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Superman's Secret Identity is No Longer Clark Kent (article)

posted 9 years ago by eastcoastguyz
11 replies | jump to latest

http://www.slashfilm.com/new-superman-secret-identity/

This was about the only place I think an intelligent discussion of this concept could take place. Apparently in the new comics, they are ditching Clark Kent because he was exposed and he develops another secret identity. I've not read this new comic, so I might be totally wrong about this. But if everyone knows that Clark Kent is Superman, they know what he looks like so having him change his name and have to entirely fake an identity sounds like a lot of overhead and a much higher risk than being Clark Kent was. In wonder if this generation of writers, and I'm assuming they are younger guys coming up with this, have been influenced by the Don Draper character on the TV Series Mad Men.

I'd be interested in the comments of others about this. I always wondered what would have happened to Superman after his secret identity was exposed to the world. I just figured he would stop being Clark Kent and be Superman full-time. I like him being able to be Clark Kent, because that was a real person who had adopted parents and who lived a regular life with friends.

I realize they are trying to gain more attention to the comic this way, but it's hard to feel like this is a core character trait that shouldn't be altered.

[–] pt100 9 years ago

I've not read this new comic, so I might be totally wrong about this.

Maybe someone who has actually read it could respond.

But if everyone knows that Clark Kent is Superman, they know what he looks like so having him change his name and have to entirely fake an identity sounds like a lot of overhead and a much higher risk than being Clark Kent was.

Why? If C.K. has been outed, it limits his effectiveness. As the article you cite says:

In Superman: The Movie, Superman flew backwards around the Earth to somehow turn back time. I’m sure a similar gimmick could eventually be employed in the comics. Maybe in a storyline-resetting event series?

Having said this, I think Superman's problem is a lot bigger than simply having everyone know that he and Clark are the same person. Check this out:
http://www.mtv.com/news/2176010/superman-secret-identity-action-comics-41/

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A. Einstein

[–] RIP_IMDb 9 years ago

He would eventually need to stop being CK as CK would need to die as to not arouse suspicion.

Well, most people are idiots with bad taste...so there!

[–] Moon_Doggie 9 years ago

Huh? I think that the whole point is that C.K. has already been revealed to be Superman. Having C.K. "die" doesn't make any sense. The revelation of his identity is a fait accompli. It's too late to divert suspicion.

A person's a person, no matter how small. -- Dr. Seuss

[–] L00nE2n 9 years ago

I don't think it'll last too long. And anyway what baffles me is how he expects to pull if the new disguise with no glasses.

[–] RIP_IMDb 9 years ago

What do you mean huh? I was thinking this way before this ever came along.

Well, most people are idiots with bad taste...so there!

[–] grizzledgeezer 9 years ago

You should all read the link first.

The issue isn't so much that his identity is revealed, as that his powers have been scaled way back.

The problem of Superman being "too powerful" has existed from the beginning. In the early '40s, Jerry Siegel introduced K-metal (the precursor of kryptonite) so that Superman could be weakened, and not be able to simply "punch" his way out of a situation. DC rejected this. (Siegel's changes also included Lois learning Superman's secret identity, and working with him. DC also rejected this -- probably because it would have resulted in more-adult storylines).

Back in the '70s, a nuclear accident caused Superman to lose some of his powers. But they gradually returned.

It boils down to this... An invulnerable character isn't dramatically interesting, because he can't be hurt.

PS: The rationale for Superman disguising himself as a reporter is that he would be in a better position to know where his help was needed.

[–] movieghoul 9 years ago

Well, yeah, invulnerability is a problem if all you're dealing with is physical action. But in the comics I read in the late 50s and early 60s, the stories played out as mysteries or puzzles so it wasn't so much of a problem. Puls they introduced red kryptonite where every exposure would produce a different strange effect on Superman, and they really upped the ante with gold kryptonite where a single exposure would permanently take away the powers of Superman or any other Kryptonian.

[–] ronaldt49 9 years ago

and Blue K and White K, one for plant life, the other for Bizarro.

[–] movieghoul 9 years ago

Yeah, pretty funny how Superman discovered that if you put green K through the same faulty duplicator used to create Bizarro, you get blue K which can be used to kill or disable Bizarros.

White K was pretty lame. It can kill all plant life? Yawn.

Don't forget silver K. There was no such thing, but the Daily Planet staff used it as a code word when they were planning a surprise 25th anniversary celebration for Superman. This story had a huge plot hole, though: Why wouldn't Clark Kent be in on the secret preparations?

[–] SixtiesHoldout 9 years ago

IMHO, this thread is way too slippery; and trying to resolve such issues is sort of a fool's errand. The problem is that this is supposed to be about the AoS TV show; but, historically, there are so many media forms and so many timelines/storylines, even with a single medium, that it really seems sort of pointless to try to say something definitive.

I'm not trying to kill the buzz, but I think a thread like this probably belongs in a comics forum, not here.

❇ If you can remember the '60s, then you weren't there. ❇

[–] ZurichGnome 9 years ago

Yeah, I tend to agree. This thread is getting pretty far afield of AoS, and there's no way to be certain about anything. As you point out, even within the comic book realm, writers are always "updating" the legend and "correcting" things from past writers. It gets pretty confusing, and doesn't really have much to do with the AoS TV series.

This sentence is false. -- The Zurich Gnome