The DC Universe offers fans an introduction to superheroes and people whose abilities far exceed human resources. Among these characters is Lex Luthor, a brilliant scientist and villain whose story is described in comics about. The archenemy of the Kryptonian, he is a key figure among superhero antagonists and a member of the Injustice League.
History of creation
The hero's full name is Alexander Joseph Luthor. The characters were created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. They wrote him into the Superman legend as the main villain. Lex Luthor's first appearance occurred on the pages of issue 23 of the Action Comics series, where Luthor had a cameo role as a banjo player. In 1940, he was depicted with a shock of red hair.
The creators offered various variations of the character, changing his character and appearance. The hero became an evil professor, a brilliant madman and a businessman with his own views on morality. An accident that occurred in the laboratory changed Lex's appearance: he began to go bald. In fact, this was due to the artist’s mistake, but the creative developers at DC liked the idea.
The hero is intended to be Superman's main antagonist. For him, there is no concept of morality, and complete power is provided by intelligence, connections and money. The first variation of Lex was shown to the public as a genius using knowledge for his own benefit. Then the image was modified, and Luthor appeared on the pages of comics as a criminal who one day managed to occupy the chair of the President of the United States.
In modern comic book series, the character is presented as a scientist who is associated with the LexCorp holding company, which is engaged in technological development. Since the beginning of the development of the DC universe, Luthor acquired a double named Alexei.
DC Comics
What is the villain's story? Comics describe the biography in detail, explaining the motivation for the hero’s actions. Luthor's family was not prosperous. The boy often suffered beatings, which influenced the formation of the child’s character. Coming from the Suicide Slums of Metropolis, Lex dreamed of a different life. He came up with an insidious plan: having stolen his parents' insurance policy, Lex staged a car accident, as a result of which he received an impressive payment due to the death of the family.
The boy was sent to a foster family. The named relatives adopted the boy only for the sake of his inheritance. Having reached the age of majority, he transferred all his savings to an account to which he had sole access. Having learned about their stepson's cunning, the adoptive parents decided to take advantage of his feelings for them. my own daughter. They tried to persuade her to seduce the teenager, but Lena refused, and in a fit of anger, her father killed her. The death of his beloved became the starting point of Lex Luthor's intrapersonal turning point. His first victim was Perry White, his adoptive father. Lex will name his daughter, born 10 years later, after Lena.
Superman attracted the attention of Lex Luthor with his abilities, and their relationship became the second development of events in the comic book series. Luthor was on a yacht captured by terrorists during a party and observed the actions of the superhero. He staged a bandit attack to recruit Clark Kent. The realization that the Kryptonian would not obey him gave rise to hatred in the villain. He vowed to kill Superman. Wanting to clone a superhero, Lex created Bizarro and a cyborg named Metallo. The latter had a heart made of kryptonite.
Luthor's ring was created from the same material. Thanks to him, the hero was in virtual armor and did not see danger even in the Man of Steel. Radiation from kryptonite damaged the businessman’s health. He was diagnosed with cancer that had metastasized. Luthor faked his death in a plane crash. Using a body clone created to harness his genius brain, Luthor passed himself off as his own son, the owner of red hair and LexCorp as an inheritance. In this image, the hero seduced. The clone couldn't withstand the time attack. He was quickly aging and going bald. was the first to discover the deception.
Luthor found himself chained in someone else's body, but the demon Nero saved him by offering him a deal. Luthor sold his soul in exchange for his health. The court acquitted the hero, and he entered politics. After becoming president, Luthor imposed a moratorium on mineral fuels and restored Gotham. During this period, acquaintance with. While occupying the post of leader of the country, Luthor continued to pull off machinations, using the army, superheroes and even aliens.
Defenders of America decided to remove Lex from the presidency. During the twists and turns, the hero uses Venom, which drives him crazy. During the battle between Batman and Superman, the secret of contacts with aliens, the purpose of which was the sale of Doomsday, is revealed. The hero was disgraced and became bankrupt. He did not kill Superman, Bruce Wayne contributed to the collapse of his powers, his allies betrayed the businessman. All that was left of Lex Luthor's former triumph was a suit with a white collar.
Enemies and allies
The hatred of others, which originated in Lex Luthor in childhood, found fertile ground for development later. The hero did not disdain dirty tricks to achieve his own goals, fueled by anger. Among his enemies were everyone who fought for good and justice. Superheroes aroused envy in the character, which grew into hatred. Alter ego capable of positive actions, irritated Luthor, and he tried in every possible way to strangle him within himself. Only a few people were the hero's allies, including his daughter and Supergirl.
All of Lex Luthor's loved ones and relatives died. In the absence of understanding, love and care, the scientist with a self-praise complex and maniacal tendencies saw the enemy in everyone who contradicted him.
Film adaptations
The character has repeatedly appeared in film and television projects dedicated to the DC universe. In the 1978 film Superman, actor Gene Hackman appeared as Luthor. He also embodied the hero in subsequent films of the franchise. In the 2006 film “The Return of Superman,” the villain played the role.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gave fans an interesting interpretation of the hero. He was played by . Unlike the works of his predecessors, the actor emphasized the genius of the character, bordering on madness. Critics have said that this version of Luthor would have won in comparison against . By the way, many expected his appearance in “Suicide Squad.”
Among television projects The character was used in the TV series Loisy & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Smallville and Supergirl.
He also appeared on screen in animated projects. So, in the Justice League series, he finds himself in a body, changing places with it. In a series of virtual Internet projects, Lex Luthor opposes.
Quotes
Contempt for others and delusions of grandeur, driven to madness, are visible in Lex Luthor's actions and words.
“The voice of the people must be heard. I'm the president! God bless America. God bless me!” says Lex, burying all hopes of fair power for the sake of the people, and not to please his own interests.
To understand the root causes of the hero’s cruelty, you do not need to independently understand the labyrinths of his relationships with other characters. He brings everything to the surface, justifying any actions:
“My father tested everything, every action. If you lose, you are a loser; if you sympathize with someone, you are a weakling. This is my upbringing."
