SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Action Comics #1004 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Brad Anderson and Josh Reed, on sale now.
Keeping his identity as Clark Kent secret has always been one of Superman's highest priorities. The world, as expected, would go mad if they found out a mild-mannered reporter was in fact Kal-El of Krypton. The lives of those living in Smallville, Kansas would surely be upended, not to mention his friends at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, where Clark continues to hone his trade as a respected journalist.
Making this secrecy all the more important is Clark's marriage to Lois Lane, and the two of them having a super-powered son, Jon. Basically, preserving Clark's identity is no longer about his safety, it's about keeping his family safe, from both the press and his enemies. In Action Comics #1004, however, Clark makes a couple of unwise decisions which place his secret in jeopardy.
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The Public Saw That Big Superman/Lois Kiss
Recently, Lois and Jon left the planet to go on a quest with Clark's newly returned father, Jor-El. However, Lois quickly returned, keeping her presence a secret from her husband. After Cat Grant tipped him off Lois was back on Earth, Clark suits up in the red, yellow and blue and goes to find her. It turns out she returned to Metropolis to continue writing, explaining she kept away from Clark as she needed space. That still doesn't downplay the love and passion between them, which boils over as Superman picks Lois up in public, and plants a long, loving kiss on her.
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The thing is, everyone's watching. The public's taking photos and this will surely add to Trish Q's gossip column in the Daily Planet, which already has an unhealthy interest in Lois' extracurricular activities. If everyone knows she's married to Clark in real-life, wouldn't kissing the Man of Steel paint her as a cheater, or, you know, hint that maybe, just maybe Superman is Clark Kent? Even Lois tells Clark everyone's watching them kiss, a warning he nonchalantly brushes aside. Given the digital and social media age we're in, someone is bound to upload the image, and just like that popular Internet meme, it'll surely auto-tag Superman as Clark!
Seriously though, this kiss is the ideal way to sell out Superman's identity, if that is where Bendis' story is heading. If love doesn't make Clark blind, well, it's certainly making him very careless and frankly, idiotic.
Lex Luthor Is The Last Voyeur The Kents Need
In last May's Action Comics Special, an older Lex traveled from the future and attacked Lois, calling her "Mrs. Superman." After years of trying to kill his foe, he realized he could hit him where it hurts: his love life. Sadly, he perished right under the nose of the present-day Lex, but Superman managed to keep it secret that the villain would go on to find out his identity.
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Well, Issue #1004 begins laying the groundwork for that. When Clark and Lois reunite at her temporary apartment, she explains that Trish Q's column about her "canoodling" with Lex (which includes pictures) is nothing to worry about. Lex simply knew she was back on Earth and was tracking her, hoping she could sell out Superman's whereabouts based on the book she's writing. But if he believes she has that info, then there's a good chance he could piece together her husband is actually the man he's looking for. By returning to that same apartment and engaging in marital activities, Lois may well have revealed the truth inadvertently.
Lex could be monitoring her via satellite or even have the place bugged, because he clearly thinks she has some private (and maybe, intimate) connection with the Kryptonian. It was stupid of Lois to bring him back there for a romantic rendezvous, but it's even more dumb Clark decides to stay after she tells him his lifelong enemy is keeping tabs on her. This may well be the trump card Lex has been searching for in his war against the Man of Steel all his life, and it's something we just can't see the mastermind keeping hidden from the rest of the world.