DC Studios is bringing Lex Luthor's iconic warsuit to the screen for the third time in live-action next year. Superman's most notorious villain is well-known for using his wealth and his intelligence to try to thwart the Man of Steel, but on occasion, he's also turned to devising his own superpowered suit to hold his own. The warsuit has been seen several times throughout the years, but only a handful of times in live-action DC projects.
DC's Man of Tomorrow is currently in production as it heads toward its July 9, 2027, release date, and DC Studios has released an official image of Lex Luthor's (Nicholas Hoult) upgrade in the sequel. The image shows Hoult as Luthor in a mechanical green and purple war suit, mirroring the one his character wears in DC Comics.
The outfit was revealed in set photos from Man of Tomorrow before DC Studios shared an official image of Hoult in the suit. This also confirmed that the warsuit is a practical item Hoult can wear, rather than being rendered with visual effects. Director James Gunn went on to confirm on social media that the suit is "100% practical," adding that Hoult can "move incredibly well. It's unbelievably mobile."
The design of Luthor's warsuit for Man of Tomorrow is ripped right out of DC comics, with everything from the green and purple color scheme to the high-tech armored plates and the shielded headpiece mirroring that of the comic design.
In DC Comics, Lex's war suit has several different origins, sometimes built from alien technology or designed specifically with enhanced capabilities to withstand Superman's attacks (the latter seems likely in Man of Tomorrow, given Luthor had access to his own clone of Superman). Regardless, it buffs Luthor with additional powers, typically including superhuman strength, durability, flight, and advanced weaponry.
As it stands, Luthor is intelligent and wealthy, with an army of technology and weaponry at his disposal, but he is still only human and cannot hope to stand up to a fight against someone like Superman. Introducing the warsuit levels the playing field and allows Hoult's character to get more into the physical action. The suit will also seem essential for Luthor, who will be forced to team up with his nemesis, Superman, to fight a bigger threat in Man of Tomorrow: Lars Eidinger's Brainiac.
While DC Studios will be the first to introduce Luthor's warsuit in a live-action DC feature film, it's not the first live-action DC project to have utilized the outfit.
Lex Luthor's Warsuit in Other Live-Action DC Projects
Supergirl (TV Series)
The first live-action appearance of Lex Luthor's warsuit came in The CW's Supergirl, starring Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El and Jon Cryer as Lex. The TV series took a slightly different approach to the warsuit, dubbing it the "Lexosuit". The suit was first introduced in Season 2 of Supergirl and then recurred frequently until the last season.
The Lexosuit kept the green and purple coloring of its comic counterpart, but introduced a bright new helmet with a T-shaped visor. The Lexosuit came with some unique strengths, like the ability to materialize and dematerialize around the wearer, and the incusion of retractable Kryptonite blades. While Lex was the most common wearer of the suit in Supergirl, the Lexosuits were also utilized by other Luthor family members, such as Lillian Luthor and Lena Luthor.
The suit was also slightly less bulky than the one Hoult wears in Man of Tomorrow, and the helmet design is vastly different: the Supergirl version completely covers the wearer's face, while Hoult's has a clear glass/perspex shield around the head.
Superman & Lois
The Luthor warsuit made a second live-action appearance in Warner Bros.' recent Superman show, Superman & Lois. The series, which depicted Clark Kent and Lois Lane as married parents of two teen boys, featured many of DC Comics' iconic characters, including Michael Cudlitz as Lex Luthor.
While the character of Lex Luthor remained intellectual and wealthy in Superman & Lois, he becomes, late in the show's run, reliant on the warsuit, which he steals and upgrades from John Henry Irons' Exosuit.
As a result, the warsuit in Superman & Lois looks quite different from the traditional version. It is completely black and metallic, and lacks the green coloring of the other versions. The warsuit Luthor wears in Superman & Lois has a similar level of sturdiness and capabilities as the one in Man of Tomorrow seems to, although its origins and design are vastly different.
