Is Lex Luthor President In Superman?

The official Superman trailer may have dropped a subtle clue about Lex Luthor’s true role in the DCU’s version of the United States. Two months ahead of Superman‘s July 2025 release, the official trailer for James Gunn’s Superman provides a closer look at every Superman character, new details about the plot, and a couple of new glimpses at the DCU movie’s action-packed fight sequences. Naturally, the trailer also raises several questions that may only be answered when the film hits theaters.

James Gunn’s new Superman trailer confirms Superman will redefine the concept of a superhero in the DCU, as he will be completely independent of any government or organization, unlike other metahumans. It also confirms that Superman‘s main antagonist will be Lex Luthor, who seems anxious to stop Superman from interfering in issues that may clash with the villain’s interests. Besides being a faithful summary of Superman and Lex Luthor’s perpetual conflict, the Superman trailer’s tease of Lex Luthor’s motivations may be setting up a specific storyline from the source material.

The Superman Trailer Cuts To Lex Luthor When Lois Lane Asks About The President

The Superman Official Trailer Hints Lex Luthor Has Something To Do With The President

In the official Superman trailer, Lois Lane interviews Clark Kent as Superman and questions his actions in a foreign war. Lois points out Superman “illegally entered a country” and seems to be “acting as a representative of the United States” even though he isn’t affiliated with any government or private enтιтy, which angers Superman. Lois also asks him whether he consulted with the President. When Lois mentions the President, the Superman trailer cuts to a sH๏τ of Lex Luthor smiling.

In the Superman trailer, Luthor complains about Superman becoming “the focal point of the entire world’s conversation,” which would suit a Lex Luthor with presidential ambitions

The official Superman trailer underlines the idea that the war between the fictional nations of Boravia and Jarhanpur will be central to Superman‘s plot. As Clark Kent argues, Superman will intervene in the conflict, which will likely lead people like Rick Flag, Maxwell Lord, Mister Terrific’s team, and Lex Luthor to turn against the Man of Steel, as the hero will be taking matters into his own hands. Lex Luthor seems to be particularly annoyed. In the Superman trailer, Luthor complains about Superman becoming “the focal point of the entire world’s conversation,” which would suit a Lex Luthor with presidential ambitions.

Lex Luthor Has Been President In The DC Comics

Lex Luthor Has Become President Of The US In Multiple DC Universes

Lex Luthor becomes President of the United States in Jeph Loeb’s Lex 2000, where Luthor’s charisma helps him engineer a successful presidential campaign that earns him the support of characters like Black Lightning, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross. President Luthor establishes a promising platform with surprisingly optimistic proposals such as renovating Gotham City. However, he deliberately undermines the very issues he’s meant to address in order to benefit from the ensuing chaos. Luthor can’t resist the opportunity to use his political power to defeat Superman, but his plans backfire, and he’s removed from office.

Other universes in the DC multiverse have explored the idea of President Luthor from different angles. For instance, in the Red Son universe, US President Luthor launches the most prosperous era in US history, and his plans to manipulate world events in order to lead Superman to his death actually succeed. In an alternate timeline of the DC Animated Universe, Superman kills President Luthor in the Oval Office when the Man of Steel realizes Luthor has the power to launch a nuclear war. And in the Smallville season 10 finale, a news broadcast confirms Lex Luthor becomes President-elect in 2018.

So, Is Lex Luthor President In James Gunn’s Superman Movie?

James Gunn’s Superman Might Be Setting Up Lex Luthor’s Presidency

Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor screams in anger in James Gunn's Superman

The Superman trailer and teasers suggest Lex Luthor is a powerful businessman and CEO of LexCorp with enough influence to hire the Engineer to attack Superman. Luthor is also able to find the Fortress of Solitude and imprison Metamorpho, and he may create the mystery masked villain from scratch. Luthor’s interest in the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict sparks theories about his connection to the mysterious Hammer of Boravia, and there’s a chance Luthor is the one inside the armor. However, there are no solid clues that support the theory that Luthor is already US President in James Gunn’s Superman.

Lex Luthor’s venture into politics could be the subject of various future battles involving a wide variety of DC characters

On the other hand, Lex Luthor’s first encounter with Superman in the DCU could set up the villain’s presidential aspirations. Luthor will probably do everything he can to frustrate Superman’s heroic efforts in his debut movie; and in traditional DC fashion, Superman will likely succeed in flipping Luthor’s plan against him. James Gunn’s Superman is probably just the beginning of Superman and Lex Luthor’s feud, meaning that Luthor’s first failure could easily inspire him to design a different strategy. Similarly to the comics, Lex Luthor’s venture into politics could be the subject of various future battles involving a wide variety of DC characters.