Why MAWS Lex Luthor Works and the DCEU Lex Luthor Doesn't
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Even though there's been 7 Superman movies we still haven't seen a completely good Lex Luthor adaptation in a live action film, although we have seen very good adaptations of Luthor in other forms of media, so today I want to compare and contrast his adaptations in Batman v Superman and in My Adventures With Superman, since they are two very similar yet different takes on the same character.
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What I heard is that Jesse Eisenberg thought he was auditioning for Edward Nigma/The Riddler. When he learned that he was playing Lex Luthor, Eisenberg wanted to play the character different, but Zack Snyder had him stick with the Edward Nigma persona. So, what we got was Jesse Eisenberg playing Edward Nigma playing Lex Luthor.
But what an iconic Riddler he would have been! The insecurity hidden behind arrogance is better slated for Nygma than Luthor. Plus his erratic mannerisms better fit a mad Riddler than Lex.
………. Holy shit wait that actually would be awesome like the ridiculous need to prove himself superior and the over the top overly complex plans are the defining traits of the riddler
Yup and it REALLY shows how Zack didn't understand shit about any of the DC characters.
@@TrueBladeSoul
Even that weird line about time running out and making “ding ding ding” noises would work better for the riddler, since he cares much about showmanship.
So him making sounds like a game show host to put his enemy under pressure would be a natural extension of the character
That makes way too much sense.
I heard that Lex Luther doesn't wash his hands after using the bathroom because he's just that evil. Truly diabolical.
Truly a justice league level threat
Worse, he stole 40 cakes. That's as many as 4 tens. And that's terrible.
@@whade62000 what an evil man
He's a menace to society... And I'm not talking about the movie.
Lmaooo, easily the best scene ever written. Flash knew what was up.
Lab Assistant Turned Military Sugarbaby Lex is a refreshing take as a whole.
They made him sassy. They made him cute. They made him relatable.
Wanting to see Lex succeed, just not in killing Superman, makes it just as refreshing as Smallville Lex's or Prison Gym Rat Lex's friendship with Clark.
I like his introduction as Alex, and getting to see his corruption arc. It's like watching SAO Abridged, getting to see a one dimensional character turned into a card-carrying member of the Foamy Cult.
Gotta lovenhow SAO was so laughly bad at points where the abridged parody is considered an improvement.
@@ralexcraft990😂
@@ralexcraft990People have made the point for years, but that's because the people making liked the original but thought it could be better. They knew the series well enough to know where it messed up, and how to improve on that. I don't usually like the "take a normal character, make them a jerk, and now it's realistic" manner of abridging, but making Kirito act like a git gud egomaniac really sells that this dude sees himself as a Gamer, with a capital G. That on top of adding sound effects and general quality of life improvements kinda shows that it just is an improvement. It's what would've happened if the potential people saw in it was realized.
Amen
@@derpfluidvariant0916The funny part of sao. Is it was just just a random almost first draft written by the author as like his first attempt at a novel. Even he realizes it's flawed. It was literally his cringe phase oc fest. With the "cool" "gamer" it's sad that became his legacy.
"Zach Snyder doesn't get the comics" is an apt description of his career. Like Bob "Moviebob" Chipman said: he makes deconstructions because he thinks sex and hyper violence is a normal part of comic books (and comic book movies) not questioning what the deconstruction tries to lay bare, and/or critique.
Yeah, lets take manchild with god complex' "opinion" on pedestal, instead of actually reading original comics by Siegel and also all behind-the-scenes material, as well as Reign of the Superman and The Starling and his many other works which are constantly ripped off ever since he finally managed to release a character in 1938 that he planned to in 1933.
I remember Cinema Roberto.
I like that game where you have ti identify which quotes are his and which quotes come from literal Nazis.
@@a_rat_named_mouse Chipman is indeed awful. But I don't think that necessarily makes his takes on Snyder wrong. Plenty of folks have said it and I think I agree. Snyder is an edgy boi who thinks characters like the Punisher are the peak of comics and he can't really do a Superman story well because that requires a little more honesty and hope than Snyder gives super heroes
Zack understand the comics it’s not rocket science it’s not hard to understand but y’all are just salty because he doesn’t copy paste the comics and he still copy paste some stuff from the comics and y’all would still hate anyways
@@Mohamad-m7md He literally directed THE closest adaptation of comics to date.
Only closer would be if all 3 live action Spider-Man got combined into one somehow
What I like about this Lex is that he's Peter Parker meets Light Yagami.
W/just a *touch* of Seto Kaiba. :D
OH MY GOD, THIS DIDN'T CROSS MY MIND AT FIRST🤯
Amazing description
@@acsound Maws lex (with abridged seto voice): superman it's time to duel
I really also liked how they built up the character for Lex Luthor from MAWS to just being a random guy named Alex (even though people already know it's Lex Luthor due to his hate for Superman) in season 1 before giving him a role as one of the main antagonists in season 2.
It was nice that they confirmed Alex's identity in the Season 2 trailer.
His full name is Alexander Luthor
One of the reasons they did that was they weren't 100% sure if they were going to use him as lex Luthor. They make hints but left it open until the second season when they decided that's the route they wanted to take. Which makes the slow build up just great.
@@Corhal09 Yeah.
Luthor works when you write him as if he has a secret identity. To the public, he's a charismatic businessman who wants to see humanity thrive but secretly he's a narcissistic villain who only cares about himself. the DCEU Lex didn't work because there was no distinction between the man the public knows and the real Lex. It's weird that Jessie had a bad Lex Luthor performance, but would've made for an amazing Riddler.
