A meme roasting (or attempting to roast) Lex Luthor for failing to discover the Man of Steel's secret identity in James Gunn's Superman has been circulating online, and the director has now responded.
Though it doesn't really make a lot of sense, there's a perception that, since Lex was able to create a clone of Superman from his DNA, he should really be able to figure out that his human disguise is Clark Kent.
When someone brought this up on Threads, while also mentioning the theory that Luthor actually does know his nemesis's secret identity but is simply choosing to keep it to himself for the time being, Gunn replied:
"Lex doesn't know who he is but I don't know how he would. A) Lex thinks Superman is a disconnected alien who wants to take over the world, so I'm not sure why he'd assume he has a "secret identity." B) Hypno Glasses are real. Clark looks like another person. C) Being a genius in some ways (in Lex's case, genetics, electrochemistry, nanotechnology, nuclear & quantum physics, to name a few) doesn't mean you are a genius in all fields. Like many scientists (& artists!) he can miss basic things."
There is an argument that Lex seemed to be trying to uncover Superman's earthly origins in the infamous Russien Roulette scene, but the villain only ever asks his prisoner who raised him.
What do you make of this debate? Drop us a comment down below.
The plot of Gunn's Superman follow-up will focus on the Man of Steel (Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Hoult) putting their differences aside and joining forces to defend the planet against Brainiac (Lars Eidinger).
Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), and Maria Gabriella de Faria (The Engineer) have all been confirmed to return, and we recently learned that Aaron Pierre will reprise his Lanterns role as John Stewart.
Adria Arjona is also set to appear as Maxima (though there's a lot of speculation that she's actually been cast as Wonder Woman).
"At its core, it’s about Clark and Lex," Gunn said in a recent interview. "I relate to both of them. I relate to Lex’s ambition and obsession — minus the murder. And I relate to Superman’s belief in people, his Midwestern values. They’re two sides of me."
Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.