James Gunn is making one big change to Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in his upcoming DCU from Jesse Eisenberg's version of the character that was seen in the DCEU. Eisenberg's Lex Luthor was introduced in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and appeared in both the theatrical and Snyder cuts of Justice League. However, his version of the character has often been criticized for possessing some differences from Lex in the source material.
James Gunn recently revealed that, in his upcoming Superman film, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will be incredibly intelligent to the point where he seems like somewhat of a sorcerer. He will also be proficient in engineering, being able to build and craft unique weapons to help take down Superman, the person Lex hates most in the entire world. This differs from Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor from Zack Snyder's films, as that character was written to be intelligent, but in a psychotic kind of way, almost like a deranged genius.
When speaking with Entertainment Weekly about Superman and Hoult's Lex Luthor, director and writer James Gunn specifically stated that the inventions Lex comes up with in the film will be "beyond those things that we can imagine:"
"The gadgets and tech he's working with are beyond those things that we can imagine."
Gunn revealed that Lex will be working on Kryptonite weapons that humans won't be able to comprehend, indicating that his version of the character will be so intelligent and resourceful that he will come across as more than a person.
This will be radically different from Eisenberg's version of the character because it is clear that Hoult's Lex will actually try to fight Superman. In Batman v Superman, Eisenberg's Lex did not fight the Man of Steel. Instead, he put events in motion to pit Batman against Superman, and also to use Doomsday as a weapon.
It seems as though both versions of Lex Luthor will be masterminds, but Hoult's Lex in Gunn's DCU will try to get the job done himself rather than just pull the strings behind the curtain.
Superman is set to be released on July 11, 2025. It will be the first film in Gunn and Peter Safran's new franchise, the DCU. Aside from Hoult, Superman will star David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and will feature at least seven major villains.
Will James Gunn's Lex Luthor Be Better than Zack Snyder's?
It is impossible to say if James Gunn's Lex Luthor will be more well-liked than Zack Snyder's was until the upcoming film is released, but all signs at least point to Gunn's version being a bit more comic-accurate.
One issue many had with Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor was that he was nowhere close to how the character had been established in the comics. Instead of being a rather bulky guy, Eisenberg's version was physically weak. Comic book Lex was bald, Eisenberg's was introduced with long hair. In the source material, Lex used his money and resources to build weapons to fight Superman, and Eisenberg's never really laid a finger on him.
Saying one version of the character is better than another version is entirely subjective. Plenty of people thought Eisenberg's Lex worked because it was fresh and didn't rehash what had already been established in other movies and in comic books.
More than anything, it has just been made clear that Nicholas Hoult's Lex will be going down the more traditional route. There will undoubtedly still be some differences, but many will likely appreciate that his version of Lex will at least try to fight Superman himself.
As far as the impressive gadgets go, fans will probably have to wait until the film is released to see them. However, Lex's warsuit from Superman was already revealed, giving fans a bit of a glimpse at what kind of weapons Hoult's Lex will be capable of building.
