Should Perry and Jimmy know that Superman is Clark Kent?

[Flash Gordon]

Hard no on both, for me.

Lois Lane is his wife, so she of course knows. The revelation is a huge character moment for them both. A breaking down of barriers, open honesty. Lana knows because she was there when Clark was a confused kid. Batman knows because he's Batman, and he makes information his business. That's about it. Nobody else should know.

Superman likely goes by "Kal" with others. Most of the time he doesn't stick around for small talk, though. He's in and out.

[daBronzeBomma]

Perry White:

gets the Jim Gordon treatment.

Perry probably IS too good a journalist not to suspect a connection of some kind between Clark and Superman, but there's a huge caveat: Perry actually would have to have spent significant enough amount of time with Kal in both his personas to make that connection.

Has he? I say no. Yes with Clark, No with Superman.

If he ever does spend enough time with Superman, then Perry can figure it out.


Jimmy:

is a lost cause.

Set up a Superverse event and have Luthor kill him with a crowbar.

Or merge him in-continuity (no reboot) with Lar Gand a la Marvel's Rick Jones and Captain Mar-Vell.

Without the Secret, and with Lois, Jon, Kara, Krypto, Lar, John Henry, Lana, Kon, Bruce, Diana, Barry, Hal, Arthur, and J'onn (and probably others) all knowing it ahead of him, Jimmy is now completely marginalized as "Superman's Pal". He's behind all of them in line.

Hell, at this point, Clark has a much deeper relationship with even Damian Wayne than he does with Jimmy.

Time to Die (or merge), Jimmy!

[Vordan]

Perry White:

gets the Jim Gordon treatment.

Perry probably IS too good a journalist not to suspect a connection of some kind between Clark and Superman, but there's a huge caveat: Perry actually would have to have spent significant enough amount of time with Kal in both his personas to make that connection.

Has he? I say no. Yes with Clark, No with Superman.

If he ever does spend enough time with Superman, then Perry can figure it out.


Jimmy:

is a lost cause.

Set up a Superverse event and have Luthor kill him with a crowbar.

Or merge him in-continuity (no reboot) with Lar Gand a la Marvel's Rick Jones and Captain Mar-Vell.

Without the Secret, and with Lois, Jon, Kara, Krypto, Lar, John Henry, Lana, Kon, Bruce, Diana, Barry, Hal, Arthur, and J'onn (and probably others) all knowing it ahead of him, Jimmy is now completely marginalized as "Superman's Pal". He's behind all of them in line.

Hell, at this point, Clark has a much deeper relationship with even Damian Wayne than he does with Jimmy.

Time to Die (or merge), Jimmy!

Honestly? I’d be ok with this. Been a long time since Lex has really hurt Supes the way Joker messes up Batman, and Jimmy has been repeatedly sidelined in favor of making Batman the go to friend. If we’re not going to bring Jimmy into Supes life then we might as well cut him out, because right now he’s barely even there.

[adkal]

As integral as many tend to view Jimmy, he wasn't really a major part of the mythos in the comics until the 50s and, in particular, as a result of him being used in George Reeves' show.

The Jimmy-Lex 'scenario' above nudged me into fan-fic-daydream of Jimmy talking to 'himself' about The Secret and going over some of his wacky adventures, all while Superman is tied up saving the world and likely wouldn't make it back in time to save him.

Wasn't expecting that.

*sniff*

[Superlad93]

Honestly? I’d be ok with this. Been a long time since Lex has really hurt Supes the way Joker messes up Batman, and Jimmy has been repeatedly sidelined in favor of making Batman the go to friend. If we’re not going to bring Jimmy into Supes life then we might as well cut him out, because right now he’s barely even there.

It literally just takes one writer who gives a damn about him. Apparently the majority of writers outside of Morrison in the past 8 years haven't given a damn about him, but right now Bendis seems to. Not only that, but he seems to also give a damn about the workplace life and dynamic in the Daily Planet, going as far as to call it the "home base" of Action Comics. Again, literally no one in the last 8 years has treated the Daily Planet and the dynamics held inside as a priority till now. But once you start doing that--it's an inescapable domino effect-- you stop sidelining Jimmy. You'd have to have no affection for the character to do otherwise at that point.

