The Iconic DC Villain You Likely Didn't Know The Office's Rainn Wilson Played

The American adaptation of "The Office" came to a close in May of 2013, yet it's far from fading out of pop culture relevancy all these years later. When looking at the sitcom as a whole, one could pick out a range of reasons for this longevity. Unforgettable jokes, emotional story arcs, memes, and more all have their part to play in the legacy of "The Office," much like the show's stacked cast of beloved characters. The likes of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) are now TV icons, and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is no exception.

A staple of the program throughout its years on the air, Dwight stands among the most well-remembered "Office" characters of all time. The material prepared for the role deserves some of the credit, but it's fair to say that without the talents of Rainn Wilson, Dwight might not have become as popular as he is. Before, during, and after his time bringing the Assistant Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to life, Wilson pushed himself as an actor in a variety of projects. From "Galaxy Quest" to "Mom," he's not one to phone in a performance, regardless of the medium.

In his years performing on screens big and small, Rainn Wilson has even left his mark on the superhero genre. Here's who he played under the DC banner.

Though he's known best for his live-action work, Rainn Wilson hasn't shied away from voice acting throughout his career. This decision has led him to become the arch-rival of Superman himself, Lex Luthor, in several productions. His first crack at the DC Comics mainstay came in 2018 for "The Death of Superman," followed by "Reign of the Supermen," "Batman: Hush," and "The Death and Return of Superman" in 2019 and "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War" in 2020 (via IMDb). That's not a bad track record for a beet farmer.

In an interview with the DC Comics website, Rainn Wilson explained his reaction to playing such an iconic villain as Lex Luthor and how he approached a role with such a storied history behind it. "They're funnier. They're smarter. They're quicker and have more character flaws. It's just a dream as an actor," he said of getting to play antagonists, adding that he loved Gene Hackman's take on the LexCorp figurehead in the live-action "Superman" films. Although, he wanted to make his rendition entirely his own without treading too much old ground.

Numerous actors have put their own twist on Lex Luthor to great effect over the years, and it stands to reason that Dwight Schrute himself, Rainn Wilson, will reside among the best of them when it's all said and done.