Falling in love with a DC movie villain was not on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are, and I am openly saying that I love Lex Luthor from Superman. Okay, well, not the villain overall, but Nicholas Hoult‘s portrayal in the 2025 movie release.
If you know me, you’d know that I’m not a super huge fan of the DC universe. I enjoy one of their film now and again, and the DC comics are always fun, but for some reason, I just never got DC as much as others did. I grew up liking Batman because my dad enjoyed it, but other than that, it wasn’t really on my radar.
As I’ve gotten older and explored more of this comic world, I’ve seen plenty of DC movies, and the villains just never did anything for me. Then Lex Luthor and Nicholas Hoult’s fantastic portrayal of him came along, and I was hooked.
The DC Movie Villains Were Always Hit Or Miss For Me
This isn’t an article for me to rip on DC villains overall because, in honesty, I really do like them — just in comic form. I think there are a ton of great DC villains who we haven’t even seen in movies because they tend to stick to the most-known ones, which is fine. It’s pretty typical for adaptations to do that.
But when it comes to DC movie villains, I’ve…always not been a big fan. It’s not that some of them aren’t good – Heath Ledger as The Joker will live on for the ages, so much so that his performance was called “unpredictable” by Christopher Nolan. I still think Joaquin Phoenix is great as the iconic clown, too. I also think that Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman was a great pick back in the day.
Other than that, though? I really don’t remember a lot, and that’s coming from someone who has spent her time watching most of the DC films ever since she began her comic journey. I’ve said before that I grew up mainly on Marvel, so of course I love any upcoming Marvel movie because the villains just always clicked more for me there. And then we have Thanos – the ultimate baddie.
When I started getting into DC movies, I was a little perturbed with how I felt regarding the villains. I was told by someone a long time ago that many of the DC villains are significantly darker than their Marvel counterparts, and I suppose that holds in some cases. But truthfully, some of these portrayals were so forgettable. The very idea of me trying to come up with anything memorable is painful.
I suppose I could compare this to Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, whom I guess he had his moments. But he wasn’t anything special. Nicholas Hoult, however… now that’s a villain.
The Way Nicholas Hoult Portrayed Lex Luthor Made Me Want To See Him Come Back
I’ve been a fan of Nicholas Hoult for years. I’ve watched Nicholas Hoult’s best movies and I’ve enjoyed watching him on television. Heck, he was the co-star of one of my favorite Hulu original shows, The Great. He’s a fantastic actor. When he was announced as the new Lex Luthor, many people were skeptical, but I was all in.
Then I saw Superman and he blew me away. I was in my seat just staring every time he was on screen in utter awe and disbelief because Hoult really poured every ounce of his acting into this role.
Every actor should do that, but there was something so compelling about his portrayal. There were moments where I actually felt bad for Luthor, which is something that I really shouldn’t say, but it’s the truth. Obviously, Superman is the hero, and Lex Luthor hates him, but there was an ounce of humanity underneath the evil genius that we saw in this film, which made me really like him as a villain.
But Lex Luthor is also a little unhinged, and Nicholas Hoult knocked that out of the park as well. There’s one scene in the film – without spoiling anything – where he so nonchalantly kills someone that I was just gasping at the screen and staring at him. That is Lex Luthor. That is the kind of villain that we needed to see. He was campy when he had to be, dramatic at the same time, and the perfect blend of comic faithfulness and reality.
There Are So Few DC Movie Superhero Villains That I Can Openly Say I Want To See Again
There are very few DC villains that I really want to see again. I feel like many of them are often one-and-dones in the franchise because they usually get defeated very quickly and easily, and then you’re just wondering where the big fight is. However, Lex Luthor is a villain that I could see sticking around for a long time, as long as it’s Hoult’s version.
At the very end of Superman, we really see him at his lowest, and from that look on his face, you can tell he wants more. There’s revenge laced within his eyes and a coil that’s wound so tightly inside his body that I’m sure it’s only waiting for the signal to snap. Lex may have been beaten, but he’s still a genius – someone who built an entire industrial empire. You don’t think he could easily do that again?
Superman itself was hugely successful, with thousands of people attending the movie and loving every aspect of it. I was one of those who fell for Superman even more so, and ended up having a favorite in Mr. Terrific (as did many others). But because this film did so incredibly well, I think this won’t be the last we see of Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor.
I Really Think He Could Be A Mainstay In This Franchise
I don’t just think we’ll see Lex Luthor again: I really believe he’s going to be a mainstay in the franchise. If anything, I’m going to compare him to Loki from the MCU.
I don’t believe Lex Luthor will have some redemption arc like Loki did – he’s a little too far gone for that. But the real comparison is how I think Luthor is going to pop up in places you’d never expect him to and have a lasting impact on the story as a whole, just as Loki did in the MCU. It might come in a way you don’t even expect, but that’s the beauty of it – you don’t know.
Truthfully, Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal actually made me excited for the future of the DC movie universe and everything else coming out. With him as a big baddie, this just might be the start of a memorable slew of DC villains, and I am so here for the ride.
