A character whom Superman barely knew, but still entrusted with his secret identity — a truth he only shared with two other much more developed and well-known characters — has been found dead in Action Comics #1024.
Superman first realizes something is obviously wrong in this pivotal issue by Brian Michael Bendis (Event Leviathan) when he can no longer sense the life functions of his trusted friend, Metropolis Fire Chief Melody Moore. Understandably, the Man of Steel immediately reacts to this unwelcome finding by quickly launching into the skies in search of her. Though she is soon found, rather than a living, breathing person, he comes across a corpse.
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Superman is obviously devastated by this horrific discovery and mourns her passing. Ever since Moore’s debut in 2018’s The Man of Steel #1, Moore quickly became the trusted confidant and friend of both reporter Clark Kent and his superhero identity, Superman. It would later become abundantly clear that Superman’s decision to entrust Moore with his secret identity was well-founded, due to the way in which the world reacts when Superman finally reveals his truth. In other words, Moore didn’t spill the beans, and she could have.
How important Moore was to Superman can be realized by identifying the two other people to whom he chose to only reveal his secret identity. These characters include his long-time boss, Perry White, and his dear (and quite smart) friend, Jimmy Olsen. In comparison to Moore, who was introduced in 2018, White debuted in 1940’s Superman #7 while Olsen’s first comic book appearance was in 1941’s Superman #13. In other words, Superman’s character knew Olsen and White for nearly 90 years longer than Moore, whom he only had the pleasure of knowing for two years. Before her passing, Moore’s claims to fame were her investigations of arson cases that eventually led to the metahuman crime syndicate known as the Invisible Mafia, and, in turn, its enforcer, Red Cloud. If she hadn’t died, Moore would have possibly claimed yet another source of fame, since she intended to run for the office of city mayor.
But, unfortunately, the possible-new-office-of-city-mayor had the intense misfortune to have stumbled upon Red Cloud, an intangible metahuman who possesses the rather troublesome ability of transforming into a cloud of red mist. An unfortunate victim who happens to breathe in this mist will suffocate to death if Red Cloud so chooses. Possibly even more unfortunate, the reader does not have the chance to see what happens between the times in which Red Cloud ambushes Moore and Superman finds Moore's corpse. Here's hoping for a flashback.