The Superman prequel series Smallville has the best live-action iteration of Lex Luthor by far. Smallville debuted in 2001, telling the story of how Tom Welling’s Clark Kent discovered his Kryptonian origins and came to terms with his powers. As Clark’s story progressed towards his destiny as Superman, so did the story of his future arch nemesis. Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor was entangled with Welling’s Clark from the very first episode of Smallville, with the series telling the tragic tale of friends-turned-enemies.
Rosenbaum’s long tenure on Smallville, seven of the series’ ten seasons, helped the actor cement his legacy as the greatest live-action Lex Luthor to this point. Superman is the epitome of what it means to be a superhero, not only based on the characters’ powers but his acute humanity, despite not being human himself. The character has spawned several different movies and TV shows over the years, with some of the best talent in Hollywood taking a stab at the character. Wherever Superman went, Luthor followed. Due to that, there have been many live-action Lex Luthor actors, but none gave a performance as remarkable as Rosenbaum in Smallville.
Gene Hackman Brought Forth Lex’s Comedic Side
Gene Hackman, one of the most iconic actors of all-time, was the first to properly bring Lex Luthor to life in live-action on a feature film. Before Hackman, actor Lyle Talbot played a one-dimensional mad scientist version of the villain on the 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman, which was one of the Superman film serials of the time. Hackman then took over Luthor for the Superman movie franchise, appearing in three out of four movies. Lex was the first villain Christopher Reeve’s Superman went up against in 1978’s Superman. Hackman’s Luthor was a much more rounded character than Atom Man vs. Superman‘s take.
Although the actor brought a gravitas to the role, Hackman’s Luthor was in many ways a far cry from the character’s comic book roots. The movie version of Lex substituted his technological schemes for a fixation with real estate. Hackman’s Luthor was also far more comedic than the calm and collected persona Lex is usually known for, but the actor’s outstanding performance allowed him to retain Lex’s menacing side when needed. Hackman appeared as Lex Luthor in Superman, Superman II, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Although he was not the most comic book-accurate version of Lex, Hackman’s Luthor stands as an iconic version of the villain.
Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Was More Riddler Than Luthor
While visually Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor did not really resemble the Superman villain’s signature bald look and stern persona, it was the actor’s performance as the character in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that really showed how different he was from the Lex Luthor known in the comics. Eisenberg’s turn as a younger Lex Luthor was far more energetic and manic than the muted personality the Superman villain is usually portrayed to have. The actor delivered a great villain performance by showing Lex’s brilliance, although his talents appeared more tailored to play the Batman villain Riddler rather than Luthor, which has become a common conception.
The modern tech genius take on Lex Luthor, with a talkative persona to boot, received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. It did not help Eisenberg’s case that the movie he appeared in as Luthor, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was ill-received to the point of sending the entire DCEU into disarray. The actor’s performance might be an acquired taste when it comes to live-action Lex Luthor actors, but Eisenberg’s brief role as Lex in a Justice League post-credits scene teased a more comic book-accurate Luthor could be coming in the future; however, DC chose to move away from director Zack Snyder’s plans.
Michael Rosenbaum Added Depth To Lex Luthor In Smallville
Rosenbaum in Smallville is the best live-action portrayal of Lex Luthor. The actor had seven seasons to develop the most nuanced version of the character in live-action. Smallville‘s Lex Luthor was a tragic character, starting out as a young man with no real friends and a demanding father that rarely showed him affection. Lex’s upbringing would play a huge part in his transformation into a villain throughout the series, as the character would not take lightly to Clark constantly lying to him in order to maintain his powers a secret. John Glover’s Lionel Luthor, Lex’s father, had several scenes opposite Rosenbaum’s Lex that helped shape up his dark future.
Lex and Clark were best friends for quite some time in Smallville, with their friendship starting after the future Superman saved Lex from drowning. Rosenbaum’s long tenure on Smallville added depth to Lex Luthor, allowing the audience to see different sides to the character rather than just Superman’s arch nemesis. Rosenbaum’s tour de force performance, accompanied by great writing that included some of the best Luthor dialogue in any media, made the audience sympathize with the character. It became difficult to see Lex go down his destined villain path after such a long time in the light, and Rosenbaum made sure the audience felt the hurt.
Zachary Levi Almost Played Lex Luthor In Smallville
While Rosenbaum’s title as the best live-action Lex Luthor could be attributed to the time the actor had to develop the character, seven seasons, it was ultimately the actor’s ability to easily switch between warm and friendly into cold and evil that led to his performance becoming applauded by many. Rosenbaum’s career-defining performance as Lex Luthor can be compared to Heath Ledger’s iconic performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Despite Joaquin Phoenix’s Best Actor Oscar win for the title role in 2019’s Joker, Ledger continues to be regarded as the best live-action version of the Batman villain.
As does Ledger with the Joker, Rosenbaum remains the top live-action Lex Luthor, despite other actors taking on the role since he ended his tenure in Smallville. What many people do not know is that Smallville‘s Lex Luthor could have been played by Shazam! actor Zachary Levi rather than Rosenbaum. Recently, Levi opened up about losing the Smallville Lex Luthor role. The actor got really close to getting the part, going as far in the casting process as to audition for the executives at the network and Smallville pilot director David Nutter. Ultimately, the part went to Rosenbaum, with Levi eventually getting another DC role in the form of Shazam.
Levi recently came under fire after Shazam! Fury of the Gods bombed at the box office. Levi’s performance in the Shazam! sequel became a focal point of criticism surrounding the movie, with DC fans saying Levi was too childish as Shazam while Asher Angel acted more serious as Billy Batson, his child counterpart. Judging from Levi’s more comedic-leaning talents, it is hard to imagine what the actor’s take on Luthor would have been like, but it likely would not have gone in the same direction as Rosenbaum’s did in Smallville. In the end, the correct choice was made, and Smallville gained the best live-action portrayal of Lex Luthor in Rosenbaum.
