DC Studios might already be cooking up another appearance for Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in an upcoming R-rated series after Superman. Former X-Men star Hoult took the honors of being the DCU's first live-action villain in Superman where he set out to destroy the reputation of David Corenswet's Man of Steel, almost taking the rest of planet Earth thanks to his destructive pocket universe.
As Lex Luthor was arrested after nearly destroying Earth in Superman, the soldier placing him in a truck said, "Get his bald ass to Belle Reve." While Belle Reve has been used to imprison many villains, including Luthor himself in the old DCEU, it has an important purpose in the DCU as the home of the Creature Commandos.
The R-rated HBO Max animated series was renewed for Season 2 in December 2024, confirming The Bride will be back to lead a new team that includes Doctor Phosphorus, Nosferata, Khalis, Weasel, G.I. Robot, and King Shark.
Frank Grillo played a starring role in Creature Commandos as Rick Flag Sr. before returning for Superman as a skeptic of the Man of Steel who briefly teamed up with Luthor and Planetwatch to bring him in for questioning.
While Flag Sr. suffered major injuries that took him off the chessboard in Season 1, he is now back in action and will soon reappear in August's Peacemaker Season 2 to settle the score with John Cena's Christopher Smith (who killed his son).
Notably, Rick Flag Sr. is the one character linking Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and Superman, and he has already worked with Luthor. While he may not be the hottest on the tech billionaire after he tore a hole through the planet, he could turn to him in a moment of desperation.
Much like Luthor, one of Creature Commandos' biggest villains, Circe, is currently imprisoned in Belle Reve, where they could cross paths. With the prison now housing multiple key villains, this could be setting them up to form the Legion of Doom and be the Thanos-level villain for the DCU's Chapter 1.
Lex Luthor was one of seven villains to appear in Superman, and Hoult's portrayal of the Man of Steel's arch-nemesis has already proven to be beloved by many since the DCU blockbuster started playing in theaters.
The LuthorCorp CEO is opposed by a gallery of heroes, including David Corenswet's Superman, Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi's Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan's Metamorpho.
Why Lex Luthor Could Also Appear in Peacemaker Season 2
But there are also plenty of reasons to think Lex Luthor could return as soon as this summer in Peacemaker Season 2 - which premieres on August 21.
For one, Gunn teased in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Peacemaker's high-tech closet from Season 1 that exists in a pocket dimension will be "at the center of the story" in Season 2. After this technology was at the forefront of Luthor's plans in Superman, he could conceivably come into play:
"You've seen what we call the QUC, the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, in the first season of Peacemaker, and we see more about that technology in Superman. The QUC is the center of the story in Peacemaker season 2."
These theories are only furthered as the DC Studios boss noted that the Justice Gang won't be the only Superman and DCU characters to return in Peacemaker, notably hyping up "one really, really, really big cameo near the end:"
"We see a lot of different characters from Superman in the [season], [including] Isabela and Nathan and Sean, and then we see a bunch of other characters later on in the season from other parts of the DCU and from Superman. There might even be one really, really, really big cameo near the end of the show."
If this pocket dimension technology is truly at the heart of Peacemaker's latest outing, Luthor could be consulted from prison as an expert on the matter.
That said, there's also reason to think that Peacemaker's big cameo could actually be a major Justice League member who has yet to join the DCU.
Whether Nicholas Hoult reprised Luthor in Creature Commandos or Peacemaker, both would mark his first R-rated appearance which would allow Gunn to explore a new, more mature side to the DCU's biggest hater.
