As Lex Luthor has been mentioned several times throughout Supergirl, it was only a matter of time before the villain appeared in the flesh on The CW series. Last November it was announced that Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) would be stepping into the role, and now the first image of Cryer as Lex Luthor has been released. Check it out!
Bald. Pissed off. Perfectly manicured nails. Looks about right. At this point in Supergirl's story, Lex Luthor has been incarcerated for thirty-seven consecutive life terms in Stryker's Island Penitentiary, but that doesn't mean he can't cause trouble from behind bars. Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor will debut in the 15th episode of the current season, titled "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", as he tries to enlist his younger sister Lena (Katie McGrath in one of his plans "and will stop at nothing to get her on board, even if that means leveraging the life of one of her friends."
Co-showrunner/executive producer Jessica Queller told Entertainment Weekly that Supergirl's version of Lex Luther is "not that dissimilar to what we’ve seen in canon. He just [has] a sparkle in his eye and is smarter than everybody in the room and 12 steps ahead of everyone, and just a large, delicious villain." Fellow co-showrunner/executive producer Robert Rovner added, "He’s the biggest supervillain we’ve had on the show, and his plans will kind of touch every character and impact the entire season moving forward once he arrives." This won't be Jon Cryer's first association with the Superman franchise, or the Luthor family for that matter, as he played Lenny Luthor, Lex's nephew, in SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE.
Supergirl airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on The CW, and Jon Cryer's debut episode will debut on March 17, 2019.