Lex Luthor Possibly Altered Superman’s Parents’ Message After All

Jor-El and Lara’s message to Kal-El in James Gunn’s Superman might have been altered by Lex Luthor after all. Previously, Gunn himself had stated that Luthor was not involved in doctoring the message. But fans revisiting the movie on digital release have spotted something that raises new questions.

Superman, featuring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicolas Hoult as Lex Luthor, hit theaters in July 2025. It landed on digital platforms like Prime Video and Fandango At Home on August 15, giving audiences a chance to pause, rewind, and dissect every frame. That’s where the debate over the infamous Kryptonian message has reignited.

Superman’s Parents’ Message Under Scrutiny

The film presents Jor-El and Lara’s farewell to their son as an emotional anchor for Kal-El, reaffirming his heritage and purpose. But in classic Lex Luthor fashion, there’s suspicion that the message wasn’t exactly what his parents intended him to hear.

After watching the digital release, fans zeroed in on a scene that could confirm the theory. Towards the end of the movie, as Luthor sits in custody, a TV plays an interview with Maxwell Lord. Beneath the broadcast, a news ticker reads: “The Daily Planet shows Luthor was behind the false images of Superman’s parents’ message…”

It’s quick, easy to miss, and almost throwaway. But if taken literally, it suggests Lex did in fact alter the message—contradicting Gunn’s earlier insistence that the message was genuine.

The Role of the Engineer

This isn’t speculation out of thin air. In the movie, Lex retrieves Superman’s family message with the help of the Engineer, a character with the ability to manipulate advanced technology. The pairing alone set off alarm bells for audiences when the film first premiered. Why would Luthor, a master manipulator, need access to the message unless he intended to tamper with it?

The news crawl at the end seems to answer that question. Even if Jor-El and Lara’s original transmission was heartfelt and sincere, the version Superman received might have been filtered through Luthor’s own manipulative spin.

James Gunn’s Explanation

What complicates matters is James Gunn’s own commentary. When asked directly about this on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Gunn denied that Lex played any role in altering the message. He broke down the evidence from the movie:

Mr. Terrific confidently says computer forensics confirmed the message was real.

The Secretary of Defense doubles down, stating, “Think whatever you think about Luthor, but it’s real.”

And in another scene, Gurkos accuses Lex of doctoring the message, to which Lex responds, “It’s not a message. It’s not doctored. It’s real.”

For Gunn, those lines were meant to close the door on the theory.

Fans Aren’t Convinced

But here’s the problem—audiences aren’t quick to dismiss a blinking neon sign in the form of a Daily Planet headline. For many, it feels intentional. Gunn’s films are known for layers of detail, Easter eggs, and sly misdirections. To fans, the contradiction between dialogue and background text doesn’t read like a mistake; it feels like a clue.

Was Gunn playing coy in his interview? Or was this detail something left deliberately ambiguous for sequels to expand on?

Why It Matters

This debate isn’t just nitpicking. The authenticity of Jor-El and Lara’s message is central to Superman’s sense of self. If the words he’s lived by were twisted by Lex Luthor, it reframes his entire emotional journey in the film. Instead of hearing his parents’ true farewell, Kal-El may have been manipulated from the very beginning.

It also sets up Lex as an even more dangerous villain for future installments. If he can distort something as sacred as a Kryptonian family legacy, nothing is off-limits.

Closing Thoughts

Whether Gunn intended it or not, fans now have a juicy mystery to debate. Did Lex Luthor truly doctor the message, or was the news headline a red herring meant to stir discussion? For now, both answers exist within the film, depending on which detail you choose to believe. And for a character as manipulative as Lex Luthor, maybe that’s exactly the point.