A Superman fan recently shared a theory on social media claiming that Lex Luthor is aware of his archnemesis’ secret identity, Clark Kent. They used a key scene from the movie to back their claim, suggesting the megalomaniac billionaire scientist was keeping the knowledge secret until he could use it to his advantage at the right time. However, James Gunn has responded to and debunked it, while also explaining why it wasn’t possible for Luthor to be aware.
James Gunn clarifies important Superman and Lex Luthor detail
James Gunn recently confirmed that Lex Luthor didn’t know Superman’s secret identity of Clark Kent, which he explained through lore details.
It all started when an X (formerly Twitter) user tweeted that Luthor made a clone of the Kryptonian hero and still couldn’t figure out his secret identity. A Threads user, Nerd Talks Show, later posted it on the social media site, drawing attention.
Replying to this, a fan shared their belief that Luthor knew it, saying it was obvious to them. They pointed to a particular scene in the movie where Nicholas Hoult’s villain taunts the Man of Steel by suggesting he would find and torture Clark Kent.
“Lex is too smart not to figure it out, and too smart to leak the information for no reason,” they added. “He’s keeping Clark’s secret until a time when it’s beneficial for him to use it.” The user concluded by affirming their belief despite acknowledging that Gunn knew more.
The DC Studios co-CEO responded after a fan asked to address the theory. He debunked it while also noting that Lex wouldn’t possibly know about his archenemy’s double life. Gunn also explained through three points why that was the case.
He first pointed out that Luthor viewed the Man of Steel as “a disconnected alien who wants to take over the world.” He added, “So I’m not sure why he’d assume he has a ‘secret identity.’”
The Guardians of the Galaxy director then shared that the Hypno-Glasses were real in the DC Universe, because of which Superman could distinguish between his superhero and Clark Kent personas.
Lastly, he pointed out that Luthor being a genius in several scientific fields, like nanotechnology, didn’t mean he was “a genius in all fields.” Gunn further noted, “Like many scientists (& artists!) he can miss basic things.”
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on SuperHeroHype.
