Batman Vs Superman: 7 Essential Lex Luthor Details Eisenberg Must Channel

3. Moral Ambiguity

Moral ambiguity may seem at odds with the usual descriptors for a villain like Lex Luthor: there's no doubt that he's one bad guy, a major supervillain and possibly the most dangerous human threat to order and justice in the DCU - but this all didn't happen overnight. Part of what makes him so menacing throughout the Smallville run (as played by Michael Rosenbaum) is that Clark Kent can't easily discern whether he's a friend or a foe. We know he's a baddie because his name is Lex Luthor - but he operates behind the scenes so well that even Superman may be blind to this. His journey to the dark side could form a kind of origin story for Luthor, something that could be really interesting and a bold move by Batman vs. Superman. Henry Cavill's Superman has already enjoyed his origin tale in Man of Steel, and the decision to not redo the Batman origin story just yet is also as wise - Nolan's Batman Begins pretty much nailed that one. With Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman set in a supporting role, this film could instead spend time exploring what makes the villain tick. Rather than presenting him as the bad guy by just shaving his head and having him plot mischief, the writers could utilize Eisenberg in the way Smallville utilized Rosenbaum: namely, by having him walk a fine line between good and evil before forever slipping to one side.