Jor-El and Lara’s message to Kal-El in James Gunn’s Superman might’ve been altered by Lex Luthor after all. Previously, Gunn had stated that Luthor was not involved in doctoring the message. Superman, featuring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicolas Hoult, was released in theaters in July 2025. The movie came out on digital platforms like Prime Video, Fandango At Home, and more on August 15, allowing fans to spot an important detail about the message to Superman.
Was Superman’s parents’ message doctored?
It seems that Lex Luthor may have doctored Jor-El and Lara’s message for David Corenswet’s Superman in the 2025 movie. Fans started speculating about this plot detail again after spotting a particular scene providing some confirmation of the theory.
Following the release of Superman on digital, many fans watched James Gunn’s latest superhero movie once again from the comfort of their own homes. Soon after, some fans took to social media to point out a scene that seemingly confirms that Luthor changed Jor-El and Lara’s message for Kal-El.
Towards the end of the movie, after Luthor has been arrested, a clip of Maxwell Lord calling out Luthor in an interview is playing on TV. However, below that, a news headline reads, “The Daily Planet shows Luthor was behind the false images of Supermanʼs parentsʼ message claiming that…” This seems to suggest that Luthor did, in fact, alter the message after retrieving it with the help of the Engineer.
Previously, when Happy, Sad, Confused’s Josh Horowitz asked Gunn about this, the director denied that Luthor had anything to do with Superman’s parents’ message. He said, “In the movie, Mr. Terrific says, ‘I know those computer forensics guys. There’s no way.’ That’s Mr. Terrific. Smart as Lex Luthor. Then I have my Secretary of Defense say, ‘Think whatever you think about Luthor, but it’s real.’ And then the clincher is that Gurkos and Lex are walking together, and you know, Gurkos says, ‘Ah, you doctored the message. This is great.’ And Lex says, ‘It’s not a message.’ You know, ‘It’s not doctored. It’s real.’”
Originally reported by Ishita Verma on SuperHeroHype.
