The Greatest Criminal Mind of Our Time: Nicholas Hoult IS Lex Luthor

[whoknows]

but when you see that he's also the kind of kid that plays chicken with trains, you can see the character trait of unthinking stupid kid is there, it's not a stretch.
he's a dummy, he's going on about playing football and pa kent has to tell him that his powers come with responsibility as he is destined for great things.
the kid is dumb, he should be concerned with what he is going to grow up to be, not kicking footballs and jumping in front of trains.

i can sympathise with people who don't like that character trait being in the donner movie, as he wasn't a dummy at that age in the comics, he was a fully fledged superhero as a teenager, and took responsibility for his powers.
i am being a bit of a hypocrite as i don't like Batman89 very much as the characterisation of Batman, Alfred and the joker are far off the comicbook versions i grew up with. so i can see why some people would have a problem with a stupid teenage superman, but i don't, probably because i didnt read any superboy comics when i was growing up, and because i was also a stupid unthinking tearaway as a teenager, i can relate.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

without showing a character has some flaws in to begins with you have nowhere to develop that character... you can't show character growth if they were already prefect from the start

a lot of those same issues were elaborated on in Smallville (struggling with how an when to use his powers/ wanting to play football) having all this responsible an having to be so careful all the time... when you just want to be a care free/dumb kid... doing dumb kid stuff

I agree sometime they go over board trying humanize the character (as no human could fully understand what it is to be him) to relate to him on that level

just let him be "Super" an not foucous on the "Man"... but, finding that balance is the point of his story

 

[whoknows]

yeah, they did explore that on smallville quite well, and then after something bad happened(can't recall what,prob something to do with lana), Clark put on the red kryptonite ring and headed for metropolis to indulge in his powers, all that pent up frustration came flooding out with bad clark. which was one of the best episodes.

 

[GreenKToo]

That seems like a stretch.

Invoking a bit of “head canon”… we might assume that STM Clark (though young and reckless) knew enough to aim the football into an adjacent — and non-populated — cornfield. Likewise, more experienced SR Clark used “super control” and x-ray vision to ensure that the baseball wouldn’t conk anyone on the noggin.

Generally, we just apply some willing suspension of disbelief. Sure: maybe Ben Hubbard got impaled by a supersonic projectile. But more plausibly (and absent any evidence to the contrary), the football and baseball landed harmlessly.

I mean if someone wants to get technical, what about the wing of the plane superman broke off in SR.
It could have squashed a random cat somewhere.

 

[whoknows]

When i was a kid i always assumed that he kicked the football into outer space, as it appeared to go straight up. that was my head canon.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Well...

There are many things that Superman does that would seem to be problematic if given a full analysis. Consider this generic scenario: Supes scans Metropolis with x-ray vision searching for a ruthless villain or a hapless kidnap victim. But wait a second. Those x-rays are invading a lot of personal privacy. Does this morally compromise Supes? Technically, yes.. But we’re obviously meant to enjoy and embrace the fun/fantasy aspects of this feat — and ignore/wink at its more realistic ramifications.

The baseball scene in SR is an obvious callback to a similar scene in STM involving Clark kicking a football “into the next state.” Nitpick the former and you’re kinda obliged to do the same for the latter.

Those aren’t the same things. Superman scanning buildings to find a victim who has been kidnapped isn’t the same as him creepily spying on his ex. And okay, kicking the football into the next state could have killed someone but he’s supposed to be an immature teenager at the time. And it wasn’t like he did it to the detriment of a pet of a pet or friend like the SR example. It’s not “nitpicking,” it’s pointing out examples of bad writing, or at least, writing that doesn’t understand Superman’s character.

 

[Dr.]

Those aren’t the same things. Superman scanning buildings to find a victim who has been kidnapped isn’t the same as him creepily spying on his ex. And okay, kicking the football into the next state could have killed someone but he’s supposed to be an immature teenager at the time. And it wasn’t like he did it to the detriment of a pet of a pet or friend like the SR example. It’s not “nitpicking,” it’s pointing out examples of bad writing, or at least, writing that doesn’t understand Superman’s character.

