Superman & Lois season 3 will include the series’ debut of the legendary DC Comics supervillain Lex Luthor, and he will be played by a brand-new actor, following the show’s split from the Arrowverse setting it apart from Jon Cryer’s version of the character. Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin as the Man of Steel and Elizabeth Tulloch as intrepid reporter Lois Lane. The iconic DC couple decides to move back to Smallville, Clark Kent’s hometown, in order to raise their teenage sons and deal with one of the boys showing up powers similar to his father.
Entertainment Weekly confirms that Superman & Lois season 3 has added The Walking Dead alum Michael Cudlitz as the show’s Lex Luthor. Cudlitz played survivor Abraham Ford on The Walking Dead, a performance that hinted at how he could portray Luthor’s more violent and rude side. The Superman & Lois season 2 finale revealed that the show is not set in the Arrowverse, with the Department of Defense’s General Samuel Lane saying Hoechlin’s Superman was the only hero on the show’s Earth. That fact explains why Cudlitz joins as Lex Luthor rather than the Arrowverse’s Cryer.
Everything We Know About Superman & Lois’ Lex Luthor
Superman & Lois season 3 will also have another big change for the series, as the new season recasts Jonathan Kent, following the departure of actor Jordan Elsass for personal reasons, with newcomer Michael Bishop. The Superman & Lois season 3 Lex Luthor announcement also included a description of Cudlitz’s villain, with the new Lex Luthor having a lot in common with his comic book counterpart. Cudlitz’s Lex is described as a “visionary billionaire” in the eyes of the public, while his brutal and evil nature is reserved for the criminal underworld. Superman & Lois season 3 will see Lex return to the public eye — after spending years out of the scene — on a mission to get revenge on Superman and Lois Lane.
Superman & Lois’ Lex Luthor description shapes up the character to be very different from the most recent movie adaptation of the villain. 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced renowned actor Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, opposite the iconic DC duo of Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill). While Eisenberg is a great actor, his version of Lex received many criticisms from both audiences and critics alike, due to the character being portrayed as a quirky and manic villain more akin to The Riddler, than Luthor’s usually more pensive and collected persona.
Superman & Lois season 3 appears to avoid that controversy by deeply rooting Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor in the characteristics that are more commonly associated with the genius villain. Superman & Lois season 3 will start weeks after Superman managed to defeat villain Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt), with Lois and Clark now working together as reporters again at the Smallville Gazette. The Superman family will start the season at a good point in their lives, but as Lex Luthor and other DC villains join Superman & Lois season 3, Clark and Lois’ lives are set to be disrupted when the new season premieres March 14.
