Why MAWS Lex Luthor Works and the DCEU Lex Luthor Doesn't 

“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.

But did he steal 40 cakes? I will not accept him as a Lex Luthor if he didn't steal 40 cakes.

I heard that Lex Luther doesn't wash his hands after using the bathroom because he's just that evil. Truly diabolical.

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.

The most iconic thing about MAWS Lex is that they got the voice of Saitama to voice him

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.

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.

The best live action version of Lex Luther that we got was Smallville.

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 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.

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?

I am really excited for Nicholas Hoults upcoming Lex Luthor i think hes gunna nail it honestly

I can't stop thinking he looks like scott the woz

Reason 1: He's actually kinda intimidating.

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

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.

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.

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.

Michael Rosenbaum's depiction of Lex Luthor is actually nice

What I like about this Lex is that he's Peter Parker meets Light Yagami.

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.

We got Zombieland Jesse Eisenberg, but we needed Social Network Jesse Eisenberg.

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.

DCEU Lex reads like the Joker wearing Riddler's skin.

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

The best live action luthor is from smallville

Lex get the legendary Lythero setup ain't no way he gonna lose his drip

My first guess was that MAWS Lex doesn't act like Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka.

I don’t think he’s seen Lois and Clark the new adventures superman,Smallville and supergirl before uploading this video. People have forgotten about Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor from Smallville, Jon cryer’s incarnation of Lex Luthor from supergirl and John Shea as Lex Luthor in Lois and Clark the new adventures of superman as they’re the best live action television incarnations of Lex Luthor.

I can’t believe that Zach Snyder knows how to read

To me the best version was in Superman the animated series.

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.

7:52 let me guess he’s gonna say something dumb like father said this because he enjoyed Kentucky mashing my skull with his own hands.

I’ve honestly enjoyed every iteration of lex so far even bvs

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.

It felt a lot more simple in two aspects... BvS lex Luthor felt more like an origin story for the Joker as some crazy guy trying to tear down everything and making schemes that bring more chaos and destruction rather than... whatever the BvS Lex Luthor claimed to be getting if he won in the movie. Seriously what was his grand goal after the unstable super monster kills Superman and starts unleashing havoc and devastation upon the rest of the city and planet? The MAWS Lex Luthor on the other hand just feels like another Lex Luthor in the long line of Lex Luthors. he has his quirks, his strengths, and flaws... but you can see how is acts and see why this villain feels like a proper Lex Luthor... Despite us having a mad scientists, a con artist, a businessman, and so much more.

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

I feel like smallville did more for the character than the movies ever did so far

BvS Luthor felt like a mixmatch between Joker and Riddler

I really like the direction of My Adventures with Superman Lex was heading with him showing he earned his title, dominating his old boss, and giving a good reason to be against Superman despite him saving the day a lot while I forget how the DCEU Luthor had daddy issues but looking back, still feel off how Luthor makes it his identity; bringing it up more than enough, and the main motivation to be a xenophobe against Superman. Not against the backstory of Lex having a bad dad like Smallville Lex had a good take on it, and I learn more of Lex's backstory here, but like the video said, the execution for DCEU Lex did not land. Also The younger and modern Lex definitely fits the "nah to yeah" Drake meme. 😊

The best thing from the STAS Lex was that when Lex and Superman meet Lex tells him he owns the city and in a way he owns Superman. Then when he gets mad he demands him to say something. In Lex mind how dare you ignore me don’t you know I am better. So he believes he’s better then why not me to be in-charge

One of the best moments and depictions of Lex and both his potential and fatal flaw is from... fuck, I can't remember what run it was, but long story short, Lex becomes God. like, not a god but God with a capital G. He gains immense cosmic power that allows him to just... fix the universe. He can end all hunger, bring peace to all, allow humanity to reach a mutual understanding, and all without any harm, without taking away anyones free will. The only catch is that he aren't allowed to use this power to harm anyone. Not even Superman. And Superman pleads with him, he begs Lex to let go of his hatred of him, he promises to stop being Superman, to go quietly, to settle down and end his fight against evil, he will even leave earth if that's what it takes, it doesn't matter what Lex wants him to do, he'll do it. And Lex just can't do. He can't bring himself to risk the chance of letting Superman be happy, of finding peace, of living. He even thinks about it, considers it, for a long while, only to give a face that just says "welp... shit" and then he tries to kill Superman, instantly losing all his power while failing to cause any harm to Clark. He had everything he wanted, but in the end his jealousy and hatred wins out, because he grew up a bitter man who achieved the human mental and physical peak, succeeded in life, and became one of the most powerful and inluential men in the world, purely out of spite, and spite against the very universe that would deny humanity its true potential is what keeps driving him. And while his desire is noble, his motivation taints it, for in the end that's all he has; spite. And thus he can never win in the end.

