Sequels The Official Kevin Spacey As Lex Luthor Thread

[Paste Pot Pete]

I've realized that many felt burned by Superman Returns, one reason being the "old fashioned" portrayal of Lex Luthor. Many wanted to see the more modern take, and some still hope to see him rise to this form in the sequel.

Having not followed the majority of the modern Superman comics, I was wondering if someone could clue me in on why exactly the "white collar criminal" Lexcorp Luthor has become, for most it seems, the definitive or at least most appealing incarnation of Lex?

I'm aware of major comic storylines, including his rise to President, but I'm unclear on the details..

What makes this Lex a formidable foe for Superman? It seems to me that the "public philanthropist with a secret dark side" type of villain is better suited against a character like Spider-Man, one who isn't universally trusted/loved by the public; a vigilante.

How does Luthor constantly evade public persecution when his nemesis is Earth's Greatest Hero? Granted, I know Superman isn't the detective that Batman is, but even so..you'd think he'd be able to muster up some evidence against Luthor. Hell, even without evidence, I'd think simply having a chat with his friends at the Metropolis Police would start raising some eyebrows. Who wouldn't believe Superman?

Would this present problems for a film? How have the comic writers gotten around it?

 

[Venomfan]

there is no evidence when Luthor does something he has so many ties and so many people working for him, plus he does lots of good at the same time, it doesnt matter if superman tells people he did something wrong, they might believe him, but that doesnt get a guy in jail, and superman doesnt kill so he cant just go and beat him up, thats what makes him such a great villain, money is capable of beating a god

 

[matthooper]

Obviously there was evidence that Luthor tried to kill millions of people with his missles in Superman: The Movie, since he went to jail for it.

That would be millions of counts of attempted murder, yet he gets out after just 5 years. If you are a defender of the film, it's just one more rediculous thing to overlook.

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

Money is the power. If you are the greatest criminal mind in the world , what would you really do? Try to grow a cold new continent or invent a new operating system for computers that needs to be rebought every year, making so a truckload of money.
Another way to criminally make money, could be starting a company that supply things for the army and then use your political friends to start an unjustified war.

 

[Motown Marvel]

lex, in the comics, has recently lost his position at lex corp, and returned to being an underground maniacal mad genius criminal mastermind scientist guy....

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

lex, in the comics, has recently lost his position at lex corp, and returned to being an underground maniacal mad genius criminal mastermind scientist guy....

I liked a lot more the Wolfman/Byrne Luthor. We have enough mad scientists in comic-books.

 

[Road Warrior]

"Lexcorp" Luthor is appealing because he is untouchable.

 

[Kid_Kaos]

How he avoids jail? He OWNS Metropolis. The biggest city in America and as the President he has perfect connections to anyone valuable in the world, mostly the big names in the shadows, just like any of the corporate leaders of today have. Lex is practically untouchable because he allways uses someone else for his dirty work and the public never finds out about him.

So? Why doesn't anyone believe Superman or someone else who tells them?
Just watch tv shows like "Prison Break", "24" or "Alias". People with too much knowledge just get "erased" and the media is manipulated by the government anyway. If anything, Superman could be brought down much easier in this version, without Lex even being mentioned publically! Like my sig says: "People? You mean 'Sheeple'!". Lex throws out some bad articles about Superman, Supes get's filmed by doing something stupid and he's done. I don't mean he gets killed but his reputation get's destroyed. And let's face it, reputation is the only thing that separates the heroes from the villains to the people in the comic world. The whole Superman character is just a public shell.
Again: Lex as a President is untouchable by Superman but starreporters like Clark and Lois, with enough evidence against him, are much more of a threat to him. It's all just how the public percieves someone that makes or break him. Hero or human.

Too bad that concept will be allready used in "Spider-Man 3".

So, let's see some more crazy wigs in the sequel! t:

PS: Now that I think about it: There was an episode in "Lois & Clark" where Supes is captured in bed with Lois while Clark is engaged to her. The public sees Supes as homewrecker and turns against him. And that didn't even involve Lex.

 

[X-Maniac]

I've realized that many felt burned by Superman Returns, one reason being the "old fashioned" portrayal of Lex Luthor. Many wanted to see the more modern take, and some still hope to see him rise to this form in the sequel.

