James Gunn has responded to a viral Superman meme questioning how Lex Luthor could clone Superman but fail to figure out Clark Kent is the Man of Steel.
The meme has been making the rounds on X, racking up 6.1 million views. It has also sparked a big reaction on our own Cosmic Book News Facebook page, with more than 100,000 views and hundreds of comments from fans debating the logic of Lex’s blind spot.
The meme reads: “Lex makes identical clone of Superman. Couldn’t figure out his secret identity.”
Gunn has now weighed in.
James Gunn Responds To Viral Superman Meme
A fan tagged James Gunn and asked him to “please settle this.”
Gunn replied that Lex does not know Superman is Clark Kent.
“Lex doesn’t know who he is but I don’t know how he would,” Gunn wrote.
Gunn then explained his reasoning, saying Lex views Superman as an alien threat, not as a regular guy hiding in plain sight.
“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,’” Gunn said.
Gunn also pointed to Clark’s appearance as a reason Lex does not make the connection.
“B) Hypno Glasses are real. Clark looks like another person,” Gunn said.
Gunn then added that Lex being smart does not mean he is smart about everything.
“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.”
Another fan pressed Gunn, “Ultraman are look a like clark kent but idiot version and long hair, how can Lex didn’t recognise that??”
Gunn said, “He looks nothing like Clark Kent (neither does Superman) due to the hypno glasses as explained in he film.”
Fans Question How Lex Missed It
The debate started after fans mocked the idea that Lex could create a clone of Superman but still miss Superman’s secret identity.
The viral post uses images of the clone from Gunn’s Superman, with the caption pointing out the apparent contradiction.
One fan offered a different theory, saying Lex may know who Superman is but chooses not to expose him yet.
“Watching that movie it is so clear to me that Lex knows who Superman is,” the fan wrote. “The way he very pointedly mentions he may choose Clark as his next torture victim is like a taunt.”
The fan argued Lex is too smart not to figure it out and is keeping Clark’s secret until it benefits him.
Gunn, however, says that is not the case.
Gunn Says Hypno Glasses Explain Clark’s Disguise
The “Hypno Glasses” line is the key part of Gunn’s response.
In DC Comics, Clark Kent’s glasses have sometimes been explained as more than a simple pair of frames. Some stories have played with the idea that the glasses help change how people perceive Clark, making him appear different from Superman.
Gunn appears to be leaning into that explanation for his DCU version.
Lex Sees Superman The Wrong Way
Gunn’s other point is that Lex misunderstands Superman at a basic level.
Lex sees Superman as an alien invader. He does not see him as Clark Kent – a human – a reporter with a job, a girlfriend, and a normal life in Metropolis.
That ego may be the real reason Lex misses the truth.
Lex is smart enough to build weapons, create tech, and work with advanced science. He is also arrogant enough to overlook the simplest answer sitting right in front of him.
For Gunn, that seems to be the explanation: Lex’s intelligence does not make him all-knowing.
