Lex Luthor | DC’s Ultimate Villain
James Gunn’s new DC Universe will continue the Superman saga in a film titled Man of Tomorrow (slated for 2027).
Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor) Is said to not only be a central character but James Gunn has described the sequel as “as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie”, explaining that Superman and Lex “have to work together… against a much, much bigger threat”.
Currently only sketchy details are public.
We know Lex, the once powerful CEO of LuthorCorp and Superman’s arch-nemesis was taken to Belle Reve prison before being transferred to Van Kull Maximum Security Prison (a Prison just outside Metropolis in the comics).
Speculation is that Lex’s scientific brilliance and corporate resources will perhaps lead to a scenario where a cosmic menace will force him to ally with Superman.
Since official plot points haven’t been released, much is conjecture. But given Gunn’s comments, it’s likely Lex will start as an adversary but become a critical ally before the film’s climax.
In any case, Lex is proving to be a more complex figure than just a one dimensional villain.
But some may question, who is Lex Luthor and why is his story such an interesting development for the DCU?
Lex Luthor made his debut in Action Comics #23 (1940) as a red haired mad scientist, who quickly evolved into Superman’s ultimate nemesis.
In the Silver Age, his origin was retconned to show him as a brilliant Smallville teen whose failed experiment… and Clark Kent’s interference… left him bald and bitter, obsessed with proving his superiority over Superman.
The Post Crisis revamp in John Byrne’s The Man of Steel (1986) reimagined Lex as a ruthless billionaire industrialist, a corporate kingpin whose pride and ego made him view Superman’s heroism as a direct insult.
From the 1990s onward, writers leaned back into his scientific genius, showing him as both a technological mastermind and public figure, even electing him President of the United States in the early 2000s before scandal forced him out.
Later eras like Forever Evil temporarily cast him as a reluctant “hero,” while DC’s Rebirth restored his classic mix of genius inventor, business mogul, and scheming rival.
Lex Luthor isn’t just a villain… he’s a legacy.
From Gene Hackman’s slick and comedic mastermind, to Michael Rosenbaum’s tragic, tortured genius, to Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric tech tyrant, every actor who’s stepped into the role has carved their own unforgettable version of Superman’s greatest foe.
Over the past 80+ years, Lex has been everything from a charming tycoon to a broken son with a grudge, but always with one constant… an insatiable hunger for power and control.
Now enters Nicholas Hoult.
His Lex is colder, sharper, and far more menacing and yet an unnervingly calm public figure whose simmering hatred for Superman boils just beneath the surface.
Hoult’s take emphasizes predatory charm and psychological complexity, a man who doesn’t just want to defeat Superman, but to prove that he should be the one adored by humanity.
It’s Lex at his most dangerous, reserved, calculating, and terrifyingly human.
Could this be the version that finally convinces the public he’s their savior, even rising to the Oval Office as President Luthor? Or will his obsessive vendetta against the Man of Steel keep him forever divided in the eyes of the world?
Either way, Hoult’s Lex promises to be a game changer for the DCU.
