Lex Luthor is by far the villain most popularly linked to Superman. So much so that he has appeared in every live-action venture featuring the Man of Steel... save one. The Adventures of Superman television series of the 1950s did not utilize any existing comic book villains.
In this tour, we will take a look at the many actors who have portrayed Alexander Joseph ("Lex") Luthor in film and television.
Because of an artist's mistake in the Superman newspaper strip in 1941, Luthor was portrayed as being bald. Superman's creators liked the striking look and incorporated it permanently in the comic books beginning with Superman #10 (May 1941).
In the second Superman serial featuring Kirk Alyn as Superman (The Atom Man vs. Superman), actor Lyle Talbot became the first actor to portray Lex Luthor on the big screen. The serial was not as well received as the 1948 Superman serial, mostly due to its cheap production value.
As Luthor, Talbot employed a vaguely Germanic accent. He plagues Metropolis with scientific devices and attacks Superman with synthetic Kryptonite that he creates.
The Atom Man vs. Superman consists of fifteen 16-minute chapters.
(In an ironic bit of casting, Lyle Talbot had previously played Commissioner James Gordon in the 1949 serial, Batman and Robin.)
In this film, Lex Luthor is played by Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman. His version of Lex is a criminal mastermind, intent on stealing missiles from the U.S. Government and using them to destroy the western coastline, thus turning the desert land he owns into new prime coastal real estate. This version of Lex Luthor is very much played with a comedic undertone, and he surrounds himself with a bungling henchman named Otis and a quirky girlfriend named Eve.
Hackman's Lex Luthor wore a wig (thus freeing Hackman from repeatedly having to don a bald cap). That Lex is really bald is nothing more than a quick reveal late in the film. Many future portrayals of the character would employ this premise.
Hackman reprised his role as Lex Luthor in Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
In the 1980s the producers of the Superman movies (Alexander and Ilya Salkind) owned the film rights to all the Superman family-related characters. This included Supergirl and Superboy. They produced a Supergirl movie that was universally panned. They also produced a Superboy syndicated television series that aired for four seasons.
In season one (1988), Superboy was portrayed by John Haymes Newton. The season featured four episodes with Lex Luthor. He was portrayed by Scott James Wells. In season one, Lex is a fellow student with Clark Kent and Lana Lang at Shuster University. In the final episode of season one, Superboy rescues Lex from a chemical fire that causes his hair to fall out (this mirrored the DC Silver Age revised origin of Lex's baldness). Lex blames Superboy and becomes focused on making him pay.
The first episode of season two informs the viewers that Lex underwent plastic surgery, thus his revised and older appearance. Howard was featured in 17 episodes of Superboy during seasons 2 through 4. His Lex is motivated by revenge and hatred for Superboy.
Sherman's last performance as Lex Luthor was in 1992.
The show starred Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane and Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman. It also starred John Shea as Lex Luthor. The show turned up the sex appeal and in season one, Luthor was a regular cast member. He sought to romance Lois and for a while was successful at doing so.
Lex is a business tycoon who continually engages in questionable and illegal activities to acquire more wealth and power. He fools most of the public into believing that he has a sense of integrity, but Superman knows better. As Superman attempts to expose Luthor's criminal side, Shea's Luthor seems to enjoy the challenge.
When the show returned for its second season, Daily Planet vamp Cat Grant was gone, the actor portraying Jimmy Olsen was replaced, and John Shea's Lex Luthor was reduced to an occasional guest star. Shea only appeared in a handful of episodes during the show's remaining three seasons, ending in 1997.
The next actor who took on the role of Lex Luthor was Michael Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum played the role longer than any other actor to date, and his take on the character is universally lauded by Superman fans.
In 2001 the burgeoning WB Network captivated its youthful audience with a fresh take on the Superman legend. Smallville centered on a teenage Clark Kent navigating high school—and later, college—while grappling with his growing powers, which increasingly made him feel like an outsider in a world where fitting in seemed impossible. The show promised its viewers "no tights and no flights". This show was about teen and young adult angst more than heroics. And for the most part, the show kept that promise.
Rosenbaum's take on Lex is beautifully nuanced as he struggles to remain friends with a kind young Clark Kent (who rescued him from a car accident) while simultaneously seeking the approval and acceptance of his ruthless and corrupt billionaire father.
To his credit, Rosenbaum was so committed to the character that he shaved his head for the seven seasons that he was featured as a regular cast member, rather than opting for a cosmetic bald cap.
The series lasted an impressive 10 seasons. Rosenbaum was a regular cast member for the first seven years and then appeared as a guest star in the show's tenth and final season.
During it's time on the air, Smallville featured four young actors who played younger versions of Lex Luthor in flashback sequences.
Matthew Munn played Lex Luthor in two episodes (2000 and 2001), Wayne Dalglish portrayed Lex in one episode in 2004, Lucas Grabeel stepped in to play Lex in three episodes between 2006 and 2011, and finally, Connor Stanhope was featured as Lex in five episodes aired between 2008 and 2010.
When Michael Rosenbaum left the show after season 7, the character of Lex was still seen on a couple of occasions. But he was either massively covered up with scientific equipment, or blurrily portrayed in a dream-like state. On these two occassions, it could be said that Ayron Howey and Kevin Miller were much more of stand-ins for Michael Rosenbaum than playing Lex. With that said, they are credited as playing Lex Luthor, so they are credited here as well!
So there you have it! Seven actors playing Lex Luthor on Smallville. Time to move this tour along!
In 2006 Superman Returns was released in theaters around the country. This movie was intended to be a sequel to Superman and Superman II (while ignoring Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace).