Having not followed the majority of the modern Superman comics, I was wondering if someone could clue me in on why exactly the "white collar criminal" Lexcorp Luthor has become, for most it seems, the definitive or at least most appealing incarnation of Lex?

I'm aware of major comic storylines, including his rise to President, but I'm unclear on the details..

What makes this Lex a formidable foe for Superman? It seems to me that the "public philanthropist with a secret dark side" type of villain is better suited against a character like Spider-Man, one who isn't universally trusted/loved by the public; a vigilante.

How does Luthor constantly evade public persecution when his nemesis is Earth's Greatest Hero? Granted, I know Superman isn't the detective that Batman is, but even so..you'd think he'd be able to muster up some evidence against Luthor. Hell, even without evidence, I'd think simply having a chat with his friends at the Metropolis Police would start raising some eyebrows. Who wouldn't believe Superman?

Would this present problems for a film? How have the comic writers gotten around it?

They say money is power, and very wealthy people can be very powerful.

Which sounds more sensible, more cynical, more devious, more about controlling the world?:

1) create uninhabitable island, kill billions, and then????

2) set up company using kryptonian technology, try to control all the world's technology, render Superman useless through crime-control technology (The Authority?) and knowingly/unknowingly release the world's worst computer virus - called Brainiac! A virus which becomes sentient, a threat to Lex and everyone else. What defence does Superman have against a binary code, an infinitessimal stream of electrons that could control any electronic device....

Maybe Lex releases the Brainiac virus early on to disable the world's existing technology, so that his own Krypto-tech can take over and be seen as the saviour.

The possibilities are endless to anyone with imagination. Sadly we didn't get this kind of imagination, although the scenes with New Krypton being lifted into space are very dramatic.

The cinematography on the lifting of the island bothered me. It shows the island moving up, then we see a tiny figure (Superman) holding it. Somehow it feels wrong. I'd rather have seen the focus on Superman lifting something, then panned out to see the entire island in his grip.

 

[NotFadeAway]

lex, in the comics, has recently lost his position at lex corp, and returned to being an underground maniacal mad genius criminal mastermind scientist guy....

Thats too bad

 

[Motown Marvel]

Thats too bad

actually, so far, its been pretty rad. read the arc 'up up and away'.

 

[FlawlessVictory]

It would have been really interesting if they had Luthor be the head of Lexcorp in Superman Returns. So, when Superman returns, not only is Luthor out of jail but he is the head of a billion dollar company! Singer was looking for difficult obstacles to overcome, ones where Superman couldn't just punch through, there's one right there. Then you can also work in Metallo much like they did in the animated series and still have all the drama between Superman, Lois, Richard and Jason. I think this would have satisfied a lot of people.

 

[Axl Van Sixx]

It would have been really interesting if they had Luthor be the head of Lexcorp in Superman Returns. So, when Superman returns, not only is Luthor out of jail but he is the head of a billion dollar company! Singer was looking for difficult obstacles to overcome, ones where Superman couldn't just punch through, there's one right there. Then you can also work in Metallo much like they did in the animated series and still have all the drama between Superman, Lois, Richard and Jason. I think this would have satisfied a lot of people.

I think this is probably Singer's single most wasted opportunity. If you have Superman gone for five years, you'd think that a LOT would change. Singer did that for Lois, but he should have paid more attention to Lex. Instead all we have is Lex Luthor "up to his old tricks". To me that shows a failure of imagination. It would have been a lot more interesting to have Superman come back and see that his old arch-nemesis is now one of the most powerful businessmen on the planet.

The reason I prefer the Post-Crisis "evil businessman" version of Luthor is that he's a much more unique and relevant character than the Pre-Crisis version. Mad scientists are a dime a dozen, but making Luthor a white-collar criminal more interesting. It's ironic that the most powerful superhero out there has an ordinary human being as his greatest enemy, and I think that it helps when Luthor is powerful multi-billionaire. It makes both him and Superman two of the most powerful men in the world, just in different ways (Lex financially, Superman physically). As such, it makes them seem like more of a match.