Lex Luthor is one of the negative characters worthy of admiration. The biography of the scientist is not rich in joyful events, and his intellectual abilities are admirable. Despite speaking for the forces of evil, Lex Luthor is living proof of his own words:
"Any villain is only as great as his hero."
Lex Luthor (Lex Luthor) his full name Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the universe. The character was created by Jer Siegel and Joe Shuster, Lex Luthor first appeared in a comic called Action Comics #23 (April 1940). He appears
as a nemesis, but also appears as an adversary to a number of other DC Universe heroes. The character is crazy American billionaire , tycoon, talented scientist , inventor, philanthropist who resides in the city of Metropolis, he is the one one of the smartest people in the world . Lex x arismatic and famous public figure who intends to rid the world of alien superhero Superman whom Luthor considers an obstacle to achieving his plans and a threat to everything
humanity.
Lex is typically depicted with a bald head, and periodically wears his high-tech suit, which grants him superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and advanced weaponry. Luthor is the owner of a corporation called Lexcorp, and he also has a personal assistant and bodyguard, Mercy Graves. Luthor ranked 4th on the list" 100 Best Comic Book Villains Luthor ranked 4th on the list""according to IGN and 8th place on the list"
"according to Wizard.
Lex Luthor is the son of Lionel and Letitia Luthor, a wealthy couple from Metropolis. As a teenager, he spent time living in Smallville with his Aunt Lena. It was there that he first encountered Clark Kent.
Golden age
Lex (Alexey) Luther first appeared as power-hungry criminal genius who first confronted To the Man of Steel in the comic first appeared in a comic called#23. He was shown like a middle aged man with red hair, up to accident, resulting in Luthor is mistaken for Superman's arch-enemy, the Ultra-Humanoid. After this Alexei Luthor will be perceived as a villain, mad scientist who used science against Superman's powers.
At first, Luthor intended to plunge all European countries into war, starting with such small countries as Galonia and Toran, he used his genius intellect to disrupt peace conference, but suffered his first defeat from Superman. Early in his criminal career, Luthor carried out terrorist attacks himself in order to find ways to achieve his goals of world domination, but each of his plans was thwarted by Superman.
Later, Luther uses it on Kal-El giant meteorite from Kryptonite, learning about the weakness Superman to this mineral by Danny River. But still he cannot overcome Superman, Luthor in public tells the whole world about Superman's weaknesses , which creates further threats for Kal-El from other enemies. Alexei will again and again develop plans to kill Superman, but time after time he is defeated.
Over time, Luther, learns about Multiverse and united with his double Earth -1 in an attempt to conquer Earth -3 . Taking on a villain with Earth-3, Ultraman (the evil version of Superman) for that so that he can help them in Conquest of Earth-3, Alexei and Lex Luthor are defeated by Alexander Luthor of Earth-3. which is on Earth-3 is a superhero.
Alexei continued his quest for world domination on Earth-2 until he was recruited by Brainiac during the events of . In issue #9, after a confrontation with Lex Luthor, who was chosen by Brainiac to lead the team, Alexei declared to everyone present,"I'm better than labrat! You don't need two Luthors!". Brainiac immediately agreed and destroyed Alexei Luthor on the spot, leaving Lex Luthor behind. After graduation crisis, Alexei Luthor was written out of history and was never mentioned again on Novaya Zemlya.
Silver Age
Lex Luthor grew up in the suburbs of Smallville, Kansas together with your parents and sister, Lena. Although forced to live the life of a farmer's son, he never acquired the heart of a farmer. Instead, Luthor sought to become greatest scientist in the world .
As a teenager, Luthor learned about the existence in his hometown of Smallville, the hero Superboy. He followed Superboy's adventures and soon became the young Kryptonian's biggest fan. Later, Lex was able to convince his parents move to Smallville to allow Lex to be closer to his hero.
One day, when Luther was plowing a field on his tractor, he discovered Superboy in a barely alive state, this because he turned out to be in close proximity to Kryptonite, Luther using his tractor to drag it to a safe distance. Then Luthor invited Superboy to my workshop. Superboy saw a real temple erected in his honor, walls and benches decorated with various souvenirs from Superboy's various adventures. To express yourgratitude for salvation, Superboy built a completely new laboratory for the scientist.
Superboy flew past the laboratory and noticed smoke coming out of the window. Noticing that Luther was holding Kryptonite in the laboratory, Superboy remained outside and quickly put out the fire using his super breath, and also removed the Kryptonite to a safe distance. Superboy successfully put out the fire, but the resulting explosion mixes up various chemical substances, which destroyed all of Luthor's experiments. The resulting fumes affect Luthor's head, leaving him bald. Enraged by the destruction of all his work and the loss of his hair, Luther blamed it all on Superboy. From that moment on, Lex Luthor became Superboy's archenemy.
Lex soon began to make various plans to destroy Superboy using a wide variety of weapons and devices in their plans. But despite his efforts, Superboy always managed to defeat Lex and send him to juvenile prison. Fearing that their son would never reform, Lex's parents decided to leave Smallville and change their last name to "Thorul" in hopes of raising their daughter Elena Torul in a peaceful environment away from the evil Lex. Despite his parents' best efforts, Lex later found his sister and confronted her and her children, despite his evil nature.
Luther continued to make plans to seize power over the Earth and the Universe as a whole, even during Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he re-teamed with his ally named Brainiac, who had by then taken on a more robotic appearance. He will witness the death of his Earth-2 counterpart, Alexei, who dared to challenge Brainiac and Lex. Lex and the surviving villains decided to temporarily side with the heroes when he appeared and was almost destroyed by the efforts of (Barry Allen) and Supergirl, but were later killed by the Anti-Monitor.
Lex survived the events crisis, but was destroyed and replaced by a new creature in the new A universe that was made from all the previous ones versions of Luthor, a ruthless and successful businessman who repeatedly wanted marry Lois Lane.
