I would like to see a story that shows Lex to be a man who wants to be top dog in the world.
A simple game of power between him and Superman.
Superman is this symbol of light and hope. ...and Lex wants to invest his madness, his own money and power into destroying Superman's symbol. Lex would then take over and replace himself in that place.
Lex wants to rule in his power, while Supes is a man who wants to break oppression and bring hope.
In life, we have wise philosophers, who teach us to live our lives in certain ways, that upsets the governments societal rules. Most of those great philosophers are dead.
Now say Supes is this great source of power, hope and freedom. He is a massive influential figure. Governments would not like it. They investigate people like that.
And say for the purpose of the film, Lex represents a government who doesn't want Supes to bring the world into a new light, for whatever reason. He wants to break Supes' power abd inspiring influence, because it messes with his plans and image in life.
So Lex would do what he could to depower and destroy not only Superman, but his very existence as a symbol for good and hope for all.
Or to put it in another way...
Supes is Randall McMurphy and Lex is Nurse Rached from One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest lol
