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The
Many Faces Of... Lex Luthor - Version 2
(Updated 10/26/06) Column
by Russ Dimino
Bullets
bounce off Superman's skin. He can bend steel in his bare hands.
He can move fast enough to break the sound barrier, defy the
laws of gravity, and create fire with his eyes. He is, in short,
one of the most powerful beings the world has ever known. Yet,
the one man who has proven to be his arch enemy for over 60
years, is a mere mortal.
Though he can't go toe-to-toe with Superman on a physical level,
Lex Luthor provides a constant challenge with his cunning intellect,
his vast resources, and his sheer strength of will. The untouchable
man behind it all, Lex is the definitive nemesis for the Man
of Steel...
...Unless, of course, he's his best friend.
In this installment of the "Many Faces Of..." series,
we'll take a look at the various actors to portray Lex Luthor
over the years, and how the character has evolved through his
different incarnations.
Lex first appeared in Action Comics #23, in 1940. Initially
a typical "mad scientist" type character, he had a
full head of red hair in his first appearance. The more famous
bald version of the character showed up the following year,
in Superman #10. Over the years he would evolve from mad scientist,
to a ruthless, corrupt businessman, and even the President of
the United States.
The first actor to bring Lex to the screen was Lyle Talbot,
who played the bald baddie in the 1950 serial "Atom
Man vs. Superman," which featured Kirk Alyn as Supes. Ironically,
Talbot had played Police Commissioner Jim Gordon just one year
earlier, in the "Batman and Robin" serial that starred
Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan as the Dynamic Duo. Talbot also
shared the screen with another famous Superman actor, when he
costarred with George Reeves in the film "Thunder in the
Pines" in 1948.
Superman
had several animated outings from Filmation in the 1960's, including
"The New Adventures of Superman" in 1966, "The
Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure" in 1967, and "The
Batman/Superman Hour" in 1968. During this time, Jackson
Beck served as Lex Luthor, as well as Perry White and the narrator!
Beck was also the narrator of the 1940's "Adventures of
Superman" radio series, and did the voice of Bluto in the
Popeye cartoons of the 1950's.
The
next Lex to appear on screen would also come in animated form,
when he was a villain on the "SuperFriends"
cartoons of the 1970's. Here, Lex was the leader of the Legion
of Doom, a group made up of Bizarro, Scarecrow, Brainiac, Toyman,
and assorted other DC rogues, whose sole purpose was the destruction
of the Justice League. Voice actor Stan Jones, who did
voices for the "Heathcliff" and "Transformers"
cartoons, provided Lex's voice throughout the series' various
incarnations.
Luthor
hit the big screen in a big way when Gene Hackman made
the role his own, in three out of the four Christopher Reeve
"Superman"
films. Hackman's Luthor appeared in "Superman" in
1978, "Superman II" in 1980, and "Superman IV:
The Quest For Peace" in 1987. Here, Lex was the self-proclaimed
"greatest criminal mind" of his time, and made his
home in a vast underground lair cooking up schemes of world
domination.
Much of "Superman II" was filmed simultaneously with
the first "Superman," under the direction of Richard
Donner. Due to creative differences, Donner was not brought
back on board to finish the second film after the first was
completed, and he was replaced by Richard Lester. Gene Hackman
did not return at this point, and all remaining Lex Luthor scenes
were filmed with a look-a-like and voice impersonator. All scenes
in "Superman II" with Gene Hackman in them were filmed
under Donner's direction, during the production of the first
film.
In 1988, a short lived animated Superman series by Ruby Spears
featured Michael Bell as Lex. Currently, Bell provides
the voices of Drew Pickles and Chas Finster on Rugrats.
Two different actors brought Lex to life during the run of the
"Superboy" TV series. Scott Wells played the
role in the series' inaugural season, from 1988-89. The season
ended with a lab accident that caused Lex to lose his hair,
which he blamed the Boy of Steel for. Sherman Howard
played Lex in seasons two through four, from 1989 to 1992. The
change in appearance was explained by Lex having plastic surgery
so Superboy wouldn't recognize him. The change was a positive
one, as fans seem to prefer Howard's take on the character over
the Wells version. Howard has gone on to appear on shows like
ER, SeaQuest, and Malcolm in the Middle. He also
did the voice of Blight, a villain on the animated "Batman
Beyond."
