Lex Luthor

Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor, Jr. is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name. He is portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. Luthor first appeared in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, pitting Batman and Superman against each other in an attempt to eradicate the two superheroes. He also appears briefly in Justice League and its director's cut. Eisenberg's portrayal of Lex Luthor has been described as unorthodox compared to most depictions of the character, with his performance in Batman v Superman receiving mixed reviews. Character creation and execution Behind the scenes On January 31, 2014, it was reported that actor Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor, one of Superman's greatest foes, in the DCEU film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Screenwriter David S. Goyer talked about the character in the Man of Steel sequel as a Bill Gates-like billionaire. Director Zack Snyder talked about seeing a modern take as a combination of Richard Branson and Brad Pitt. Eisenberg had also played real life billionaire/entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg in the film The Social Network, which Kase Wickman of MTV noted and used to draw comparisons between Luthor and Zuckerberg, especially with the latter being portrayed as ruthless in said film.