I am not fond of either WW or Kent having to take a life, but I understand why it was done.
It says volumes that you call him "Kent".
For the last several years of the Post-Crises DCU, Wonder Woman would call Superman "Kal", and Batman would call him "Kent" (or on a good day, "Clark").*
This reflected their views on the Big Guy. Diana saw only the superhuman, Clark Kent was just a mask to her. Batman saw the importance of keeping Superman grounded in his human upbringing, so he always stressed the human identity.
You, @Matt, as if we didn't already know it, are clearly of the Bat Camp.
*I think this really started in Kingdom Come, but it may have been in Byrne's run.
I am not fond of either WW or Kent having to take a life, but I understand why it was done.
It says volumes that you call him "Kent".
For the last several years of the Post-Crises DCU, Wonder Woman would call Superman "Kal", and Batman would call him "Kent" (or on a good day, "Clark").*
This reflected their views on the Big Guy. Diana saw only the superhuman, Clark Kent was just a mask to her. Batman saw the importance of keeping Superman grounded in his human upbringing, so he always stressed the human identity.
You, @Matt, as if we didn't already know it, are clearly of the Bat Camp.
*I think this really started in Kingdom Come, but it may have been in Byrne's run.
Well, it is shorter to type while I drive (I rarely get to sit in front of my laptop to do not work stuff.) Its also how I view him. He might have been born Kal-El, but he was raised as Clark. The Superman persona is just a mask.
On the reverse side, I don't call Batman "Wayne" because I see that as the mask.
I am not fond of either WW or Kent having to take a life, but I understand why it was done.
It says volumes that you call him "Kent".
For the last several years of the Post-Crises DCU, Wonder Woman would call Superman "Kal", and Batman would call him "Kent" (or on a good day, "Clark").*
This reflected their views on the Big Guy. Diana saw only the superhuman, Clark Kent was just a mask to her. Batman saw the importance of keeping Superman grounded in his human upbringing, so he always stressed the human identity.
You, @Matt, as if we didn't already know it, are clearly of the Bat Camp.
*I think this really started in Kingdom Come, but it may have been in Byrne's run.
Well, it is shorter to type while I drive (I rarely get to sit in front of my laptop to do not work stuff.) Its also how I view him. He might have been born Kal-El, but he was raised as Clark. The Superman persona is just a mask.
On the reverse side, I don't call Batman "Wayne" because I see that as the mask.
M
I agree with you on the Clark Kent/Superman equation.
But I disagree with you on Batman/Bruce Wayne.
To me it goes back to this:
Bruce Wayne was inspired to create The Batman. It is his disguise. He says so right there.
I am not fond of either WW or Kent having to take a life, but I understand why it was done.
It says volumes that you call him "Kent".
For the last several years of the Post-Crises DCU, Wonder Woman would call Superman "Kal", and Batman would call him "Kent" (or on a good day, "Clark").*
This reflected their views on the Big Guy. Diana saw only the superhuman, Clark Kent was just a mask to her. Batman saw the importance of keeping Superman grounded in his human upbringing, so he always stressed the human identity.
You, @Matt, as if we didn't already know it, are clearly of the Bat Camp.
*I think this really started in Kingdom Come, but it may have been in Byrne's run.
Well, it is shorter to type while I drive (I rarely get to sit in front of my laptop to do not work stuff.) Its also how I view him. He might have been born Kal-El, but he was raised as Clark. The Superman persona is just a mask.
On the reverse side, I don't call Batman "Wayne" because I see that as the mask.
M
I agree with you on the Clark Kent/Superman equation.
But I disagree with you on Batman/Bruce Wayne.
To me it goes back to this:
Bruce Wayne was inspired to create The Batman. It is his disguise. He says so right there.
Haha, are we REAL going to use reference material to show our perception of the character?!
And that's not even being at home to pull panels from the comics!
