Lex Luthor is one of the most iconic villains in comic book history, which means there is a lot of material that you can pull from. James Gunn has shared some of what influenced his writing in a new social media post.
A user on Threads by the handle of brahmastra_veda asked Gunn, “What comic or arc inspires your Lex Luthor depiction in the upcoming Superman movie?” Gunn replied, “God there are so many. Lex is one of my favorites – he works on so many levels – and it’s been a joy bringing him to the screen with the incredible [Nicholas Hoult]. Some of the influences were, of course, All-Star Superman, Azzarello’s Luthor, and the reckless scientific genius from the 1950’s and ‘60’s.”
He then went on to share three images as examples.
With the differences in these versions, what exactly we’re going to see on screen in 2025 is anyone’s guess at this point, but we’re excited to see a new take on the character.
The cast of Superman is set to include David Corenswet as Superman, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. They will all be joined by Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Fillion as Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, and María Gabriela de Faría as the Engineer.
Superman will hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
IMAGE SOURCE: Shutterstock – James Gunn – Kathy Hutchins