Modern Era
His parents only took one look at the IQ test results to understand that he would make them rich. Their desire for their son to succeed in everything destroyed his soul and turned him into a sociopath. Lex spent years searching for extraterrestrial life and as part of his hunt, he traveled to Smallville, Kansas when he was 18 years old. There, Lex became friends with a young man, Clark Kent (Superman). When a fire destroyed his laboratory and various scientific achievements, he refused to take any blame for it. Instead, he blamed the people of Smallville for "allowing the Luthors to be destroyed." On this day, he refuses to admit that he was ever in Smallville.
Capabilities
Lex Luthor a common person, who does not have superhuman abilities. He has the intellect of a genius and is one of the the smartest people on a planet who (usually alone) is able to turn the world into a Utopia if not for his obsession with Superman.
It would seem that he has mastered everything known species sciences, including space flights, biochemistry, robotics, computers, synthetic polymers, communications, mutations, transport, holography, energy production, spectral analysis and several others (including time travel). With the exception of an extraterrestrial being named Brainiac, he does not consider others to be his equal in intelligence. Lex is also a genius when it comes to science, technology, business, strategy, physics and electrical engineering.
Over the years, Luthor has made and used Kryptonite weapons capable of harming Superman and other Kryptonians. Since the Bronze Age, it has also used various large variety of weapons and inventions self-made, especially those made from Kryptonite. He also used various battle suits he designed himself, it allows him to confront Superman and a number of other superhumans . Thanks to the suit, he can fly and create invisible energy shields that protect the entire suit from most physical attacks. His suit includes a folding Kryptonite sword, an axe, a cannon staff, and even Kryptonite energy cannons built into the suit's palms. In addition, he often wore right hand Kryptonite ring in Post-Crisis, but due to long-term exposure to Kryptonite radiation led to the loss of an arm and irradiated his entire body, leading to terminal cancer. As a result of this, he has to transplant his brain into a cloned body in order to survive.
In the media
Cartoon series
Jackson Beck voiced Luthor in the animated series The New Adventures of Superman", "The Adventure Hour of Superman and Aquaman" And " The Hour of Batman and Superman".
Super friends", the character was voiced by Stan Jones.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series " Superman" ran from 1996 to 2000, the character was voiced by Clancy Brown. Luthor appeared as one of Superman's main opponents in this animated series. This version of Lex Luthor is portrayed as a powerful, cold-blooded and calculating man. Luther is shown to be a very careful person, able to hide my illegal activities so that it seems that he is not involved in anything.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Clancy Brown. Lex appears as a regular character in this animated series, appearing in episodes such as "Legends". "Clean Slate" and a number of others.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series " Batman", the character was voiced by Clancy Brown. Lex appears in the fifth season of the animated series, in the episodes entitled "The Story of Batman and Superman: Part 1" and "The Story of Batman and Superman: Part 2". Lex Luthor begins his criminal activities in Gotham City and Batman and Superman has to team up to defeat Luthor. Also in the episode, Lex manages to take control of Superman with the help of Poison Ivy and Kryptonite.
Lux Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. In the episode "Super Batman of Planet X", a character named Rotul (Luther spelled backwards) appears. Lex Luthor himself later appears in the episode "Battle of Superheroes!", he robs the museum and kidnaps Lois Lane, but is stopped by Superman and arrested by the police. Luthor appears again in "Triumvirate of Terror!", joining Cheetah in a battle against Superman, Batman and...
Luthor appears in the animated series "", voiced by Mark Rolston. This version is both an antagonist and an anti-hero, and teams up with heroes if necessary to achieve their own goals. He appears in the episode "Goals", he tries to organize peace negotiations between two warring nations, from which he will try to profit in the future, but is almost killed by Cheshire and Sportsmaster.
Animated Films
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by James Marsters. He appears as one of Superman's enemies. After the supposed death of the Man of Steel, it turns out that Lex created several clones Superman, including the one that is completely took on the role Superman, who had a more dangerous and serious demeanor.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Clancy Brown. Luthor will appear in as the main cartoon villain. Lex Luthor was elected for the presidency of the United States States , and makes attempts stop Superman and Batman who are tryingprevent falling large meteorite from Kryptonite to Earth.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Chris Noth. Alternative version Lexa is one of the main characters of the cartoon. Lex, the last member and leader of his world's Justice League to survive as everyone was killed by the Crime Syndicate. He travels to an alternate reality to ask the League for help. This version of Lex is much more heroic than his counterpart, although he still uses Kryptonite against Ultraman, and is just as intelligent. He also uses armor that provides increased strength, flight, energy explosions, force fields, etc. Also, the original Lex Luthor, who is currently in prison, appears in the cartoon.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Anthony LaPaglia. Luthor was sentenced to death penalty for crimes against humanity, but manages to produce a serum that duplicates Superman's abilities.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Steven Blum. This version of Luther finds himself among Deathstroke's crew, together they float on a ship in an attempt to find Aquaman's base. However, his army attacks the ship, and then the entire crew, including Luthor, is killed.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Fred Tatasciore. Luthor is a member of the Legion of Doom.
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Steven Blum. Lex makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film when Orm is in prison and Lex says that he has a proposal for him .
Lex Luthor appears in "", voiced by Jason Isaacs. In the film, he is paralyzed and by the end of the film, he ends up in special device resembling a Möbius chair. He plays the key role in providing assistance Justice League in Drawing defeats to William Magnus, which is the main onecartoon villain.
Series
Lex Luthor appears in the television series " Superboy", the character was played by James Scott and Sherman Howard. Scott played Luthor in the first season, and Sherman in last three seasons. At the end of the first season there was laboratory accident after which Lex loses his hair. When Sherman played Luthor, this was explained by that this is the result of plastic surgery, so Superboy wouldn't recognize him.