I assess he's been running from the 'Bruce Wayne' identity since his parents died. You can have a year's worth of Batman comics with a few pages worth of 'Bruce Wayne' stuff and readers "don't panic because its all part of the plan."
Do the same with Kent or Parker "then everyone loses their minds!"
You can have a year's worth of Batman comics with a few pages worth of 'Bruce Wayne' stuff and readers "don't panic because its all part of the plan."
Do the same with Kent or Parker "then everyone loses their minds!"
M
An ultra-bazillionaire playboy is a lot harder character to relate to than working-class mooks like Kent and Parker.
(Unless said ultra-bazillionaire playboy is played by Robert Downey, Jr., apparently.)
Doesn't make him a mask, just a tad boring compared to his disguise.
Honestly, I consider the de-emphasis of Bruce Wayne to be lazy writing, and one of the reasons most Batman stories haven't interested me in years. I prefer stories about people to stories about costumes.
You can have a year's worth of Batman comics with a few pages worth of 'Bruce Wayne' stuff and readers "don't panic because its all part of the plan."
Do the same with Kent or Parker "then everyone loses their minds!"
M
An ultra-bazillionaire playboy is a lot harder character to relate to than working-class mooks like Kent and Parker.
(Unless said ultra-bazillionaire playboy is played by Robert Downey, Jr., apparently.)
Doesn't make him a mask, just a tad boring compared to his disguise.
Honestly, I consider the de-emphasis of Bruce Wayne to be lazy writing, and one of the reasons most Batman stories haven't interested me in years. I prefer stories about people to stories about costumes.
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
M
Batman is neither a cop nor a soldier. He's a vigilante. The fact that he is an unauthorized interloper is central to any story he's involved in. Fighting crime isn't his job, it's his hobby. (Call it a calling, or an obsession if you prefer, but it's something he chooses to do in his free time.) If you don't deal with who this guy is, you're only telling half the story.*
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
How about this - I put forth that BOTH Billionaire Bruce Wayne AND Batman are masks.
The Batman persona was a creation to cultivate fear. A boogie man, a creature that was more than mortal, that would rain down justice on those that did wrong.
The Billionaire Bruce Wayne persona was created to keep the secret identity of Batman from the world, allowing the Batman persona to continue while protecting the man behind that mask from the law and the lawless alike.
The non-mask? It is an 8 year old boy that never got over the brutal murders of his parents.
In the vast majority of Batman stories, this holds true. There are exceptions, stories that imply that Bruce has moved on from the original motivation, has grown as a person, but they can't emphasize those too much, because if he ever really moved forward, then he'd be finished as Batman. (And, we've gotten a few of those stories, too, come to think of it.)
He is physically an adult, but his existence revolves around a child's vow. I think that he is a dark and tortured Peter Pan, never growing up, only surrounding himself with other "lost boys," in the forms of Robins and outcast loners, battling "evil."
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
M
Batman is neither a cop nor a soldier. He's a vigilante. The fact that he is an unauthorized interloper is central to any story he's involved in. Fighting crime isn't his job, it's his hobby. (Call it a calling, or an obsession if you prefer, but it's something he chooses to do in his free time.) If you don't deal with who this guy is, you're only telling half the story.*
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
For a only a hobby, he spends a lot of time, abuse, & money on it. What is his job then?
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
M
Batman is neither a cop nor a soldier. He's a vigilante. The fact that he is an unauthorized interloper is central to any story he's involved in. Fighting crime isn't his job, it's his hobby. (Call it a calling, or an obsession if you prefer, but it's something he chooses to do in his free time.) If you don't deal with who this guy is, you're only telling half the story.*
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
For a only a hobby, he spends a lot of time, abuse, & money on it. What is his job then?
M
He's an heir to billions. He has no job other than being rich. He's taken up crime-fighting like other born-into-wealth men take up yachting or polo or politics and spends a comparable amount of time, abuse and money upon it.
