Did Lex Luthor Out Superman?

Controversy grows over leak; Supporters say no law was broken

 

By Jape Trostle
The Daily Planet

For a second straight week, controversy swirled around Lex Luthor after it was revealed he was the source for Time magazine reporter Jim Olson and a 2003 article in which Olson wrote that Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent is Superman.

Clark Kent's alter-ego had first been revealed the week before, in a July 14, 2003, piece by conservative columnist Robert Novak, and sources close to the investigation of the Superman outing say Luthor had also leaked the information to Novak.

Under the 1981 Marvel/DC Protection of Secret Identity Act, also known as "Bruce's Law", it is illegal to knowingly reveal any superhero's everyday persona.

Supporters say Luthor didn't intentionally break any laws , and that there is no scandal -- only a witchhunt by partisan hacks.

"Look," said one source close to the investigation who insisted on anonymity, "Lex Luthor never actually SAID Clark Kent is Superman, he just told Olson that Lois Lane's boyfriend was a superhero."

The outing of Superman is widely considered to be payback for an earlier exposé by Lois Lane titled "What I Learned in Iraq," that revealed the details of a plan for world domination by a cabal of supervillains that allegedly included Lex Luthor.

Details of Luther's involvement in the leak came to light two weeks ago when, under pressure from the special prosecutor and the threat of jail time, Jim Olson turned over his notes to the Grand Jury investigating the revelation of Superman's secret identity and the damage it may have caused to National Security.

Many supporters of Lex Luthor have disputed that Superman's identity was all that secret. "Look, EVERYONE knew Clark Kent was Superman," said one minion, who insisted on remaining anonymous. "Besides, how 'secret' could his secret identity be when Clark Kent's byline was in the newspaper every day. Every. Single. Day.

"How could anyone NOT know" asked another. "Come on, his whole disguise was putting on glasses? Yeah, right, like that would fool anyone!"

The Justice League of America has refuted such claims however. "Heck, most of us didn't even know," said Aquaman. "Clark Kent was clearly an effective cover, and one that is no longer operative," he added.

After new talking points were released Thursday, the Luthor camp began pushing the idea that it was in fact Jimmy Olson who told Lex Luthor about Superman. According to this version, Olson called Luthor in the summer of 2003 to verify a claim that Iraq was seeking large quantities of yellow kryptonite, a claim many dispute.

"Luthor was actually trying to guide Olson away from writing a dubious story based on false information," said one anonymous cohort. "Lex Luthor is the whistleblower here. He's the victim, he's the hero."

If this is the case, many critics wonder, then why did Luthor and his backers deny Luthor's involvement in the leak before the recent Olson revelation?

"If Luthor is innocent, why did he wait two years to come clean about his conversations with Olson and Novak?" asked the Martian Manhunter.

From the first days an independent counsel was appointed to look into the leak in 2003, Mr. Mxyztplk and his press secretary, Scotty McClellan, have repeatedly denied the involvement of anyone in the cabal.

"Have you talked to Lex and do you have confidence in him?" a reporter asked Mr. Mxyztplk on Sept. 30, 2003. "Listen, I know of nobody," he replied. "I don't know of anybody in my cabal who leaked classified information about Superman. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action."

In October 2003, McClellan told reporters at the time that any suggestion that Luthor had played a role in outing Superman was "totally ridiculous."

Beginning last week, however, members of the cabal went suddenly quiet about the scandal.

Mr. Mxyztplk parried questions about Lex Luthor over the weekend, insisting that he will not comment about his associate until the conclusion of the investigation. "I have instructed every member of my staff to fully cooperate in this investigation," Mr. Mxyztplk said. "I also will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports."

Mr. Mxyztplk added, "I will be more than happy to comment further once the investigation is completed."

While the cabal may have gone into "Fortress of Solitude" mode, associates of Luthor continued to attack his detractors and others involved in the controversy.

As Rick Santorum told Fox News on Sunday, "The real scandal here isn't what Lex Luthor may or may not have told a reporter. The real crime is that Superman sneaked into this country as an illegal alien and then deceived his employer and many fine upstanding Americans for decades -- decades! -- by deliberately falsifying his identity. That's the real crime."

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