Lex Luthor appears in the television series "", played by John Shea. Luther only appears in the first season and committed suicide in the first season finale. Later, Shi appeared with several episodic appearances as Luther in later seasons.
Lex Luthor appears in the television series "", played by Michael Rosenbaum. In this episode, Alexander "Lex" Luthor and Clark Kent meet when Lex was 21 and Clark was 16. Lex is driving his car, while a truck carrying rolls of wire passes across the bridge; one of the rolls falls out of the truck and remains lying on the bridge. Driving onto the bridge, Lex notices a wire late, breaks through the car and crashes into the bridge's railings, next to where Clark is standing, who has just learned that he is an alien. The car hits Clark and they fly off the bridge together, Kent uses his power for the first time and rips off the roof of Lex's car to save him, pulling him to shore and performing CPR on him. From that point on, Lex and Clark are somewhat inseparable from each other, despite the disapproval of both their fathers." released in 1987, the character was played by Gene Hackman.
Lex Luthor appears in the film "", the character was played by Kevin Spacey.
Lex Luthor appears in the film "", the character was played by Jesse Eisenberg.
Video games
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe".
Lex Luthor appears in the game" DC Universe Online".
Lex Luthor appears in the game" Injustice: Gods Among Us".
Perhaps a movie can be recognized in absentia as one of the most controversial films of 2016 in terms of its perception by the public and critics... moreover, perhaps this is so far the most controversial film in the entire “comic book movie” genre. Whether it will be successful in terms of box office receipts remains to be seen, because even here everything is not so simple: yes, the film set several records in the first days of release, however further fate The film will depend on positive reviews from viewers.
Anyway last weeks marked big amount discussions Batman v Superman, since the film raised more questions than it answered. And one of them undoubtedly concerned who the "He" Lex Luthor is talking about at the end of the film is. Well, a deleted scene from the movie has been officially released. Warner Bros., gives, perhaps, the most accurate answer to this question at a given moment in time... an answer that raises a whole string of new questions.
A deleted scene entitled "Communion" is shown at the beginning of the article, taking place after Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman defeat Doomsday. We see the Metropolis Police SWAT team infiltrate a Kryptonian spy ship to arrest the head of LexCorp for his heinous deeds - and find Lex in a Kryptonian birth matrix, communicating with a demonic-looking alien (note also the three boxes levitating near alien hands).
The scene looks like complete nonsense to the average viewer, but longtime DC Comics fans will appreciate a few intriguing details - as well as an explanation for those seemingly random bits of information that were never explained in the film. For now exactly It's impossible to say what we saw, but we can make some educated guesses.
Lex
As expected, Lex was not just muttering to Batman that much more powerful forces had seen Superman's fall - and would soon be coming to Earth to enslave it. Considering all the obvious hints about Darkseid (parademons, the Omega sign in Batman's nightmare, the Mother Box) in the film it becomes almost obvious that the New God (aka Darkseid) found the Earth and managed to “decompose” Lex (what this means specifically within the framework of the Extended Cinematic Universe). the DC Universe is yet to find out).
At the end of the scene in question, Lex appears to be coming out of some kind of trance, which may be the reason for his incoherent muttering when interacting with Bruce Wayne in prison. In the comics, it happened that Darkseid sent her messages to people who were susceptible to this, which turned them into puppets or, at a minimum, influenced their vision of the prospects of those events that would happen in the world and around it. Given Lex's sociopathic behavior and the influence available to him, he was undoubtedly Darkseid's first target.
Boxes
The Mother Box is responsible for the creation of Cyborg and this can be seen in the film when the contents of Lex Luthor's files are shown, and the connection between Darkseid and the Mother Boxes is another example of the New Gods' advanced technology. In this context, they could be used as a method of long-distance communication, or even as devices to hack the matrix of a downed spy ship. It is also possible that the Boxes were in the process of teleportation to Earth, but the special forces disrupted the transition stage and Lex was considered an unreliable keeper of technology in the future.
Another possibility is that in the movie universe, Mother Boxes interacting with Kryptonian technology and/or artificial intelligence could create Brainiac, a fan favorite from the Superman comics. A fairly logical assumption, but in fact, in this context, the interaction of Mother Boxes with Kryptonian technology can lead to any consequences. Perhaps the Boxes were involved in reprogramming the Kryptonian birth matrix? Why not, why not...
Demonic monster
Given Snyder's desire to introduce many characters from DC Comics, which include the powerful "New Gods" into the same "realistic" universe created Man of Steel, it is not possible to guess 100% accurately what kind of demonic creature is holding the Mother Boxes. However, it should be noted that the creature is very similar to the gray-skinned demons present in Lex's painting (which is now upside down, yes) - which suggests that the design was chosen for a reason and Lex's words about demons coming from heaven can only be described as prophetic.
At first glance, one might confuse the creature with the same winged demons that appeared in Batman's dreams - they are known as Darkseid's parademons. However, in reality this is most likely Yuga Han, the father of Darkseid, who appeared in the comics as a horned demonic creature. Of course, this could be a completely redesigned Darkseid or even his uncle, the military leader of Apokolips Steppenwolf, but both characters look completely different in the comics. Without a doubt, the identity of this character is causing a lot of debate among fans... but perhaps the monster is simply something like a lieutenant in Darkseid's army, a creature that foreshadows the coming of the New God to Earth. Well, plus let’s not forget that this could be a simple projection of the ship, that is, a picture depicting Darkseid as the Kryptonians saw (or imagined) him.
YUGA HAN in DC ComicsWe'll have to wait a little to see what happens in those deleted scenes that will be included in the full director's cut of Batman v Superman (after all, it will be 3 hours long). And perhaps there we will finally get the final answer to the question of what the demons in the picture meant and what kind of horned creature Lex Luthor communicated with in the Kryptonian ship.
Blowing away the dust from a long-forgotten section "Top 10 Controversial Moments". Thanks to our friend for the thumbnail for the post Asetu .
