Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice doesn't arrive in theaters until next year, but the viral marketing has already begun. In a bit of in-world promotion, Fortune Magazine has written up a profile piece on the fictional "wunderkind" Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), praising the revolutionary modernization of his namesake corporation, teasing new technological advances in the security field, and alluding to some pretty hearty daddy issues.
I'm not a huge fan of these viral campaigns unless they're really well done (Universal's Jaws 19 trailer, for instance). This may be "Old Man Yells at Cloud" territory, but treating fictional characters like real people doesn't make any sense to me. In any case, the faux profile does offer a new image and some insight into how Eisenberg and director Zach Snyder are approaching this new iteration of the iconic character. Still no word on why he has hair though. Check out the new Lex Luthor image, and read below for highlights from the profile piece.
The profile details Luthor's "superhuman" accomplishments in the business world, highlighting the impressive way he was able to step out from the large shadow cast by his late father, Alexander Luthor Sr., an indomitable East German transplant who arrived in America empty-handed only to build an "empire of oil and machinery" through ferocity and viciousness. Along the way, he made a few enemies, and it sounds like his son was one of them.
“Dad named the company after himself ten years before I made my unexpected entrance into his life. But investors seemed to respond to the idea of an adoring father building a legacy for his precious son. He used that to his advantage. It was a good shtick and, whatever else he was, he was a good businessman,”
“Well, Dad was a complicated guy... He came from a country where the government, in the guise of protector, had absolute control over the citizens. That drove him. I get it. Heck, I’d hate to see that sort of thing happen over here.”
Oh, would you, Lex? Would you?! The piece calls attention to his "world-famous collection of meteorite crystals" (*wink*), and teases a friendly rivalry with competitor mega-corporation Wayne Enterprises (*nod*). The piece does detail a major difference between the two companies -- LexCorp has no compunction about venturing into military contracts.
“It’s a necessity,” Luthor insists. “We live in the most dangerous point of time in all of human history. Statistically speaking, it’s a near certainty that another world-changing crisis is hurtling toward us like a speeding bullet. We have to be ready to defend ourselves. No civilization was ever conquered by having a strong military.”
Finally, in what is probably the biggest tease for Batman v Superman itself, the profile alludes to a new technology in-development at LexCorp -- a technology that "will change the world forever".
“It’s about safety. This is a product that will protect you, and everyone, from threats you don’t even know about yet. I don’t want to scare anybody… much. But there are a lot of threats out there, and they’re here today.”
Hmmmm. I wonder what those threats could be... Some other tidbits -- LexCorp has a vegan food truck, an "inspiration station, and a foosball table in the conference table. Luthor isn't a regular boss, he's a cool boss. He's described as a "jeans-wearing genius" with a "self-effacing, easy charm" who "verbally extemporizes computer code like Miles Davis improvising a trumpet solo" (what does that even mean?), but has a dubious reputation as a "war-monger" in fringe circles.
Essentially, it sounds like this is a hipster-chic, modernized spin on the classic character, which will no doubt ruffle a few feathers. I find it interesting though, and I'd wager that if Luthor seems the polar opposite of the villain we all know and love, it's not just reinvention for reinvention's sake, but so we'll have a chance to see him transform over the course of his arc in the DCCU.
What do you guys think? Are you buying into this crunchy granola, luscious lock-ed version of Luthor? What is this mystery tech he's developing to change the world? Sound off in the comments below.