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
M
Batman is neither a cop nor a soldier. He's a vigilante. The fact that he is an unauthorized interloper is central to any story he's involved in. Fighting crime isn't his job, it's his hobby. (Call it a calling, or an obsession if you prefer, but it's something he chooses to do in his free time.) If you don't deal with who this guy is, you're only telling half the story.*
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
For a only a hobby, he spends a lot of time, abuse, & money on it. What is his job then?
M
He's an heir to billions. He has no job other than being rich. He's taken up crime-fighting like other born-into-wealth men take up yachting or polo or politics and spends a comparable amount of time, abuse and money upon it.
That is a LOT of tedious studying for a hobby that consumes his life, with no off days, sick days, or vacation days.
I stand corrected; he's more like a covert op. The job becomes the life.
M
Side bar: I find it very interesting the ending of Batman Begins sets it up for Bruce to be the mask. By the end of the trilogy, its set as the reverse.
This was the only time I thought that interpretation was interesting & appropriate. The irony, @WetRats dislikes the trilogy.
When people tell me they dislike the trilogy because of the portrayal of Batman, I tell them "that's because he's Bruce Wayne& its HIS journey."
I think the author was far more unhappy that the story went in that direction at all. As he points out in his summation, the main reason Wonder Woman killed Max Lord at all (and this is the same thing I've said about Man Of Steel) is because the writers and editors wanted her to kill. They wanted a major hero/heroine who would kill.
That's the main reason why any character has ever done anything. Personally, I'm far more disturbed by Maxwell Lord having been a manipulative bad guy than I am about WW setting aside the bondage fantasy long enough to recognize that a full on mind controlled Superman is something that cannot be allowed to exist ever and that that means taking out the mind controller.
Batman & the Justice League Batman & Flash Batman & Green Lantern Batman & Wonder Woman Batman & Batman, with Batman & other DC heroes. Moe, Larry, & Batman
What does 'Bruce' have that would be an interesting read? Batman can easily be seen as a cop/soldier with stories reflecting that. CSI minimized their home lives & kept focus on the cases. It's what made the show interesting; until Grissom left at least.
M
Batman is neither a cop nor a soldier. He's a vigilante. The fact that he is an unauthorized interloper is central to any story he's involved in. Fighting crime isn't his job, it's his hobby. (Call it a calling, or an obsession if you prefer, but it's something he chooses to do in his free time.) If you don't deal with who this guy is, you're only telling half the story.*
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
For a only a hobby, he spends a lot of time, abuse, & money on it. What is his job then?
M
It's interesting, I've been reading a lot of Golden Age Batman recently, and in the early days, it's totally a hobby. You get the impression that Bruce Wayne sits around home i his smoking jacket, reading the paper, until a headline about a crime wave makes him get out the batsuit. It seems like around the '80s we entered the era of Batman going out every night, and Bruce Wayne sleeping all day.
Personally, I prefer a middle ground, with Bruce Wayne having a life, dealing with corporate intrigue or politics, maybe a love interest, with Batman tackling the crazier stuff at night, when necessary. There are a lot of times when I read Batman comics these days and I find myself wondering how on earth it's possible for him to patrol the city each and every night and still function.
Batman & the Justice League Batman & Flash Batman & Green Lantern Batman & Wonder Woman Batman & Batman, with Batman & other DC heroes. Moe, Larry, & Batman
Batman & the Justice League Batman & Flash Batman & Green Lantern Batman & Wonder Woman Batman & Batman, with Batman & other DC heroes. Moe, Larry, & Batman
M
How about, Three Batmen and a Baby
The Batmen Who Stare at Goats The Batman Who Would Be King The Batman Who Shot Liberty Valance The Good, The Batman, and The Ugly Harold, Kumar and Batman Go To White Castle
Batman & the Justice League Batman & Flash Batman & Green Lantern Batman & Wonder Woman Batman & Batman, with Batman & other DC heroes. Moe, Larry, & Batman
M
How about, Three Batmen and a Baby
The Batmen Who Stare at Goats The Batman Who Would Be King The Batman Who Shot Liberty Valance The Good, The Batman, and The Ugly Harold, Kumar and Batman Go To White Castle
How about
Superman Episode VII: The Dark Knight Strikes Back Batman Meets Superman: Blasphemers of a Lost Art Superman 2: Planes, Trains, and Batmobiles Batman 4: Enemy Kryptonian or better yet... Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns
I think the author was far more unhappy that the story went in that direction at all. As he points out in his summation, the main reason Wonder Woman killed Max Lord at all (and this is the same thing I've said about Man Of Steel) is because the writers and editors wanted her to kill. They wanted a major hero/heroine who would kill.
