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It is a debate that has raged for decades among comic book fans. While having a secret identity is a core part of almost every character, it always leads to the same question. Who is pretending to be who? Is Clark Kent pretending to be Superman? Or does Superman pretend to be mild-mannered Clark Kent? According to DC Studios boss and Superman director James Gunn, the answer is somewhere in between.

This all comes to a take popularized in 2004's Kill Bill Part 2 where the antagonist, Bill, monologues about how Superman merely pretends to be Clark Kent rather than the other way around. This kind of thinking is something Gunn made it a point to push back at in his script for the new Superman movie.

“It says it in the script,” Gunn explained in a recent interview. “Oftentimes people say that Clark Kent is a disguise and Superman is the real person, but I don’t see it that way, or at least that’s not the way this iteration of Superman is. This Superman is a character who, if you only know Superman, you don’t know the person. If you only know Clark Kent, you don’t know the person.”

That idea is echoed by David Corenswet, who plays Superman in James Gunn’s movie.

“This was one thing that James said early on. Which is that we all have multiple characters that we play depending on the setting that we’re in. So, it’s not quite true to say that there’s a third person, but I think that the true person, the character without pretense, is somewhere between Clark and Superman. And they’re both roles that he plays.”

It still isn’t exactly a definitive answer to the secret identity debate, but it does give a little insight into how James Gunn’s version of Superman views himself and how he interacts with the wider DCU. 

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.