Jesse Eisenberg was so misdirected, literally if he just acted more like his Zuckerberg performance it would be so much better
No, he would've made an amazing Luthor , which he did.
@@FirstnameLastname-my7bz said no one ever
This is starting to become annoying, what makes Eisenberg’s Luthor more like Riddler than Luthor?
@@FirstnameLastname-my7bz Glad to know i'm not the only one. The more i've watched BvS. The more i started to understand Zacks direction of Lex Luther more. The versions he was chosen to play was mainly adapted from Superman: Birthright. I've seen many who picked that up and it all came together well.
I am really excited for Nicholas Hoults upcoming Lex Luthor i think hes gunna nail it honestly
Yeah, it does seem like despite being pretty young (in this case it makes sense cause he's closer to Superman's age), he could be a pretty intimidating version of the character.
I am excited to see Jessie Eisenberg return as Lex Luthor.
🤣🤣 no@@randynguyen9778
"Gunn"a heh. I see what you did there.
@@randynguyen9778 lmao
Reason 1: He's actually kinda intimidating.
And he is great at manipulating everything to make Superman a bad guy and even pulls the strings for power. That's quite impressive for this version of Lex Luthor.
@@blueeyeddrago3540 Him and Waler both seriously think Superman is a threat to Earth and both want to protect humanity from him. Waler and General Lane saw what a Alien invasion would do so they spent years trying to prepare for one and now superman is here is they think it is happening. A badass Lex moment could be him Holding the lazo and saying I am here to protect Humanity from Aliens I don't trust Waller Only I can do it.
He also feels like someone that could potentially exist too
Though slim
Yeah I know that's BVS Lex Luthor work so well.
@@blueeyeddrago3540how? People saw Superman save people, he says “you are bad” and people instantly turn on Superman.
Alex: Shortens his name to Lex
Barber: Okay, get in.
I can't stop thinking he looks like scott the woz
You mean the guy who own Sonic Jam
@@Hunter-013 you bet
Thanks, my eyes didn't consent to reading that
Lythero for me, Scott doesn't have the same smugness
He looks more like Pidge from Voltron remake
This is a really great video and as someone whose favourite comic book villain of all time is Lex Luthor, I really loved hearing your thoughts. My absolute favourite adaptation of the character is the portrayal in the DCAU voiced by Clancy Brown. When it comes to the DCAU Lex Luthor, talk about exuding "smug bastard" energy which is brilliantly showcased by Clancy Brown's incredibly charismatic performance. A primary reason why he is my absolute favourite villain is because in a lot of ways he's already won. He's conquered the world. Before Superman arrived, Lex's word was all but law. His every idle thought and passing fancy a reality, his every desire practically command. There was nothing he couldn't do. Before Superman arrived, Lex Luthor was the smartest, most powerful man on Earth (or so he told himself). And then Superman arrived. Just by existing, Superman frees the world from Lex's ever growing mass manipulation. Because he's incorruptible. Because he can't be bought. Because he holds Lex accountable for his actions. Superman allows people to tell Lex 'no', because they have someone to protect them from his his power. That gives Lex a core of motivation which makes his actions easy to explain, but impossible to excuse. He hates Superman because he believes Superman took the world away from him.
Really enough praise can't be given to Clancy Brown for the defining performance he gave and to me he is the definitive Lex Luthor. I absolutely love that even though Lex really is the opposite of Superman, meaning he’s arrogant, hateful, and cruel and when confronted with the suffering of others he can be borderline indifferent to it, yet despite that you just love seeing him chew scenery. His voice radiates such an amount of gravitas that whenever he speaks for some reason you are compelled to hang to his every word, even though most of them more than likely will be about how much inferior you are to him.
Beautifully said! You did a great job explaining why the DCAU Lex Luthor worked so well from the very start, I loved how in the first 3 episodes of STAS they purposely showed Luthor as being the top dog in Metropolis and how he felt immediately threatened by Superman's appearance. I especially loved his evolution throughout the DCAU, seeing how his hatred for Superman made hin progressively more unhinged until he even developed a fatal illness due to kryptonite radiation, his role in JL/JLU during the Cadmus storyline was amazing, and Clancy Brown's performance elevated the character's already fantastic writing to make the DCAU Luthor an even greater character.
smallville Lex is second best
@@ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΑ-ε1ω Ναι όντως.
I agree that the best live action adaptation of Lex Luthor is the versioning for from Smallville. He's not campy or over the top; he's calculating and methodical as well as egotistical and manipulative
Good job on this video and yes I agree about Jesse Eisenburg. It definitely would’ve made a lot more sense if he was playing a different villain or in a different story. He never felt like Lex Luthor to me but at the same time I can see why he is an essential part of the movie’s story because his persona made him intimidating and he had the scientific knowledge needed to make Doomsday in that movie which made a lot of money! So there are strong arguments for both sides but yeah I strongly agree that animated Lex Luthor was the best Luther! He was truly among my favorite villains in the DCAU and he is fantastic in MAWs too. I’m also very happy to hear that you are willing to support Nicholas Hoult. He seems like such a fantastic actor and I can’t wait to see what his version! Thanks again for making this video for us! Power to the Luthor fans!
I honestly forgot Luthor was a character in Batman vs Superman
When Reeves Superman and Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor are still the first that come in mind when talking about best live adaptation, it says everything wrong about DC. Smallville is like, 20+ years, and Reeves Superman is like from the 80s.
