Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewill not only bringBatman(Ben Affleck) andSuperman(Henry Cavill) together on the big screen for the first time, but it will also introduce fans to a newLex Luthor, played byJesse Eisenberg. Many weren’t expecting the 32-year-old actor to be announced as the villain, who has previously been played by Oscar-winning actors such asGene HackmanandKevin Spacey. We’ve seen in the previously-released trailers that this Luthor already looks much different than his predecessors, sporting unconventionally long hair. Now, the actor reveals in an interview withThe Diane Rehm Showthat his approach to the character is much different as well, revealing that he is essentially playing this villain as “himself.”
“I’ve always noticed the best thing to channel, as an actor, is yourself. To figure out what makes you angry, what makes you feel vengeful or righteous. Those are the feelings that Lex Luthor has. And use that as opposed to kind of watchingGene Hackman, who’s a great actor obviously and played that part originally, and think, ‘How can I kind of mirror that?’ Because the truth is, me mirroring him would just come off weird. We have different faces, different life experiences, different emotions, but what I do have - that I have more than anybody - is my own feelings, and so I use those, and then the character seems not only real, but emotional and just. He believes he’s the hero of his own story - is the kind of the actor cliche - when you’re playing the villain, you’re the hero of your own story. That’s the kind of most interesting way for me as an actor, and I think, for an audience to appreciate as well.”
This interview comes just one day after a new synopsis revealed that Lex Luthor will be “manipulating” bothBatmanandSuperman"for his own twisted ends." Naturally, we don’t exactly know what these “twisted ends” may be, but there have been several rumors that have surfaced over the past few years. One rumor involves Luthor obtaining the corpse of General Zod (Michael Shannon) after his infamous battle with Superman in 2013’sMan of Steel. Luthor reportedly uses the corpse to create the iconic villainDoomsday, who will be the “muscle” for Luthor.
The lastBatman v Supermantrailer offered plenty of footage featuring Lex, but many fans are wondering how he transitions from the long-haired entrepreneur to the bald villain. DirectorZack Snyderrevealed the first photo ofJesse Eisenbergas Luthor in March, where he sported the traditional bald look, but we haven’t seen any footage of the bald Luthor.Zack Snyderalso revealed last month that the third trailer is coming soon, although the director wouldn’t reveal an exact premiere date.
Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor has also been rumored to appear inSuicide Squad, arriving on June 01, 2025, just five months afterBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicehits theaters on July 03, 2025. What do you think aboutJesse Eisenberg’s approach to Lex Luthor inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Hopefully we’ll find out more about this iconic villain soon, so stay tuned for more details.