Now, as of Action Comics 1007, Jimmy will be kicking off--via investigation-- a DCU event that he'll tackle along side Lois and Clark. Plus, he's apparently getting a book where media is used in fascinating ways. It just takes one writer one gives a damn about the fact that he's easily the third most important supporting cast member in the Superman myth (can be argued for second again since Jon is branching out).

[seismic-2]

Considering that he's always being turned into a giant turtle monster, or whatever, I really wonder why Jimmy wants to be "Superman's best friend". It makes more sense for him to be Clark's best friend, honestly. It would be helpful if Perry knew (which maybe he actually does, as other folks have noted). That way he can help cover for Clark, when he disappears for weeks at a time while the only story he was supposed to be assigned to was a Metropolis school board election. As for the issue of Clark's writing about Superman, maybe Perry ought to have some ethical qualms about that, but if Clark himself doesn't, and he's supposed to be the most ethical guy around, then Perry shouldn't be too disturbed about it either. Anyway, Perry has other reporters he can assign to cover a Superman story in which there might be a conflict of interest in how the central character of the story is depicted.

[Celgress]

Perry White:

gets the Jim Gordon treatment.

Perry probably IS too good a journalist not to suspect a connection of some kind between Clark and Superman, but there's a huge caveat: Perry actually would have to have spent significant enough amount of time with Kal in both his personas to make that connection.

Has he? I say no. Yes with Clark, No with Superman.

If he ever does spend enough time with Superman, then Perry can figure it out....

Your outline regarding Perry makes perfect sense. I hope someday it is made canon as being the explanation why he does not yet know Clark's secret.

[Vordan]

It literally just takes one writer who gives a damn about him. Apparently the majority of writers outside of Morrison in the past 8 years haven't given a damn about him, but right now Bendis seems to. Not only that, but he seems to also give a damn about the workplace life and dynamic in the Daily Planet, going as far as to call it the "home base" of Action Comics. Again, literally no one in the last 8 years has treated the Daily Planet and the dynamics held inside as a priority till now. But once you start doing that--it's an inescapable domino effect-- you stop sidelining Jimmy. You'd have to have no affection for the character to do otherwise at that point.

Now, as of Action Comics 1007, Jimmy will be kicking off--via investigation-- a DCU event that he'll tackle along side Lois and Clark. Plus, he's apparently getting a book where media is used in fascinating ways. It just takes one writer one gives a damn about the fact that he's easily the third most important supporting cast member in the Superman myth (can be argued for second again since Jon is branching out).

True, and I am excited to see what Bendis does, since I love what he’s been doing with the Daily Planet so far. God it’s been far, far too long since Clark’s job as a journalist and his co-workers at the DP actually felt relevant.

[Kuwagaton]

This is pretty much the most I think of it: if you torture Jimmy or Perry into divulging what they know, you'll end up killing them and gaining nothing but an angry Superman.

[seismic-2]

This is pretty much the most I think of it: if you torture Jimmy or Perry into divulging what they know, you'll end up killing them and gaining nothing but an angry Superman.

Even if Jimmy and Perry knew Superman's identity, why would anyone else know that they know it?

Just the fact that Superman hangs out with the Daily Planet folks a lot (heck, Jimmy is his "best friend"!) should be enough in and of itself to put them in danger of being kidnapped or killed by villains who want to hurt Superman. His secret identity has nothing to do with it.

[Kuwagaton]

I guess we're agreeing. What I mean is that the secret would never get out even if they had it. As readers we could read their thought bubbles or something, but it's kind of useless information if they will not let it inform how they treat it.

Of course, we know that both characters have had stories concerning what exactly they know about it only for them to back off before going so far that we view them differently from their default status quo.

[daBronzeBomma]

This is pretty much the most I think of it: if you torture Jimmy or Perry into divulging what they know, you'll end up killing them and gaining nothing but an angry Superman.

And Luthor would be counting on that.

His potential "crowbar moment" on Jimmy would have nothing to do with learning Supes' secret identity.

And everything to do with showing the rest of the world how terrifying an angry Superman is.

Luthor would WANT a raging monster to come out of Kal, and he'd have the whole thing broadcasting to the world.

He'd be daring Superman to go violently bonkers on a human being.

Prison is nothing to Luthor. He walks out of prisons like Joker walks out of Arkham.