Jon Cryer, the man behind the Arrowverse’s Lex Luthor, was disappointed by his lack of inclusion in another DC project.
There’s a lot to be said about Lex Luthor. Although he’s the most intelligent person on Earth in the DC universe, he’s also megalomaniacal, xenophobic, and often shortsighted despite his immense smarts.
Many actors have left their mark on Luthor, from Clancy Brown and Gene Hackman to the upcoming Nicholas Hoult. James Gunn counts Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum as his favorite Lex. But one particular performer felt a bit left out in the cold.
Jon Cryer Shares His Biggest Regret
During an interview with KJ Today, Jon Cryer discussed his experiences playing Lex Luthor on DC and The CW’s Arrowverse shows.
Cryer showed up quite a few times as the supervillain on Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, mostly during crossover events.
But there was one Arrowverse-adjacent series that Cryer did not reprise Lex for Superman & Lois, which wrapped up its four seas run on Monday, December 2. This is something that Jon Cryer greatly regrets:
"The whole Arrowverse was just one for the nerds. I loved being a nerd. I loved reveling in it. We got into the deepest, darkest recesses of DC lore. I am sorry to see 'Superman & Lois' go as well, because I think that was just a fantastic new look at those characters. I think they managed to really crack it by being by being faithful to who Superman is. And my biggest regret is that I never was on it."
The part on Superman & Lois ultimately went to The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz, who put in a memorable turn as Clark’s greatest foe.
Still, one must wonder how things would have shaken out if Cryer did get the chance to breathe life into Lex Luthor one more time.
The Next Lex in the DC Universe
Superman is iconic. There will be actors giving their interpretation of the character until the end of time. And nearly as iconic as Kal-El is his single greatest foe, Lex Luthor.
Over the decades, there has been no shortage of high-profile stars playing the Krytonian-hating genius, and although the sun has likely set on Jon Cryer’s time with the character, a new light dawns on the horizon in the form of Nicholas Hoult.
Hoult will step into the part of Luthor, signature bald head and all, in 2025’s James Gunn-directed motion picture, simply titled Superman.
And given Gunn’s unabashed love for the comics, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor could wind up being one of the best yet. However, fans will need to wait till next summer to find that out for sure.
Jon Cryer can be seen as Lex Luthor on Supergirl which currently streams on Netflix.
