Why Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor Performance Might Just Be the Dark Horse Kryptonite You Never Saw Coming!
Added on August 10, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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Ever wonder if today’s celestial dance in the stars has a little something to say about the many faces of Lex Luthor? Now, before your mind wanders into the realm of wonderkids and cosmic coincidences, let me clue you in: Whether it’s the calculated cool of a Capricorn or the shrewd charm of a Scorpio wielding their astrological powers, Lex has been portrayed so wildly that even the planets might raise an eyebrow. Being a proudly bald man who’s donned Lex Luthor’s sleek suits for Halloween more times than I can count, I’ve always felt a peculiar bond with this arch-nemesis — the “greatest criminal mind of our time.” Yet, if you peek at his big-screen antics, you might just chuckle at how “baldly” they missed the mark. TV did better — Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex on Smallville nailed that complex, moral-grey charisma, but films? They’ve never quite hit the bullseye. Curious which actor captured the true spirit of Superman’s ultimate adversary, and who just fizzled out like a bad star sign prediction? Let’s dive into each portrayal — from Gene Hackman’s buffoonery to Nicholas Hoult’s psychotic glee — and unravel why some Lexes shine while others burn out. Hang onto your hairpieces and zodiac charts — it’s a wild ride. LEARN MORE
Fun fact: my default Halloween costume has always been Lex Luthor. As a proudly bald man with several spiffy suits, it’s an easy role to pull off every year—though I’ll sometimes mix it up and go as Agent 47 from the Hitman video game. Because of this, I’ve always felt a certain kinship with “the greatest criminal mind of our time”… even if you’d never know it from watching most movie versions. That’s right—Lex Luthor on the big screen has always kind of sucked.
On TV, however, they nailed him. Michael Rosenbaum delivered the definitive portrayal on Smallville. But in films? No one has truly matched the potential of the character. Let’s take a look at each big-screen version.
I’ll start by saying I have nothing but respect for Gene Hackman as an actor—he might even be the finest actor of his generation. But in my opinion, he is not a great Lex Luthor.
In the Richard Donner films (and Tom Mankiewicz’s scripts), Hackman’s Luthor is a buffoon—too comical to be taken seriously. He’s slimy, yes, but never believable as a powerful Metropolis citizen. Instead, he’s a recluse surrounded by cartoonish sidekicks, like Ned Beatty’s Otis—a character so grating he feels like he wandered in from a 1970s Burt Reynolds comedy. That’s no slight on Beatty—he was incredible in Deliverance, Network, and more—but here, Donner turns him and Hackman into a sort of Laurel and Hardy act.
Miss Teschmacher doesn’t fare much better. She betrays Luthor in the climax of the first film, only to inexplicably be back at his side in the sequel—even though, in deleted scenes, he literally tries to feed her to the lions.
Then there’s the hair issue. In the films, Luthor is supposed to be vain and wear a toupee, but Hackman simply wears his own thinning hair for most of the runtime. He refused to shave his head, so the result is… odd. He’s balding in the movie, wears a bald cap only for the finale of Superman and the opening of Superman II, and never fully embraces the iconic look.
As for Superman IV? The less said, the better—though I’ll admit Hackman is at least fun to watch there. Ironically, his sidekick in that film, Jon Cryer, would go on to deliver a far better Lex decades later on the CW.
When Kevin Spacey was announced as Luthor in Superman Returns, I was excited. I figured he’d bring a more serious edge to the role than Hackman—and he does… to an extent. Unfortunately, the film is slavishly devoted to Donner’s continuity, meaning Spacey is playing the same Luthor as Hackman.
That means we’re back to another real estate scam plot. Spacey does inject more menace, especially in the scene where he brutalizes Superman during the climax, but overall, it’s still a so-so interpretation of the character.
Now here’s a controversial one. For starters—he has hair. A lot of it. Zack Snyder clearly wanted to reimagine Luthor as a tech mogul in the Mark Zuckerberg mold—right down to hiring the actor who played Zuckerberg.
Many people despised the performance, but I’ll give Eisenberg this: he actually made me believe Luthor had real influence in Metropolis. Batman v Superman was intended to be just his introduction, with later films showing him bald and more restrained. Instead, we got a single, over-the-top, theatrical turn that never really landed.
Of all the big-screen Luthors, Hoult comes the closest to getting it right. He has the poise and intellect to sell the idea that Luthor could sway public opinion against Superman, but he also plays him as a complete psychopath—relishing destruction with wide-eyed glee.
One particularly twisted detail: he imprisons all of his ex-girlfriends in alternate dimensions. It’s a dark, timely take in an era of heightened awareness about toxic masculinity. Still, I’m not sure this is the Lex Luthor we’ve been waiting for.
Here’s why Rosenbaum is my pick for the definitive Lex Luthor.
First, the man looks fantastic bald—truly, a one-in-a-million head shape. Watching him now on his podcast, I can’t help but think he should shave it again and reclaim the role.
More importantly, Smallville gave him a rich character arc. Over the seasons, he evolves from Clark Kent’s friend into his adversary, often operating in moral grey areas rather than cartoonish villainy. He’s poised, sophisticated, and believable as someone who could be a real political or corporate power player. You could absolutely make a Superman movie where Lex becomes President of the United States, and with Rosenbaum, it would work.
The show even sets that up as his eventual destiny. Honestly, the movies should have brought Rosenbaum back, Smallville continuity or not. After all, James Gunn himself has called him the best Lex—so why didn’t it happen?
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