We get a first look a Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor thanks to James Gunn releasing the Superman trailer. Gunn and Hoult previously described their version of Lex as “dangerous” and “imposing.”
James Gunn recently told Josh Horowitz that Hoult’s Lex is “imposing” and “not the person you want to have against you.” Hoult also recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and said his Lex is “dangerous.”
Hoult expanded on his Lex at the press conference Gunn held Monday.
“Obviously, he’s smart and ruthless, and he has to outmaneuver Superman on certain levels, because he can’t match him in others,” Hoult said via Variety. “But there’s also something about this character, hopefully, from my standpoint, where even though you perhaps don’t agree with his process, you can understand where he’s coming from and why what he’s pushing as his ideology is perhaps better for humanity.”
What does the Superman trailer reveal about Lex?
We get our first glimpse of the Man of Steel bad guy when Lex is seemingly shown at LuthorCorp. Lex is looking out the window of his skyscraper offices when David Corenswet’s Superman flies past him. Lex looks none too happy!
Lex with a gun
The next scene shows Lex with a gun, for some reason. He appears to be looking at something, then seems confused. Possibly someone or something might have broken into LuthorCorp? Maybe Lex grabs a gun to protect himself but then realizes everything is not what it seems? A child’s voice can be heard saying, “Superman.” Maybe the kid thinks Lex is Superman at first, which Lex doesn’t like.
Lex’s motivations
Our final shot of Nicholas Hoult as Lex, he looks to possibly either be at LuthorCorp or maybe even the Daily Planet offices? The footage makes it look as if Lex is watching the TV and is none too happy.
The TV shows there is a war going on in Boravia, a fictional country from the DC Comics. It seems as if Superman flies there to save the day. We can guess that Lex might not be happy with Superman because LuthorCorp and Lex are arms dealers and might be providing the weapons to the country, to the invading army, or to both of them.
This is what could set off Lex and why he doesn’t like Superman. The war scene may take place at the start of the film.
Superman gets released July 11, 2025. Watch the trailer here.
