Ever since Superman officially kick-started the DCU, fans have continued to doubt the legitimacy of Jor-El's message to his son, despite DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn's numerous clarifications after the fact that it's indeed real and that fans hoping it isn't are "s**t out of luck." However, there appears to be one glimmer of hope for any holdouts on Gunn changing his mind, thanks to the recent digital release of Superman.
Before the premiere of Peacemaker Season 2 on August 21, Gunn chose to release Superman early on digital storefronts. While some feared it was due to a disappointing box office haul for the Man of Steel, Gunn quickly cleared the air and explained that it was simply because he "...wanted everyone to be able to see Superman that wanted to [...] before Peacemaker."
After Superman hit digital shelves, fans quickly found several details overlooked in its theatrical release, including a curious news ticker glimpsed during Sean Gunn's cameo as Maxwell Lord that seemingly contradicts James Gunn's previous statements that Jor-El's message to Superman was real.
Crawling at the bottom of a newscast from Metropolis' local news station, the ticker claimed that "Luthor was behind the false images of Superman's parents' message," which implies that Jor-El's message was indeed fraudulent, as many fans had hoped.
"The Daily Planet shows Luthor was behind the false images of Supermanʼs parentsʼ message claiming that..."
However, this is still only a minor detail that most audiences didn't even notice in theaters, which is barely visible at the bottom of a shot that lasts only a few seconds. Gunn could even be unaware of it, but fans have already begun to latch onto this as a sign that he's changed his mind about Jor-El's message.
Does This Mean James Gunn Had a Change of Heart?
Unless James Gunn had a last-minute epiphany, he has made himself abundantly clear in numerous interviews that Jor-El's message to his son was legitimate and untampered with by anyone. Gunn has at least stipulated that not everyone on Krypton thinks like Jor-El, relieving fans of the fear that the rest of Kal-El's relatives, like Kara's parents in the upcoming Supergirl, would be driven by his father's genuinely evil beliefs and ideology.
Also, the idea that this is some kind of digital release change mandated by Gunn to placate fans is equally unbelievable. From an in-universe perspective, it only makes sense that everyone would begin to question whether Jor-El's message was real, despite multiple linguists and experts, including Mr. Terrific, supporting its legitimacy.
After all, the source was Lex Luthor, who the Daily Planet revealed to be a murderer, warmonger, kidnapper, and general scumbag sociopath with a clear bias against Superman (and all Metahumans).
Letting the world believe the second half of his father's message was a fabrication would feel out of character for an honest boy scout like Superman, despite Luthor's corrupt motives in releasing it.
It's also possible that this plot point could continue to follow Clark into his next major appearance, despite him already confronting his heritage, which won't be in a direct Superman sequel.
But if Gunn does change his mind, he could still retcon Jor-El's message in several ways, including the popular fan theory that Braniac altered its meaning to manipulate Kal-El into subjugating Earth for him. Before Luthor, fans speculated that Braniac would be the villain, who sometimes has deep ties to Krypton, depending on the continuity.
For now, fans shouldn't take what is a blink-and-you-miss-it moment as a sign of James Gunn capitulating to angry fans about his dramatic change to Jor-El's motives in sending Superman to Earth.
