Lex Luthor is accurate…

I made a comment on this earlier and felt it deserved a full post.

I’ve seen a lot of complaints on here about the shows characterization of Lex.

A lot of those complaints are either based on the fact that he’s strong and intimidating or “a biker”

so let’s debunk that.

Yes, Lex has been portrayed this way before.

Let me address something first. The criticism that he’s just a biker is based entirely off his appearance and not his character.

Lex here is the same as Lex in a LOT of other adaptations. He’s smart, he’s strong, he’s manipulative, hateful, jealous, selfish, and throws his money around like it’s nothing. Every action, every motivation… it’s pure lex luthor.

So what makes him feel so different? Two things.

1) Tone. Lex has a bit of a silliness to him in a lot of portrayals that this one doesn’t have. He’s serious to the bone and it really separates him from other portrayals especially ones like Eisenberg or Hackman.

2) Appearance. When we see Lex Luthor, it’s usually in a nice suit. This one for the most part wears a leather jacket and sports a beard.

But long story short, this Lex is not the drastic departure you think it is. Everything about him from his traits to his motivations is Lex Luthor.

If you’re looking for other versions of Lex that are both physically imposing and intimidating to his peers, I strongly recommend taking a look at All-Star Superman or Superman/Batman Public Enemies although Lex being intimidating to other people isn’t unique to any one story or adaptation.