Elon Musk used to be a movie hero. Now he’s the villain

I recently watched James Gunn's new Superman movie and noticed that Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor reminded me of Elon Musk, with similarities in mannerisms and characteristics like a savior complex and need for adoration. Hoult denied basing his portrayal on Musk, but did listen to the audiobook of Musk's biography to prepare for the role. It's not the first time a movie villain has been inspired by a tech billionaire, as Elon Musk and others have served as direct inspiration for movie villains in recent years. Before this, Musk inspired the character of Tony Stark in the 2008 Iron Man movie, with screenwriter Mark Fergus citing Musk as a contemporary inspiration for the character. The portrayal of Musk as a charming, intelligent, and slightly arrogant character helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, public perception of tech companies and their CEOs has shifted in recent years, with many now viewing them as self-interested entities that prioritize profits over the greater good. As a result, tech CEOs have become the role models for fictional movie villains, with examples including The Circle, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Jurassic World Dominion. While directors and actors have denied direct inspiration from real-life tech CEOs, the similarities are hard to ignore, and it's likely that we'll see more tech CEOs as movie villains in the future. This shift in public perception is likely to continue until tech leaders own all the movie studios.