Why MAWS Lex Luthor Works and the DCEU Lex Luthor Doesn't
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 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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“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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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
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 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
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.
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.
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.
We got Zombieland Jesse Eisenberg, but we needed Social Network Jesse Eisenberg.
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🤯
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.
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
@@user-gj9uq3kb7y Ναι όντως.
"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.
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.
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
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
Michael Rosenbaum's depiction of Lex Luthor is actually nice
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
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 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 know right Jon cryer lex luthor is peak that guy would blow up the planet just for a chance to destroy Kryptonians
Alex: Shortens his name to Lex
Barber: Okay, get in.
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. 😊
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.
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.
To me the best version was in Superman the animated series.
That was obvious from the start, my man. Almost nobody is going to dispute that.
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.
DCEU Lex reads like the Joker wearing Riddler's skin.
The best live action luthor is from smallville
I love this series. Doing Superman justice while at the same time somehow making it kinda refreshing really is an achievement these days.
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!
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.
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’ve honestly enjoyed every iteration of lex so far even bvs
I feel like smallville did more for the character than the movies ever did so far
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
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
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.
The best Lex Luthor is Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville.
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. :)
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
BvS Luthor felt like a mixmatch between Joker and Riddler
I'm glad you spefcically say in a movie since the smallville version is peak Luthor.
He really is! Michael Rosenbaum was fantastic
The most hilarious part of this comment section is the amount of people who are harking on him for not knowing or mentioning Smallville’s Lex, when he specifically points to that Lex towards the end 😂
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.
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.
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.
Crazy that Jon Cryer of all people ended up being the best live action Lex Luthor since Michael Rosenbaum.
MAWS Lex makes me want to see him bald in real time, slowly but surely rise to become the Lex we all know
Excellent analysis, my man
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.
I never interpreted the Snyder's Watchmen as glorifying violence. Just about each member of the watchmen, we see enact horrid and grotesque acts of violence unto others that would make most people turn away. And most of the time when it happens its due to their lapse in their emotional or psychological state, especially with the likes of Rorschach, The Comedian, and Doctor Manhattan. In my opinion the characters arent fighting like people with powers, but people with years of experience in fighting. I think it is the strong direction of the action itself that often leads to misinterpretation of those scenes.
It also depends on the viewer in the end.
Not everyone will go "WOW, I WISH I COULD DO THE SAME!" after watching man spitting his teether or guy's arm's bone poking through his flesh or feller instantly becoming bunch of gibs or (in case of MoS) seeing someone's head turned into popped watermelon or after hearing crack of the neck or (in case of BvS) seeing guy punched so hard he leaves trail on the wall or , once again, bo's arm's bone poking through the sleeve.
And the thing is : violence was never meant to be juvenilized by either of creators of Superman or Batman, that's why no-killing "rules" came up only after editorial ban in 1941, because back in the day people knew that even "just" a punch to the fast turn up to be lethal all of a sudden, even if wasn't meant to be, because it All was inspired by Wylie's Gladiator. Violence is always bad, but sometimes it is just the only mean to achieve good (+ it is "cool", at the end of the day).
To be fair, the hackman Luthor was the conman/businessman scientist type. It works for me
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.
Beautiful video.
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 liked the Lex from the Justice League movies. The Mark Zuckerberg persona was just his Bruce Wayne mask of who he was on the inside. Also the obsession with his father’s shadow is parallel to Bruce being obsessed with his parent’s death.
By the end of the Batman v Superman movie he out grew his insecurities after studying the mother box.
It’s clear that Zack Snyder had plans to do more movies in this universe. So it would have made sense not to cram everything in the first movies
Do more vids about the MAWS villians. I'm not a fan of their Parasite, but do dig their Livewire.
The mullet is NOT IT 😂
The redesign are trash
@@marvinj1000 They're hit or miss for me. Nothing that really excites me. I thought Parasite and Silver Banshee were awful. Mxy...I dig it for an "anime" Superman.
So far Atomic Skull is good.
@@latrellboddie8906 I love Atomuc Skull's design but I wish we got more time to develop his personality.
Me reading the title:….the f is a Maws (actually calling it a Maws)….oooooh they mean my adventures with Superman
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?
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
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.
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
I liked the Smallville take on Lex, where he ends up trying and failing to impress his father again and again, where he fails to realize his, his father's, and the company's plots and secrets keep hurting his relationships. His narcissism poisons his friendships and allies, leaving him to push himself into the role of the man in charge at the cost of everything because he cannot admit he can fail or rely on others.
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.
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.
Eisenberg was a child in a man's body, MAWS' Lex is a man in a child's body. His condition is an obstacle in his revenge, which is the core of Lex Luthor in all media. From Smallville to the Donner film, to JLU. His humanity keeps him from the godhood he so yearns for. The godhood he sees misplaced in Superman's hands, for Superman is much too human to maximize the utilities of ultimate power. It's Shakespearian levels of irony, when done right.