I think the one of best live action Lex Luthor was the one from CW's Super girl. But the fact that I stayed up to date with a CW show long enough to see him says more about me than I'd like.

So are you just gonna forget the best live action version Lex Luthor in Smallville bruh?? 'cause to me this character is the closest thing to what the ultimate rival villain character for Superman/Clark Kent. So far, nobody can match to Micheal Roesenbaum did as Lex Luthor imo & He is definitely the first & only one comes to mind when it comes to proper Lex Luthor portrayals in live action.

The best Lex Luthor is Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville.

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.

I'm glad you spefcically say in a movie since the smallville version is peak Luthor.

MAWS Lex makes me want to see him bald in real time, slowly but surely rise to become the Lex we all know

Alex: Shortens his name to Lex Barber: Okay, get in.

To be fair, the hackman Luthor was the conman/businessman scientist type. It works for me

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.

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.

02:54 yes, and the sky is blue. 😂🤣 I must admit I didn't see it coming regarding My Adventures with Superman Luthor. So far, I'm loving it. Great video as usual. :)

I think Jesse Eisenberg did wonderful performance... of Edward Nigma's Riddler

I just remembered how, in Superfriends, it was revealed that Superboy was in part the reason Lex is bald

smallville taught us one thing no matter how close clark and lex would get as friends, lex could never see past clarks alien side further driving a wedge between them. smallville has my favorite protrayal of lex in any live action media

Me reading the title:….the f is a Maws (actually calling it a Maws)….oooooh they mean my adventures with Superman

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.

In the comics, Lex Junior was Lex Senior in a new body. I still suspect it's the same in the movie.

The last great live action Lex we had was Michael Rosenbaum on the show Smallville. I hope we get another good one in film but I'm glad we at least have some in animated format.

Smallville's lex is the best lex ever

Do more vids about the MAWS villians. I'm not a fan of their Parasite, but do dig their Livewire.

Actually in the Superman problem he had some serious points.

Another aspect of Luthor that the films ignore is his backstory with Superman. This isn't something obligatory (even the best versions of Luthor didn't had this detail) but I think it makes Luthor a more personal foe for Clark. Stories like Birthright even show how Superman consider Luthor one of his biggest failure, blaming himself for not being able to help Lex deal with his traumas, even wondering if things could had been different if hehad being honest and told Lex his secret, letting know that he's wasn't alone in Smallville like he thought.

I'd also like to hear what the comparison would have looked like if the Micheal Rosenbalm adaptation had been included in this sort of analysis.

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

2:22 why’s there gloves in 2 holes, what’s he gonna do fondle Superman to death

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.

really unpopular opinion but Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is my fav live action Lex Luthor

yeah this version is the best we've gotten in a long time.

It’s rough to compare a television character, where you have much more time to flesh out characters, to movie characters, where only a sliver of a the runtime is put into backstory. Movie adaptations often have this trouble but sometimes we overlook them if you’re invested in the story/characters

He somehow looks like a jock and nerd at the same time in awsm

I personally enjoyed Lex Luthor's appearance in CW's season 4 of Supergirl. He steals the show instantly and holds the spotlight until the very end.

Lex Luthor with hair = Otacon from Metal Gear Solid

Beautiful video.

Which actor do you think portrayed Lex Luthor the best? Clancy Brown, Gene Hackman or Max Mittleman?

A quote I will always remember is bills monologue from kill bill about maks how spider-man and Batman are the masks of Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne but Clark Kent is the mask of Superman and he says, Clark Kent is his critique on the human race, I wonder if lex heard that would he be furious? because in his head he sees Superman as this god like being and with this monologue would he think that Superman views humanity as weak, unconfident and however else you wanna describe Clark

My Adventures of Superma’s Lex LUTHOR full name is Alexander Luthor. Pretty obvious or confused because his short name Alex, but in season 2: he rename his short name Lex as a new man. That adaptation is amazingly good because his rise of power gives me chills.