The next Lex to take the small screen would be John Shea,
on "Lois
& Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" in 1993.
Here, Luthor was the richest man in Metropolis, and the city's
most powerful man... until a certain boy in blue came on the
scene. Lex was behind most of Superman's woes during the first
season, though everyone else, including Lois Lane, was blind
to his evil deeds. By the end of the season, commuting from
New York to L.A. was taking a toll on Shea, and he chose not
to return. Lex was killed off in the first season finale, committing
suicide after being exposed as a criminal mastermind. However,
Shea continued to make occasional guest appearances as a resurrected
Lex Luthor throughout the remainder of the series.
In 1997, another animated incarnation of the bad, bald billionaire
hit the airwaves, when the producers of "Batman The Animated
Series" turned their attention to Superman. Clancy Brown
voiced Lex in "Superman The Animated Series,"
"The New Batman/Superman Adventures," and continues
to voice the character on Cartoon Network's "Justice League"
series. Most recently, Brown can be seen as Brother Justin Crowe
on the HBO series "Carnivale." He's also the voice
of Mr. Eugene H. Krabs on "Spongebob Squarepants."
In
October of 2001, "Smallville" premiered on the WB.
Here, Clark and Lex meet as young men in Kansas, when Clark
saves Lex's life. Lex, played by Michael Rosenbaum, has
not yet turned into the ruthless villain he will one day become,
and he and Clark are best friends rather than arch enemies.
Fans are intrigued by the question of just what will push Lex
over the edge and turn him evil, and enjoy seeing a version
of the young Mr. Luthor that they can empathize with and relate
to. Mr. Rosenbaum has appeared in several films recently, including
"Sorority Boys," "Poolhall Junkies," and
"Bringing Down The House." Prior to playing Lex, he
was Jack of "Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane," and he was
in the movie "Urban Legend." He can also be heard
on the aforementioned "Justice League," as the voice
of The Flash.
Rosenbaum
isn't the only actor who has played Lex on Smallville, however,
as younger actors have portrayed scenes from the character's
childhood in flashback sequences. The first was Matthew Munn,
who played a young Lex in the pilot episode and in the second
season episode "Lineage." Matthew has previously appeared
on "The Lone Gunmen," and the Sci Fi original movie
"Shadow Realm." In the third season, the episode "Memoria"
revealed a key element of Lex's backstory, the death of his
baby brother Julian. These flashbacks, presented as Lex's repressed
memories of the event, feature Wayne Dalgish as the young Lex.
Dalgish has a first degree black belt in karate, and has appeared
on "The Guardian" and "Everwood."
Lex's rivalry
with Superman flew back onto the big screen in the summer of
2006 with the movie "Superman Returns." Delving into
the continuity of the Christopher Reeve films, this movie gave
us a Lex Luthor who had spent time in prison, but was ultimately
released when Superman never appeared to testify at his trial.
Kevin Spacey assumed the role of the bald mastermind, giving
a performance that owed much to Gene Hackman, but taking the
character to much darker places than Hackman ever did. Spacey
had teamed with "Superman Returns" director Bryan
Singer before, having played Verbal Kint in Singer's "The
Usual Suspects" in 1995. Mister Spacey has won Oscars for
his roles in "American Beauty" and "The Usual
Suspects."
Kevin
Spacey and Michael Rosenbaum appeared together in the 1997 film
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Years later,
when Spacey was preparing to film "Superman Returns,"
the two ran into each other. "I saw him at the Golden Globes
this year and he goes, 'WELL, if it isn’t Lex Luthor,'"
Rosenbaum told Wizard Magazine in a 2005 interview. "So
I turn and say, 'Yeah, that’s right. I play Lex before
he's old and fat. And he goes, "Cute Rosenbaum. Reeeeal
cute.'"
