Lex Luthor has always been an awesome villain. Just as Joker is the perfect foil for Batman, Luthor is the perfect foil for Superman. He is metaphorically as powerful as Superman but uses his powers for his own agenda. Though in the comics it didn’t start that way. For years he was just a mad scientist with another crazy robot every week, wearing a silly purple “power suit”. Eventually they tried to give him more, and it got kind of silly. This was in the 70’s and early 80’s when EVERYTHING had to have a sci fi slant. So Luthor would somehow become ruler of his own planet, that was named after him, and have a wife and child until all of them were killed (huh?) which led into the war suit era. The war suit was a cool design but it didn’t change the fact that the character was just another crazy villain out to kill Superman.
Enter John Byrne & Marv Wolfman in 1986 who finally gave us the opponent I think most of us are familiar with. A conniving business man who only cares for himself. He uses people and tosses them away, and of course he finds Superman a threat.There were many things that would stick with this version, like Luthor using a kryptonite ring to keep Superman at bay. Eventually (and long story short) he would have to get a new cloned body, with an Australian accent, before getting a new human body back. It’s a verryyy long story.
After that he kind of switches back and forth from scientist to
business man. Of course the comics have evolved, Luthor was even
president for a time (imagine, a crazy billionaire as president!) with
the war suit even coming back into canon. It disappeared after the Byrne
relaunch aside from a clever gag in “The Man of Steel” mini series. I
am not really familiar with Luthor today except from what I’ve seen he
seems to be a blend of the silver age mad scientist and more modern
business man. He’s even joined the JLA, someone care to explain that
one?
Comics and cartoons are one thing. but what about the live action versions? There haven’t been that many, but of the few who captured the spirit of the character the best? The reason I am focused only on the live action versions is because there have been a ton of animated version, most of which I never saw. And my heart will always be with the Superfriend’s version. Stan Jones had the role down. He just got the character and that voice was so awesome it’s still the voice I hear in my head when I read a comic.
So after that long intro, here are my top five live action Luthor’s. Well, six. You’ll see….
#6.Sherman Howard (Superboy)
I knew some people were going to kill me for leaving out Scott James Wells and Sherman Howard who played Luthor from the old Superboy TV show (the 80’s one). But I never watched it, and when I saw a clip it was stupid. The actor did NOTHING with the character! Course that’s from a one minute clip so maybe that’s unfair. Looks like the character was based more on the silver age “mad scientist” era which is fine but then you deal with the same problem the comics had in that era. Namely, Luthor was just a one note mad scientist with nothing interesting abut him. Maybe I’m wrong and i should check it out but it seemed silly to me.
#5.Jesse Eisenberg (Batman V Superman)
I feel ashamed even putting this guy on here, even if it is the top spot. What the hell was the thinking here? Actually I think Eisenberg was a pretty good villain, until you put he name Luthor on it! This Luthor isn’t smart, isn’t cunning, and he has no reason to hate Superman. At all. I’m all for reinventing a character but you have to stay true to the character. Ever wonder why the Mr.Freeze change to his backstory from Batman:TAS stuck? Because it was the same character, the revised backstory gave us a new depth to him. Unlike, say, the Penguin from Batman Returns which was so off the mark that version was never seen again. That’s what Eisenberg’s Luthor is, an awful interpretation which rather than add something to the character misses the mark entirely.
#4.Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns)
I kinda feel ashamed for talking about this guy also, though for different reasons. His performance wasn’t as off the mark as Eisenberg but it also didn’t do much. He basically took Hackman’s character and removed the humanity from him. As a result we have a cartoon character who doesn’t feel like a real threat. He’s just a bully here, he’s the only Luthor who literally kicks Superman’s ass and that is wrong. Luthor always has someone handle the dirty work. And his plan was beyond idiotic in this one. Yes even more than Eisenberg’s Luthor.
#3.Gene Hackman (Superman, II, IV)
Yeah I’ve talked about this before but I still feel it’s true. Gene Hackman’s was a great interpretation, though not perfect. He nailed down the more sophisticated Luthor that we’d get in the comics (way before the comics did it by the way) and while he sure had his sinister moments I also think Hackman played it a little too light at times. His plan was a threat, of course, but he never felt like a threat. Luthor is supposed to be so confident that it makes people shudder, but in the Superman films Luthor comes off more as a wimp who can talk a big game. Course as I said Spacey took this version all the way into buffoon territory. You had the feeling if he hadn’t found kryptonite he wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on. Also he had no real reason to hate Superman here except for the fact that the guy could prevent his plans from reaching fruition. Every good version it’s personal, and that is something missing with this one.
#2.John Shea (Lois & Clark)
Why is Shea always overlooked when talking about Luthor? He was perfect in the role. He had the charm and humor of Hackman but also felt like a threat. We could believe he could do all the horrible things Lex can be capable of. This was Luthor was so good that the animated series took the core idea (and admittedly, improved on it and yes Clancy Brown did a great job). It is true that the character got kind of silly as Lois & Clark went on but that first season, damn Shea was awesome. He could be silly and corny but when he had to mean…he was ruthless! And this version Luthor has a reason to hate Superman, taking a cue from comics Luthor is the most powerful man in Metropolis and will not tolerate Superman’s presence. There also the romantic rivalry for Lois’s affections.
#1.Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville)
Yeah I know, what a shocker. This one surprised me. When I heard that Luthor was even in the series I thought it sounded stupid. It made no sense! But damn, Rosenbaum did a beautiful job. He had the charm and charisma to be likable but we could also see the monster inside of him. But unlike the other versions, we could see the conflict that this caused in him. I think this may be the most human version of Luthor I’ve ever seen. Even Shea, especially later on in the show, became more a cartoon. Not Rosenbaum, it was always straight and always done brilliantly. And it was also the most personal, with Clark and he being almost like brothers and then drifting apart as their destinies started to take shape. The best scenes in Smallville where the one’s between him and Clark. Smallville doesn’t always get a lot of respect, and I get a lot of that, but Rosenbaum’s performance was brilliant.
Honorary Mention :
I love how in the Supergirl TV show we never see Lex, but man do we feel his presence! And they go great job with the Luthor family especially Lena. Katie McGrath is wonderful as she is Lex’s sister and despite the fact she has Luthor blood she tires to fly the straight and narrow. I could totally believe she was the sister of the Rosenbaum’s Lex. It’s a very effective performance. Lilian is her mother and the real Luthor stand in. It’s as if Lena is Lex from modern comics, Liliian is more the Lex from the early days with her crazy schemes. She even pulled off that silly war suit Lex has worn. That’s not easy!
Lex Luthor is a great villain who will always have a special place in pop culture. So my friends do you agree with this list? Comment and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment