When fans come together to rank the best Lex Luthors, it’s the same expected names. You get some rooting for Gene Hackman‘s classic charms and a few others who’ll swear there’s never been a better Lex Luthor than Nicholas Hoult because of the intensity he brings to the character. Every once in a while, you’d also get a compelling argument for why Jesse Eisenberg did such a terrific job as Superman’s arch-nemesis. Yet, it feels like everyone has conveniently decided that it’s okay to ignore the fact that Jon Cryer (yeah, the guy who played Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men) absolutely devoured the role of Lex Luthor on TV and left no crumbs.
While, yes, it was on CW’s Supergirl and in Arrowverse’s crossover events like Crisis on Infinite Earths, some fans don’t count it because it wasn’t in a blockbuster movie. Big mistake. Huge. If you take five minutes to watch his scenes, you’ll notice something special about Cryer’s Lex. He used the fact that the character has more time on TV to show viewers a side of Lex that’s rarely shown in movies: how terrifyingly human the formidable villain is.
A Lex Luthor Powered by Ego, Spite, and Very Human Flaws
Like just about every Lex Luthor we’ve seen, including Hackman, Eisenberg, and Hoult’s versions, Cryer’s Lex is incredibly brilliant, of course. But that’s not what makes him stand out from the rest. It’s the fact that he’s quite… small and petty. A prime example occurs in Supergirl, Season 4, episode 15, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Here, he sabotages the generators at the hospital just to force his sister Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) to use a specialized drug he created to save her boyfriend, James Olsen’s (Mehcad Brooks) life. He then turns around to drop a scary truth bomb: he’s the one behind the misfortune that landed James in the hospital in the first place. That manipulative moment proved how far he’s willing to go, not just to win a personal game against his sister, but also to make her dependent on him.
Traditional versions of Lex Luthor often hide behind the ideology that Superman must be stopped “for the sake of humanity.” On the surface, that’s a philosophical, dare we say noble motive that allowed Lex to be the hero of his own story. But not Cryer’s Lex. This Lex was driven by something else entirely: envy. It doesn’t get more primal, more personal, or more human than that. This Lex doesn’t hate Superman because he thinks he’s dangerous or because he’s “super.” Those are just the stuff he hides behind. He hates Superman simply because he exists. And not just that he exists, he’s effortlessly good, and people love him. And that just won’t do for the narcissist Lex.
That’s why, when he gets his hand on the “Book of Destiny” in Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two, he sets out to do the one thing he’s wanted more than anything else: kill Superman. He travels the multiverse, achieving his goal until he arrives on Earth-167, where the Smallville version of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) lives. When he discovers that this version had willingly given up his powers, you’d expect that he’d be thrilled at the prospect of not facing a super-powered being. But no, he’s disappointed, offended, and… pissed. The reason? He couldn’t understand why Superman would give up his powers. Talk about small-mindedness. All in all, that level of pettiness is what made Cryer’s Lex Luthor a lot scarier than the other Lex Luthors, who are all about the ideology.
Why Jon Cryer’s Performance and Television Made This Lex Work
When the news broke that Cryer would wear the mantle of Lex Luthor in Supergirl (2019), fans of the franchise didn’t think it was a good idea. The reasons were pretty valid at the time. The first, perhaps the most obvious one, was the fact that the actor had made a name for himself in comedic roles like “Duckie” Dale in Pretty in Pink, and the weasely Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men.
So, it was pretty hard to see him as a criminal mastermind, but instead of being a weak point, that background in comedy became a superpower for Cryer. He understands timing, understatement, and how to make silences last longer than dialogue. He lets Lex feel awkward, insecure, even petty. And then, just like clockwork, he reminds everyone why this character’s a force to reckon with.
There’s also the fact that he had a not-so-favorable history with the franchise. He’d played Lenny Luthor in the poorly received Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Another reason why fans were hesitant to embrace Cryer as Lex was the “Eisenberg effect.” Eisenberg’s portrayal of the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice received mixed reviews from fans and critics, with many not really down with the “…intensely annoying” energy he brought to the character.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why fans were wary of another unconventional, non-traditional take on the character. But from the moment he uttered his first line, it was clear that Cryer’s Lex was going to be a Lex unlike fans had ever seen before. He was praised for his debut performance, and he never fell from that exalted perch with performances that dampened fans’ initial hesitation toward having the actor in the role.
It’s only fair, though, to acknowledge the fact that being on TV gave Cryer’s Lex an advantage that most other Lexes rarely get: time. You see, movies are a sprint. A villain appears, causes chaos, and gets punched out. The end. TV, on the other hand, is more of a marathon. One that gave Cryer seasons, across shows like Arrow, The Flash, and, of course, Supergirl, to win over even the most skeptical of fans with his nuanced interpretation of the character. In fact, he was so good that he ended up with the 2021 Saturn Award for Best Guest Performance in a Television Series for that role.
But not everything was sunshine and roses. The writers sometimes used his character as a quick fix for broken plotlines. Yet, even when the writing was silly (it’s superhero TV, it happens), Cryer’s performance was always grounded and rock solid. He portrayed a Lex you could look at and think, “Hmmm, I’ve seen that behavior before.” His Lex was driven by wounded pride, jealousy, and ego, and it’s all the same traits you see in powerful people daily, often with real-world consequences.
What are you waiting for? Go watch Jon Cryer’s version of Lex Luthor across the Arrowverse, you can start with Supergirl on Netflix. You’ll see that one of the best versions of Superman’s arch-nemesis wasn’t in a blockbuster.
