DCU’s Superman Movie Borrows Smallville’s Villain Origin Story In Interesting Reboot Theory

Summary

• Nicholas Hoult will play Superman’s main villain, Lex Luthor, in James Gunn’s upcoming reboot.
• Hoult has a connection to Smallville’s Lex Luthor, indicating inspiration for his portrayal.
• A casting call for the DCU movie hints at Lex’s backstory being explored.

James Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot film could be taking a page out of Smallville‘s playbook for its version of Lex Luthor, according to a DC Universe theory. After failing to join Superman‘s expansive cast as the Man of Steel himself, a role that would end up going to David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult was cast as the DCU’s Lex Luthor. Gunn is still keeping the story of his Superman reboot under wraps; however, the director has made a major reveal regarding what role Hoult’s character will play in the film.

Gunn has revealed that Hoult’s Lex Luthor is Superman‘s main villain, which came after recent speculation emerged about a possible Superman clone, Ultraman/Bizarro, having that role instead. With Hoult adding to the long list of live-action Lex Luthor actors, the star is bound to see some elements from past versions of the character make their way into his portrayal. Thanks to a new DCU theory, that connection might be to none other than Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor, with the Smallville actor being responsible for the best live-action version of the character so far.

DCU Superman Casting Call Hints At Lex Luthor Backstory

A casting call shared by @DCFilmNews on Twitter for Gunn’s Superman has hinted that the backstory of one of the film’s male characters will be shown.

While the announcement might look like it is for a young version of Clark Kent at first glance, since the casting call is for a location that is speculated to be the Kent Farm, that could actually be for Lex Luthor instead. Gunn has already made it clear that Clark’s backstory will not appear in the DCU movie, saying, “There is no Young Clark.”

Based on the director’s words and how the casting call asks for kids of varying ages to film at a location speculated to be in Smallville, perhaps the DCU movie is taking a page from the Superman prequel that shares a name with the iconic DC Comics location. In Smallville, the story of how Lex Luthor came to become a villain was shown. Gunn’s Superman could be repeating that decision, which would add new flair to the film. While the movie is making Lex Luthor the main villain again, going deeper with the character allows for a fresh perspective.

Smallville Had The Best Live-Action Lex Due To Its Complex Approach

Michael Rosenbaum Made The Role His

It was Smallville‘s decision to focus on what made Lex Luthor work as a character before his rivalry with Superman that led to Rosenbaum’s version of the hero becoming as iconic as it is today. The series presented many key moments from Lex Luthor’s childhood, showing how his upbringing informed the man he would become in the future. Lex and Clark were shown to be friendly to each other before becoming best friends and, finally, bitter rivals. That all made Lex’s villain turn more tragic.

After Jesse Eisenberg’s cartoonish version of the villain in the DCEU, the new DC Universe needs to go for a more serious route with its Lex Luthor. Focusing on Lex’s complicated life would be a perfect way of making the audience feel for the character despite him being Superman‘s main villain. Smallville laid out the perfect roadmap for how that could work, and while Gunn’s Superman would not have nearly as much time as a single season of the series to flesh out Lex’s backstory, a few potent flashbacks could do the trick.

Superman’s Lex Luthor Will Already be Inspired By Smallville In A Way

Nicholas Hoult Has A Connection To Smallville

Adding to the possible decision of making Lex Luthor’s backstory important for the film, like in the Superman prequel series, the DCU’s version of the character has a perfect connection to Smallville. Talking to Smallville‘s Rosenbaum, DCU Lex Luthor actor Nicholas Hoult revealed that the series was the first time that he saw iterations of Superman and Lex Luthor. The DCU star said that he loved what Rosenbaum did with the character. That is great news for Lex Luthor fans.

Smallville struck the perfect balance for the character, with Lex Luthor’s morality being one of the biggest points of the series. If Hoult is a fan, then he has learned from the very best, and while the actor has claimed that his take on Lex Luthor will be unique to the DCU, it can have that same gravitas that Rosenbaum commanded in the role. Based on how Gunn and Rosenbaum are close friends, with the director having said Smallville‘s Lex Luthor is the best in live-action, maybe Superman‘s Lex will be inspired by the series in multiple ways.

• Superman (2025)

  Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first movie in Warner Bros.’ rebooted DC Universe to center around the titular comic book hero. It introduces a new version of the Man of Steel after Henry Cavill’s departure from the role, honoring the character’s roots as “the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way.”

• Smallville

  Smallville is a Superhero television series based on the Superman Comic Book series created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This television release was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The premise revolves around a young Clark Kent as he arrives on Earth and attempts to live his life while simultaneously keeping his friends, family, and those around him safe thanks to his superpowers.