Playing a supervillain has got to be just as much fun as playing a superhero. At least, Jesse Eisenberg found himself immensely enjoying his role as Lex Luthor in the DC comics blockbuster 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' this year, but what makes being a bad guy so fun?

Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v SupermanJesse Eisenberg plays Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman

Eisenberg thinks it's all down to being able to show off traits that wouldn't normally be acceptable in social circumstances; and, indeed, being able to carry out deeds that one certainly wouldn't be permitted to do in real life. Plus, nothing can be more empowering than being given the chance to play both Superman and Batman's arch-nemesis.

'We'd probably diagnose him today as some kind of narcissistic sociopath where he doesn't have what we would consider empathy', Eisenberg says of Lex. 'He sees people as paper dolls, as pawns. In the context of that pathology, he is funny and charming but in a way that's in accordance with people who are horrible.'

More: Watch the trailer for 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'

He added that Lex uses these traits to manipulate people and belittle Superman, to whom he is physically most inferior. But Eisenberg is used to playing such intellectually superior characters; take for instance his role as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Network' and his work as a super-magician in 'Now You See Me'.

'As an actor it's really fun because you end up doing all of the things that you're not allowed to do in public without getting arrested', he says. 'And you're able to charm people in a way that is kind of gross but it's fun to act out in a safe environment.'

'Batman v Superman' also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and the person who challenges both Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent in that she is the 5,000 year old daughter of Zeus. The movie, directed by Zack Snyder, is in theaters now.