There is one Lex Luthor that I like quite much is from HQ TV series, even though is a bit over the top but fit perfectly into the tone.
I also quite curious about the Lex Luthor direction DCU will go, now in the comic he seems like more on a anti-villian side.
Lex can work as a representative of many ideologies but I personally like to compare him with the Law philosophy of the Shin Megani Tensei series.
A quick rundown the series splits ideologies in two directions, law and chaos. Both representing extremes of imposed order and true freedom respectively.
In the games the previous order of the world always falls due to humanity’s inherent flaws, so the game lets you choose what new direction you want to go in.
Lex seems like a prime candidate of a Law representative and its flaws. He has a vision for humanity to thrive with a specific hierarchy in mind. With him leading and everyone doing exactly as he says. Promising prosperity, as long as you stay in line.
3:45 and yet ironically he is just as alien to the common person because his wealth means he is healthier, better educated and more free than most people.
When you were talking about how it should've shown Luthor kill his dad and establish that he had earned the company, I thought of a fanfic I read that did something similar. In it, Luthor as a kid decides he's not going to stand for his dad abusing his mom. So he simply replaces life-saving medication his dad is on with mints the same size and color and successfully kills him without anyone even realizing it, not because he wouldn't love to gloat, but because it'd be easier on his mom if she thought it was a natural death. It was such a striking, quick way to convey Lex Luthor as we know him - smart, capable of rising based on his own merits, evil but with basic decency, and not entirely unsympathetic. His dad having a perfect, loving appearance in the public eye also made Lex's distrust of Superman make sense; he's seen too-good-to-be-true before.
And it's just wild to realize a fanfic did better at constructing an AU Lex Luthor than the DCEU, given the DCEU had professional writers and time to do multiple drafts and fanfics are typically first-drafts posted by amateur writers. When some 19 year old on AO3 is running circles around canon, things have gone *wrong*.
What's the name of the fanfic?
2:11 That seems to be a common problem in the Snyderverse.
I think Red Son Superman really showed off how good of a man Lex could've been if he wasn't so obsessed with destroying Superman.
I can’t believe that Zach Snyder knows how to read
Does he tho 😂😂😂
Is that all you guys do is hate.
@@faith4657 it's called having a laugh mate, try it some time and not be a thin skinned flake
@@wambokodavid7109 just saying bro.
He read thrash like Ayn Rand books, that's why he can't understand Superman
I’ve honestly enjoyed every iteration of lex so far even bvs
Billy Zane should’ve been Lex Luthor in Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice featuring Ben Affleck As Batman/ Bruce Wayne, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
What about the tv show Smallville?
I like how they incorporated him into Clark Kent’s life before he was Superman and how before either of their origin stories they were friends
Sounds similar to Lex's original backstory. Does he also hate Clark for making him bald?
Regarding any adaptation of Lex Luthor, screenwriters and directors must only ask one question before making choices: can this man believably become president of the United States? Despite his vices, his shrewdness and psychopathy, is he charismatic, self sufficient , imposing and justifiably intelligent enough for it ? Snyder's wouldn't even be up for consideration as a PR manager.
I mean Trump though
Crazy that Jon Cryer of all people ended up being the best live action Lex Luthor since Michael Rosenbaum.
Nah, both work for their different stories. BvS Lex is an origin story on how he gets to hate Superman, his philosophy and he ends up pretty much winning in his first appearance. The acting also works because again, he is not yet the Lex we know. We only get a glimpse of that in ZSJL when he talks to Deathstroke.
Not really, because BvS sucked.
@@Hifuutorian kinda agree. BvS:UE on the other hand, was phenomenal 👌🏻
@@Vesohag No it wasn't. All of Snyder's films have been awful and the extended versions are just even more of the awfulness stretched out and the weird glazing people insist on where adding 30+ minutes of the same terribleness somehow makes his already bad movies better is truly mindnumbing.
@@Hifuutorian sounds like you really haven't seen them, but that's alright, I suppose.
@@Vesohag I have. People defending bad movies are annoying.
I understand this is more a general deconstruct of lex as a character then a direct comparison and i agree mostly with your opinions of the decu lex but maws lex isnt a self made man he is being back by the government and maybe im wrong but he didnt create anything he just backwards engineered kryptonian tech
All that to say i dont think hes a bad lex (despite him not being ginger) just that we havent seen enough of him
He somehow looks like a jock and nerd at the same time in awsm
I’m almost certain his arc isn’t over and he’s going to start morphing into something closer to the Lex we know. The man is really leaning into building himself up and he’s gotten rocked by normal people a few times. I’m willing to be that in either this season or next season the little man will start bulking up
@@Broomer52 we keep joking superman's gonna accidentall do something makes him bald, as per the original motivation for lex's villainy in the golden age
@@sarafontanini7051 It makes more sense if Luthor follows the pattern of the show’s villains and gains his iconic look with his gears and helmets. Especially since Luthor’s baldness is never meant to tie into stupid abnormal events.
can' wait for him to get so stressed out from clark and the others to the point where he pulls his hair out lol
Zach Snyder doesn’t like Superman. He admitted it in interviews.
Didnt even know there was a live action luthor.
I'd say they're both pretty well written characters, sure they could have showed DCEU Luthor's rise to power in more detail but I don't really see how that would be relevant to the story overall. The core of Lex as you said is that he's a narcissist that hates Superman for being better than him, both versions show that just in different ways.
