Case File 009: Lex Luthor (Superman: The Movie)

November 06, 2019 / Christopher Schrader

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This week we're opening a case file on one of the greatest criminal minds of our time. But... is he? Gene Hackman's take on Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie is markedly different from the way he'd been depicted in the comics up to that point, but also a far cry from how the character would continue to evolve.

Topics include: this iteration's inferiority complex and how Hackman's refusal to shave his head wound up playing into that, why Christopher Reeve's pitch-perfect portrayal of the man of steel contrasts so well with what this version of Lex is after, Hollywood's transition from the auteur-driven era of filmmaking into blockbuster spectacles and where Superman fits into that, some comparing and contrasting to other depictions of these characters, and much more!

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