Out of all the iterations of Lex Luthor in the Superman film franchise, Nicholas Hoult's version was the first to nail this aspect of the villain's character.

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Speaking to Hoult on the set of Superman last summer, the actor explained how even during the process of going after Batman and Superman, it was Lex Luthor that subtly called to him. “It’s no secret that I read for Matt Reeves’ movie and for this film with James and I feel very fortunate the way things [played] out,

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In Superman (2025), we see that the message sent by Superman's parents asked him to take over Earth, but was the message altered by Luthor?

Since his debut in 1940's Action Comics #23, Luthor has evolved from a somewhat gimmicky Golden Age bad guy into one of the most iconic supervillains of all time, with decades of history as Superman's chief nemesis and one of the de facto leaders of DC's various villains.

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While James Gunn's Superman sticks close to comic book canon, Lex Luthor's motivations echo previous live-action iterations of the villain.

In fact, the idea of Lex Luthor and the Joker teaming up is the subject of the classic animated movie The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest, which marks the first crossover between Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series all the way back in 1997.

Nicholas Hoult tops the Superman pay list with $2M, earning more than David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. All three may receive box office bonuses.