Lex Luthor Is Finally Coming to Supergirl

Lex Luthor, the infamous bald billionaire and Superman villain, has cast a long shadow over Supergirl since the series premiered, but he has never actually appeared on the show. That's about to change. The CW announced Thursday that Lex Luthor is getting added to the character roster this season. Casting for the recurring role will begin soon.

"We're beyond excited to introduce iconic villain, Lex Luthor, to Supergirl and to weave him into our story this season," executive producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller said in a statement. "We've talked about having Lex on the show since its inception and we're excited to have him finally arrive. We can't wait for him to shake things up in National City and watch him go toe to toe with not only Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), but his sister Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath)."

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Lex Luthor was introduced into Superman comics in 1940 and is the Man of Steel's archenemy. He's a business tycoon whose superpower is wealth, which he uses to try to get rid of Superman, who stands between him and global business domination. He has been played by many actors in numerous Superman projects, including Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Rosenbaum.

On Supergirl, Luthor's family and corporation have been major players throughout the show's run. Lena Luthor took over Luthor Corp while Lex was incarcerated, renamed it L-Corp, and has rebranded it as a force for good in the world. She's a close friend of Kara's, aka Supergirl's. Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong), however, is not so good. She's Lex and Lena's mother, though she's not Lena's biological mother, and she ran the wicked Project Cadmus alien experimentation program before being defeated by Kara and her friends.

It remains to be seen what exactly Lex will get up to on Supergirl, but presumably he'll be coming home to reclaim his company from his sister, which will lead to big-time conflict. He will not be part of the Arrowverse crossover though and will just be sticking to Supergirl for now.

Who do you want to play Lex Luthor?

Supergirl airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.

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