Supergirl has introduced a bunch of the biggest characters from Superman comics lore over its first four season, but one that was conspicuously absent from the present-day action was Lex Luthor. Well, Lex is finally on the way to the show in a non-flashback capacity, and the first look at Two and a Half Men’s Jon Cryer in the role shows Lex already behind bars. Check him out!
I’ll admit to having my reservations about 53-year-old Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor due to the gigantic age difference between him and 36-year-old Katie McGrath, playing Lena Luthor, and the slight age difference between him and 58-year-old Brenda Strong, who will play his mother.
That said, this first look at him reveals Cryer looking suitably menacing behind bars, so perhaps he’ll be convincing enough in the role that viewers won’t be distracted by the numbers. Or maybe prison life aged him prematurely! Bad batch of prison wine, maybe?
It’s no surprise that Lex Luthor will be behind bars for at least a chunk of his first episode of Supergirl. Although Lex has yet to make an appearance outside of flashbacks, the show established that he lost in a big showdown with Superman and earned himself 30+ life sentences in prison.
In his debut episode, Lex will reach out to Lena from prison, looking for her help in one of his schemes. In true Lex Luthor style, he’ll stop at nothing to get her support, and that may mean the life of one of Lena’s friends is in grave danger. The first episode featuring Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor will air on Sunday, March 17, with the fitting title of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
While Lex Luthor is known traditionally as a villain for Superman and the description of “O Brother, Where Art Thou” focuses on his dynamic with Lena, Supergirl executive producer Robert Rovner dropped some comments indicating that Kara will be invested in the plot as well, largely thanks to her cousin’s absence from Earth.
Superman and Lois Lane took off for Argo City at the end of the “Elseworlds” crossover following the reveal that Lois has a super bun in the oven, which made for a sweet happily-ever-after before the big blow in the final moments of the crossover.
Kara will feel a challenge and responsibility to deal with Lex Luthor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ranks as one of her most formidable foes. Any man who could go toe-to-toe with Superman long enough to be recognized as his archenemy undoubtedly has some tricks up his sleeve for taking down Kryptonians, even if he did wind up behind bars. If Kara tries to help Lena, she’ll probably want to be careful.
We still have a couple of months to wait before we see Jon Cryer in action as Lex Luthor, but at least Supergirl is back on the airwaves following a winter hiatus. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Dreamer is on the way, and the superhero suit looks amazing. Will that be enough to distract us from Alex's recent tough decision? Only time will tell. For more primetime viewing options, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
