As a huge believer in the theory that you can make your characters do anything - even something that on the face of it might
seem to be OOC - I have to go with dang right he can, as the answer to this one.
What you definitely need though is a reason. Logical motivation for the character to act in the way that he does. And an author with the skills to lead you to the action in such a way that the character's actions or choices seem logical and plausible. Without those, it's not likely to fly.
If you have that in place - and I'm sure Terry falls easily into that camp - you can get away with it with most readers.
With SF/Fantasy characters, such as LNC, it's even easier to provide the right motivation. Be it magical means or some weird machinery...witness Clark handing over a child to kidnappers and vandalising parking meters in IoG, just as one example. Not something he'd ever contemplate doing normally. But throw in a bit of magical hypnosis to the mix and you're there.
It's even more fun though - and more challenging - to provide the motivation through purely human reasoning and natural events which force the character to act in a way they would never do normally.
LabRat
