10 Actors Who Played Supervillain Lex Luthor on Screen, Ranked
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a superhero often upstaged by his arch-nemesis! Yes, Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman is the pride of Metropolis, but if he’s the Man of Steel on screen, then Lex Luthor is the Man of Scene-Stealing.
Nicholas Hoult is the latest actor to take on the role of Lex, playing the part in the newest Superman big screen adaptation. He joins a growing list of actors who’ve taken on the role.
Check out the photo gallery below to see which Lex leads our lineup.
10. Jesse Eisenberg, DC Extended Universe
Eisenberg gave his take on the character in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017’s Justice League, and 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League. But as Lex turns from billionaire to bad guy, Eisenberg’s tics and jitteriness turn from endearing to annoying. A little less Lex-presso for this guy.
9. Jon Cryer, Arrowverse
This “narcissist sociopath, evil genius … douchebag,” in the words of Ryan Choi (Osric Chau), was certainly a threat to the Arrowverse and its infinite Earths. But Cryer — who played Lex’s nephew Lenny Luthor in Superman IV — didn’t disappear into the part, perhaps because he was a recognizable sitcom star at that point of his career.
8. Kevin Spacey, Superman Returns
Before his career was derailed by multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment, Spacey played Lex in Superman’s 2006 return to the big screen. That film continued the storyline of Superman and Superman II, and though Spacey is good at playing bad, his Lex paled in comparison to Gene Hackman’s.
7. John Shea, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
As the big bad of Lois & Clark’s first season, Shea’s Lex was debonair, charming, and erudite… and more than a little smarmy. Though Shea sold the character’s upstanding persona, Superman (Dean Cain) didn’t need X-ray vision to know Lex wasn’t the legitimate Metropolis businessman he claimed to be.
6. Nicholas Hoult, Superman (2025)
Driven by a legitimate fear that Superman (Brandon Corenswet) posed an existential threat to humanity, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor was the rare identifiable verison of the character. Critics praised both his realism and his menacing demeanor.
5. Clancy Brown, DC Animated Universe
Brown has played many TV villains, but he’s been playing Lex in DC Animated Universe projects since 1996, including Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. Though only heard and never seen, Brown put his mark on the character — you can hear the snarl in his voice.
4. Michael Cudlitz, Superman & Lois
Of all the Lexes on screen, none has seemed as physically intimidating as Cudlitz’s version of the character, who emerged from prison with a shaved head and an axe to grind against Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch). Pair that physicality with a hair-trigger temper, and you have a Lex not to be reckoned with.
3. Titus Welliver, Titans
In this live-action series based on the Teen Titans supergroup of comic-book fame, Welliver didn’t chew scenery like some of the other Lex Luthor portrayers on this list. Instead, he played the character as cool, calm, and collected… and that restraint made the bald baddie all the more menacing.
2. Gene Hackman, Superman films
In the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve, Hackman wigged out as a toupéed Lex who heralds himself as “the greatest criminal mind of our time.” The character was a classic supervillain — the ego, the underground lair, the bumbling assistant — and Hackman hammed it up accordingly.
1. Michael Rosenbaum, Smallville
As Smallville depicted Superman’s ascent to superhero status, it also tracked Lex’s descent into villainy, with Rosenbaum playing the character as a tragic figure. This was a Lex wounded by his father’s neglect and all too curious about best friend and brother figure Clark Kent (Tom Welling), and Rosenbaum almost made him sympathetic.
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G
Rosenbaum was the best . To bad they never got him for the movies
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R
To my knowledge, he was sick of playing Lex.
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C
I really want to know the fascination and admiration for Gene Hackmans Lex Luthor. There's nothing brilliant about that portrayal. I can't take his Lex seriously. It's extremely goofy, campy, way over the top and hammy in the worst way possible. Hackman is a very good actor but he was terribly miscast or misguided here. He honestly ruins the character and the movies. I think he thought he was playing the Joker. I think Kevin Spacey as far as the movies go came closest to the actual comic version and I see Spacey emulating Rosenbaums portrayal rather than Hackmans. It's like when you compare Ledger and Nicholsons performances as Joker. There's just no comparison. In a perfect world we would've gotten a Justice League movie that had both Rosenbaums Lex Luthor and Heath Ledgers Joker. Those two portrayals aren't ever gonna be topped.
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C
I agree with Rosenbaum taking first place but Spacey prob needs to be further up the list even though he’s a terrible person, he made for a really good evil villain
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G
Rosenblum is definitely number 1. I'd have put Clancy in 3rd spot at least.
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P
In my opinion Rosenbaum should have played Luthor in BvS. Sure he had already done the role in Smallville but good lord whoever chose Eisenberg must have had brain damage.
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G
I always thought that Billy Zane would make a great Lex Luthor
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R
Zane would have been good. The best Lex Luthor would have been Mark Strong, playing a modified version of his Lord Blackstone villain role in Sherlock Holmes I with RDJ and Jude Law. THAT guy, a chilling bone curdling evil (NOT "mad") scientist, was the perfect Luthor.
Eisenberg's Luthor was just a lame Joker imitation. Luthor is supposed to have some personality problems, but he is NOT crazy.
Hackman played Luthor like a cheesy cocktail lounge comedian. He never even really seemed to dislike Superman, other than he messed up his idiotic real estate scams.
Since Spacey's Luthor was largely based upon /ripped off the Hackman version, many of the same problems carried over-- Lex acting like a comedian.
That's the one thing about Cudlitz I do like. I don't like his burly biker look but I do like the fact he really seems to hate Superman.
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G
You forgot Melvin Howard who played Lex Luthor in "The Adventures Of Superboy" Live Action TV series.
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P
While Hackman is a great actor, there was no genius in his portrayal of Luthor. Either the director or the writer, or possibly both made Lex Luthor to be a bumbling idiot. So I feel Hackman should be down there with Eisenberg.
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O
You forgot Lyle Talbot who who played Lex Luthor in Atomman vs Superman.
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O
You forgot Stan Jones who brilliantly played Lex on the SUPERFRIENDS. His depiction with the Legion of Doom will always be prime to me. Love Michael Rosenbaum and Clancy Brown though.
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P
I could not agree more on Rosenbaum and Hackman. Hackman was a great actor. I personally blame the writing and the direction for the hammy joke of a Luthor in the Christopher Reeve films. It was much more suited to the style of the Adam West 60's Batman.
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J
I always think both of no 1 and no 2 always in same level... The greatest among all Lex Luther ever
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O
I think Spacey shouldn't even be on the list. He was the worse Lex by far! Shirley Temple would have made a better Lex than Spacey did!!
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G
I think John cryer is better than this list rated him . He basically followed Michael R. on tv and no one has been able to achieve that level of Lex and its definitely the one I use as the gold standard
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O
Here for the Rosenbaum love. Dude made Smallville captivating. Him, and Kristin Kreuk's beauty. Love his podcast, too.
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J
I agree totally with Michael Rosenbaum number one. Michael Cudlitz on Superman and Lois should be number two. Everybody else to me is mediocre.
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G
Rosenbaum would've been the best if Clancy Brown was not on the list personally he's my favourite
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