I do agree that Lex Luthor is better in my adventures with Superman than in BvS, but BvS Lex Luthor at least has the advantage of knowing that Clark is Superman.
Who knows if maws will find out he might
Lex shouldn’t know. It’s part of his character that he couldn’t comprehend someone with the powers of Superman would choose to live life as a lowly, clumsy reporter.
He did explain why it’s good for him not to know in the video
But he doesn't do anything with it after
@@genesismultiverse4896 he uses it with his mom.
My Adventures with Superman feels like a Evolution Series that Slowly Changes the World and Characters to the DC we come to know and love which is a Brilliant Idea as we never saw a Superman Series were Clark Struggling with his Alien Origin when he revealed himself to the World, this Version of Lex feels Organic and more Accurate than Snyder’s Version that failed to portray Lex as the embodiment of a Corrupt Human Narcissist with a Ego and believing he’s the True Man of Tomorrow.
Wrong, Snyder did it first. Within cinematic/non-comics realm.
The Why of Luthor is that he is absolutely vile and evil , warmonger who profits on stirring conflicts and who won't hold back in his goals.
The Why of *Lex* Luthor is that he never accepts accountability and has complicated relationship with Superman that isn't merely a hate (otherwise he could very easily off him, just like how it happened in the original The Death of Superman). And that he goes bald After meeting with Super which was indirect result of latter's actions.
Both of these Zack Snyder adapted perfectly, just like how he combined both comics Deaths into one. And only his adaptations will ever be remembered, everything else will be, at best, weaponized against ZS' version and then never to be remembered on itself except by handful of actual fans of these other takes.
@@FirstnameLastname-my7bz Amen. Happy to hear you understand Zacks direction of the character as much as any other fan out there.
Michael Rosenbaum did a pretty solid live-action Young Lex Luthor in SMALLVILLE.
So, on top of the video, we have the actor who voiced the Flash in JL/U doing a better live-action Luthor than Jesse Eisenberg.
Proof? Watch JLU's "The Great Brain Robbery", where Luthor and Flash did a mind swap.
I feel the Lex in Superman & Louis is done well. The businessman turned gangster angle just works. I hope the show leans into the concept.
The issue with DCEU's version was that he felt way more like a Riddler or a Joker than Lex Luthor......
I wonder if they even planned for him to be Lex when writing the film.....
Lex Luthor with hair = Otacon from Metal Gear Solid
Um, what about the smallville actor?!
He was the best one in a lot of people's opinions.
DCAU Lex Luthor is the best wanna know why he doesn't wash his hands most sinister thing i've ever seen
Absolutely!! DCAU Luthor was the best and most complete adaptation to this day, Clancy Brown did an amazing job portraying him
@@SantiBarrios I know right perfect Luthor. What do you think maws Darkseid gonna be like
@@tobiaspegues7318 Damnnn I'm really looking forward to seeing Darkseid and the New Gods in the show, since it's anime inspired I think it could be visually cool if the Fourth World characters had some shonen anime influence, like imagine seeing Darkseid in the style of a classic DBZ villain, or if they treated Orion like an anime rival for Superman where they're enemies at first but later become allies (like Goku and Vegeta lol).
I imagine that after Brainiac the show could possibly introduce Darkseid as the next big villain, he's very likely to appear imo
@@SantiBarrios Superman and Orion having a rivalry would be cool. Big Barda can be shown this badass warrior like Erza from Fairy Tale and Mister Miracle can be like Spike from Cowboy Bebop
Well comic luthor stole *20 CAKES!!!!!*
The way you described comic book Lex’s MO, that’s Batman exactly in BvS. Snyder mixed up everything!
really unpopular opinion but Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is my fav live action Lex Luthor
With how well they’re doing pretty much all of the characters from what I’ve seen, I feel like this show is going to become the DC equivalent of spectacular Spider-Man
WB keeps making great live action movies then doing a 180°. Christopher Reeves first Superman movies then they went to 💩. Same with Keaton’s first 2 & the DCEU. They botched BvS, SS1, & JL. While also (probably) redoing minor changes to other movies like BoP & WW84. Delayed Black Adam & Flash for years & had multiple writers & directors.
DC isn’t always darker but for the DCEU, it worked. It was a nice contrast to the MCU. It had deep underlying themes. The MCU had dark moments too.
The DCEU “dark moments” were just too complex for little minds.
In BvS the ship said “never again will the council give life to a deformity who hates life.”Implying this was a fake Doomsday.
But again did fans listen, no.
MoS “We want a classic Superman”
*was literally an origin film & we see why he does this & that.
And I liked Jesse as Lex. Ppl wanted comic accurate characters yet the MCU didn’t go in that direction. People are hypocrites. Clark was new to being Superman & Lex, in the comics had red hair & Lex is a scrawny villain to Sups. He outsmarts Sups, not his physical match. Idiots think that bc of the animated shows in the 90s & 2000s of which, I liked that Lex too but he’s not smart & buff like Batman. He’s smart & skinny like Zuckerberg
Clark offing Zod, a military general with super human powers he didn’t know how to use yet…😳 , ppl in the universe not universally loving Superman bc irl it would honestly be scary af.
BvS, “Save Martha!” Humanized the alien to Bruce and it was also Bruce’s mother’s name so it took him aback & his fathers last word was “Martha.”