The scene involves adult Clark flashing back to his youth: exuberantly running and leaping through cornfields. Back in the present, Clark throws the baseball into the next county — causing the dog to chase it and then stop in bewilderment. As I recall, this got a mild laugh from the audience. (Indeed, we’ve all done something similar. We pantomime a throwing motion, which fools the family pooch.) All pretty innocuous.

 

[whoknows]

Yeah, i guess it was written as that kind of joke, not as bizarre as i thought it was, but still pretty reckless as a seasoned superhero, given he doesn't know where it's going to land, should've had the angle pointing more straight upwards like the football scene, so we can imagine it going into orbit. or even just show the ball going into outer space.

 

[Bren]

Superman 78 plot twist: the football hit Luthor on the head and knocked all his hair out.
There's the connection we needed.



I may not be completely serious.

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Superman 78 plot twist: the football hit Luthor on the head and knocked all his hair out.
There's the connection we needed.



I may not be completely serious.

Brutal.

 

[Babillygunn]

View attachment 84094
Brutal.

Why does this photo remind me of Corey Feldman in Friday the 13th: The Final
Chapter?

 

[whoknows]

all this bald talk reminds me of my old school headmaster who expelled me from school for sticking a wet paint sign on the back of a guy, who turned out to be a school inspector....booooo hissss this man. he was my lex luthor.

 

[Babillygunn]

all this bald talk reminds me of my old school headmaster who expelled me from school for sticking a wet paint sign on the back of a guy, who turned out to be a school inspector....booooo hissss this man. he was my lex luthor.

I remember that guy. He told me that my ego was writing checks that my body can’t cash.

 

[Tg11]

Definitely wanna see Nicholas bald and I can't wait to see it

 

[Sawyer]

 

[Gamma Goliath]

Definitely wanna see Nicholas bald and I can't wait to see it

There's already photos of him bald. Just go back like a page or two.

 

[Sawyer]

But we haven’t seen him bald everywhere. *wiggles eyebrows*

 

[JoshB1980]

My favorite version of Lex so far is Michael Rosenbaum - he was given so much time and room to really grow that character. Hackman and Spacey were too campy, while Eisenberg came off as a total brat. Mr. Hoult has a lot to live up to.

 

[GreenKToo]

My favorite version of Lex so far is Michael Rosenbaum - he was given so much time and room to really grow that character. Hackman and Spacey were too campy, while Eisenberg came off as a total brat. Mr. Hoult has a lot to live up to.

If he's closer to the SV Lex than the others, I'll be happy.
The ONLY thing the JE Lex had going for him ( for me ) was his intellect.
Everything else about him was total garbage.

Hackman's Lex had flashes of the Lex I want
( minus the campiness )

Spacey's Lex had a touch of being sinister, but his goofiness at times killed it, ie, WROOONG!, and KRYPT-OO-NITEEEE!

A joke or two by him here and there is fine, but please stay away from him being goofy for most of his screen time.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Feels weird to praise Spacey for... uhh... obvious reasons but I love him in Superman Returns. The characterization in that film doesn't really line up all that well with the Donner movies except for him who really feels like Hackman's Lex who got nastier and darker with time.

 

[Sawyer]

Yeah, Bosworth doesn’t feel at all like Kidder and Routh just sort of resembles Reeve, but Spacey did feel like Hackman’s Lex had taken a few steps toward his comic persona.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

I'd love to see some John Shea Lex energy personally.

Give me a Lex that can stare down a cobra and win 😅

 

[Sawyer]

Y’all ever find yourselves wondering what Nicholson would’ve been like as Lex in Superman Lives?

 

[Elayis]

Feels weird to praise Spacey for... uhh... obvious reasons but I love him in Superman Returns. The characterization in that film doesn't really line up all that well with the Donner movies except for him who really feels like Hackman's Lex who got nastier and darker with time.

Yep. There's not a lot for him to work with, but Spacey makes it work. He reminds me a lot of McDiarmid's Palpatine in the prequels. It's the only incarnation of Lex I've liked in live action so far, but hopefully Hoult's take will be closer to the ruthless tycoon from the comics.