Favorite Live-Action Lex Luthor – Poll Results

February 13, 2020 Merchandise/Miscellaneous News 8

In the latest Superman Homepage Member Poll we asked you the following question:

Who is your favorite live-action Lex Luthor actor of all time?

Michael Rosenbaum was a clear winner in this poll, receiving over half the votes. While Gene Hackman was great in the Christopher Reeve films, Michael’s Lex was probably the closest version to what fans see in the comic books.

Here’s the complete voting breakdown:

Who is your favorite live-action Lex Luthor actor of all time?
  • Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) 56%, 168 votes
    168 votes 56%
    168 votes - 56% of all votes
  • Gene Hackman (Superman) 23%, 69 votes
    69 votes 23%
    69 votes - 23% of all votes
  • Jon Cryer (Supergirl) 7%, 21 vote
    21 vote 7%
    21 vote - 7% of all votes
  • Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns) 7%, 20 votes
    20 votes 7%
    20 votes - 7% of all votes
  • John Shea (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) 4%, 12 votes
    12 votes 4%
    12 votes - 4% of all votes
  • Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) 3%, 8 votes
    8 votes 3%
    8 votes - 3% of all votes
  • Sherman Howard (Superboy) 1%, 3 votes
    3 votes 1%
    3 votes - 1% of all votes
  • Lyle Talbot (Atom Man vs. Superman) 0%, 1 vote
    1 vote
    1 vote - 0% of all votes
Total Votes: 302
February 5, 2020 - February 12, 2020
Voting is closed

Be sure to get involved in the new Member Poll available near the bottom of the front page of our website.

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Superman2878
Superman2878
February 13, 2020 12:25 pm

Michael is definitely my favorite Lex Luthor. The best. I can’t really say more about Michael’s take other than that I don’t think that there will be another actor to surpass his version of Lex. I also like Hackman and Spacey’s take. John Shea was a great one as well. I remember when he first appeared as Lex Luthor. He was staring down a cobra. One of his eyes teared during the stare off and the cobra slithered away. Showing that his Lex had no fear over anything. I thought that was an impressive scene from John’s acting. Jon Cryer… Read more »

sundevil82
sundevil82
February 13, 2020 10:45 pm

Hands down the best. Cryer really surprised me, I’ll be completely honest. Eisenberg should be dead last. I’d take Sherman Howard over him any day.

MattComics
MattComics
February 13, 2020 11:29 pm

With Michael Rosenbaums Lex it’s kind of a similar thing to my feeling about Erica Durance’s Lois. I like them but I wish they could have been in a full-on Superman series instead of the “no tights, no flights” show. I really couldn’t pick. Some can be down on Gene Hackman’s Lex but they think he was too campy or not dark enough or whatever but I think that you have to remember that for purposes of the Donner movies and to put it in video game terms, Lex wasn’t the boss fight. Zod was. So it was kind of… Read more »

sundevil82
sundevil82
February 15, 2020 4:55 pm
Reply to  MattComics

Agreed about Lois as well. Erica was superb. Gene Hackman is great as lex also. People unfairly judge his performance through modern day lenses so that’s why it gets a bad rap. Post crisis will always be my Luthor and rosenbaum came the closest. I think spacey could have been good in the role, but singer had a very uninspired take on Superman and lex. It’s a decently put together movie but it’s like he made a Superman sequel/reboot to a movie he only saw once 20 years ago and refused to do any additional research. I think on paper… Read more »

Superman2878
Superman2878
February 16, 2020 2:07 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

I didn’t know that Adam Driver was in the running for Lex Luthor. That’s very interesting.

MattComics
MattComics
February 16, 2020 6:38 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

I agree with you about Spacey. He would have been perfect for a more Post Crisis take on Lex. It didn’t make sense to have him doing a Hackman impression.

I can’t take Eisenberg at all as Lex. HIs performance had more in common with Jim Carrey’s Edward Nigma than it did anything to do with Lex Luthor.

sundevil82
sundevil82
February 18, 2020 3:19 pm
Reply to  MattComics

It was the biggest disappointment to me when I heard eisenberg was cast. I wanted to give it a chance, but the moment I heard him open his mouth with that ‘boys!’ In the third trailer I was out.

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
February 22, 2020 6:00 pm

I had to give this one to Rosenbaum, despite my dislike for Smallville. He’s not my favorite, per se, but he’s the best for the Lex I know. Shout out to my boy John Shea, who doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves. I recently rewatched Lois & Clark and though I admit I’m biased toward the show, the man brought a class and a quiet rage to the character that I have yet to see recreated. Aaaaaand, to be perfectly fair, much as it kills me to give Spacey any credit for anything at all at this point, he… Read more »