Almost three years ago, we thought that this format had not entirely justified itself, and decided in the future to limit ourselves to film reviews. What’s symbolic is that the last material in this series was just "Man of Steel". And now, after all these years, we decided to return once again and try to sort out all the controversial aspects of the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". We do not pretend to be objective and the ultimate truth, but perhaps after reading you will understand what exactly we did not like and why the film received such a low rating.
1. Evacuation is not for the weak.
The first ambiguous moment awaits us at the very beginning of the film. We see the same battle of the Kryptonians in Metropolis, the city is gradually sinking into ruins, a huge alien module is hovering over the central streets, and local residents are rushing in panic between falling skyscrapers. And everything would have been fine if not for Bruce Wayne, who personally flew to Metropolis in his helicopter and is rushing at full speed to the Wayne Ent. building to give the command to evacuate all employees.
That is, the security service and common sense did not allow the manager to independently make the decision to evacuate. “He wants us to leave the building,” Frank tells the staff after talking with Wayne, at which point the skyscraper begins to collapse. The employees are in a panic trying to escape, and Frank himself reads a prayer and becomes unavailable for calls forever.
Judging by further footage, few managed to escape, and with the help of one named victim, one cripple and one orphaned girl, Snyder lays the conditional foundation for Batman’s future hatred of Superman. Just like in the best directing textbooks. The only problem is that the situation itself looks somewhat comical. What kind of labor discipline is there that people, in the face of certain death, are afraid to leave their workplace without the go-ahead from management? For being late they are immediately given a bat-stamp?
2. Bash on recklessness
Lex Luthor's collaboration with the US government is no less controversial. More precisely, the placement of accents. An arrogant, smug billionaire demands permission to import a radioactive alien mineral, full access to spaceship aliens and the body of General Zod. In exchange for... well, essentially nothing. What's stopping the government from confiscating kryptonite at the border and developing a weapon against Superman themselves? For the first time in my memory, the military is not trying to lay its paw on the incredible military power and remain not just behind the scenes, but completely overboard. What can LexCorp offer in return? It’s unlikely that it’s a matter of technological base; after all, the US military-industrial complex is probably not much inferior to the cave of Batman, who ultimately turned out to be the fastest and made that very weapon himself.
And it would be nice if the negotiations with the senators were conducted by a convincing and calculating manipulator from the comics, but no, before us is a hot-tempered, infantile sociopath who shoves cherry candies into the mouths of serious government functionaries. Would you trust a guy like that with access to possibly the most... important information on the planet?
3. Experimental bullets are the key to success
Imagine that you are a brilliant villain and you have a complex multi-step plan to discredit Superman. A plan that will forever destroy the hero's reputation, the cult around his personality and expand public opinion 180 degrees. You decide to come from afar and somewhere in Africa organize theatrical production with terrorists, mercenaries and Lois Lane in leading role. Because Lois Lane is like the Bat-signal for Superman. If you want to chat with him, just push his lady love off the roof of a skyscraper or start shooting at her. The red cloak will not take long to arrive.
But back to the insidious plan, you destroy an entire terrorist cell by shooting the bandits and local residents experimental cartridges, and blame it all on Superman. Does this have enough public resonance? No. Does this operation allow you to be reached? Yes, and without much difficulty. It took Lois Lane exactly one meeting and several days to find out that there was no analogue to such cartridges and they were manufactured by LexCorp. Attention to the question: why use unique, even personalized cartridges, in order to frame someone? Why even use a gun to frame Superman!? Why not give your mercenaries, for example, laser guns that will burn wounds into victims similar to those that Superman could theoretically inflict? And what is the point of this operation anyway?
If you wanted to raise the rhetoric that Superman puts himself above world politics and considers it possible to intervene in international conflicts, invade foreign countries, kill terrorists and restore order there, then you simply did not do this. People on television were discussing completely different issues, and world leaders, including the US President, simply ignored this incident. Yes, there was a hearing in the Senate, at which one of the surviving local residents spoke, but another question arises: why is an incident that occurred in Africa being discussed in the US Senate? Our American colleagues are also perplexed about this, so it is impossible to refer to some existing practice.
But maybe Snyder and Terrio just wanted to kill Jimmy Olsen quickly? Yes, that photographer guy with Lois is Jimmy Olsen. Did you think Supergirl was the worst thing that could happen to this character?
4. Dusty Kung Fu
Perhaps the most vivid negative memory was the scene in the desert. But not Lois Lane's strange staged interview with the terrorist leader, but Batman's dream in the dystopian world of Superman. An ambush, a trap, one against a dozen enemies - we’ve seen Batman like this many times and we know perfectly well how it works. We know, but it would be better if we never saw this variation. It's not even that Batman lost, on the contrary, this is a prologue to a gorgeous scene where Superman is delightful in his villainous role, and the Dark Knight is like a crucified Jesus. But the staging of the fight itself is a separate level of bottoming out and unprofessionalism. A heavy, lumbering Batman against a bunch of extras who drop dead before Ben Affleck's fist gets too close just in case... it's not even Arrow level. To see such profanity, especially against the backdrop of other well-staged battles, was strange, to put it mildly. Just turn on this scene and Batman's fight with Luthor's gang of thugs, staged in the best traditions of Rocksteady games.
5. Superman's Joker
Lex Luthor became perhaps the main stumbling block and bone of contention. Some call him the most charismatic villain in comic book movies, others see him as the only bright spot of the film, but we all forget one simple thing - this is not Lex Luthor. This is not the author's interpretation or A New Look to a villain (as was the case with Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight), this is a fundamentally different character. It's like if Bruce Wayne was a police commissioner and didn't wear a suit at night. bat. All that remains of the incredibly smart, truly evil, insidious and cold-blooded antagonist is his name. Before us is anyone but Lex. This guy is more like the Joker with his antics, inappropriate chuckles, lengthy monologues and clear signs of mental illness. And the thing is that there is already one psycho in this universe, and it does not need a second such antagonist. She needs a serious and impressive villain, a genius and manipulator, truly capable of convincingly pitting the two main characters of this world against each other. In the current situation, Luther’s multi-move looks like pure luck and casts a shadow not only on the writers, but also on the intellectual abilities of Batman and Superman, who were so easily deceived and deceived.