I'm not sure i agree with you here @Chuck_Melville. They may have thought it would make an interesting story to explore the consequences of what happenens when our heros become tarnished. Now i don't like to see heroes dragged throught the mud and generally I prefer analagous characters as stands in for this sort of thing. ie, Hyperion, Omni-man, Plutonian. The Superman character gets dark really quickly if he is anything other than a big blue boy scout. However, sometimes it is interesting to explore that darkness. and although I prefer a stand-in for those elsworlds sort of stories i don't hold any sacred cows either. I think Wonder Woman snapping Max Lord's neck was the most interesting thing to happen to her in years. They weren't bad issues and I don't think they were thoughtlessly done. You may not have liked it but that doesn't mean it was shoddy work.
The problem with the argument that the writers were making Wonder Woman or Superman kill because they wanted to is that we're talking about comics (and comic films), in which literally anything can happen. From the Golden Age through the Silver Age to today, we've seen plots resolved in almost any way possible.
It's not so much the writer's job to pick the resolution that makes the most sense, but to pick the one that leads to the more interesting story. Sure, Wonder Woman could have taken Max Lord to Paradise Island and wiped his memory with some sort of Amazonian magic. Would we still be talking about the story today? Not likely.
The problem with the argument that the writers were making Wonder Woman or Superman kill because they wanted to is that we're talking about comics (and comic films), in which literally anything can happen. From the Golden Age through the Silver Age to today, we've seen plots resolved in almost any way possible.
It's not so much the writer's job to pick the resolution that makes the most sense, but to pick the one that leads to the more interesting story. Sure, Wonder Woman could have taken Max Lord to Paradise Island and wiped his memory with some sort of Amazonian magic. Would we still be talking about the story today? Not likely.
You say "interesting", I say "controversial". Are we still talking about the story today? Sure, but look what we're talking about: heroes who have broken their own moral standards and now kill. I didn't have a problem with the Punisher killing... and I didn't have a big problem with Wolverine going to that extreme. That is who they were, and what they were was a different kind of hero. Do we really need Wonder Woman or Superman to be that same kind of hero? I prefer them to be at the highest level of moral standards... paragons, who serve as an ideal to be emulated. Leave the killing to the Punisher.
The problem with the argument that the writers were making Wonder Woman or Superman kill because they wanted to is that we're talking about comics (and comic films), in which literally anything can happen. From the Golden Age through the Silver Age to today, we've seen plots resolved in almost any way possible.
It's not so much the writer's job to pick the resolution that makes the most sense, but to pick the one that leads to the more interesting story. Sure, Wonder Woman could have taken Max Lord to Paradise Island and wiped his memory with some sort of Amazonian magic. Would we still be talking about the story today? Not likely.
You say "interesting", I say "controversial". Are we still talking about the story today? Sure, but look what we're talking about: heroes who have broken their own moral standards and now kill. I didn't have a problem with the Punisher killing... and I didn't have a big problem with Wolverine going to that extreme. That is who they were, and what they were was a different kind of hero. Do we really need Wonder Woman or Superman to be that same kind of hero? I prefer them to be at the highest level of moral standards... paragons, who serve as an ideal to be emulated. Leave the killing to the Punisher.
