In this new, action-packed chapter of the Superman legend, Lex Luthor emerges as a formidable villain. His motives genius and egotism are not separate, but unravel a troubling, brilliant love for humanity. This new narrative direction promises to explore Luthor’s identity as a villainous billionaire who perceives himself as a protector of humanity, while simultaneously battling against Superman’s ideals.
Lex Luthor, a brilliant scientist and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, has spent his life striving for recognition and validation of his achievements. His genius has more in common with an artist’s relationship with AI. He understands Superman not as an enemy, but as a filter through which he perceives his own equal and opposite ambitions, humanitarian aspirations, and the demons of inadequacy. This creative choice deepens Luthor’s character. It illustrates how his scientific genius serves as the furnace for his overreaching dreams and foolhardy adventures.
The narrative further frames Luthor as being opposed to Superman throughout the story, emphasizing the two men’s different perspectives on what benefits humanity most. For Luthor, the fight is about more than just taking down the Man of Steel. So, like you, he battles to claim his dream for the universe. As he reconciles his own motivations, Luthor is motivated, at least in part, by altruism tempered with self-interest.
Further transforming Luthor characteristically into a sorcerer underlines the special genius and imaginative brilliance that he has. His previous innovations stand as strong testimony to his genius intent on pursuing world-changing battery technology. This critical move shows how he’s able to profoundly impact our world for the better. Luthor’s genius is beyond question, but his ultimate failure results from his desire to own the story about his inventions and legacy. He frequently squeezes the rest of us to do it, though.
Also, the romance triangle that exists between Luthor, Superman and Lois Lane is crucial to this character’s story. On one hand, Luthor uses Superman’s commitment to humanity and Lois’ ceaseless intellect. He then follows up with confident artistic decisions about what he thinks is best for both characters. Indeed, he has adopted the self-appointed role of moral arbiter. Not only does this place him at conflict with their lofty ideals but it exacerbates his own internal conflict.
As the story progresses, we learn that Luthor’s love for humanity is what makes this antihero, this villain, truly humanist. As the film progresses, it is revealed that this love is marred by vanity and self-centeredness. Importantly, he doesn’t think anyone else can do it — or that he shouldn’t be the one doing it. This conviction leads him to dangerous extremes in service of what he believes is the greater good.
The narrative further suggests Luthor’s awareness that he cannot live in a vacuum. Furthermore, the conflict between him and Superman is not just physical, but philosophical. This struggle between idealism and pragmatism serves to ground Luthor’s arc. From it, one gets a profound glimpse into his tortuous mind and may discover his overarching motives.
James Gunn is now at the helm of this new chapter in the Superman franchise. He wants to change that, especially when it comes to the diversity of stories being told.
“I think it’s only setting the tone so far as that this is 100 percent a James Gunn movie, and what I want with the future films is for them to be the same — not James Gunn movies, but when I talked to Craig Gillespie who’s doing Supergirl, I said, ‘I don’t want all of these movies to be the same.’” – James Gunn
It’s a film that Gunn hopes to fill with different character perspectives. He makes sure that an overarching narrative thread ties them all together. Fans will explore the complex lexicon of Lex Luthor’s machinations and villainy. They can’t wait for fans to experience how this new interpretation changes their understanding of Lex and Superman himself.
