SuperHero Movies and (the lack of) Secret Identities.

[Crazedwraith]

Is it just me or in modern superhero movies, do the villians always know the hero's 'real' identity by the end of the film? There's Spider-Man who takes his mask off in the middle of fights or just afterwards. (honestly why hasn't one of Pete's rivals snapped him sans mask yet?) There's Daredevil, where he got his ass kicked by Electra and then Kingpin both who Demasked him, even Ben Ulrich figured it out. Ra's Al Ghul at least had the benefit of being the one who trained Bruce and thats why he knows.

But seriously are there any recent movies where the Hero's secret is kept for the entire film?

[GuppyShark]

Superman!

[SilverWingedSeraph]

Superman!

Talk about irony. All the others mentioned have a mask that fully or partially conceals their facial features. Superman takes off his glasses. And he's the only one whose secret identity isn't seen through. That takes some serious absence of disbelief to accept, really.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Supposedly Superman either has a subtle telepathic power that lets him "cloud your mind" akin to something like the Shadow or a Jedi Mind Trick ("You don't think i look like Kent, you think i look like Tom Cruise!") or he vibrates his face so fast you cant get a good look. Depending on which you're talking about, pre or post crisis.

[Praxis]

Supposedly Superman either has a subtle telepathic power that lets him "cloud your mind" akin to something like the Shadow or a Jedi Mind Trick ("You don't think i look like Kent, you think i look like Tom Cruise!") or he vibrates his face so fast you cant get a good look. Depending on which you're talking about, pre or post crisis.

Neither of which explains why nobody has ever looked at a photo of Superman and thought, hey, that looks like Clark!

[General Zod]

Supposedly Superman either has a subtle telepathic power that lets him "cloud your mind" akin to something like the Shadow or a Jedi Mind Trick ("You don't think i look like Kent, you think i look like Tom Cruise!") or he vibrates his face so fast you cant get a good look. Depending on which you're talking about, pre or post crisis.

Neither of which explains why nobody has ever looked at a photo of Superman and thought, hey, that looks like Clark!

Actually, Lois does exactly this in the Richard Donnor cut of Superman 2.

[Praxis]

Is it just me or in modern superhero movies, do the villians always know the hero's 'real' identity by the end of the film? There's Spider-Man who takes his mask off in the middle of fights or just afterwards. (honestly why hasn't one of Pete's rivals snapped him sans mask yet?) There's Daredevil, where he got his ass kicked by Electra and then Kingpin both who Demasked him, even Ben Ulrich figured it out. Ra's Al Ghul at least had the benefit of being the one who trained Bruce and thats why he knows.

But seriously are there any recent movies where the Hero's secret is kept for the entire film?

I don't know if it's a film thing. In today's modern world it is realistically harder to imagine a superhero keeping his identity completely secret; they'd usually find some kind of cheap trick in the classic comic books.

Look at newer comics. Ultimate Spider-Man, for example; while Peter's secret is still kept to the public (just like in the movies), Kingpin, Electro, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Venom, Carnage, Kraven, Conners, Silver Sable, Mr. Roxxon, DareDevil, Dr. Strange, Moon Knight, Morbius, several hundred S.H.I.E.L.D. employees (he walks around the HQ without his mask on), etc, etc have seen him without his mask on at some point. It's a lot more open.

On top of that, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Venom, Carnage (deceased), Connors, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy (deceased), *all* of the Ultimates (Avengers in regular Marvel), Nick Fury, all of the X-Men, dozens of high-up people in S.H.I.E.L.D. and recently Aunt May all know who he is, name, address, and all.

Heck, the Kingpin even knows (as of the current issue) what school Spider-Man goes to and threatened to blow it up.

[dworkin]

I always thought with Superman it was a "Hide in plain sight" deal. Superman is, well Superman. Flys about in a cape, wears his underpants on the outside and can throw buildings. Clark Kent is just Mr Average schmo who lives in a huge city filled with thousands of guys just like him, many of whom are also C.Kent.

[Styphon]

The thing about Superman (comic/animated series wise) is that he's got a bunch of robot doubles of himself, allowing both Supes and Clark Kent to show up at the same place and time.

Unless the latest Crisis wiped that out...

