Lex Luthor has always been more than just a villain. He’s not a cosmic conqueror or a maniacal monster from another world — he’s human. Flawed, brilliant, vengeful, and terrifyingly relatable. And now, in James Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman: Legacy, Lex takes on a new life through the icy charm and quiet ferocity of British actor Nicholas Hoult.
While Superman might be the symbol of hope and justice, Lex Luthor is a reflection of something darker: the fear of irrelevance, the hunger for control, and the rage that comes when power is just out of reach. In Gunn’s vision, Lex isn’t just a bald billionaire — he’s a broken genius who’s molded his pain into power. And Hoult doesn’t just play Lex — he embodies him.
Interestingly, Hoult didn’t initially walk into Superman: Legacy to audition as the villain. He was eyeing the red cape. “I auditioned for Superman,” Hoult revealed, “but I think I might be better suited to Lex.” It turns out James Gunn thought the same. After awarding the role of Superman to David Corenswet, Gunn waited a few weeks — giving Hoult time to let the rejection cool — before making the call.
And what a call it turned out to be. Gunn knew exactly what he was doing. Hoult brings a dangerous charisma to the role — not the over-the-top theatrics of past Lexes, but something quieter and more unsettling. “He is like a tiger in a cage pacing back and forth,” Gunn says, describing the first time we see Lex waiting for Superman. There’s tension, calculation, and yes, something predatory.
It’s not just bravado. Hoult’s Lex is deeply emotional. In one moment, a single tear escapes down his face, hinting at the fractured humanity inside the man who would destroy Superman. “I never saw him as a psychopath,” Hoult explains. “He’s just got this deep, ingrained fear and hatred.”
What drives a man like Lex Luthor? Why would someone with brains, wealth, and the world at his fingertips obsess over one alien in blue tights?
For Hoult, the answer lies in Lex’s psychology. “Because he puts in so much hard work for what he’s developing and himself, it’s even more frustrating that Superman is just naturally gifted and lauded and applauded for his abilities,” Hoult says.
That frustration curdles into envy. That envy festers into hate. And that hate, left unchecked, becomes a force of destruction. But Lex’s genius is that he hides it all behind charm and control. He doesn’t come across as a madman — at least not at first. He’s a visionary, a tech mogul, a cult-like leader. People follow him. They believe in him. Until they see what he really is.
“He’s this generous, loving guy who his employees love when he is feeling good,” Gunn explains. “But when he’s feeling bad, we all know this guy.” It’s a chilling observation — and a reflection of real-world power figures who blur the line between leader and tyrant.
Lex doesn’t wage war alone. He surrounds himself with a crew of misfits and monsters, each more dangerous than the last. Gunn’s Luthor isn’t a lone wolf — he’s the ringleader of a cult of personality. Among his inner circle: the deadly Engineer, played by María Gabriela de Faría, and his stunning yet underestimated girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, played by Portuguese actress and model Sara Sampaio.
Each of these women plays a unique role in Lex’s world — and each adds a new layer to the story.
Let’s start with Angela Spica, a.k.a. the Engineer. Transformed by nanotechnology, Angela can shift her body into weapons and interface with any machine — including Kryptonian tech. She’s a cybernetic force of nature, unpredictable and almost unstoppable.
But what makes her compelling isn’t just her powers — it’s her pain.
“She is deeply hurt by the world and she’s deeply afraid of the path the world has taken,” says de Faría. “She has suffered the consequences for herself and she’s willing to change it to make it better.” Lex might act out of ego, but Angela acts out of fear — and that fear is just as deadly.
She doesn’t worship Lex. In fact, she barely trusts him. “She sees her boss as just means to an end,” de Faría adds. That friction creates some of the film’s most intense dynamics. Two powerful minds, both chasing control, both scarred by loss — and both walking time bombs.
“Lex reacts and acts from envy and from being power-hungry,” the Venezuelan actress continues. “Angela does it out of fear, and I don’t know if acting out of fear is any better. Because we can see that they have the same consequences: pretty much destruction and pain and suffering.”
Then there’s Eve. Sweet, stylish, and just a little clueless — at least on the surface. When we first meet her, she’s taking a selfie in the highest levels of LuthorCorp, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Superman is being pulverized behind her.
“She’s like the playful part of me that I don’t get to show the world very often,” Sampaio says. “She doesn’t really understand what’s appropriate, like when Superman is being beaten behind her. She’s like, ‘Oh, this is a great photo!’”
But Eve is more than just a social media-obsessed sidekick. Beneath the lipstick and selfies is a woman with her own story — and her own survival instincts.
“She comes from a small city, not from wealth,” Sampaio reveals. “Security, money, and power can create safety in a way. She sees that Lex can provide a lifestyle for her, and she won’t have to struggle again.”
But eventually, she learns that Lex’s brand of safety is anything but safe. He throws pencils at her. He imprisons past lovers in interdimensional limbo. He treats her as decoration — until she stops playing along.
“When she realizes that safety actually is not really there, she makes sure she always has a plan B,” says Sampaio. “That she can escape and take care of herself.”
Eve is many things — loyal, fun-loving, naïve — but she’s not stupid. She knows how the world works, and she knows how to survive in it.
“I think everyone gets excited about handsome, powerful rich guys sometimes,” Sampaio smiles. But even fantasy has a limit. And in the world of Lex Luthor, every fantasy eventually breaks.
James Gunn is no stranger to balancing darkness and heart. From Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad, he’s made a career out of crafting strange, emotional, chaotic stories that somehow make us care. With Superman: Legacy, he’s taking that ethos to a new level.
Superman, of course, remains the beacon. The alien who believes in humanity more than we believe in ourselves. But this time, the darkness he faces isn’t from space. It’s not an alien invasion. It’s not a doomsday monster.
It’s Lex.
A man.
A man who hates him not for what he does, but for what he is.
And that’s where the story hits hardest. In a world obsessed with fame, success, and self-made legends, Lex represents the ugly truth: sometimes the people who rise the highest are the ones most afraid of falling.
And sometimes the most dangerous man in the world isn’t a villain in a cape — it’s the guy who thinks he should be the hero.
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is not the campy criminal mastermind we’ve seen before. He’s not cracking jokes like Gene Hackman or buzzing with manic energy like Jesse Eisenberg. He’s quiet. Focused. Menacing in a way that feels all too real.
He’s the tech CEO who thinks he’s saving the world. The billionaire who believes power is earned, not gifted. The man who looks at Superman — and sees everything he’ll never be.
And Hoult plays him with devastating precision. There’s pain in his eyes. Fury in his voice. And when the mask finally cracks, it’s not satisfying. It’s sad.
This Lex Luthor is a man you can’t quite root for — but you do understand him.
He’s not just a villain.
He’s us.
Twisted by envy, driven by fear, and desperate to matter in a world that keeps reminding us we’re not enough.
Superman: Legacy might be about gods, gadgets, and galaxies. But at its core, it’s a battle for the soul of humanity. One man believes in hope. The other believes in dominance. One protects life. The other wants to control it.
In Lex Luthor, Nicholas Hoult gives us a villain who doesn’t need superpowers to be terrifying. Just ambition, intellect, and a broken heart.
He doesn’t wear a mask.
He doesn’t need to.
Because sometimes the scariest monster is the one who thinks he’s right.
And that’s what makes this Lex Luthor unforgettable.
