Lex Luthor star Nicholas Hoult reveals why his James Gunn's Superman movie introduces not only a new take on the titular DC superhero, but also multiple villains who are set on killing him. As is usual for every DC universe, Superman will have to deal with Lex Luthor's attempts to thwart his heroic efforts and ruin his personal life.

Speaking about James Gunn's Superman at MEGACON Orlando 2025, where ScreenRant was in attendance, Lex Luthor actor Nicholas Hoult provided a glimpse at Luthor's motivations, revealing what makes him be so distrustful of Superman. Hoult explains that Superman's immense power and unique idea of justice perturb Luthor. Hoult poses the question:

“If someone had ultimate power and the ability to do anything, then what happens when what he does doesn’t align with everyone’s belief of what is right?”

Nicholas Hoult also expresses his interest in reprising his Superman role in future DCU installments. James Gunn's DCU is seemingly setting up overarching storylines and character arcs for many characters, taking advantage of the franchise's interconnected nature to bring characters together at different points. Lex Luthor has only been confirmed for Superman, but Hoult hopes he can play the villain longer:

"There is much I want to do with Lex. But I would hope that I get to play that character for a while"

Why Lex Luthor's Superman Hatred Makes So Much Sense

Lex Luthor's Hatred Is Fueled By Envy

As suggested by Nicholas Hoult, Lex Luthor's antagonistic nature doesn't come simply from a natural inclination for evil. Whereas some iterations of the character are driven by greed, Hoult's Luthor may believe that he's the one who's supposed to be the one who protect Metropolis and the world using his power and influence. When a godlike metahuman arrives to challenge the status quo, Luthor will probably feel like he's being usurped of his own heroism.

Apart from Lex Luthor, Superman's cast of characters includes other antagonists such as Maria Gabriela de Faría's the Engineer and the mysterious masked villain that accompanies Lex Luthor, plus a group of four heroic metahumans who seem to clash with Superman. Going by the trailers, David Corenswet's Superman will completely overhaul the definition of superhero in the DCU, which will certainly ruffle a few feathers among metahumans, vigilantes, villains, and regular citizens.

Our Take On Nicholas Hoult's Comments On Lex Luthor

Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor Will Probably Be A Recurring DCU Villain

Most of DC's previous live-action Superman movies didn't have the chance to dive into the intricacies of Lex Luthor and Superman's enmity, either because actors didn't reprise thier roles or because their respective franchises came to a premature end. James Gunn's Superman seems to kick off a long feud between David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. Given how expansive the DCU aims to be, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor is bound to return multiple times to attack Superman and possibly other heroes as well.

DC Movie Releases

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  Superman

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  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

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  The Batman Part II

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