Also in
2006, a direct-to-DVD animated feature, "Superman: Brainiac
Attacks" was released to video store shelves. Although
it was done in the same style as "Superman The Animated
Series" and featured some of the same voice actors (Tim
Daly as Superman and Dana Delany as Lois), fans were puzzled
by its apparent disregard of continuity with the series. The
film treats the story as the first meeting between Brainiac
and Lex Luthor, despite a history between the two already having
been firmly established in the cartoon series. The characterization
of Lex depicted in the movie was also a departure, with a campy,
goofy Lex Luthor eating popcorn and throwing a party when Superman
gets trounced by Brainiac. Luthor was voiced in this installment
by Powers Boothe, who had previously voiced Gorilla Grodd on
"Justice League."
The
sixth season of "Smallville" sees another actor portraying
a portion of Lex Luthor's younger years. The episode "Reunion"
reveals some of Lex's prep school days and establishes a history
between Lex and Oliver Queen, the future Green Arrow. This time,
Lucas Grabeel plays the role of Lex for the flashback scenes.
Grabeel has previously been seen in the movie "High School
Musical," and episodes of the TV series "Veronica
Mars."
Clearly, Lex has evolved considerably from his initial design
as the stereotypical mad scientist. He has proven that he can
hold his own against one of the most powerful men in the universe,
despite having no actual powers of his own. His ability to exist
above the law often makes things very difficult for Superman,
and while Lex can't beat Supes physically, he more than makes
up for it with his intelligence and cunning. Though Hackman's
Luthor may have been the only one to spell it out, Lex certainly
is one of the greatest criminal minds of his or any other time.
Superman has thrown punches with the best of them, but in the
end, it's Lex's brains that make him a match for the Man of
Steel's brawn, and continue to make him such an intriguing character
that fans sometimes can't help but root for the bad guy.
Note:
The views of Russ Dimino don't necessarily represent the thoughts
and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.
The
Many Faces Of... Lex Luthor - Version 2
In
October of 2001, "Smallville" premiered on the WB.
Here, Clark and Lex meet as young men in Kansas, when Clark
saves Lex's life. Lex, played by Michael Rosenbaum, has
not yet turned into the ruthless villain he will one day become,
and he and Clark are best friends rather than arch enemies.
Fans are intrigued by the question of just what will push Lex
over the edge and turn him evil, and enjoy seeing a version
of the young Mr. Luthor that they can empathize with and relate
to. Mr. Rosenbaum has appeared in several films recently, including
"Sorority Boys," "Poolhall Junkies," and
"Bringing Down The House." Prior to playing Lex, he
was Jack of "Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane," and he was
in the movie "Urban Legend." He can also be heard
on the aforementioned "Justice League," as the voice
of The Flash.
Rosenbaum
isn't the only actor who has played Lex on Smallville, however,
as younger actors have portrayed scenes from the character's
childhood in flashback sequences. The first was Matthew Munn,
who played a young Lex in the pilot episode and in the second
season episode "Lineage." Matthew has previously appeared
on "The Lone Gunmen," and the Sci Fi original movie
"Shadow Realm." In the third season, the episode "Memoria"
revealed a key element of Lex's backstory, the death of his
baby brother Julian. These flashbacks, presented as Lex's repressed
memories of the event, feature Wayne Dalgish as the young Lex.
Dalgish has a first degree black belt in karate, and has appeared
on "The Guardian" and "Everwood."
Kevin
Spacey and Michael Rosenbaum appeared together in the 1997 film
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Years later,
when Spacey was preparing to film "Superman Returns,"
the two ran into each other. "I saw him at the Golden Globes
this year and he goes, 'WELL, if it isn’t Lex Luthor,'"
Rosenbaum told Wizard Magazine in a 2005 interview. "So
I turn and say, 'Yeah, that’s right. I play Lex before
he's old and fat. And he goes, "Cute Rosenbaum. Reeeeal
cute.'"
The
sixth season of "Smallville" sees another actor portraying
a portion of Lex Luthor's younger years. The episode "Reunion"
reveals some of Lex's prep school days and establishes a history
between Lex and Oliver Queen, the future Green Arrow. This time,
Lucas Grabeel plays the role of Lex for the flashback scenes.
Grabeel has previously been seen in the movie "High School
Musical," and episodes of the TV series "Veronica
Mars."