No one can say that Zack Snyder has thus far made “safe” decisions for DC and Warner Bros.’ upcoming film, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Yes, the film is pretty much guaranteed to crack $1 billion no matter what, but all the same, between the casting of Ben Affleck (people may lie now about how they were always in favor of him, but when he was first announced, nearly EVERYONE hated it), and the casting of Jesse Eisenberg as the infamous billionaire, Lex Luthor, Snyder seems to have a very definite vision of this new world.

While the film may be about six months away still, DC and WB are wasting no time in getting its marketing underway, and this includes giving us some extra insight into the character of Lex Luthor.

This first batch of information comes through a viral marketing campaign of sorts–a mock Fortune Magazine profile of Alexander Joseph “Lex” Luthor Jr. That’s right, you read that right: Alexander Joseph Luthor Jr.

I guess in the “Batman v Superman” world there is no Lionel Luthor–which makes one wonder if Luthor Sr. is the Lex Luthor we all know and love, and Jr. is someone completely different.

The Fortune article goes on to describe Eisenberg’s Luthor as your typical Silicon Valley wunderkind. Like any tech success, he codes in jeans, eats vegan food, and also takes the time to stay physically fit. The article also paints a picture of a man with a very complex relationship with his father.

“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.”

From the sound of it, Luthor wasn’t exactly “loved” by his father in the traditional sense, but the young tech wiz seems to appreciate the man’s good business sense in retrospect. One of the most interesting pieces of info from Luthor in this article, however, comes in the form of another comment about his father’s German origins.

“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.”

No doubt Luthor’s father was in East Germany during the cold war, but that isn’t even the important part here. In that quote, we get our first taste of Luthor’s distaste for men with great power. This perspective will undoubtedly rear its head in the upcoming movie, wherein he takes on Superman. As the son of an East German immigrant, he’d be wary of anyone ruling with absolute power.

The article also goes on to allude to some kind of rivalry between LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises, wherein the latter company refuses to deal in military contracts. The “war mongering” Luthor has a very distinctly different perspective on the subject. 

“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, Luthor alludes to some world-changing technology that LexCorp has yet to unveil.

“We are on the cusp of unveiling 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.”

One has to wonder if this is some crazy Kryptonite-based technology. We’ll just have to wait and see.

What do you think of this new take on Lex Luthor? Let us know your thoughts down below!

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hits theaters on March 25, 2016.”

SOURCE: Fortune