Batfleck in BvS is a jaded Batman “how many good guys are left, how many stayed that way?” 5 alien beings with our version of a god like power decide to have a little sparing session and it kills thousands. I’d be pissed too and if I had the power and not the right frame of mind would probably break my one rule too. If they killed Clark humanity is doomed. We’re lucky he’s on our side for now….
And he chose humanity over bringing back Krypton. We’ve seen it in the animated show, they’re not good aliens and think they’re better than us in every way.
WB gave up too soon & the themes went above some fans heads.
The MCU had actual dumb moments as a fan of both DC & Marvel, pre MCU.
“I don’t care, he killed my mom” Tony, he was literally brainwashed.
Winter Soldier was a terrorist, that’s dark, where’s the outcry? The hate feels manufactured.
One of those who think Snyder is a genius, are you?
He’s not. He’s just a shitty writer.
No I want to hear that nonsense nope if y'all like my events with Superman Lex Luthor then you like BVS Lex Luthor he's doing the same thing he's a twink CEO obsessed with destroying Superman and using a persona to make you believe in something differently why he's a red herring No I don't I don't want to hear that nonsense especially when the first amen movie he was eccentric billionaire philanthropist as well that was kind of off as well like no this this whole notion of one Lex Luthor work and the other one doesn't just because he's using up different persona to trick people into covering up what he truly is No absolutely not if you if you like my adventures with Superman's Lex Luthor BVS Superman Lex Luthor they literally are the same characters except for my adventures with Superman had enough time to flush him out while the other one never got a chance to develop into more because they never gave us man of steel to No I don't want to hear this nonsense I already knew that people were going to try to sit up here and defend my adventures with Superman Lex Luthor and try to say it he's so much better than BVS Superman know they're the same damn Lex Luthor just in different ways No absolutely not we're not about to play this game
There’s one big difference. My Adventures with Superman Lex isn’t ungodly annoying with long rambled about pretentious nonsense the director thinks is deep.
first amen movie what ?
Lex wouldn't have been in Man of Steel 2 it would have been Braniac
@tylerleach8796 That's his own rambling, but it doesn't matter even side by side they literally are the same.
@@faith4657 No. One of them is an annoying weirdo called Lex Luthor (Jr.), the other is a young Lex Luthor. They are not the same.
I like MAWS Lex Luthor's hair 😍. 1:19
8:22 We, your listening audience, want you to tell us about your problematic childhood with an abusive trauma that had livelong psychological issues. Do you feel a relationship with Lex?
MAWS Lex is from the version of Earth where Nagatoro wouldn't go out with him
Need to rewatch animated series that's still peak superman show imo. Also no token jimmy.
Luthor has the personality of a 40k space marine 38,000 years too early.
I think the old Is Lois in Clark show the 1st season was more on point
it feels like in batman v superman they tried to hard to make lex a mirror of both... when they didn't have to he already was.
Well the MAWSM Lex seems to just be getting his footing just like Clark is
Enlightening vid. I'd never actually thought too deeply on how Lex's hatred of Superman boils down to his belief in human diligence and ingenuity. Superman is to him what mutants are to villains like Stryker (in the film franchise): privileged elites who've inherited greatness instead of earning it. That raises one of life's fundamental questions: how do you both appreciate the underdog who takes life into their own hands, and the crowd favorite who makes the most of what they've been given?
Nah, man... We all know why Lex hates Superman.
He made Lex bald.
0:40
That more like the riddler then lex, I dont know how they messed him up so badly.
Holy shit m8 that jumpscare at 1:04 was awful, you probably killed people with weak hearts out there...
The problem with Batman v Superman was the very idea of it being the sequel to MoS. They bit off more than they could chew
Jon Cryer>>>>>
I still think Smallvilles Lex Luthor was my favourite live action adaptation.
Lex Luthor was the best character in Batman vs Superman… that’s not a compliment. His screentime was just the only span of time I felt an emotion other than boredom.
Lex is one of the easiest villains to gsy right but he hits too close to him to the film execs so they'll never adapt him properly in live action.
i tought they called Lex jr. because he was Luthor's son. 😥
Holy shit Lex Luthor makes sense.
“It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character,” continued Gunn. “We love Superman."
Zack Synder-I had a buddy who tried getting me into “Normal” comic books, but I was all like “No one is having s*x or killing each other. This isn’t really doing it for me.”
I always liked the Lex Luthor from Supergirl in the Arrowverse
yeah this version is the best we've gotten in a long time.
Lex Luthor's development being shown in a movie? The movie would have to be about Luthor's rise to power.
We all know the Rock would be the perfect Luthor lmao
Good analysis
Lex Luthor loves himself. He is the best thing ever. He's Human, therefore Humans are the best. Because Lex is the best of the best. And anything that challenges that is wrong and must be destroyed.
I think BVS Lex is more of child that was abused, but still respected his father before he murdered him, we don't have a backstory on that only words from Lex, if we had a flashback scene depicting him with his dad and his trauma the audience would have understand him more, but imo his motivation feels rushed, just like the movie.
Ok, but I have a question...
Are the other versions of Luthor mad that this version gets hair?
Old school Lex would be seething
Luthor and Superman tend to be of similar age, whether young or old, so in BVS Lex Sr. would have been a more appropriate match age-wise but was killed by his own son before he got the chance.
when the new lex luthor loses his hair, specially if it involves superman, it will eb the greatest and funniest moment in th series
“I spent 40M dollars on a fake presidential campaign just to tick Superman off.”
