The DCEU Doesn't Need A Flashpoint Retcon To Have An Awesome Lex Luthor

The DCEU set the foundations for a more comic-accurate version of Lex Luthor than Jesse Eisenberg's. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a crucial installment in the creation of the DC Extended Universe, as it introduced Ben Affleck's Batman, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor, and established the enmity between Luthor and Superman. However, Zack Snyder's sequel to Man of Steel was widely criticized, among many things, for Eisenberg's portrayal of Superman's most iconic villain.

Across eighty years of appearances in comics, movies, cartoons, and TV shows, Lex Luthor has become famous for his genius-level intellect and his charismatic personality. Luthor's limitless wealth and his grudge against Superman are also as iconic as his bald head. Unfortunately for many DC fans, the Lex Luthor introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was all the opposite. He behaved like an unstable terrorist more akin to the Joker or Jim Carrey's Riddler than the elegant businessman DC fans have loved to hate.

Related: Upcoming DCEU Movies & Shows Risk Repeating Past DC Mistakes

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featured one of the DCEU's most ominous setups in the form of Lex Luthor's father. Lex made it very clear that his eccentric behavior came from the trauma he had to endure as a child, as Alexander Luthor Sr., who founded LexCorp, physically abused him and made him hate the idea of heavenly beings coming to save the world from above. Lex's description of his father's brutality painted a picture of how powerful he could be if he was around to face Superman. With a more level-headed personality than his son, this older version of Luthor probably could have skipped all the contrived schemes Lex used to defeat Batman and Superman.

The DCEU is about to overhaul many of its characters with the help of the multiverse. The first character to depart will be Ben Affleck's Batman, who's expected to pass on the torch back to Michael Keaton in The Flash. Similarly, a completely new version of Lex Luthor could arrive through the multiverse, but his introduction doesn't have to waste the setup planted in Batman v Superman. A future movie could introduce Lex Luthor Sr. as a new threat after Lex Jr. failed to beat the Man of Steel. But if Lex Luthor Sr. does come through the multiverse, a Supergirl movie starring Sasha Calle could reveal that he is the one hunting down Kryptonians in Supergirl’s universe — this way, his introduction wouldn't need to include Henry Cavill's Superman, as the hero never had the chance to spark his wrath.

Having a more mature Lex Luthor in the DCEU would help fix all of the previous version's controversial flaws without retconning him out of existence. Henry Cavill's Superman and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor could still exist somewhere, but the main focus would turn on Supergirl and her own Kryptonite-loving archnemesis. This could also be the perfect opportunity to cast an actor who embodies the character more closely, such as Bryan Cranston and Billy Zane, who have remained fan-favorite candidates throughout the years. All in all, the looming presence of a comic-accurate Lex Luthor Sr. in the DCEU is too valuable to ignore.

More: A BvS Prequel Comic Already Introduced Firefly To The DCEU Before Batgirl



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