I'd recommend Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid for a surprisingly terrifying Lex Luthor.
I think Jesse Eisenberg did wonderful performance... of Edward Nigma's Riddler
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.
Smallville's lex is the best lex ever
In the comics, Lex Junior was Lex Senior in a new body. I still suspect it's the same in the movie.
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.
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.
Good analysis
I also think the most important and consistent motivation that the best adaptations of Lex Luthor share is exceedingly simple, yet rife with potential for multiple layers: an inferiority complex. Even removing the bigotry against metahumans angle, MAwS Lex is constantly looked down upon by his boss Ivo, STAR Labs scientists rejecting his designs, and even Slade Wilson bullying him in the latest episode.
"Alex" never had a real reason to attack Superman to begin with, yet he launched the first real attack against Superman with the massive electrical arena with utter glee before Ivo even lands the first punch. Alex already saw Superman's mere existence as an extension of all those naysayers never noticing his genius--if everyone sees Superman as a hero, then why would they ever notice the greatness that is Lex Luthor?
Even in his Silver Age origin which gave Lex a childhood friendship with Clark Kent as Superboy, Lex's resentment for Superboy stems from this insecurity--after an experiment blows up in his face and Superboy puts out the fire, Lex immediately accuses Superboy of being jealous of his genius (and not simply for turning him bald as SuperFriends would have you believe).
In the re-imagining of this origin in Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright, Lex's insecurity is further expanded with him being an outcast in Smallville, seeing young Clark as his only friend--only to see Clark reeling away from his latest experiment, perceiving it as Clark finding Lex weird and embarrassing like everyone else in the town, taking it as a betrayal (when in reality Lex was experimenting with kryptonite and it was hurting Clark, whom Lex does not know is an alien).
Which actor do you think portrayed Lex Luthor the best? Clancy Brown, Gene Hackman or Max Mittleman?
Michael Rosenbaum
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.
The lex Luther from the first movie is one dimensional because the comics at the Time were. it was the animated show that really made lex Luther what we see him as now
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
I liked Lex from Smallville! Granted he was my first Lex, but he was my favorite.
Do you think that Luthor suffers from a David vs. Goliath complex or a Jack the Giant Killer complex against Superman?
really unpopular opinion but Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is my fav live action 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.
Lex is not afraid of Superman, he is simply jealous of him. Lex thought he was the most powerful person on the planet until Superman proved him wrong. Lex’s motivation is his ego being rubbed by Superman. He wants to prove to everyone he is more powerful than Superman by any means necessary. He wants to prove his brains can conquer Superman’s brawn. He will devise any criminal act to just prove he is more powerful than Superman. He is insecure of Superman’s innate power while Lex had to work for it.
Lex doesn’t give a crap that Superman is an alien he only is jealous that Superman stole his spotlight as the most powerful man on Earth.
@@petermj1098 It's not fear or jealousy (ok maybe a little jealousy) , so much as it is Lex looking for someone to justify himself against.
@@TeamTowers1 Lex is the opposite of what Superman stands for. Superman has empathy for humanity while Lex has apathy for humanity. Superman is a god-like being who sees himself as a human, Lex is a human who sees himself as a god like being. Superman is optimistic view of human life and Lex Luthor is pessimistic view about human life. Lex wants humans should serve him while Superman wants to serve humans. Lex jealous is that people favor Superman more than do him because of the hope he brings to people. Lex thinks people love him like a god and it makes him feel inferior. Lex wants to prove he is superior and prove his intellect ruling over humanity is superior than Superman’s being a superhero.
@@petermj1098 I think you are missing the point, even evil people seek to feel justified in what they do and convince themselves that they are doing the right thing.
If possible didn't help that the guy who was playing him when he first got the script was under the assumption that he was going to be playing The Riddler because how eccentric the character is seems
Luthor can be summed up in two quotes:
DCAU: “I spent 40M dollars on a fake presidential campaign just to tick Superman off.”
Superman All-Star: "If it had mattered to you Luthor, you could have saved the world years ago."
Luthor, whether he's a business mogul or mad scientist is a petty little man who could easily be a hero. Deep down, he just doesn't care enough about anyone other than himself to make the personal sacrifices required to be one. I think the most fundamental reason why Lex hates Superman is b/c Superman has the strength to make the kind of personal sacrifices Luthor won't/can't make.......and that enrages him so much......
2:22 why’s there gloves in 2 holes, what’s he gonna do fondle Superman to death
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.
You know you made a good version of lex when you got me sitting here going
"Can't wait to see this guys hair fall out!"
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.
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.