James Gunn's Superman Unlocks the Trick to Supervillains With the New Lex Luthor

Pull out your party hats, DC fans, because James Gunn’s Superman film is now in theaters. The first film installment in the new DC Universe franchise is entering its opening weekend with mostly positive reviews, including an 8/10 from IGN’s Tom Jorgensen. After the previous DCEU flamed out at the box office and with critics, Gunn’s relaunched DCU is at least starting on the right foot. Yet although there’s plenty to praise, like the great cast, optimistic tone, and David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane having actual chemistry, the MVP of the film is Nicholas Hoult as perennial Superman nemesis Lex Luthor, who is a fantastic character both on the page and in Hoult’s performance. Why is he such a standout? Because he’s petty as hell. James Gunn and co. understand that Luthor–as well as most supervillains, but him especially–should be petty people driven by emotional impulse instead of grandiose ideology. Unlike other recent comic book movie villains who the movie tries to give “a point” to, this Luthor stays true to the source material by being solely motivated by absolute contempt for Superman, as it should be. Let’s take a look at what other comic book films could learn from Superman’s Lex Luthor.