Before Shazam, Zachary Levi Nearly Played A Major Superman Villain

Zachary Levi got his chance at superhero stardom with the two "Shazam" movies, but he almost entered the DC universe much earlier. In the early 2000s, he auditioned to play Lex Luthor in the Superman TV prequel "Smallville." The series, set during Clark Kent's (Tom Welling) high school days, takes influence from the "Superboy" comics. In those, Clark and Lex were childhood friends before becoming nemeses as adults.

Levi's first audition as Lex impressed creators Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, who presented him as their first choice to The WB. But that second round did not go as planned. 

"That audition was kind of a disaster. In leaving the audition, I remember thinking 'Oh, that was the biggest chance of his life,'" Millar recalled in a 2021 interview with the Hollywood Reporter chronicling "Smallville" for its 20th anniversary. "And then he went on to incredible success. So you just never know."

"Smallville" premiered in 2001, and the following year, Levi started appearing on TV in a main role on the ABC sitcom "Less Than Perfect." He later played the lead role in "Chuck," about a mid-20s slacker who becomes a spy. One role led to another and he eventually booked "Shazam," but given the poor financial performance of "Shazam: Fury of the Gods" and DC's recent creative overhaul, don't hold your breath to see Levi's Shazam again anytime soon.

Levi's failed audition left a Lex-shaped door open on "Smallville" for another up-and-coming actor, Michael Rosenbaum. His aloofness about getting the part read as a confidence true to Lex's character. When he was asked to do a screen test, Rosenbaum refused because Lex Luthor would never go for a second audition: "Just rewind the tape," he recalled telling them. Rosenbaum added that the "Smallville" casting director said they wanted three things from their Lex Luthor: charisma and danger, but also humor. Rosenbaum delivered all three during his time on "Smallville."

Before Nicholas Hoult's Lex in 2025's "Superman" movie, Rosenbaum had a convincing claim for being the best, most comic-accurate Lex ever put onscreen. It varies across different "Superman" stories if Lex is a self-made man or inherited his fortune. "Smallville" went with the latter and made Lex's father, Lionel (John Glover), part of its core cast. Lex lives in his abusive father's shadow; being Lionel Luthor's son makes people judge him before even meeting him, so his attempts to do good and convince people he's better than his father always fail. This is what turns Lex into the envious villain he was destined to be.

Rosenbaum (who stayed on "Smallville" for its first seven seasons and returned in the finale) got the luxury of time to play Lex's fractured friendship with Clark. They meet in the pilot when Lex accidentally hits Clark with his car, sending them both into a river. Clark is unharmed, naturally, and saves Lex's life. That extraordinary first meeting means their friendship always has a tint of suspicion and unease. Sadly, Clark never trusts Lex to share his secret with him.

Throughout "Smallville," Rosenbaum was frequently excellent (especially in his many scenes with Glover). He's stern and cold in the way a good Lex Luthor should be. Even in season 1, Rosenbaum carries himself in a way that you buy this guy will eventually be the world's biggest super-villain. We'll never know for sure, but it's hard to picture Levi having that same screen presence. He's best known for playing goofy man-children, like Chuck and Flynn Rider in "Tangled." Shazam, a character who is literally a kid in a grown man's body, played to his strengths in a way Lex Luthor doesn't.