Lex raised the bar for what qualifies as petty with that one.
Still doesn’t beat Eobard Thawne, although if Lex had Thawne’s powers I’m sure he would.
@@thomasraines1396 ABOUT NO DOUBT BRA
[NOT YELLiNG, JUZT LiKE TYPiNG iN CAPZ]
@@thomasraines1396 GOT iT 4 THE LiKEZ iF iT WAZ U, iF NOT THEN 4 WHOEVER iT WAZ
Idk about that. Reverse Flash is still hard to beat when it comes to being petty
@@CoOlKyUbI96 WE'RE NOT ARGUiNG THAT, WE KNOW REVERSE FLASH iS WAY MORE PETTY & BUSTED THAN LEX, EVEN iF THEY BOTH HAD THE SAME POWERZ
WE'RE JUZT SAYiNG LEX iS UP THERE ON THE LADDER TOO, NOT THE TOP BUT SOMEWHERE CLOZE
But did he steal 40 cakes? I will not accept him as a Lex Luthor if he didn't steal 40 cakes.
He probably will at some point
That would be as many as four tens. And that's terrible.
I've seen that joke about Lex and 40 cakes twice. What's is this about, some absurd plan from the sixties?
@@venom_spy437it’s from a dc themed math book
@@MrVoyeurific A what now? Is that a thing?XD
The DCAU Lex Luthor is the best, he's intelligent, suave, manipulative, arrogant, and the perfect nemesis for Superman. What's even cooler is that they wrote him to reflect all the previous versions of Luthor in the comics and other media. When Luthor is introduced, he's the corrupt businessman who owns half of Metropolis. As we see more of Luthor, we learn that he's genius industrialist who built up his tech company from nothing. When Luthor finally gets caught, he becomes a crime boss and a mad scientist. After he gets pardoned for helping the Justice League against the Justice Lords, he becomes a politician and runs for president, although it's later revealed to be ruse. Finally, Luthor becomes a true supervillain and the leader of the Legion of Doom. The DCAU Luthor is basically every version of Luthor combined, he's the Golden Age Luthor, he's the Silver Age Luthor, he's the Post-Crisis Luthor, he's the Superfriends Luthor, he's the Richard Donner Luthor.
Great observation! The DCAU Luthor really was a great amalgam of the best parts from every iteration of the character, he was a mad scientist, a corrupt buisinessman, a classic supervillain, they showed him doing a lot of the most iconic things he's done in the comics like becoming President or working alongside Brainiac, that's why the DCAU easily has the most complete adaptation of Luthor to date
It also helps that he's played by one of the many fantastic voice actors out there, Clancy Brown.
@@luigiboi4244yeah Clancy added a whole new charm to the character and made the character his own in DCAU
I never noticed that before, but he really does go through every stage of comics. Add in a master voice actor and we have THE Lex Luthor.
Yeah he’s my favorite version too.
It’s funny that MAWS accidentally created Lex twice. They first couldn’t use him so they use Alex as a placeholder and then they allowed Lex to be in the show and then Jimmy motivated him to do his own thing and now Lex is a menace.
It wasn't an accident, they put him in season 1 as "alex" because they were confident that the show would be popular enough that they'd be allowed to use him for season 2
@@HappyGingerWolf Smart move, ngl
@@HappyGingerWolf - Plus, season 1 Alex it worked very well as a misdirection, since the second Parasites are the twins Alexander & Alexandra Allston.
Fans of *Superman & Lois* are familiar with Alexandra "Ally" Allston, who was the Big Bad of season 2 (we are currently waiting for season 4, which will be the last season of the show and the official end of the Arrowverse).
Since "MAWS" Alex was working for the OG Parasite, it wasn't a huge stretch to imagine that he was the second Parasite, and that Lex Luthor would be kept for later.
Between *My Adventures with Superman* season 2 and *Superman & Lois* season 4, 2024 should be a great year for Supes fans, and we're getting 2 great Lex Luthors, with Michael Cudlitz reprising his role as Lex, a role that he totally crushed in the last episodes of season 3...
Lex might have struggled in live action recently when it comes to movies, but in TV shows he's been pretty damn impressive.
Titus Welliver delivered a delectable performance in *Titans* season 4, Michael Cudlitz has crushed it in *S&L* , and even Jon Cryer delivered a crazy good performance in season 4 of *Supergirl* (arguably the best season of a mediocre show, but I guess season 1 wasn't too bad either) , which was extremely well received at the time.
Sadly, Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor was dragged into *Supergirl* seasons 5 (in which he still had a few solid scenes here and there) but season 6 finished to bury his character, making him a parody of what he was in season 4.
So, sadly, much like the first 3 seasons of *The Flash* , a swarm of NPCs forgot that they liked him in the first place and replaced their opinion with the latest popular youtube essay on the subject.
@@randallflagg3700 personally I always knew he'd be Luthor, between the suspicious lack of a surname, the ginger hair, and the extreme hatred of superman on the basis of "he's not one of us"
@@HappyGingerWolf - Well, yes, Lex being Lex Luthor was the obvious choice ^^
The Alex _"Parasite 2"_ Allston was just a theory that comic book nerds
(frankly, the only ones who even knew that this obscure character existed)
believed to be a possible misdirection, since he worked for the first Parasite and was also called Alex, and suspiciously we never heard his last name.
Sometimes fans tend to overthink stuff like this because it's fun to try to outsmart the writers, this was one of those times...