In the comments, someone suggested that throughout the film Lex was under the control of Darkseid and therefore behaved strangely, to put it mildly. So, if this is really true, then the screenwriter, director and actor receive a big failure for such an inept presentation of the material. In addition, the dossiers on metahumans found in LexCorp raise many questions. Why did Lex start tracking down these people? Where does he get all this information from? Why does he need this information? Will he come up with a logo for the rest of the Justice League? We can only hope that someday we will get answers to these questions.
6. Minute standoff
Probably the main complaint about the film is the very confrontation included in the title of the film, which in fact lasted only a few minutes. To immediately remove all questions regarding the difference between the abbreviations “v” and “vs” - both mean the word “versus”, simply “v” is usually used in judicial practice. For example, in last season The Punisher's Daredevil case was called The People of New York v. Frank Castle." That is, the problem is not in the damned localizers, Snyder really filmed the confrontation between Batman and Superman. And he wasn’t even too lazy to give Bruce Wayne some kind of motivation: the already mentioned trio from the first point, many other innocent lives, and most importantly, fear of an invincible enemy and reluctance to rely on his mercy (hello, Lex from the comics). In principle, this is more than enough for a superhero blockbuster, but what do we see in the red corner of the ring? We see Clark Kent, extremely annoyed by the existence of Batman and his methods of fighting crime.
It's not like Superman has been regularly saving the citizens of Metropolis from organized crime, helping rebuild the city, or flying to neighboring Gotham with good intentions all these years. No. He helped with some global disasters, floods, and was above all this worldly vanity. And here this upstart has been harassing criminals in the neighboring town for twenty years, and no one cares about it! Even the Daily Planet doesn't want to write about it. Clark is hurt, outraged and frustrated. In general, in essence, Superman does not have any practical motivation for this confrontation, and it has to be pulled out of thin air. There's no other way to describe the kidnapping of Clark's mother.
But the most interesting thing is that instead of flying around and scanning all of Metropolis in search of Martha Kent in the remaining time, Clark decides to go across the bay, fight with Batman and convince him to help find his mother. Question: what? How can Clark know about surveillance of Knyazev and his connections with Luthor? Out of nowhere, he just does it as Shia LaBeouf told him to do.
As a result, instead of ideological confrontation and an epic battle, we get a sour reason for a fight and strict time restrictions. Of course, the fight itself is staged well, and under the influence of kryptonite, Superman snatches it from Batman in a very juicy way. The only problem is that in terms of scale and timing, this battle is inferior to absolutely all the fights in Man of Steel. Moreover, it does not look like the central event of the film, which should turn the tide of the plot and turn opponents into allies, but like an ordinary passing fight against the backdrop of other more important events.
7. Your mother is my MARTHA!
I could be wrong, but it seems to me “MARTHA! MARTHA? MARTHA!" - should be on a par with such an imperishable thing as “Varyuvonnakillmiprprmrfr!?!” and “WHERE IS THE DETONATOR!?” The idea itself is clear, Snyder immediately drew two parallels with Martha Wayne, saying that by killing Superman, Bruce will become no better than the man who killed his mother, and having failed to save one Martha, he has a chance to save the other here and now. This does not cause any complaints. Even putting aside the fact that there are a lot of questions about the Batman code after this film. The staging of the scene itself causes criticism. Throw in a couple of flashbacks, let Affleck play internal struggle and with such cheap tricks you'll end up with a passable dramatic moment rather than a name-shouting comedy skit. What if Batman's mother was named Margaret? Lois Lane has traditionally become the icing on the cake, simply because without her Superman can’t put two words together, and then who will drown the kryptonite spear. What kind of spear, you ask?
8. Spear? What spear?
The spear that Batman crafted from stolen kryptonite as his primary weapon against Superman was one of the film's major downfalls. One of greatest minds planet, a man who thinks through all his actions ten steps ahead, simply throws his only weapon against Superman in a dilapidated location in Gotham, and goes to save Martha Kent. Superman flies off to do his own thing, and Lois is left alone with this deadly stick for Kryptonians. What would you do if you were in her place? Complex issue. Perhaps they contacted the Daily Planet pilot who brought you there and tried to hide it more reliably until your friend Superman decides what to do with it next. But unfortunately you are not Lois, and you are not tied hand and foot by the script. The fact is that in half an hour there will be a battle with another Kryptonian and this spear will be decisive in the final battle, so there is no way to take it from here. But what to do? Could he be drowned right there nearby? Then it will be possible to add an additional quest and drama with drowning people to the plot. And at the same time, one more rhetorical question: how, in the heat of battle with explosions and screams, Superman managed to hear and feel his beloved, but did not even try to find his mother in Metropolis?
As for such a strange choice of weapons, everything is simple - it was originally created for Doomsday, which is why it looks so ridiculous when applied to Superman. But this is one of those screenplay conventions that you just have to accept, like an escaped radioactive spider in a high-tech laboratory.
9. Doomsday is here
Hey Superman, meet your Doomsday! You know, if the localizers had simply said “Doomsday,” no one would have eaten them and poured out a bucket of slop. Everything is simple here: either you translate everything humanly, or rewrite the entire phrase, leaving the name of the villain. Why these half measures? But these are complaints against our local version, and not against the villain himself. Let's now talk directly about him and the final battle.
One of Superman's most powerful foes has become Lex Luthor's blood puppet, appearing in an already overstuffed film only to die ignominiously. And before that, kill Superman and show us that the only serious warrior in this whole story is Wonder Woman. Feminists must have howled with joy when they saw Batman standing on the sidelines (what else can he do?), Superman getting nuts, and Wonder Woman fearlessly and effectively fighting Doomsday. And here, too, a logical question arises: why not give the spear to Diana, because she obviously understands better than anyone how to handle it, she is not afraid of kryptonite and she fights at the closest possible distance? Oh yes, she can fly too, for that matter. But Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder decided that setting the end of Superman at the dawn of justice was a much more interesting idea.
