Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography gave him an even more sinister backstory filled with crime and corruption, and it would make a great movie.
Of the many foes who face Superman, there's none more iconic than the bald bad guy, Lex Luthor. Whether he's a conniving mad scientist, a real estate obsessed criminal mastermind, or a corrupt business mogul, Luthor is always vexing the Man of Steel in one way or another. One of his best stories, however, is unfortunately relatively overlooked and underrated among most fans.
Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography (by James D. Hudnall, Adam Kubert, and Eduardo Barreto) tells the backstory of the post-Crisis interpretation of Lex introduced by John Byrne, showing just how far his power and corruption go. The result wasn't a traditional Superman story by any means, instead focusing on his villainy in a grounded way that feels perfectly fit for a movie. Here's how this overlooked gem completed Lex's reinvention, and how it could be used as the template for a movie like Joker.
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Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography was the grittiest crime story in Metropolis. With the cover art clearly based on Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal, the book's inside scoop was far more scandalous than any mere business know-how. The story focused on neither Superman nor Clark Kent, but rather a recently deceased journalist named Peter Sands. Down on his luck and broke, he eventually sets out to write an unauthorized bio on Metropolis philanthropist Lex Luthor. Of course, it ends up taking him down an incredibly dark path, one which ends with his death.
Key parts of Lex Luthor's backstory are revealed in the one-shot, truly separating him from his pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths counterpart. These included a young Lex hiring local thugs to kill his parents, so he could score their life insurance payout, as well as his being an academic contemporary of Superman's Daily Planet editor, Perry White. Eventually, Superman does show up in the book, but he's never the focus and feels just out of reach within the story's grimy, dark world. The title perfectly encapsulated both the nuances of the new version of the Superman mythos and the potential of his rivalry with Lex Luthor. This potential could be perfect for the big screen, though it might be done within the DC Extended Universe.
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The 2019 movie Joker was very successful, both among comic book fans and especially the general audience. It completely removed the Clown Prince of Crime from the usual over the top trappings of his Batman counterparts. The movie's director, Todd Phillips, suggested a "Black Label" of DC movies. This would be similar to the Black Label and Elseworlds imprints, and it would be the perfect place for an adaptation of Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography.
The book's story wouldn't exactly work for a big "mainstream" release in the DC Extended Universe, especially since it would fail to match Jesse Eisenberg's interpretation of the villain. A better idea would be to have multiple Luthors on screen in the same way as the multiple Jokers, giving Luthor a "Black Label" that adapts one of his greatest stories from the comics. Said story is incredibly dark and gritty, and thus wouldn't even require the level of "removal" from the source material that Joker did. The best part is that Superman himself would barely be featured or simply shown flying as a red and blue silhouette, making the movie feel even more removed from the hero's trappings.
Of course, the main thing that would have to be nailed to make this work is the casting, with Daredevil's Kingpin actor, Vincent D'Onofrio, being the perfect person to play Byrne's similar recreation of Lex Luthor. Large and imposing while maintaining a disturbing level of cunning and guile, this Luthor would be right up D'Onofrio's alley in terms of character. Superman might be a bit harder cast, but in the end, it's Luthor's story, and it's one that could if it does the source material justice, elevate him even closer to the status of the Joker.
Timothy Blake Donohoo is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he majored in Communication and minored in Creative Writing. A professional freelance writer and marketing expert, he’s written marketing copy and retail listings for companies such as Viatek. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching documentaries and catching up on the latest Vaporwave and Electro-Swing musical releases.
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