Nicholas Hoult breaks down his take on Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman, which sounds like the villain's most dangerous incarnation. Lex Luthor is Superman's arch enemy and has been interpreted in various ways by Gene Hackman, Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Rossenbaum, and Jon Cryer, to name a few. Hoult, who originally auditioned for Superman, is tasked with putting a fresh spin on a villain that audiences have seen countless times.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Hoult broke down his vision of Lex Luthor. While many would call Luthor a mad scientist, director James Gunn described him as a "sorcerer of science," a description Hoult agrees with, saying he has such an understanding of technology that it seems to verge on supernatural. Hoult wanted Luthor to be intimidating, describing the character as "an alpha." Hoult acknowledged that he did draw some inspiration from tech moguls like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, but didn't let them influence his performance too much, saying "It was an amalgamation of lots of different things but, yes, it would've been foolish of me not to explore that [image] a little bit because of Lex in this story and what he represents." Hoult fleshed out his description of Luthor, saying:
"Superman's so powerful and unstoppable in many ways that you need to have a character that feels like, 'Okay, how is this person dangerous? How could this person potentially win and come out on top?'...He's obsessive and determined and relentless, and there's a lot of emotion pushing through all of that in a way. The gadgets and tech he's working with are beyond those things that we can imagine.
"He's someone who really worked hard for a long time in terms of science and himself and how he wants to be perceived and his intellect. Even, for me, physically in this, I wanted him to feel like he was as much alpha as possible, where he's someone who's, in his mind, done everything he possibly could for himself but also for humanity in some ways. In his mind, he should be adored. And then this person, this superhuman, this alien has come along who all those things come naturally to in many ways. That gives him a deep, deep resentment."
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Nicholas Hoult's description of Lex Luthor having plenty of gadgets has many fans wondering if the new villain teased, The Hammer of Boravia, is, in fact, Lex Luthor. The original character created for the film, who is seen going toe-to-toe with Superman in the trailer, kind of resembles Luthor's green and purple power armor from the comics. Despite the comics giving Lex this suit of armor to make him as much of a physical threat to Superman as he is an intellect, none of the prior film versions have seen him adopt this suit. Hackman, Spacey, and Eisenberg all played the iconic villain as a master manipulator. The power armor has appeared on television, most recently showcased in live-action in the CW series Superman & Lois, worn by Michael Cudlitz's character.
Part of Luthor's evil genius is on display in the trailer, keeping the hero Metamorpho (played by Anthony Carrigan) captured and having him use his powers to create kryptonite to subdue Superman. Luthor also has the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and a mysterious figure, whom many expect to be Ultraman, working for him. He will also have his girlfriend Eve Teshmacher (Sara Sampaio) and henchman Otis (Terence Rosemore) on hand. He has plenty of support and contingencies against Superman.
This new version of Luthor sounds like a perfect amalgamation of the various versions from the comics: a tech mogul, a genius inventor who can create high-tech weapons to level the playing field against Superman, and a master manipulator. Even though Gunn has confirmed that Luthor won't be the U.S. president, it certainly feels like an avenue to explore in future projects, particularly at a time when billionaires becoming figureheads in Washington, D.C. is no longer the stuff of comic books.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Like Follow Followed Superman Action Sci-Fi Adventure Release Date July 11, 2025 Director James Gunn Writers James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster Producers Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran Franchise(s) DCU Cast See All David Corenswet Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El Rachel Brosnahan Lois Lane Nicholas Hoult Lex Luthor Edi Gathegi Michael Holt / Mister Terrific
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