But sometimes the misdirection end up being the real deal, like in the first 2 seasons of *The Flash* for instance, or *Arrow* seasons 1, 2 & 5, *Superman & Lois* seasons 1&3, *Legends of Tomorrow* season 1, etc etc...
I always thought of Lex Luther as an insanely jealous man. I don’t think he ever felt physically threatened by Superman, or thought that superman post a genuine threat to humanity as a whole, but used that as an excuse to get the public on his side so that they would hate superman as well. Lex is afraid that Superman will overshadow him in history, and in reality if Lex just ignored super man and developed good technology, cured incurable diseases, hilt eco-friendly energy production, or developed a serum to give people superpowers, then he would be the most famous person in all of history. And the sad thing is he’s done all of these things. He is more than capable of doing something good for society. If he would just put his ego aside for like a year then he would be the one overshadowing Superman easily. That’s why Lex is so compelling to me as a villain, Because he’s genuinely his own worst enemy and he’s the only one stopping himself from being famous.
Your right that’s the tragic pet led has all the pieces he just has to big of an ego and lets his jealously take over. I think you can see this in the movie all star where he gets Superman’s powers and has a bit of a crisis realizing how wrong his own selfish world view is in the grand scheme of things.
this exatly, to quote the man himself in blackest night:
"the truth is...I want to BE superman"
Superman is everything he wants to be, but his ego and desire for power stops him from doing anything to make that happen. Because he only sees superman's power and reputation, not what superman does and what superman is.
Deep down, he hates superman because he will always be something lex can never be: loved. But lex cannot accept that anyting he did was wrong, so he rejects any avenue he could to match superman, and rather than face this he has to lie to himself, claim it's because "superman is an alien that can't be trusteed".
@@sarafontanini7051 Lex CAN BE loved but not the way he would accept, and not with all the evil he's commited. If you want to see what a good Lex Luthor could be like, just look at Iron Man (maybe not the current comic one tho😂)
what's funny is that a dying superman said the same thing to luthor. in the finale of all-star superman, and luthor at his lowest and breaking down admitted it that he could've done it all.
I think the word you're looking for is Envy. Jealousy is being afraid of losing what you already have. Envy is hating someone/something for what you covet. Other than that, you're spot on. Lex's spine as a character is envy.
The most iconic thing about MAWS Lex is that they got the voice of Saitama to voice him
I wonder if his suit would be a one-punch man reference.
His inevitable baldness will be a one punch man reference
LMAO🤣
@@uwu_owo186 That might actually make him really scary since that implies he would no longer need glasses, just like another super powered genius, Spiderman. So when the Lex suit is busted up, Superman suddenly gets an unexpected round 2.
@@uwu_owo186 Apparently, there is a hybrid Martian of Lex Luthor and he does the cape baldy thing despite being able to control his appearance.
Lex could intentionally make himself bald to hide his identity in his post-mutant body.
The best live action version of Lex Luther that we got was Smallville.
Completely agree! Michael Rosenbaum was great
Michael Rosenbaum was great casting, but the Smallville writing was wildly uneven.
Supergirl season 4, surprisingly, topped the list for me. That show was similarly uneven, so my expectations were low, but season 4 was the strongest season (very much in spite of everything that led up to it), and they nailed Lex in it. And I thought Jon Cryer was a strange casting choice when I heard it, but somehow it worked.
@@SantiBarrios also he actually tried to be luthor snyderverse feels like it's trying his hardest to be anything BUT what the source material is
@@SwenglishI couldn’t watch the last season of Supergirl because of all the flashing colored light effects in the show. Plus I had Covid when I tried to watch season four and the virus give me a migraine.
@@brantjustilian3791 I'm sorry to hear that. That sounds unpleasant. I hope you're feeling better now.
MAWS is just such a fresh and exciting take on a property that’s been done dirty for over a decade. This show could be new younger fans first interaction with Superman, and really show the strengths of the characters and the world
It won't. Just like none of 7.5 iterations of Superman after Snyder's version did. Only his vision actually lasts in anyone's memory in the first place, let alone actually inspires to take Action.
@@FirstnameLastname-my7bz The Snyder-glazing is crazy.
@@BobbinRobbin777 Just facts. If they trigger you so much it makes you cope by delving into your carnal desires, it is only on you and a skill issue.
@@FirstnameLastname-my7bz ???
I like Henry Cavil as an actor just as much as the next guy. But his Superman was directed so poorly. He’s a soulless, emotionless, Jesus comparison that just comes off as lazy and unrelatable. Superman is a human first and foremost, and should be like any average person
I know this video essay is talking about Luthor's characterization rather than design but can we take a moment to appreciate how AMAZING MAWS design for a Lex Luthor is? I absolutely love the jacket that pays homage to his silver age suit. What a brilliant subtle callback!
I'd argue that Clark doesn't play up his insecurities when he's Clark but that the cape and the S gives him more confidence to not be awkward and clumsy when he's Superman. It also helps that people expect him to be strong when he is superman but I rate Clark genuinely drops things and is clumsy not as an act but because he is so nervous that he reveals his powers.
Yeah, when he's Superman, no one expects him to be a paper man in a clay world, if he crushes a reporter's pen by accident he can write that off as just an accident. He still has to be vigilant and careful, but only to a limited degree. But when he's Clark, he HAS to be a man of paper, not the man of steel. The slightest mistake could destroy someone's hand, or could even ruin the lives of him and everyone he's ever known. Not just Lois and Jimmy, but even the other tenants of his apartment building, his city block, everyone at his favourite coffee shop. Everywhere he goes could be at constant risk of destruction if he slipped up even once. The man might have a will of steel, but even steel will buckle under that kind of pressure. No wonder he can't focus on being a perfectly suave and elegant human, he's already got his plate full with being a regular human.
