knowledge of secret identities

[draconic_swine]

I know that Batman and Superman know each other's secret identity, but who in the DCU knows the identities of other heroes? For example, does Wonder Woman know either of their identities? I know the Bat family will know who each other really is, but do they all know that Clark Kent is Superman? Do the senior members of the JL know each other's identities, while the lesser members are in the dark?

[talsine]

As far as i know the Justice Leage all know each others secret identities, notablely Diana, Clark, Bruce, John and Wally. The others come and go enough that its hard to tell sometimes

[ravenkith]

With the reset of the JLA during the morison run, where the league was modeled after the greek pantheon, at one point, the team revealed their secret ids to each other to bring them closer together as a team.

[talsine]

there you go. Its also pretty much the same for the Avengers and teh X-Men for the most part. Maybe the Defenders, but thats as much because so few of them had secret identities, the whole "what you see is what you get" deal

[Beleriphon]

Effectively a good three quarters of the DCU heros know each other's secret identities, or at least of the second stringers. Very few people know that Batman is Bruce Wayne out of the JLA, same with Supermand as Clark Kent. Identity Crisis, love it or hate it, shows at a very real level who knows what.

[Nightwing]

I think every one in the JLA knows every ones secret identity.

[DeathQuaker]

Yep, most JLAers know who each other are.

And Oracle (who has affiliations w/ JLA) also pretty much knows who most of the important players are. The whole "Oracle is watching" thing 'n all.

[Beleriphon]

Yep, most JLAers know who each other are.

And Oracle (who has affiliations w/ JLA) also pretty much knows who most of the important players are. The whole "Oracle is watching" thing 'n all.

True, but there a plenty of people that don't know where Oracle is, which I find entertaining.

[Nightwing]

True, but there a plenty of people that don't know where Oracle is, which I find entertaining.

Never mind were. Most don't know WHO she is.

[elliott20]

am I the only one who thought Superman's disguise was imbecilically shallow? I mean, seriously, it's just a friggin' pair of glasses and you can't recognize the guy? Are the people working at the Daily Planet retards or something? It's like the Royal Family of Eternia not recognizing He-Man as Prince Adam despite the fact they are never at the same place at the same time and, oh yeah, THEY LOOK THE EXACT SAME.

[ravenkith]

@Elliot20: Let it go man. Let it go. It's been this way for gone 50 years now, it isn't going to change.

But yes, it is silly. But sadly, not a silly as the pseudo-scientific explanation they once gave for the effect involving an indestructible perspex-like material from the spacecraft superman came to earth in forming almost perfect lenses that just happened to enhance Superman's 'super-hypnotism'.

I kid you not.

Personally, I prefer to believe that Clark is just a SUPERb actor. and can do a lot with just a couple of props and the right mannerisms.

[elliott20]

wait, what? But... that's just... but I... what... how did... GAAHHHH~~~!!!!

*brain explodes*

splurgglegick

[Indon]

am I the only one who thought Superman's disguise was imbecilically shallow? I mean, seriously, it's just a friggin' pair of glasses and you can't recognize the guy? Are the people working at the Daily Planet retards or something? It's like the Royal Family of Eternia not recognizing He-Man as Prince Adam despite the fact they are never at the same place at the same time and, oh yeah, THEY LOOK THE EXACT SAME.

There's a website (http://www.superdickery.com/) I think you should be made aware of.

[elliott20]

I love this website, even with my nipples.

[Grod_The_Giant]

am I the only one who thought Superman's disguise was imbecilically shallow? I mean, seriously, it's just a friggin' pair of glasses and you can't recognize the guy? Are the people working at the Daily Planet retards or something? It's like the Royal Family of Eternia not recognizing He-Man as Prince Adam despite the fact they are never at the same place at the same time and, oh yeah, THEY LOOK THE EXACT SAME.

personally, I'm convinced that this works mainly because people look at Superman and see the costume, not the face. On the subject, though, there are a great deal of heroes who wear no mask or a tiny mask (cough *Robin* cough) and yet never have their identity revealed.


