Trope Talk: Secret Identities

Let's talk about the neverending peek-a-boo game that is comics continuity and the state of the secret identity!

Got a favorite secret identity drama moment? Drop a comment about it!

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

[Curleyconcon]

As bad as the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern was, the reveal to the love interest was very funny.
"You knew?"
"I known you since you were 4! I've seen you naked! You think I wouldn't recognize you just because I couldn't see your cheekbones??"

[michaelfraser]

The best use of secret identities in superhero media was in the DCAU when Lex took over the Flash's body, decided to find out who the Flash was, and had no idea who Flash was once he took the mask off.

[ukotoa]

I’d love a realistic interaction

“Hey Vinny, I found out Spider-Man’s real name and where he lives let’s go get him.”

“You want to go to the house of the guy who normally and without fail kick our asses without even trying? That’s stupid Paul.”

[aerinhinton]

I think Megamind has an interesting look at what happens when a Superman-level hero (in terms of power) doesn't get a secret identity. Metroman never has to hide his powers like Clark Kent did, because Metroman was adopted into a family that was rich enough to not have to worry about the consequences of having a super-powered kid. But because Metroman never had to hide his powers, everyone knows who he is, and he's always on the clock. He straight up fakes his own death because he gets so burned out from having to be a superhero all the time.

[GooTheMighty]

Honestly, the “we won’t tell nobody” bit in Spiderman 2 is one of my favorite Spiderman moments. Lots of people see his face, but they respect it because he’s Spiderman, and they trust him! Wholesome!!

[theanimeunderworld]

Eve: It's a psychology thing. If you don't expect to see a superhero in your school, you don't see a superhero in your school.

[michaelramon]

My favorite explanation for why generally-smart people like Lex Luthor and Lois can't figure out Superman's secret identity is because they (particularly Luthor) don't realize he HAS one. They assume that Superman spends all his time as Superman and just flies off somewhere, so that fact that Clark Kent looks sort of like him is dismissed as a coincidence.

Luthor especially often has a quite warped view of Superman, assuming that he looks down on ordinary humans because that's how Luthor would feel if he was a Kryptonian. For all his raw intellect, Luthor cannot understand basic humility and decency.

[youtubeuniversity]

15:33 Imagine a "I knew you were a superhero but this isn't the one that I thought you were."

[estanislaojosegadea]

It is always fun to remember that in the Marvel Universe the Murphy's law is "If something can go wrong, it will go wrong, specifically to Spiderman"

[TC-cqoc]

My favorite way a reveal played out was in a superhero tabletop. Everyone on the team used secret identities, but some were less stringent about them than others. My character was a tech-whiz/inventor gal who, among other things kept a journal full of ideas for power suits and other plans to *turn* her "civilian" best friend into a superhero. She knew that friend was super brave and had a great sense of justice, and would obviously make a great hero if only she had powers. The friend was, of course, the secret identity of another member of the team all along. When she eventually found out, her reaction was more, "But- but... what about all my plans?!"

[endormorre]

The panel with "so our love triangle was just you twice" was just so hilarious. XD

[lynchie]

danny phantom is actually a really interesting inversion of how the trope is usually done because all of his villains know who he is. all the ghosts know who he is, his name, where he lives. theyll even address him or even threaten him while he looks human. his identity is a secret from the town he lives in, and most crucially, his parents. he is genuinely scared that if his parents find out hes half ghost, he'll be locked in the basement and experimented on. when they point guns in his face, he NEVER takes the chance that they wouldnt hurt him when they realise hes their son. i think it is a fascinating dynamic

[Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

"I will call myself Ben Kenobi. They will never figure it out, it's foolproof!"

[liviiblahblah]

There's a funny comic moment where the Joker breaks into the daily planet and in order to keep up appearances, Superman has a mental crisis trying to figure out how a normal human would escape from getting hit with a giant wooden mallet.

[Sigmund_Froid]

I think the Contrast between Batman and Superman really highlights how varied Secret Identities are.

For Clark, Superman is the secret Identity to protect his Humanity, because he WANTS to be Clark Kent.

Meanwhile, while Batman was born as Bruce Wayne, that identity only covers for him so he can be Batman.

Both were shaped by their life to choose their respective identity.

[jlwiseguy]

"Superman is not who I am it's what I can do" best explanation of the character

[shaggythewriter]

The lying a whole lot page irl:

Interviewer- "can you explain this two year gap in your resume?"

Interviewee- "I was... Uh... District Manager at Toys-R-Us... And you can't verify it so it's not worth putting on the resume!"

Interviewer- "Oh yeah, I worked at Blockbuster when I was in college. I get it."

[chwaterchearthchfirechair]

Those who truly know Superman knows that his secret identity is actually "Superman, " while his real self is the simple, soft-spoken, and adorkable Clark Kent who grew up from the countryside with amazing parents

[caddythomas]

16:26 "Wayne Family Newsletter Mailing List" needs to be a canon thing. That's just beautiful

[Daemonworks]

An almost always overlooked cool thing you can do with a secret identity - the one antagonist who knows and doesn't weaponise it, share it with others and may actually take steps to help preserve it in a pinch. There's a whole number of tropes that cements in a way almost nothing else will: honorable villain, "i want to beat you, not destroy you", frenemies, or just some random point of pride.

A villain who knows and doesn't use/reveal that information gets a whole pile of characterisation handed to them for free on a platter.. and potentially a whole pile of mystery if they don't share their motive for doing so.