Michael Cudlitz Cast as Lex Luthor on ‘Superman & Lois’

Michael Cudlitz
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Michael Cudlitz will soon fill the shoes of one of the most infamous villains in comic history — Lex Luthor — when he joins the cast of The CW’s Superman & Lois.

The former Walking Dead and Southland star will join the cast for Season 3 to play the DC Comics supervillain, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The official character description provides insight into this new version of Lex: “Lex Luthor is known to the world as the visionary billionaire behind LexCorp, but secretly, the criminal underworld knows who Lex truly is: a brutal psychopath who terrorizes anyone he crosses paths with. When Lex debuts this season, it’s been years since he dropped out of the public eye and he’s re-emerging hellbent on correcting a personal injustice by enacting revenge on the two people he feels have wronged him — Superman (played by Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch).”

Picking up shortly after Season 2 left off, the new season begins with Clark and Lois working peacefully at the Smallville Gazette, shortly after their thrilling defeat of Ally Alston. But their peaceful small-town life will be shaken up when they are tasked with an undercover assignment that reveals a deadly enemy (presumably Luthor) that even Superman might not be able to stop. Meanwhile, Lois and Chrissy struggle to maintain their friendship when a new love interest enters Chrissy’s life.

Cudlitz joins the series after previously playing Abraham on AMC horror The Walking Dead, where he directed four episodes. He also picked up a Critics Choice Award for his role as John Cooper in the NBC and TNT series Southland. His other series work includes Clarice, The Kids Are Alright, and Band of Brothers.

His feature film work includes Grosse Pointe Blank, A River Runs Through It, The Negotiator, Driven, and the upcoming film, Unspoken.

Superman & Lois, Season 3 Premiere, Tuesday, March 14, 2023, 8/7c, The CW