Superman: Legacy’s Villain Shouldn’t Be Lex Luthor

Superman: Legacy should refrain from using Lex Luthor as its main villain. James Gunn is rebooting the Man of Steel with his Superman: Legacy story, with the film rumored to focus on a younger Clark Kent starting as a reporter at the Daily Planet. The film will be the first movie released in the new DC Universe, which Gunn spearheads alongside his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran. Given the importance of the movie to DC's future, Superman: Legacy has to succeed, and it is possible that the movie has a better chance of doing so if a different character is the villain.
Superman: Legacy casting reports have revealed the names of actors in the run for Clark, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor. While reports have conflicted on actor Nicholas Hoult being in the running for Luthor or Superman, Lex himself is confirmed to have a role in the film. One of the Superman: Legacy reports even hints at Gunn bringing a different version of the character to life, with a role in the film being labeled "Apex" during the movie's casting process. Apex Lex Luthor is a version of the character that matches Superman physically. While that take could be interesting onscreen, that doesn't mean Lex should be the villain.