Spider-Man has the Green Goblin, Batman has The Joker, and Superman has Lex Luthor, a villain we've seen a lot of on screen over the years. In Superman, it's up to Nicholas Hoult to put a new spin on a character plenty of impressive actors have already made their mark on.
Talking to Empire Online, the X-Men franchise star explained which of those portrayals inspired his approach to the LuthorCorp CEO.
"Gene’s one of my all-time faves, just as an actor in general. I went back and watched Gene [Hackman]," Hoult explained. "And Michael Rosenbaum, who was the first Lex I saw, growing up watching Smallville [on TV]."
"It’s interesting when you play a character that’s been played before — you’re working from a different script, but it’s fun to draw inspiration from all of those places," he added.
While Hoult has played a superhero in Beast, it seems he's enjoying embracing darker roles at this stage of his career. "I’m gonna keep getting darker and stranger until people are like, 'No! Too far!'" he laughed. "I don’t have a master plan."
"[But] it seems like a lot of the performances that I grew up loving, or specifically when actors would go on runs of things, [it] seemed to be in their thirties and forties," the actor teased. "So I’ve always been excited about this period of my career."
Lex being a one-and-done villain in the DCU seems doubtful. When and where he'll show up after Superman remains to be seen, but the vast majority of fans are now eager to see the Man of Tomorrow take on the likes of Brainiac and Mongul (meaning Lex should probably take a backseat if we get a sequel).
A new look at Hoult's take on Lex Luthor in Superman can be seen in the X post below.
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.