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10 DC characters the DCEU did dirty

By Michael Johnson

Ray Fisher (Cyborg / Victor Stone), Ezra Miller (The Flash / Barry Allen), Ben Affleck (Batman / Bruce Wayne), Henry Cavill (Superman / Clark Kent), Gal Gadot (Diana Prince / Wonder Woman), Jason Momoa (Aquaman / Arthur Curry) in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max
Ray Fisher (Cyborg / Victor Stone), Ezra Miller (The Flash / Barry Allen), Ben Affleck (Batman / Bruce Wayne), Henry Cavill (Superman / Clark Kent), Gal Gadot (Diana Prince / Wonder Woman), Jason Momoa (Aquaman / Arthur Curry) in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max /
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Jesse Eisenberg, DCEU
US actor Jesse Eisenberg poses on the red carpet upon arrival for the film “Manodrome” in competition at the Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, on February 18, 2023 in Berlin. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images) /

5. Lex Luthor

“Unique” is the excuse some fans would give for the portrayal of Lex Luthor we got in Batman v Superman. Some would even go as far as to say Zack Snyder was a visionary for this version of Lex, a version no DC Comics fan could recognize. Jesse Eisenberg played a fast-talking, slick-talking, erratic version of Superman’s arch-nemesis. There wasn’t much in the way of the smooth intimidator who rules from the shadows of his own charm. In fact, Eisenberg’s Lex had no charm at all.

For years, fans had gotten used to seeing a particular type of Lex, whether in animated versions like Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, or Young Justice. In live-action, Gene Hackman played the role well. In some ways, he was similar to Snyder’s depiction. Kevin Spacey played Hackman’s version alongside Brandon Routh’s Superman, and he was much better than Eisenberg’s. Most recently, Michael Cudlitz played the menacing and physically imposing version of Lex we’ve read in the comics. Of course, none of them topped Michael Rosenbaum’s depiction in CW’s hit series, Smallville.

There is nothing wrong with putting a unique spin on characters. Each of the versions of Lex was unique, but they all resembled him. In fact, it’s not Eisenberg’s fault at all. While his Lex did oddly resemble The Riddler, it was the way he executed his plans. He wanted to pit Superman against Batman just because. And he also wanted to wake another Kryptonian… Why? And how the heck did he know their secret identities?

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