[The Grim Squeaker]

The thing about Superman (comic/animated series wise) is that he's got a bunch of robot doubles of himself, allowing both Supes and Clark Kent to show up at the same place and time.

Unless the latest Crisis wiped that out...

No, he still has them and uses them quite extensively (The Titans got wiped out by a rogue one, and he used them as a global police force during the Dominus/King of the World storyline a few years back). He also tends to vibrate at super-speed to prevent cameras getting a shot of his face ("First lightning")

What the Crisis did wipe out was his super muscle control .

[spongyblue]

Funny real life comparison to the Superman/Clarck deal

My sister was in a stage show a few years ago and was the only female in the entire show. The cast had an after party at a pub right down the street where many of the audience also went to afterwards. There where many folks there who asked her, "What part did you have in the show?" All she did was pull her hair back and put on glasses.

[ANGELUS]

Supposedly Superman either has a subtle telepathic power that lets him "cloud your mind" akin to something like the Shadow or a Jedi Mind Trick ("You don't think i look like Kent, you think i look like Tom Cruise!") or he vibrates his face so fast you cant get a good look. Depending on which you're talking about, pre or post crisis.

Neither of which explains why nobody has ever looked at a photo of Superman and thought, hey, that looks like Clark!

In the 1986 World of Metropolis mini series Jimmy Olsen says that Superman's face always looks out of focus on the pictures and that Supes probably does it on purpose.

[neoolong]

Wasn't that his vibrational power that makes him move his face so he can't get noticed?

I always thought that his glasses with Kryptonian lenses allowed him to hypnotize people. Though, that's kind of stupid isn't it.

[SAMAS]

Also, remember the scene in Justice League Unlimited when Lex and Flash switched bodies?

"Well, at least I can find out Flash' secret identity!" *takes off the mask* "I have no idea who this is."

[ShadowSonic]

With Superman, people just assume he has no secret identity. They think that because he wears no mask, he is Superman all the time.

Thus, no one figures "He looks like Clark".

[Batman]

With Superman, people just assume he has no secret identity. They think that because he wears no mask, he is Superman all the time.
Thus, no one figures "He looks like Clark".

That works for the general populace. Why would this work for people like Lois, Lana, and Jimmy who are in more or less regular contact with BOTH Clark and Superman on a more or less regular basis why?
Of course, in the comics both Lois AND Lana DID figure it out.

[General Zod]

With Superman, people just assume he has no secret identity. They think that because he wears no mask, he is Superman all the time.
Thus, no one figures "He looks like Clark".

That works for the general populace. Why would this work for people like Lois, Lana, and Jimmy who are in more or less regular contact with BOTH Clark and Superman on a more or less regular basis why?
Of course, in the comics both Lois AND Lana DID figure it out.

See my post above about Lois in the Richard Donner version of Superman 2.

[Batman]

Exactly.

[Coalition]

For the old series of The Flash there was one time where Flash was talking to an old blind friend of his in real life. Flash gets some information from him, and thanks the blind man (never said his name). The blind man replies, "No problem Barry". Flash does a double-take.

[avatarxprime]

Speaking of the Flash, he does the same face blur thing (Jay Garrick, not any of the others) to prevent anyone from taking a picture of him or looking at him right.

Supposedly Superman either has a subtle telepathic power that lets him "cloud your mind" akin to something like the Shadow or a Jedi Mind Trick ("You don't think i look like Kent, you think i look like Tom Cruise!") or he vibrates his face so fast you cant get a good look. Depending on which you're talking about, pre or post crisis.

Neither of which explains why nobody has ever looked at a photo of Superman and thought, hey, that looks like Clark!

Actually, Lois does exactly this in the Richard Donnor cut of Superman 2.

Yeah, it's just that if he did the vibrate trick that wouldn't work either.

I don't know, maybe it's just me but all this talk of conscious face blurring reminds me of that Futarama episode with the giant millipede bug that could blur it's own face. If that's what these blur faced superheroes would look like, it would be impossible to tell who the person is.

[Steve]

Also, remember the scene in Justice League Unlimited when Lex and Flash switched bodies?

"Well, at least I can find out Flash' secret identity!" *takes off the mask* "I have no idea who this is."

That was classic.