The difference, though, is that killing Max Lord WAS out of character for Wonder Woman-- and that is what made it a story. And led to the consequences of of the trinity being at odds at the beginning of Infinite Crisis. It took the events of the rest of that story to bring them back together again. The Punisher kills every issue. That Wonder Woman killed in an extreme situation had consequences.
As @chrisw is saying above, sometimes a character-- especially one that has been around for decades-- has to do something surprising to create conflict and make a story.
The problem with the argument that the writers were making Wonder Woman or Superman kill because they wanted to is that we're talking about comics (and comic films), in which literally anything can happen. From the Golden Age through the Silver Age to today, we've seen plots resolved in almost any way possible.
It's not so much the writer's job to pick the resolution that makes the most sense, but to pick the one that leads to the more interesting story. Sure, Wonder Woman could have taken Max Lord to Paradise Island and wiped his memory with some sort of Amazonian magic. Would we still be talking about the story today? Not likely.
You say "interesting", I say "controversial". Are we still talking about the story today? Sure, but look what we're talking about: heroes who have broken their own moral standards and now kill. I didn't have a problem with the Punisher killing... and I didn't have a big problem with Wolverine going to that extreme. That is who they were, and what they were was a different kind of hero. Do we really need Wonder Woman or Superman to be that same kind of hero? I prefer them to be at the highest level of moral standards... paragons, who serve as an ideal to be emulated. Leave the killing to the Punisher.
So, how, aside from not writing the story at all, how does one stop a mind-controlled Superman from murdering Batman in front of Wonder Woman's eyes? I suppose that we could go back to the way that she was written and turn it into a bondage fantasy? Maybe call over to Marvel and see if they could ship over one of their characters that will kill? Have Giffen take over for a page to have the formerly deceased Azreal show up to... well, to get killed in addition to Batman?
I'm also not sure where the moral standards thing comes from. If you look at the body count that comes from the number of escapes by the Joker alone, it seems to me that the moral thing to do... the one that best preserves the sanctity of life is to put him down like a rabid dog. But maybe I'm conflating moral with pragmatic.
Again, she's an Amazon. She was out of character the minute that she wasn't prepared to kill way back in the Golden Age.
Finally actually watched MoS today. I kinda liked it. I thought I'd be put off by the controversial elements of the movie, but at least the Pa Kent stuff seemed organic to the story and totally overblown online. The Zod death was lazy writing but not egregious to the character.
One question? How are we supposed to believe that Clark could possibly maintain a secret identity? The entire US government knows he's from Smallville, it took Lois 5 minutes to track him down when no one was looking for him and that's because so many people were already so close to the truth that it's impossible someone like Pete Ross couldn't put 2+2 together. Or another journalist, it's not like there wouldn't be interest in the story.
Comments
For the last several years of the Post-Crises DCU, Wonder Woman would call Superman "Kal", and Batman would call him "Kent" (or on a good day, "Clark").*
This reflected their views on the Big Guy. Diana saw only the superhuman, Clark Kent was just a mask to her. Batman saw the importance of keeping Superman grounded in his human upbringing, so he always stressed the human identity.
You, @Matt, as if we didn't already know it, are clearly of the Bat Camp.
*I think this really started in Kingdom Come, but it may have been in Byrne's run.
On the reverse side, I don't call Batman "Wayne" because I see that as the mask.
M
But I disagree with you on Batman/Bruce Wayne.
To me it goes back to this:
Bruce Wayne was inspired to create The Batman. It is his disguise. He says so right there.
And that's not even being at home to pull panels from the comics!
I assess he's been running from the 'Bruce Wayne' identity since his parents died. You can have a year's worth of Batman comics with a few pages worth of 'Bruce Wayne' stuff and readers "don't panic because its all part of the plan."
Do the same with Kent or Parker "then everyone loses their minds!"
M
(Unless said ultra-bazillionaire playboy is played by Robert Downey, Jr., apparently.)
Doesn't make him a mask, just a tad boring compared to his disguise.
