Following in the footsteps of previous posts, today I’m going to list a ranking of the actors who’ve played the arch-supervillain LEX LUTHOR. Lke before, I’m only listed actors who’ve played the character in live action, not counting voice actors from animated features.

Starting off with, I guess I’ll call them Honorable Mentions, I’ll list LYLE TALBOT and TITUS WELLIVER. Talbot played Lex in the film serial ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN, but it’s so old I don’t remember much, and honestly didn’t feel like revisiting it to judge. Welliver played Lex in the TV series TITANS, which I’ve never seen.

10) SHERMAN HOWARD 

He began playing Lex in the 2nd season of the TV show SUPERBOY. The explanation was that Lex, who was previously played by another actor, had gotten plastic surgery to hide their identity. For whatever reason, I just never cared for his portrayal. I guess it didn’t look right. I mean, he was fine for what it was; this is just a personal viewpoint.

9) SCOTT JAMES WELLS

Scott played Lex in the first season of SUPERBOY. And I just liked their version better. I guess I should point out that the show also recast the role of Clark Kent/Superboy, and I liked that actor better too. Basically, though I enjoyed many of the later seasons, I wish it could have continued with the same cast and format as the first season. +

8) JESSE EISENBERG

While I didn’t care for the “Snyderverse” version of the DC characters overall, I admit Zack Snyder had some good ideas, including Eisenberg’s version of Lex in BATMAN V SUPERMAN. He was going for a more modern-day version of famous billionaire businessmen like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. And I’ve enjoyed Eisenberg in other projects, but he fell flat to me here.

7) KEVIN SPACEY

I’d been a fan of Spacey since I first saw him as a recurring character on the TV show WISEGUY when I was a kid. So when he was first announced as being cast as Lex in SUPERMAN RETURNS, I was ecstatic. But overall, I found the film underwhelming. And Spacey seemed hamstrung by his attempt to specifically ape Gene Hackman’s version of the character.

6) JOHN SHEA

He was one of the best castings of LOIS & CLARK, and I loved his performance.

5) MICHAEL CUDLITZ

Cudlitz played an older and more experienced version of Lex on SUPERMAN AND LOIS, and I loved his portrayal. This wasn’t the typical smooth billionaire businessman version prevalent in the media since the 1980s, though there were hints of his pants. This Lex was tough, brutal, and ruthless in a way that made you believe even a being like Superman was scared of him.

4) GENE HACKMAN

The original live-action Lex Luthor for those of us who grew up with the Christopher Reeve SUPERMAN films. I don’t hold those films in the same high regard as other fans of my era do; they were great, but they have flaws. This may be partly fueled by nostalgia, but I still love his performance whenever he’s on screen. Highlights include his attempt to kill Superman with the Kryptonite necklace in SUPERMAN and his first confrontation with the Kryptonian supervillains in SUPERMAN II. He clearly enjoyed this role.

3) NICHOLAS HOULT

Hoult did a most excellent job as Lex in the most recent SUPERMAN film. The only reason I don’t list him as number one yet is that he’s only done one movie (and one brief appearance in PEACEMAKER season 2). I’m looking forward to see him again in MAN OF TOMORROW next year, and I have a strong feeling that the longer he plays Lex, the better he will be.

2) MICHAEL ROSENBAUM

The best part of the TV series SMALLVILLE was Michael Rosenbaum’s performance as Young Lex Luthor. Watching the emotional dimensions he brought out in his 7-season run on the series was masterful.

1) JON CRYER

I’m still shocked at myself for feeling this way. I grew up watching Jon Cryer in various projects like PRETTY IN PINK and even SUPERMAN IV. And, as silly as it occasionally got, I still love the TV series TWO AND A HALF MEN, and watch reruns of it all the time. But when Cryer was first announceD to be playing Lex on the SUPERGIRL TV show, I couldn’t see it all. The casting made no sense.

Then I watched him.

And Great Rao he was perfect!

I loved his Lex in every scene. He was born for the role and stole every scene. It would’ve been cool to get to see him play the role at least once in a proper theatrical film, but I’ll take what we got on TV.

So that’s my list, so far.