Brandon Routh took on the iconic role of Clark Kent/Superman, stepping into the shoes of Christopher Reeve. Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor marked a stark contrast to Gene Hackman's earlier take on the character. Spacey's Luthor is far more maniacal and sinister, radiating a dangerous intensity. He’s not only angrier but also prone to chilling threats of mass destruction. In one chilling moment, he drives a jagged piece of kryptonite into Superman, delighting in the agonizing pain he inflicts on the Kryptonian hero.
The movie did fairly well at the box office, but not well enough to be rewarded with any sequels.
Ten years after Superman Returns, DC Comics made an attempt to bring more of its iconic heroes to the big screen. Inspired by the success of its rival Marvel, DC sought to launch a franchise that would unite its A-list superheroes—Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman—with some fan-favorite B-listers like Cyborg, Flash, and Green Lantern. The ultimate goal was to build up to a Justice League of America film.
Man of Steel (2013) was the cornerstone of this planned roll out of the DC Universe on film. It starred Henry Cavill as the last son of Krypton. In the film, Superman's primary enemy is fellow Kryptonian, General Zod.
Man of Steel was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. Superman and Batman meet under contentious circumstances, immediately distrusting each other. Eventually they find common ground as they work to take down an eccentric and evil businessman named Lex Luthor. This Lex is incredibly intelligent, a CEO and billionaire, and obsessed with being able to take down Superman, who he views as an alien intruder. We also discover he is keeping files on several other humans who have been reported to have meta abilities. Lex is played by Oscar-nominee, Jesse Eisenberg.
Many movie-goers were not impressed with Eisenberg's take on the character, but your tour guide does not agree with those folk! Eisenberg's interpretation was fresh and original, though, like many actors before him, this Lex appears to have a full head of hair through most of the movie, only to have his baldness be worked in late in the movie.
Jesse Eisenberg reprised the role of Lex Luthor in 2017's Justice League (and subsequently Jack Snyder's Justice League in 2021).
In 2012, the CW network launched Arrow, a television series based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. The show starred Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy who moonlights as the vigilante known as Arrow. Arrow quickly gained popularity and ran for eight seasons, becoming the cornerstone of what would later be called the "Arrowverse." Its success paved the way for several spin-offs, including The Flash (9 seasons), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (7 seasons), Supergirl (6 seasons), Batwoman (3 seasons), and Constantine (1 season). These shows, all rooted in DC Comics, expanded the Arrowverse and attracted a dedicated fanbase.
The next live-action Lex Luthor made his debut on Supergirl. Starting in Season 4, Jon Cryer took on the iconic role, bringing chaos to the Girl of Steel’s world. He became a key player throughout the show’s final three seasons, even appearing across several other Arrowverse series, most notably during the five-show crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Cryer’s portrayal of Lex Luthor closely mirrors the pre-Crisis comic book version of the character—sociopathic, unapologetically evil, yet capable of moments of comically absurd behavior. His sister, Lena Luthor, who played both friend and foe to Supergirl, was a regular cast member, while his villainous mother, Lillian Luthor, also made frequent appearances.
(In an ironic casting twist, Jon Cryer played Lenny in Superman IV: Quest for Peace twenty-five years earlier. Lenny was the nephew of Gene Hackman's version of Lex Luthor!)
Titus Welliver took on the role of Lex Luthor next, in a memorable guest appearance during the fourth season of Titans (2022). His portrayal of Lex was rich, powerful, and ruthlessly focused—a maniacal figure whose manipulations and drive left a lasting impact. Although Lex meets his demise by the episode’s end, he managed to leave Superboy (Joshua Orpin) with his vast fortune and business empire.
In Titans, Superboy (Joshua Orpin) is the Conner Kent version, a clone created from the DNA of both Superman and Lex Luthor. Aware of his terminal illness, Lex attempts to sway Conner away from the heroic ideals he had been absorbing from the Titans, hoping to influence him toward a more self-serving path. For a time, Lex's tactics seem to work, as Connor even starts to identify as "Conner Luthor." Ultimately, however, Conner's journey takes a positive turn, and he finds his way back to the side of good.
When actors Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch first portrayed Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, they appeared as guest stars on Supergirl, which was part of the aforementioned Arrowverse. Later, the pair was "spun off" into their own series, Superman and Lois (2021 - 2024). However, early in the first season, viewers learn that this version of Superman and Lois is distinct from the ones on Supergirl. Set in a separate corner of the DC multiverse, they are unique characters with their own supporting cast and villains.
As a result, when Lex Luthor shows up on Superman and Lois, he is not portrayed by Jon Cryer. In this series, Lex Luthor is played by Michael Kudlitz. He showed up in the final two episodes three, setting himself up as the primary villain of the show's fourth and final season.
His version of Lex has been in prison for a decade due to a story that Lois published. After his release, the circumstances of his conviction come into play, and Lex sets out to use his fortunes to destroy the people in Lois's life. He is ruthless and singularly driven by revenge. He is ultimately successful in getting Superman killed (if only temporarily).
As we bring this tour to its final port, we could easily say... "There you have it, the seventeen actors who have played the role of Lex Luthor!" But wouldn't you know it... there's one more actor... waiting in the wings to be added to this list!
At the time of publishing this tour, Nicholas Hoult is scheduled to portray Lex Luthor in another relaunch of the Superman film franchise in the upcoming Superman, set to premiere in 2025.
We'll undoubtedly come back and extend this tour accordingly!
So there you have it! Our tour comes to its conclusion, and it's time to depart and get back to reality. Or, maybe it's time to try hopping on another tour! Check them out, or wait for future additions!
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