Out of all the major villains in Superman's rogue's gallery, Lex Luthor is his ultimate opponent and has been in several live-action DC properties.

In almost every major Superman live-action adaptation, Lex Luthor is never far behind, being one of the Man of Steel's greatest villains for over 80 years. Over the decades, Clark Kent has been one of DC's prime superheroes to bring to life from page to screen repeatedly. But whenever Krypton's Last Son is in the media, his extensive rogue's gallery is always around him. From major antagonists like Lex, Brainiac, Doomsday, Metallo, Parasite, and General Zod, Kal-El's mythology has some very dynamic and powerful foes he goes up against regularly.

Even though Superman has to battle some incredibly dangerous threats, his biggest one may actually be the one without any superpowers, and that is Lex Luthor. Instead of powers, Lex's intelligence alone is why he is regarded as Superman's archenemy, posing a threat that Clark can't punch his way through. Throughout their comics history, Superman and Lex have had an ongoing rivalry that has survived any reboots. Their dynamic has also taken some interesting turns in recent years while still maintaining their roles as opponents.

But as several actors have portrayed Superman, there have been many who have played Lex in major DC films and TV shows. While some had longer runs than others, Superman properties have always found ways to introduce Clark's nemesis. Sometimes Lex has been the main antagonist, while in other stories, he has served as the puppetmaster in the shadows pulling strings until he is busted. There will definitely be more iterations of Lex in live-action to come in the future, but currently, there have almost been ten actors to put their spin on the famous Superman baddie.

Lyle Talbot (Atom Man vs. Superman)

It only took a decade after Lex appeared in DC Comics to be brought to life in the 1950's Atom Man vs. Superman serial, with Kirk Alyn playing the Man of Steel. Lyle Talbot was the first performer ever to play Lex, who was also the Atom Man as the main villain of the serial. Talbot's Lex was significantly simplified where he was genetically evil, which worked for the serial since it was more family-friendly.

Gene Hackman (Superman, Superman II & Superman IV)

The 1978 Superman franchise began with Lex as our hero's first threat, which Gene Hackman played against Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel. His Lex was significantly different from the comic counterpart. Lex was obsessed with real estate rather than being a scientist or inventor and was depicted more as a comedic villain. Hackman's Lex may never have gotten to pull on his famous Lexosuit and have a physical fight with Superman, but he still stayed true to having utter hatred for the Kryptonian savior. Despite the later versions of Lex getting darker and more intense, Hackman's version will still always carry weight in Lex's media history.

Scott James Wells/Sherman Howard (Superboy)

For his first major TV show, Lex was a recurring antagonist on Superboy, focusing on a younger Clark Kent as a superhero, played by John Haymes Newton. But after Superboy season 1, Newton was replaced with Gerald Christopher, and that wasn't the only major role the show ended up recasting. In the first season, Scott James Wells played Lex who wanted to destroy Superboy, no matter what. While Lex did lose his hair at the end of the season, Sherman Howard replaced Wells in Superboy season 2 and beyond. Being a product of its time, both actors played Lex comedically and dramatically.

John Shea (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)

Lex's next TV portrayal in live-action came from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, with John Shea in the villainous DC role for most of the first season. Even though Lex returns for a few episodes here and there in the later seasons, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman season 1 was Shea's biggest run. His Lex is a bit of everything where he would go for the campiness, while also leaning into the sinister and disturbing sides of Luthor. While performance wise he was a solid Lex; it was the writing that got a little all over the place, especially during the show's clone saga that he kicked off.

Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville)

The Superman prequel show Smallville didn't just tell the origin story of Clark before becoming Superman, but also how Lex ends up as his ultimate enemy. For seven seasons and a return in the series finale, Michael Rosenbaum played Lex, who started as Clark's best friend. But as the series progressed, Lex came closer and closer to his destiny as Clark's archenemy. Having Clark and Lex's stories paralleled on Smallville allowed the writers to deconstruct the two DC icons and how they end up as hero and villain, respectively. Rosenbaum has played Lex longer than any other actor in any live-action property and is the best example of how to portray Superman's greatest foe adequately. Smallville always took Lex seriously and stayed true to how complex he truly is by the time he and Clark are rivals.

Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns)

In 2006, Reeve's Superman franchise was semi-revived with Superman Returns, which was somehow happening after the events of Superman II. While Brandon Routh played Reeve's Superman, Kevin Spacey was cast as Lex, who was meant to be Hackman's original characterization. His Lex can be seen as one of the many reasons why Superman Returns is a bizarre chapter for the Donnerverse. Regardless that this film ignores the third and fourth installments, Spacey's Lex is aggressive and far more psychotic than Hackman's Lex was in the entire series.

Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v Superman, Justice League)

As the DCEU kicked off in 2013, Jesse Eisenberg was cast the latest cinematic Lex in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League. This was yet another young take on the Superman foe, but a bit more unhinged than other iterations. But that didn't stop Eisenberg's Lex from being an intellectual mastermind while still having a very sociopathic characterization. Batman v Superman is really the bulk of Eisenberg's appearances as Lex, who manages to pit the World's Finest against each other while having a smaller role in the Snyder Cut. Had the Justice League sequels happened, Eisenberg's Lex would have gone on to lead the Injustice League and help Darkseid.

Jon Cryer (Supergirl)

In Supergirl season 4, the Arrowverse finally introduces its Lex with Jon Cryer being cast in the iconic role. The gig became Cryer's second go with the Superman universe as he played Lenny Luthor, Lex's nephew, in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The Arrowverse's Lex has been Superman's nemesis for several years, as he is completely evil at this point and has fully embraced that. Because of his experience, Lex is already very dangerous, powerful, and several steps ahead of someone like Supergirl and Superman. Where Cryer's Lex is currently in his life is where Rosenbaum's Lex would likely eventually end up the longer his rivalry with Superman went on.

Even though his Lex has been battling Tyler Hoechlin's Superman for years within the world of the Arrowverse, they have actually not had a chance to work together that much. Crisis on Infinite Earths was one of the rare times Superman and Lex had an on-screen conflict. While it seemed like Superman & Lois was the latest DC property to introduce an alternative Lex from the Multiverse, it turned out Wolé Parks' Captain Luthor was none other than John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel. Maybe after Supergirl has concluded its run on The CW, Cryer will head over to Superman & Lois for their second season. It would be weird if they never do a long arc between Lex Luthor and the current Superman on TV.

Next: How Every Black Suit Superman Compares To Each Other (& To The Comics)