Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Jeff Bezos to be denied re-entry to Earth after he embarks on his upcoming journey into space.
The 57-year-old billionaire is due to join the crew of Blue Origin's rocket, the so-called New Shepard, when it launches into sub-orbital space in a mission on July 20 - a mere 15 days after he steps down as CEO of Amazon.
Making a reference to Superman's fictional arch-nemesis, the description on the Change.org petition references numerous conspiracy theories; although it is unknown if these are earnest or in jest.
This description reads:
"Jeff Bezos is actually Lex Luthor, disguised as the supposed owner of a super successful online retail store. However, he's actually an evil overlord hellbent on global domination.
"We've known this for years. Jeff has worked with the Epsteins and the Knights Templar, as well as the Free Masons to gain control over the whole world."
It continues: "He's also in bed with the flat earth deniers; it's the only way they'll allow him to leave the atmosphere. Meanwhile, our government stands by and lets it happen.
"This may be our last chance before they enable the 5G microchips and perform a mass takeover. Sign the petition. Share with your friends and family. The fate of humanity is in your hands."
Despite this, the petition has already accrued over 9,524 signatures out of its goal of 10,000, at the time of writing.
The world's richest man announced he would be part of the crew of the maiden voyage of the New Shepard, along with his brother Mark Bezos, in a post shared on his official Instagram account on Monday, June 7
In a caption addressed to his 2.8 million followers on the platform, the billionaire wrote: "Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space.
"On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend."
CNN reports that the upcoming space mission will see the company's six-seater capsule and 59-foot rocket make an 11-minute-long flight more than 60 miles above the surface of the Earth.
In May, Blue Origin announced that a ticket aboard would be given to the winner of a month-long auction for a spare seat on the vessel.
Bezos stated in a separate Instagram post: "On July 20th, #NewShepard will fly its first astronaut crew to space."
He continued: "We are offering one seat on this first flight to the winning bidder of @BlueOrigin’s online auction. Starting today, anyone can place an opening bid by going to BlueOrigin.com.
"The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, @ClubforFuture, to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space. This seat will change how you see the world."
After a 10-minute-long auction, the coveted ticket was eventually sold to an as-yet-unidentified individual for the hefty price of $28 million.