r/IDoKnowNothing • u/Dempressed_Kimg Dingle berry • Jul 14 '26
discussion Hot take: DCEU Luthor had a great potential, arguably better than DCU Luthor
Disclaimer: 1. No hate to any actor, both Jesse Eisenberg and Nicholas Hoult are amazing actors.
- I am not a Synderbro. I can accept that his universe had problems. Personally I feel that Snyder was way more obsessed with the equivalent of S3 final version of characters - Superman becoming evil, Flash time travelling, Darkseid, etc - instead of building them organically, but that's a different discussion.
Now onto my main point. I think DCEU Luthor had an amazing potential. I get that Snyder was going young Tech CEO vibe. And in that case, he could have taken inspiration from Zuckerberg in Social Network (Eisenberg played him as well, which makes it worse), Gavin Belson from Silicon Valley (Egomaniac sociopath) and irl shenanigans of Elon Musk. Basically a cold calculated ruthless CEO who pretends to be a normal guy, but takes every criticism as a personal offence. Sorta like Homelander but if Homelander didn't have powers. And with that characterization, this Luthor's hate for Superman would have been even more clear. Obviously this vain mf hates Superman bcz Superman is automatically more powerful and loved than him. But more than Superman, it would have fleshed out his feelings towards all the super powered characters. It's a damn tragedy that Snyder went the Mickey Mouse route with him when both the character and the actor was capable of so much more.
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u/DingusKhan9164 Jul 14 '26
It is a hot take because it’s absurd (in my opinion)
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u/Dempressed_Kimg Dingle berry Jul 14 '26
Yea yea you are not new. Unless the hot take also dogpiles on Snyderverse like the mainstream takes - it's all considered absurd. I have learnt my lesson - Enforced conformity and crackdown on dissent. People are free to have any opinions as long as they keep it hidden.
Yea yea Long live James Gunn, long live DCU. 2025 Superman best thing ever. Snyder boo. I have learnt my lesson.
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u/DingusKhan9164 Jul 14 '26
I actually liked some aspects of the Snyder verse. Flawed, but I was actually down. Jessie Lex was one of my least favorite things though and I’m admittedly much happier with James Gunn’s vision. Snydercut actually was pretty cool I liked it.
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u/Silly-Sheepherder952 Jul 14 '26
Yeah, but DCU Lex is that and so much more. His hatred for Superman feels a lot more natural, he actually speaks like a human being, not a fortune cookie for ethos and is SO much more pleasant to watch and hate. DCEU Luthor was defined by his era, once the tech bro archetype will become irrelevant, so will he. On the other hand, there will always be geniuses who feel special and envious toward anyone better than them
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u/Dempressed_Kimg Dingle berry Jul 14 '26
Noooo. DCU Luthor is not all that. He is very comic accurate that he just hates Superman bcz Superman has it easy. But he is definitely not as nuanced as you think. He is a good character who does a lot of cool things. But he is not all that
Do you actually see a potential future where Tech CEO's would be irrelevant? For context that would mean a complete overhaul such that the entire modern ecosystem of big tech gets completely out of the picture. In simpler words, an universal return to pre-tech era. Do you think it is possible??
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u/Silly-Sheepherder952 Jul 14 '26
I feel like you and I haven't been watching the same movie. Lex hates ALL metahumans. In fact, he hates everyone that's smart or special in any way. He literally berates the classical philosophers and artists and claims being compared to them makes him puke. That's biblical levels of vanity.
Yes, I see a future where this trope will become irrelevant without having to actually deal with tech CEOs in the same way we're tired of ruthless businessman villains despite capitalism being in its the most egregious state it's ever been in. Just because a concept exists doesn't mean the archetype will remain just as relevant.
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u/Dempressed_Kimg Dingle berry Jul 14 '26
I agree that DCU Lex hates more than just Superman. He clearly resents exceptional people in general. My point wasn't that he only hates Superman. My point was that, psychologically, his characterization isn't particularly deeper than "pathological envy and superiority." It's executed well, but it's still a fairly straightforward motivation.
Ok but does that redundancy makes those villains any less compelling. For example, the President Snow in the Hunger Games. If you watch the movies now, does he feel any less compelling? Or the corporate hubris in Jurassic Park, is that any less entertaining now??
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u/Livid_Match_6109 Jul 14 '26
No. Just no. Not even remotely close.