I really hope Gunn makes a good Lex Luthor this time around.

The Lex Luthor in Superman and Lois surpassed BvS with 5 minutes of screentime. It was impressive.

Do you think that Luthor suffers from a David vs. Goliath complex or a Jack the Giant Killer complex against Superman?

I didnt even know dceu Lex Luthor was Lex Luthor until a few days after I watched the movie in theaters. Superman is my all time favorite superhero and his arch nemesis was completely unrecognizable to me. I thought he was the Riddler or something like that.

"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.

"We've never seen a good portrayal of Lex in live action..." *Readies shotgun with murderous intent* "Movies" *Lowers shotgun and sets it at the Michael Rosenbaum shrine*

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.

What about Michael Rosenbaum? People literally call him perfect as Lex Luthor.

4:04 would love to see this animated

I watched half of Smallville and I say I like that Lex Luthor

I think the key to understanding Lex is to understand that most people, even most bad people care about doing the right thing. The problem is most people also have a self serving perception of the right thing to varying degrees. Most normal people are able to look back on something after the fact and realize that what they weren't as right as the thought and have limits to how far they are willing to go, when it comes to justifying their actions. Bad people often don't have limits to what they will justify, they can't reflect on past acts and realize they are wrong (they might learnt to do these things, but when they do they cease to be bad people). But they still need an anchor to justify themselves. For Lex Superman is that anchor. He decides the he's perfectly justifying in stepping on and hurting whoever he wants, because he's doing it to "protect us from Superman". And when it comes to the MAWS versions, that "I can do what I want because I'm right" attitude and using Superman as the other, they use to justify that attitude is very much a theme of most the antagonists in the show, with Lex emerging as the ultimate example of that attitude.

Need to rewatch animated series that's still peak superman show imo. Also no token jimmy.

Honestly, I'm unable to feel hyped for the Gunn's DCU. After restarting DCEU and messing up with Fantastic Beasts, I lost faith that WB is able to give us a complete story told from the beginning to the end. Maybe if they at least let Zack finish the Darkseid's story in two movies and The Rock make a movie where we'll see Black Adam's confrontation with Superman (I can deal with lack of the planned Batfleck movie and Man of Steel 2). But if WB wasn't willing to end storylines that so many fans actually cared about, I don't want to feel invovled into new stories and experience another reboot in the middle of the arc.

Didnt even know there was a live action luthor.

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.

One thing I like about MAWS is Jimmy is the one who ignited the flame for him to make his own opportunities for power. It made the episode of him manipulating a crowd pretty compelling as he's debating Superman's residency in front if the man who gave him the push he needed. Shame the same episode has forced drama at the end but that doesn't take away the Lex scene.

Yugi oh already made a young Lex Luthor years ago, Kaiba and Yugi/The Pharaoh are basically Lex and Clark/Superman.

Jesse Eisenburg wasn't the latest live action take. There was actually 2 live action takes after his. Jon Cryer who played Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse, and Michael Cudlitz in Superman and Lois. I never seen Superman and Lois but Jon Cryer wasn't bad.

just aslong as we get otisberg im good

Good analysis

I'm still undecisive about MAWS Luthor. On one hand, I really love well developed surprises and this one was done really good. Alex went so under the radar, there was not even a hint of an idea he could be Lex Luthor. The reveal was badass aswell, especially after Jimmy gave him the motivation. Ironic situation and I love it. (Plus, my thoughts at the start of that episode where "I wonder if they introduce Lex this season", not realising that Alex is Lex. I felt so baffled!) But on the other hand, it is still not THE Lex Luthor. Yes, I know, babysteps, one at a time. But this version is not there yet and they can still fumble it. And a nitpick I have... I don't like that he is wearing glasses. Glasses are Clarks thing, because Superman has to hide. Lex not wearing glasses while showing his face and name to the public all the time is the contrast I kinda miss. No matter weither or not he actually needs glasses, it's the self-presentation that is off to me. Who knows, maybe he'll get contact lenses or his eyesight get's cured somehow. Only time will tell.