Business Luthor is also more relevant to the world today. Like somebody else posted with the jab at Cheney/Bush/whoever, multi-national corporations are some of the most powerful forces in the modern world. White-collar criminals like the guys from Enron can get away with almost anything, and that's why I like seeing Luthor portrayed in that way. Let's face it, Superman stories can often get far outside of relevance to the real world, which doesn't commonly see magical imps from the fourth dimension. Having Lex as a ruthless billionaire allows Superman stories to make all sorts of commentary about the real world. So it seems weird to me that a director like Singer, who strives for realism in his movies, missed this great opportunity to set up LexCorp in SR.

 

[nintendo nerd]

I've just found this on a very important mexican newspaper.Spacey says he wants to dedicate 100% to the Old Vic Theatre. He says making movies is not important for him anymore.What do you guys think? You think he will participate on a SR sequel?

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/431035.html

 

[blind_fury]

Hopefully Singer will follow his example.

 

[nintendo nerd]

Hopefully Singer will follow his example.

Well, I would like Singer to get another shot.

I don't mind if Spacey is not included in the sequel. We had enough of Lex Luthor in the movies. Is time for some new villians. IMO.

 

[Majik1387]

Translation according to freetranslations.com

It assures that alone interests him to comply with its work as the director of the theater Old Vic of London, that the next season will premiere an adaptation of All on my mother, the tape of Almodóvar Spacey carried out its last action in 2003(Foto: File/ELUNIVERSAL) - TO TO TO + EFE
The Universal one London, England Wednesday June 13, 2007

16:52 The American actor Kevin Spacey affirmed today that no longer its interpretive career interests him, a facet that seems to have left parked since became 2003 in artistic director of the theater Old Vic of London. "Already it does not matter to me my career as the actor. For me has finished", commented the protagonist of American Beauty (1999) in the program "London Tonight" of the British private television network ITV.

Spacey is found now immersed in the preparations of the new theatrical season of the Old Vic, in whose placard figures the adaptation of the film All on my mother, of the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.

"After ten years doing movies and coming to be better than what would never have imagined, I had to ask me: '¿What is supposed that I should do with all this success that have had?'" , It indicated the actor.

"I asked me: '¿I am going to continue doing movie after movie, worried about if I am well, I am ill, I am good or not?' Then I realized that that it did not matter to me nothing", explained the American interpreter.

What only interests to Spacey, according to him, is to work with the people and to do that this work united, task that develops since its charge in the symbolic one Old Vic, a theater with almost ninety years of history.

But only it has not directed in these four years: Kevin Spacey has also starred in works of the theater Londoner, among them, "TO moon for the misbegotten" ("A moon for the bastard").

 

[nintendo nerd]

Translation according to freetranslations.com

Thanks for the translation, pretty accurate.

 

[mjbull23]

Well, I would like Singer to get another shot.

I don't mind if Spacey is not included in the sequel. We had enough of Lex Luthor in the movies. Is time for some new villians. IMO.

Here here. If Luthor never returns to this current run, I won't be losing any sleep over it. He is overused and it is time for other Superman Villains to step up.

 

[Excel]

billy zane time!

 

[super-t]

yes Billy that is the ZANE!

 

[nintendo nerd]

billy zane time!

I don't think there will be a new Luthor with Singer on board. Maybe they'll just mention that he is in prison.

 

[blind_fury]

Well, I would like Singer to get another shot.

c'mon the guy blew it.

He ignored the comics completely, made Superman a stalker and dead beat dad, and squandered 200 million to make a "Superman lifts things" borefest. I'm confident there are directors who can do far better than Superman Returns.

Singer doesn't deserve another chance anymore than Brett Ratner.

 

[nintendo nerd]

c'mon the guy blew it.

He ignored the comics completely, made Superman a stalker and dead beat dad, and squandered 200 million to make a "Superman lifts things" borefest. I'm confident there are directors who can do far better than Superman Returns.

Singer doesn't deserve another chance anymore than Brett Ratner.

I'm sorry you didn't get the Superman movie you wanted.
Personally, I loved SR and want to see a sequel to that movie. I want to see Brandon Routh as Superman again. But I know if the sequel doesn't make a huge profit for WB, there's going to be a reboot.

 

[nintendo nerd]

blind fury love your avatar. Is Beetlejuice available in Hi def DVD already?