Superman: Every Live-Action Lex Luthor Actor (& How Their Versions Differ)

In almost every major Superman live-action adaptation, Lex Luthor is never far behind, being one of the Man of Steel’s greatest villains for over 80 years. Wherever Krypton’s Last Son appears, his extensive rogue’s gallery follows him around. From major antagonists like Lex, Brainiac, Doomsday, Metallo, Parasite, and General Zod, Kal-El’s mythology has some very dynamic and powerful foes he goes up against regularly. Even though Superman has to battle some incredibly dangerous threats, his biggest one may actually be the one without any superpowers, and that is Lex Luthor. As seen in the comics, Superman/Justice League cartoons, and every live-action Lex Luthor, the villain needs only his intelligence and sheer willpower to remain Superman’s archenemy, posing a threat that Clark can’t simply just punch his way through.

Throughout their history, Superman and Lex Luthor have had an ongoing rivalry that has survived any reboots — though it’s uncertain whether Luthor will be a factor in the new DCU’s first movie, Superman: Legacy. Notably, Superman & Lois season 3 will also debut its own version of Luthor, which may or may not become the DCU or Elseworlds’ Lex Luthor. Lex and Superman’s dynamic has also taken some interesting turns in recent years while still maintaining their opposite roles in major DC films and TV shows. While some had longer runs than others, Superman properties have always found ways to introduce Clark’s nemesis. There will definitely be more iterations of Lex Luthor in live-action to come in the future, but currently, there have been nearly a dozen actors to put their spin on the infamous Superman villain.

Related: Superman & Lois’s New Lex Luthor Is Very Different (& That’s Good)

Lyle Talbot (Atom Man vs. Superman)

Every live-action Lex Luthor’s career owes something to Lyle Talbot’s version of the character. It only took a decade after Lex appeared in DC Comics to be brought to life in the 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman serial, with Kirk Alyn playing the Man of Steel. Lyle Talbot was the first performer ever to play Lex, who was also the Atom Man as the main villain of the serial. Talbot’s Lex was significantly simplified where he was genetically evil, which worked for the serial since it was more family-friendly.

Gene Hackman (Superman, Superman II & Superman IV)

The 1978 Superman franchise began with Lex as our hero’s first threat, which Gene Hackman played against Christopher Reeve’s Man of Steel. Rather than being a scientist or inventor like in the comics, Lex was obsessed with real estate in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie, and was depicted more as a comedic villain. Hackman’s Lex may never have gotten to pull on his famous Lexosuit and have a physical fight with Superman, but he still stayed true to having utter hatred for the Kryptonian savior. Despite every live-action Lex Luthor getting darker and more intense in later movies and shows, Hackman’s version will still always carry weight in Lex’s media history.

Scott James Wells/Sherman Howard (Superboy)

For his first major TV show, Lex was a recurring antagonist on Superboy, focusing on a younger Clark Kent as a superhero, played by John Haymes Newton. But after Superboy season 1, Newton was replaced with Gerald Christopher, and that wasn’t the only major role the show ended up recasting. Apart from having two different actors for young Superman, what makes Superboy different from every live-action Lex Luthor iteration is that it was the first to recast Lex. In the first season, Scott James Wells played Lex who wanted to destroy Superboy, no matter what. While Lex did lose his hair at the end of the season, Sherman Howard replaced Wells in Superboy season 2 and beyond. Being a product of its time, both actors played Lex comedically and dramatically.

John Shea (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)

Lex’s next TV portrayal in live-action came from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, with John Shea in the villainous DC role for most of the first season. Even though Lex returns for a few episodes here and there in the later seasons, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman season 1 was Shea’s biggest run. In contrast to every live-action Lex Luthor in the modern era, especially Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex, the largely underrated portrayal of John Shea’s Lex Luthor had everything: charisma, sinister intelligence, and an incredibly watchable campiness. While John Shea’s performance as Lex was solid, the writing that got a little all over the place, especially during the show’s clone saga that he kicked off.

Related: Smallville Explained Why Lex Luthor Fights Superman In Season 3

Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville)

The Superman prequel show Smallville didn’t just tell the origin story of Clark before becoming Superman, but also how Lex ends up as his ultimate enemy. For seven seasons and a return in the series finale, Michael Rosenbaum played Lex, who started as Clark’s best friend. But as the series progressed, Lex came closer and closer to his destiny as Clark’s archenemy. Having Clark and Lex’s stories paralleled on Smallville allowed the writers to deconstruct the two DC icons and how they end up as hero and villain, respectively. The 2001 series Smallville is unparalleled in this regard. Rosenbaum has played Lex longer than every live-action Lex Luthor on this list, and may be the best example of how to portray Superman’s greatest foe adequately. Smallville always took Lex seriously and stayed true to how complex he truly is by the time he and Clark are rivals.

Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns)

In 2006, Reeve’s Superman franchise was semi-revived with Superman Returns, which was somehow happening after the events of Superman II. While Brandon Routh played Reeve’s Superman, Kevin Spacey was cast as Lex, who was meant to be Hackman’s original characterization — one of the many reasons why Superman Returns was a bizarre chapter for the Donnerverse. Regardless that this film ignores the third and fourth installments, Spacey’s Lex is aggressive and far more psychotic than Hackman’s Lex was in the entire series.

Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman, Justice League)

After the DCEU kicked off in 2013, Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Curiously, BvS director Zack Snyder almost picked Bryan Cranston for the role, which would’ve been an interesting comparison to every live-action Lex Luthor, though Eisenberg’s version has its merits. Snyderverse Lex Luthor was yet another young take on the Superman foe, but a bit more unhinged than other iterations. But that didn’t stop Eisenberg’s Lex from being an intellectual mastermind while still having a very sociopathic characterization. Batman v Superman is really the bulk of Eisenberg’s appearances as Lex, who manages to pit the World’s Finest against each other while having a smaller role in the Snyder Cut. Had the Justice League sequels happened, Eisenberg’s Lex would have gone on to lead the Injustice League and help Darkseid.

Jon Cryer (Supergirl)

In Supergirl season 4, the Arrowverse finally introduces its Lex with Jon Cryer being cast in the iconic role. The gig became Cryer’s second go with the Superman universe as he played Lenny Luthor, Lex’s nephew, in the movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace – Supergirl‘s story inspiration for the episode “Hope for Tomorrow”. The Arrowverse’s Lex has been Superman’s nemesis for several years, as he is completely evil at this point and has fully embraced that. Because of his experience, Lex is already very dangerous, powerful, and several steps ahead of someone like Supergirl and Superman. Where John Cryer’s Lex Luthor currently is in life feels like a future Rosenbaum’s Lex would likely find themselves in if his rivalry with Superman went on long enough. Even though Jon Cryer’s live-action Lex Luthor has been battling Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman for years within the world of the Arrowverse, they have actually not had a chance to work together that much.

Related: What Supergirl Ending Means For Lex Luthor’s Future In The Arrowverse

Titus Welliver (Titans)

What makes Titus Welliver’s version of Lex decidedly different from every live-action Lex Luthor is that, soon after his introduction in Titans season 4, he dies of a terminal illness — but not before leaving Lexcorp, and Luthor’s entire empire and legacy, in the hands of Joshua Orpin’s Superboy. It’s a unique take that brilliantly gets down to Lex Luthor’s roots, and sets him up as a conduit for Superman’s evolution in Titans. Some viewers have even theorized that while Welliver’s time in the series is short-lived, considering what’s happening to Superboy, it’s possible that Lex Luthor has uncharacteristically turned to magic to possess the teenage superhero. While Titans will be ending in its fourth season, the yet unreleased Titans season 4 part 2 could still confirm whether this is true.

Michael Cudlitz (Superman & Lois)

Debuting alongside the premiere of Superman & Lois season 3, Michael Cudlitz’ villain promises to take an uncharted direction with respect to every live-action Lex Luthor in recent history. Apart from how Superman & Lois‘ Lex Luthor reveal further confirms that the show has completely detached from the Arrowverse, Walking Dead‘s Michael Cudlitz is known for his intimidatingly burly physique and penchant for playing tough guys. A version of Lex Luthor that appears more physically intimidating as Superman certainly isn’t all that’s needed to reinvent the character in 2023 — but given how Superman & Lois has cleverly adapted the source material in the past, audiences can safely expect great things from Cudlitz’ Lex.

Will Lex Luthor Be The Villain In Superman: Legacy?

There’s been no real indication that Lex Luthor will be the main antagonist in Superman: Legacy, the first movie that will open Gods and Monsters, the official Chapter 1 of the new DCU. That said, DCU Studios co-CEO Peter Safran’s descriptions of Superman: Legacy does suggest that Luthor could be involved: “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing… Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He is kind in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.” On the other hand, James Gunn’s new Superman movie — which will kick off the biggest DC media reboot in recent history — may be more in line with the DCU’s goals of presenting new and fresh stories without the classic Superman nemesis.

Indeed, every live-action Lex Luthor, no matter how great the performance, is always bound to Lex and Clark Kent’s classic rivalry. Outside Superman: Legacy, however, the DCU Lex Luthor may be more of a better fit in the planned DCU movie based on DC Comics’ The Authority, which is about an Illuminati-like super team that goes to extreme lengths to protect Earth. Actor Dave Bautista, who has worked with James Gunn in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, has publicly volunteered himself for the role of the DCU’s Lex Luthor, which could be an interesting proposition. In any case, whether in the DCU mainstream continuity or in DC Studios’ Elseworlds properties, there will always be moments when viewers will inevitably wonder whether Superman‘s greatest rival is about to rear his evil head.

Next: Superman & Lois’ Lex Luthor Will Be The Most Unhinged Version Yet