Every Superman Movie Villain Ranked Worst To Best

But the quintessential Superman villain across media is undeniably Gene Hackman's original big-screen iteration of Lex Luthor.

Even though he didn't initially shave his head for the part, Hackman absolutely nails the pig arrogance of the character, making us taking him seriously despite the inherent absurdity of his various schemes.

He's a villain so damn good that he's cast a long shadow over every Superman movie since - an undeniably ferociously intelligent yet easily detestable megalomaniac with one hell of a wardrobe and a bevy of less-than-loyal sidekicks in his orbit.

Hackman's performance is fantastic, even in the lesser sequels, serving as the perfectly misanthropic mirror image to the earnest Man of Steel.

Every single actor who ever portrays Lex Luthor will be compared to Hackman until the end of time, because he so successfully created the blueprint for not just the character but superhero movie villains as a whole.