In addition, Doomsday himself was initially doomed as a character, since it is completely unclear what Lex would do next if his pet had defeated this entire star trinity. But the Luthor in this movie is a real psychopath, so he can just unleash weapons of mass destruction on the streets of Metropolis without thinking about the consequences. So the screenwriter thought about this and with a slight stroke of the pen removed another character from the world of Superman. After all, Gotham is just across the bay, and there are plenty of villains there.
On the other hand, there is one small loophole here. IN additional materials To "Man of Steel" there is a mention of the alien scientist Bertron; in the comics, he was obsessed with creating a higher form of life and conducted various experiments over the years. In addition, from Lex’s conversation with Zod’s ship, it can be assumed that similar abominations had already been created previously, so it remains slim chance that the real Doomsday will appear in the DC cinematic universe. But again, these are just assumptions and conjectures.
10. Death is just the beginning
The final frames, in the best tradition of Christopher Nolan's Inception, subtly hint that it won't take long to mourn Superman, but the very fact of the hero's death raises certain questions. How correct was the decision to play this trump card right at the start of the DC cinematic universe? The death of Superman is certainly one of the key plots, but to kill him right away, without really revealing him, without letting the viewer get into the character, is strange, to say the least. I don’t want to draw analogies with Marvel, but you must agree if, for example, in “ Civil War“If something happens to Captain America, it will have a completely different effect, because after five films everyone has become accustomed to this character in one way or another, and someone else could really replace Evans. Here the situation is completely opposite: from beginning to end it is clear that death has no weight or meaning, Superman will come to life in the next film, and Henry Cavill has a long-term collaboration with Warner Bros. ahead of him.
In a word, there was no need for such an ending. The trio could simply defeat Doomsday and begin forming the Justice League to fight Darkseid, without the false drama, fake tears and empty coffins.
Afterword
Of course, there were many positive moments in the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", including the absolutely beautiful and Snyder-esque murder scene of the Wayne couple. And many other incredibly beautiful shots, which, just like in “Man of Steel,” turned out to be somewhat taken out of context. I would like to highlight Gal Gadot as a separate point, who became a real highlight of the film. Despite all the fears and quibbles about her appearance and physical fitness, she managed to show a real Wonder Woman, who gave odds to both Batman and Superman.
There were some really strong scenes, such as the unexpected explosion in the Senate, graffiti on the Superman monument, Lex Luthor bringing “god” to his knees, and the main characters preparing to fight each other. And the image of Miller’s Batman turned out to be beyond all praise. For example, the scene with the capture of a slave trader and the Dark Knight hiding in the corner evokes both horror and wild delight. Yes, this is exactly the Batman we've been waiting for all these years. Instilling terror not only in criminals, but also in any mortal, on both sides of the screen.
However, all these advantages turned out to be smeared across a leaky, almost three-hour film and failed to brighten up the overall impression of the film. With all the boundless love for Zack Snyder, it is felt that for the second film in a row the director is not making a film, but is fighting with the studio. Somewhere Warner Bros. is bending. and we get clip-like slow-mo, long shots of fields, enchanting landscapes and twenty-minute fights, and somewhere Zack gets stepped on and we see heavy, clichéd superheroics. Snyder would be ideal in a side project like Justice League Dark, where his talent could find true expression, both visually and story-wise. But in the end, he carries a huge burden of responsibility and key films in the nascent DC cinematic universe. Warner Bros. Studio can't and won't take risks, and Zack Snyder is simply in the wrong place.
What's the point of chasing after little things when it's much more pleasant to master heights that others have never even dreamed of?
Lex Luthor has always, as long as he can remember, strived to be the first in everything. This idea, about the importance of one’s own superiority, was instilled in him from early childhood. But even when his father died, a man who never believed in his own son, considering him incapable of anything, Lex could not get rid of the doubts that settled in his soul. Now there was no longer any need to constantly prove something, you could leave everything, lose yourself in aimless idleness and start wasting your life in vain.
The end justifies the means, this has always been the case.
People were like open books, Lex could always literally read all their petty aspirations and dreams. And it's always the same. How boring it was! Everyone tried to grab a larger piece and choose a place closer to the sun. Such an existence was no different from the life of an animal. Luthor the Younger could not afford to stoop to such a thing.
People stopped striving for great things. People have forgotten about their purpose: to bring rays of enlightenment to this world.
Since no one wanted to take such responsibility into their own hands, Lex Luthor could take care of everything himself. He will bring order and justice to Metropolis, and then to Gotham.
It's easy, nothing is impossible. And it will be even easier after the lying god falls into a man-made abyss, overthrown by all those who helped him rise.
Luthor is ready to destroy everything around him every time he learns about Superman's next heroic deed. Why did he suddenly decide that he had even the slightest right to consider himself above all laws and principles? His exclusivity was pretentious, his desire to help everyone and everyone reeked of deceit. Lex was sure that the unfortunate fools simply did not see the whole truth, which he himself had figured out a long time ago.
Gods become gods when they are believed in.
He knew that Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne would come to this evening. More precisely, Superman and Batman will come, wearing the guise of their second nature. How naive was it for them to believe that no one would be able to recognize them? little secret.
But indeed, having met this journalist on the street, among the gray buzzing crowd, behind the frame of his glasses, Lex would not have been able to see the gaze of the dishonest liar that was the native of outer space. A formal suit suits him better than ordinary colored rags.
His confidence and demeanor were enviable. Lex glanced over the strong-willed features of his face, involuntarily running his tongue over his lips.
With what joy Luthor looked at both of them, rejoicing not at all at the long-awaited meeting, which for him was exactly that, but at the imminent sudden end of the two heroes.
