Superman: All 11 Lex Luthor actors ranked from worst to best

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NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: John Shea speaks onstage during Late Night Storytelling at the 2019 Nantucket Film Festival – Day Three on June 21, 2019 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for 2019 Nantucket Film Festival ) /

4. John Shea (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)

Across Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, John Shea delivered a standout performance as the show’s Lex Luthor, a charming and menacing billionaire with a ruthless side.

Shea’s Lex always kept audiences on the edge of their seats. He was cunning and intelligent, two traits fans have come to expect from the character in the comics. Yet his Lex was also one unlike any we’d seen before.

This Lex was a well-regarded billionaire playboy. He wasn’t just Superman’s rival, he was Clark’s as well. The show took such an unexpected spin in having Lex genuinely care for Lois and be a romantic interest. And it worked perfectly as Shea had phenomenal chemistry with Teri Hatcher’s Lois Lane.

This selection might be a bit controversial to some and that would be understandable. John Shea’s performance as Lex in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a standout to many. In fact, to some, he might even fall within their Top 3. There is no discounting that Shea was an amazing Lex, I’m just arguing that there are others who are better — performances that honored the Lex from the comics which we all knew and loved to hate.

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