS, in my opinion was an excellent drama movie. More of an elsworld’s movie. Lex manipulated Superman and Batman to fight to the death. Excellent way to show Luther‘a genius.

 

[Dr.]

My biggest issue with Eisenberg was his performance. He felt like a cartoon character. Like he was in a completely different film than everyone else.

...Lex needs to be grounded and real, with gravitas. Not quirky and crazy.

Certainly, Eisenberg’s Lex was weird, quirky and idiosyncratic. But I suspect that his weirdness, per se, wasn’t the main objection. After all, there are many genre supervillains who exhibit peculiar and eccentric behaviors and manners of speech. Rather, it’s a question of fidelity to the source material. And apart from Hackman’s campy, “cartoony” characterization, modern Lex is usually depicted as cool, suave — maybe even charming. BvS, obviously, didn’t go this route.

The argument about being in a "different film” has, I think, some validity. Characterizations should be consistent with a movie’s tone. Thus (for example), DeVito’s Penguin was fine for Batman Returns while Farrell’s Penguin was more appropriate for The Batman. Ostensibly, they’re the same character; but they’re obviously not interchangeable. So, by the same logic, Eisenberg’s Lex doesn’t fit into the dark, grounded sensibility of BvS. Well… maybe. But, speaking for myself, I never found Eisenberg’s unconventional interpretation of Lex to be especially discordant with a serious, “real world” milieu. And, alas, this is a view that’s easier to defend nowadays. Consider the over-the-top bizarreness of Trump or Musk and you might convince yourself that those guys are in a “different movie.” Unfortunately not.

Steering back to Legacy, I have no objection (at all) to a more traditional/conventional Lex Luthor. But I also expect one who’s a serious antagonist — a bona fide threat to the world and to Superman. So just looking and acting the part (e.g., wearing expensive three-piece suits, speaking eloquently and NOT being quirky) is small consolation if Lex’s Master Plan is something akin to Hackman’s goofy real estate swindle.

 

[GreenKToo]

I want Lex to have a scheme that fools everyone up to the very end.

 

[B]

I want Lex to have a scheme that fools everyone up to the very end.

I'd almost like him to be above suspicion, kind of the way John Shea's Lex Luthor was in L&C in the early seasons.

I wouldn't even have him 'caught' by the end of the first film, if anything perhaps even in a stronger position of power.

 

[Alien Anal]

Yeah I would love a twist for Lex. We know he is the bad guy so it's gonna be hard but if written well, we might think something else is to blame for whatever goes down but we then discover it's Lex.

 

[flickchick85]

I 100% want Lex to get away with whatever he's up to in this film. If he's not the Big Bad, he should be shrewdly taking advantage of the situation caused by the Big Bad and using it for his own gain somehow, and only Lois/Clark will figure it out, but won't be able to prove it. Gotta pave the way for President Lex!

 

[GreenKToo]

Yeah I would love a twist for Lex. We know he is the bad guy so it's gonna be hard but if written well, we might think something else is to blame for whatever goes down but we then discover it's Lex.

Or, we think the whole time it's Lex pulling the strings, but it was really someone else.

 

[B]

I'd love for them to go the President Luthor route, using that position of power to poison public perception of Superman, I'd save it for a sequel though. Let him simmer in the backround quietly pulling the strings in this one with only perhaps Superman himself knowing by the end who he really is or what he's done, just unable to physically prove it.

 

[flickchick85]

Or, we think the whole time it's Lex pulling the strings, but it was really someone else.

They could also do something similar to Morrison’s Action Comics, where Luthor is secretly pulling Clark’s strings, while Brainiac is secretly pulling Luthor’s strings. Luthor gets what he wants in the end (the downfall of one of his biggest business rivals via Clark Kent), but he also inadvertently aids in nearly ending Metropolis to do it. Of course, Superman averts that part, so, Luthor still comes out on top.

 

[GreenKToo]

I would love for him to have a presence, cameo, or even a small ( or large ) role in each of the DCU films.
Lex and Lex-corp should have as much of a presence in the DCU society as Amazon, Microsoft, or google does in ours.

Everything everywhere should pretty much have the lex-corp logo on it, ie, tech, cars, aircraft, oil, etc etc.

 

[Deck Rickard]

You know what would be funny? If we get a throwaway line somewhere that Lex bought the top social media platform in the world, renamed it LeX, and quadrupled its profits because he’s an actual genius.

 

[Eddie Dean]

That would be epic

 

[Silvermoth]

You know what would be funny? If we get a throwaway line somewhere that Lex bought the top social media platform in the world, renamed it LeX, and quadrupled its profits because he’s an actual genius.

You know who would have the biggest sook on twitter when it comes out. It would be hilarious

 

[HydraSith12]

I think DCU Lex should be friends with Clark before becoming enemies like Smallville show

 

[Deck Rickard]

You know who would have the biggest sook on twitter when it comes out. It would be hilarious

Oh yes. He would tweet to WB to go eff themselves and complain about “woke culture” in superhero movies.

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[Sawyer]

Wouldn’t be surprising, given the All-Star influence.

 

[DCDAVE]

Wouldn’t be surprising, given the All-Star influence.

Snyder’s Lex was a scientist. He created Doomsday.

 

[chamber-music]

As long as he stays away from real estate schemes and pee jars he should be golden.

I would like to see the whole xenophobic lex hating aliens thing.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Snyder’s Lex was a scientist. He created Doomsday.

Making one meal doesn’t turn you into a cook.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Again, the problem with the previous Lex wasn't the characterization, it was Eisenberg's terrible Razzie winning performance.

 

[SupermansPal]

Again, the problem with the previous Lex wasn't the characterization, it was Eisenberg's terrible Razzie winning performance.

I have to disagree, Snyder's intent was to make Lex a millenial Sillicon Valley CEO, which is an interesting idea for maybe an Elseworlds, but never for a "main continuity" Lex, which he was supposed to be as far as the DCEU is concerned.

Yes, I know that the DCEU itself is technically an Elseworlds, but still.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Snyder didn’t even do that. BvS Lex is just baffling, no understandable characteristics or motives, he’s not a ceo, he’s not a brat, he’s not a mad scientist, but he’s also all of these things. Some fault lies on Eisenberg of course, but it’s mostly on Snyder and Terrio. The fact that WB wanted Tom Hanks or Joaquin Phoniex and Snyder talked to Adam Driver and Cranston before landing on Eisenberg shows how unthought out their conception of Lex was.