We saw it in season 1 as well. Clark smashed an alarm clock in nervousness of his first day at work. He's too afraid to accidentally reveal his powers, and in the process of hiding them, does a complete 180 and becomes clumsy. He can't try to stop things from falling off his hands lest he taps into superspeed out in public. He bumps into people because he could end up speed blitzing away if he tried to dodge them immediately. He is clumsy because he is too afraid of being the opposite.
MAWS Lex Luthor is really great so far. He really makes you want to hate him a lot compared to his DCAU version. The voice is also really good, I mean it’s nowhere near as perfect compared to Clancy Brown’s but I understand it’s a different take and different world so it makes sense. But you know in my opinion it felt like a missed opportunity to get Clancy Brown to voice Jor El in MAWS. I’m just saying but what do you think @Santi Barrios?
Clancy Brown as Jor El would've been awesome! They could still cast him on the show as another villain like Mongul for example, and I'd love to see DCAU actors being casted on MAWS
@@SantiBarrios true, they did it for Lauren Tom best known as Dr Light from JLU and Dana from Batman Beyond.
I turned to my buddy while watching MAWS and said “I wanna punch Lex in the face so bad”
I think Clancy should voice Lionel Luthor as a passing the torch role.
We got Zombieland Jesse Eisenberg, but we needed Social Network Jesse Eisenberg.
In such an effective statement, you have perfectly encapsulated what I felt about Eisenberg's portrayal of the character.
@@motionlesskilljoy And he didn't even want that portrayal! That was all Snyder!
He thought he was auditioning for the riddler.
My first guess was that MAWS Lex doesn't act like Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka.
I feel like a quote from my dad (about elon musk) really sums up Lex, "He wants to save the world, but only if he does it himself."
"Why MAWS Lex Luthor Works and the DCEU Lex Luthor Doesn't?" Two words. *_Zach Snyder._* If Snyder couldn't figure out what made Superman tick after 75 years of Superman comic books, then he was *_never_* going to work out what made Lex Luthor tick either.
One thing I always liked about All-star Superman is that, even when Luthor temporarily became a Kryptonian and gained Superman's powers, he didn't do anything with that power to save humanity and only sought to humiliate Superman. When he finally had his epiphany upon losing his powers, he yells that with that power he could have saved the world, but Superman tells him that he always could have done it, but he was too selfish to see it. Luthor admits it. That's what I love, Luthor is proud to be human, but his pride is also coextensive with his ambition and narcissism. Yes, he does have respect for human beings and their positive and negative qualities, but he wants to see himself as the best of all, as an example to follow and to be adored for it. That is why he hates Superman, he has powers that, despite having been granted by his extraterrestrial biology, he does not aspire to be more than a human, but to be another. Superman is the antithesis of everything that Lex is and, at the same time, reveals the hypocrisy that nourishes his being. If Lex would get rid of his ego he could ultimately be as good as he says he is unlike Superman, but in the end it is difficult for him to do so because he is also part of being human.
He admires 'humanity'... but is only human, in the end.
That's also what makes him redeemable to a degree. As he does the right thing.....every now and again
"The action in [Watchmen] was deliberately shown as something horrific, messy and truly violent, rather than a spectacle, or being cool exactly to compliment this theme of the story. But Zack Snyder and his adaptation chose to completely disregard the story's themes and he actually glorified violence. The characters literally fight as if they have superpowers even though they are meant to be normal, regular people."-
THANK YOU
Lex luthor is the toxic personification of the indomitable human spirit
I completely agree with this sentiment.
Michael Rosenbaum will forever be the best Luthor we’ll get. The fact it was a series gave them time to flesh him out as a person & not just a villain.
Michael Rosenbaum's depiction of Lex Luthor is actually nice
DCEU Lex reads like the Joker wearing Riddler's skin.
The Joker was originally supposed to show up as his own character. I'm honestly convinced they just wrote him out and gave all of his lines to Luthor instead.
Jessie Eisenberg's Lex feel more like someone trying to do a modern Joker impression more than anything.
Lex in my perspective has always been more composed, suave and sophisticated than most Gotham criminals.
He doesn't try getting into your head by throwing a bunch of symbolism or analogies at you. He always analyzes your character and try to find a dent in your armor and slowly work his way from there trying to seem like he has your best interest in mind.
He's cold, but precise and he uses a lot of his talents as a businessman and his natural charisma to get what he wants.
That's why the DC Justice League cartoon has one of the best versions of Lex to this day.
there's also an ARROGANCE to lex. He believes his wealth and growth from nothing makesit so he is above everything, that he is free to do as he pleases, and that he is inherently better than everyone. In his mind he not only alreayd won, he SHOULD win.
Superman is the one person who can tell lex "you're WRONG"
TBF, in the Golden and Silver ages he was often goofier than in the "modern" age and current era.
Hate to tell you this but Jessie Eisenberg Lex Luthor is basically the modern Lex Luthor.
He just acts like a real business prick joker acts noting like him
That is literally what happens in the movie.
I remember during the first season everyone was terrified he'd be lex and that he'd suck due to BVS version, and then everyone immediately loves him once we properly saw him