Honestly, I consider the de-emphasis of Bruce Wayne to be lazy writing, and one of the reasons most Batman stories haven't interested me in years. I prefer stories about people to stories about costumes.
M
I think Arrow is doing a decent job showing how to tell the kind of stories I prefer. (Ninja-nuking aside)
*This relates to why it's always been hard for me to accept the idea of Batman as part of the Justice League or any other officially-sanctioned group. Justice League Batman and Dark Knight Batman have never really been reconcilable to me.
The Batman persona was a creation to cultivate fear. A boogie man, a creature that was more than mortal, that would rain down justice on those that did wrong.
The Billionaire Bruce Wayne persona was created to keep the secret identity of Batman from the world, allowing the Batman persona to continue while protecting the man behind that mask from the law and the lawless alike.
The non-mask? It is an 8 year old boy that never got over the brutal murders of his parents.
In the vast majority of Batman stories, this holds true. There are exceptions, stories that imply that Bruce has moved on from the original motivation, has grown as a person, but they can't emphasize those too much, because if he ever really moved forward, then he'd be finished as Batman. (And, we've gotten a few of those stories, too, come to think of it.)
He is physically an adult, but his existence revolves around a child's vow. I think that he is a dark and tortured Peter Pan, never growing up, only surrounding himself with other "lost boys," in the forms of Robins and outcast loners, battling "evil."
M
I stand corrected; he's more like a covert op. The job becomes the life.
M
Side bar: I find it very interesting the ending of Batman Begins sets it up for Bruce to be the mask. By the end of the trilogy, its set as the reverse.
This was the only time I thought that interpretation was interesting & appropriate. The irony, @WetRats dislikes the trilogy.
When people tell me they dislike the trilogy because of the portrayal of Batman, I tell them "that's because he's Bruce Wayne& its HIS journey."
M
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Also, all movies that have a variation of versus in the title have been horrible, and failed financially. Its science.
Edit: I know its early but, um no. I don't like this title. Hopefully it changes over the next year or so.
Batman & the Justice League
Batman & Flash
Batman & Green Lantern
Batman & Wonder Woman
Batman & Batman, with Batman & other DC heroes.
Moe, Larry, & Batman
M
M
Personally, I prefer a middle ground, with Bruce Wayne having a life, dealing with corporate intrigue or politics, maybe a love interest, with Batman tackling the crazier stuff at night, when necessary. There are a lot of times when I read Batman comics these days and I find myself wondering how on earth it's possible for him to patrol the city each and every night and still function.
The Batman Who Would Be King
The Batman Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Good, The Batman, and The Ugly
Harold, Kumar and Batman Go To White Castle
Superman Episode VII: The Dark Knight Strikes Back
Batman Meets Superman: Blasphemers of a Lost Art
Superman 2: Planes, Trains, and Batmobiles
Batman 4: Enemy Kryptonian
or better yet...
Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns
It's not so much the writer's job to pick the resolution that makes the most sense, but to pick the one that leads to the more interesting story. Sure, Wonder Woman could have taken Max Lord to Paradise Island and wiped his memory with some sort of Amazonian magic. Would we still be talking about the story today? Not likely.
As @chrisw is saying above, sometimes a character-- especially one that has been around for decades-- has to do something surprising to create conflict and make a story.
I'm also not sure where the moral standards thing comes from. If you look at the body count that comes from the number of escapes by the Joker alone, it seems to me that the moral thing to do... the one that best preserves the sanctity of life is to put him down like a rabid dog. But maybe I'm conflating moral with pragmatic.
Again, she's an Amazon. She was out of character the minute that she wasn't prepared to kill way back in the Golden Age.
One question? How are we supposed to believe that Clark could possibly maintain a secret identity? The entire US government knows he's from Smallville, it took Lois 5 minutes to track him down when no one was looking for him and that's because so many people were already so close to the truth that it's impossible someone like Pete Ross couldn't put 2+2 together. Or another journalist, it's not like there wouldn't be interest in the story.