Anyway, on topic, I'd say that many of the older heroes- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter- know both each other's and everyone else in the league's identity. Some, like Wonder Woman and Aquaman, (and maybe Plastic Man, I'm not sure) don't really have an identity. I think many of the younger heroes (Kyle as GL, Wally as Flash, and so on) know each other's identities, but not the senior members'.

[Beleriphon]

personally, I'm convinced that this works mainly because people look at Superman and see the costume, not the face. On the subject, though, there are a great deal of heroes who wear no mask or a tiny mask (cough *Robin* cough) and yet never have their identity revealed.


Love it or hate it Superman: Birthright presents a reasonable explanation. There's even a pretty nice sequence of panels that shows him putting on oversized clothes, slouching and wearing the glasses. The difference is fairly impressive. The idea is to make himself forgettable and unnoticed, while Superman is a very noticable person.



Anyway, on topic, I'd say that many of the older heroes- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter- know both each other's and everyone else in the league's identity. Some, like Wonder Woman and Aquaman, (and maybe Plastic Man, I'm not sure) don't really have an identity. I think many of the younger heroes (Kyle as GL, Wally as Flash, and so on) know each other's identities, but not the senior members'.
Actually I'm pretty sure that anybody that has been in the League knows the other identities. Ralph Dibny is particular in this since he doesn't have a secret identity, neither does Ray Palmer (The Atom). Green Arrow is at least aware of most other character's secret identities, in fact in Identity Crisis he constant refers to Batman as Bruce, and Superman as Clark, in his internal monologue.

I think its also important to distinguish which characters in DC actually have secret identities. Zantanna for example has no other identity, although she doesn't make it publicly known that she's a real sorceress as opposed to a stage magician. Green Arrow on the other hand does hide the fact that he's actually Oliver Queen, mayor of Star City (is he still kicking around Star City?).

[Emperor Demonking]

I find the clark kent glasses thing even worse when I think of the fact that luther saw Clark without glasses in Smallville.

[SteveMB]

But yes, it is silly. But sadly, not a silly as the pseudo-scientific explanation they once gave for the effect involving an indestructible perspex-like material from the spacecraft superman came to earth in forming almost perfect lenses that just happened to enhance Superman's 'super-hypnotism'.

I kid you not.
The opening pages of that comic were kind of amusing, though -- Clark had a nightmare about some impending doom that just didn't leave time to slip into the storeroom, and everybody at the Daily Planet office was yelling at him to just take off the Clark Kent suit and saying they'd been humoring him all this time. :smallamused:

[archon_huskie]

Thing about smallville is that it is its own story apart from all other Superman stories

[Yuki Akuma]

The opening pages of that comic were kind of amusing, though -- Clark had a nightmare about some impending doom that just didn't leave time to slip into the storeroom, and everybody at the Daily Planet office was yelling at him to just take off the Clark Kent suit and saying they'd been humoring him all this time. :smallamused:

If I ever become a comic writer working on one of the Superman comics I'm so going to make that canonical.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

About Superman's disguise or lack of one...I bet most people wouldn't even think Superman has a secret identity. I mean, he doesn't wear a mask, so it doesn't seem like he's hiding anything. He's got god-like power, so no one would think he has a reason to play down. And he seems to be everywhere all the time, so most people probably wouldn't think he has time to lead another life (at least, they wouldn't if they don't think too hard about what him having super-speed means).

[Beleriphon]

About Superman's disguise or lack of one...I bet most people wouldn't even think Superman has a secret identity. I mean, he doesn't wear a mask, so it doesn't seem like he's hiding anything. He's got god-like power, so no one would think he has a reason to play down. And he seems to be everywhere all the time, so most people probably wouldn't think he has time to lead another life (at least, they wouldn't if they don't think too hard about what him having super-speed means).

DC also dropped hints prior to the Kent-Lane marriage that Lois had figured it all out years ago, but couldn't be bothered to press Clark for the information. In many ways its the same way that we all know Jim Gordon is a smart enough man to figure out who Batman really is, but he figures he's better off just not knowing.

In fact that seems to be the way most characters that are close to DC superheros act these days. They could figure out the hero's identity if they wanted, but don't bother because they don't want to know.