2. Lex Luthor Makes A Politician Drink Pee
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
The DCEU is primarily known for being decidedly darker and grittier than other superhero movies. Man of Steel made that approach work, and it seemed exciting. Batman v Superman did some interesting things with it, too, but it also offered up some major moments of pure cringe-worthy nonsense. It’s handling of Lex Luthor was perhaps the worst of all.
Though Jesse Eisenberg’s whole performance plays out like someone gave a child a few too many Red Bulls, there’s one scene in particular that is especially unnecessary and pointlessly gross. After a conversation alluding to Luthor’s villainous nature with some vague threats bandied about, Senator Finch heads off to attempt to put Superman on trial. Upon doing so, she realizes her drink has been swapped out with what’s insinuated to be Lex Luthor’s urine.
The reason for the cringe here is subtle, but stick with us. Lex Luthor is supposedly a genius; a brilliant tactician with a sharp mind for business and science, who applies himself to become as powerful and respected as possible. Batman v Superman turned him into the most manic representation of that as possible, then had him trick people into drinking his pee simply to make him seem childish and unpredictable. It was such a weird and tonally-dissonant choice that we couldn’t help but recoil.