When Superman decided to secretly spy on where Bruce was going, Lex followed him.
Kent, are you lost? - the young genius asked in feigned surprise, catching the man in one of the corridors.
Looks like I'm on the wrong floor. - He adjusted his glasses, looking at Luthor a little confused.
Yes, like this big house It's easy to get lost the first time. - “Especially when you stick your long nose into other people’s business,” Lex added silently, “Tell me, Clark,” he emphasizes his name, “what is your opinion regarding Superman’s outrages in Metropolis?”
Such a provocation does not go unnoticed. The fleeting expression that ran like a shadow across Clark Kent's face would have been easily hidden from the untrained eye. Only Lex always knew how to notice the smallest details.
I believe... - Luthor cocked his head to the side, smiling slyly. “He acted as circumstances required.
Is this a sufficient reason to build an entire cult around his figure?
You can't take away their hope. – Lex couldn’t help but chuckle.
Silence hung in the air. In the distance one could still hear the hum and conversations of the guests of the social evening. Superman wants to somehow dispel the understatement, waiting for an answer from Lex, but he, raising his chin, peers into his face with sparkling eyes.
The apotheosis of tension reaches its peak. This is comparable to the moment a dam bursts with tons of water. Everything is a continuous impenetrable wave.
It’s hard to remember which of them was the first to reach out to someone else’s lips for a hot, living kiss. Clark put his hands on the young scientist's waist, Lex pulled back for a moment, only to take a breath of air before dragging the hero into a new stream of passion. Palms rested on the shoulders of the Son of Krypton. He really didn’t seem like a person, but like one solid granite statue. Lex exhaled into sensual lips.
Be careful. Don't crush my ribs. – Luthor really suspects that Superman may not calculate his strength.
Don't worry. – Clark reassures him with notes of sincere concern in his voice.
Hoarse laughter turns into dead silence. The realization that the damn alien was aware all this time that Lex had figured him out long ago makes you want to laugh in his face and then bang your head against the wall for a long time.
Lex is literally pressed into the wall, not letting go. Some noise nearby distracts their attention.
If Clark Kent doesn't want to be seen in such a compromising position, he needs to disappear immediately. – Clark raises one eyebrow. - Or go in search of a more secluded place.
The bed creaked pitifully under the weight of two bodies. Superman's sensitive ears heard the deafening rapid beats of someone else's heart.
A belated feeling of excitement loomed faintly in the back of my mind.
The attempt to roll over was unsuccessful. Lex winced, glaring at the transparent blue opposite.
Finding yourself under your sworn enemy, what could be worse? Only the way this fact, tickling already tense nerves, makes the whole body tremble in the languor of anticipation. To Lex's surprise, a Kryptonian's skin felt no different from a human's, except that it was especially hot right now. Crushed by the weight of Clark's body, Luthor could only fidget weakly, putting his arm around his neck. They are so close that the tips of their noses almost touch each other.
Everything is bubbling inside, boiling with shades of contrasting feelings. Anger, lust, fear, mistrust, confusion from one’s own contradictory, but so necessary desire. Clark sits up, looking at the guy. At such a moment, he saw the real him: confused, without the mask of endless falsehood and feigned joy.
Passing flowing strands between your fingers long hair, Superman leans towards Lex, kissing him tenderly. It is more difficult to resist physical attraction than to convince yourself of burning hatred for someone on whom the whole world has come together in an instant.
The pain does not sober up; on the contrary, it makes you fall into a haze of maddening excitement, bordering on an incomprehensible, painful pleasure.
This is so wrong! Moan and arch under the sharp, frequent thrusts, wanting more every minute. Clark enjoys driving Lex into a frenzy. He has completely lost all his arrogance, and it is especially pleasant that it is all his fault, Superman.
It seems completely dishonest to Lex Luthor that this alien could so easily extract a return from him. It is he who must fall on his knees before him, throwing his pride at his feet. Lex consoles himself with the thought that he will definitely achieve this, at any cost.
Everything ends just as chaotically as it began. Blinding sparks flash under closed eyelids, a trembling pierces the body, followed by a deafening discharge.
I will destroy you. Luthor intones, still lying on the purple sheets. Unlike Clark, he is in no hurry to get dressed.
Superman can only grin back.
***
The pogrom is incomparable to what happened a year ago. At the site where the remains of the Kryptonian ship were located, there were complete ruins. The wounds received from the battle with Batman, and then also with the brutal alien creature, cause dull pain. If there are people nearby, he is obliged to help them, despite his own exhaustion.
Superman hears a sound coming from a pile of twisted iron beams. Anguished heavy sighs, as if this someone no longer hopes to get out. Surprisingly, Clark does not feel anger and righteous anger within himself, which would be quite logical to feel at the sight of the culprit of all the chaos that is happening. Lex looks disheveled and angry. If it weren't for his broken leg, which gave off monstrous pain, he would have attacked Superman with his bare hands. Even if it sounds like absolute stupidity.
What nobility! The highest deity himself descended to the main sinner! - Luthor declares loudly, examining the figure in blue with burning eyes, - Well, come on, this is what you came here for, right? Mock, crush with your foot the vile viper spitting poison in your direction! – he finally loses the remnants of self-control, starting to scream.
Clark, not paying attention to Lex's beginning hysteria, easily takes him into his arms, trying not to cause unnecessary inconvenience.
Let me in! - the guy hisses.
Do you want to die under a pile of concrete and reinforcement? – Superman asks with slight cynicism, flying up.
Are you itching to hand me over to the authorities? Of course, saving the world is not enough for my complete humiliation.
Lex's breath catches from the feeling of flight and great height, although he tries not to show it. They hang in the air.
There will be plenty of opportunities for you to die, but not now. – Clark says confidently.
A crazy smile lights up Alexander Luthor's face. He can't afford to be two-faced, so he won't let that tiny feeling of affection that appeared when they first met ruin his main goal. Next time Lex will follow through.
