Secret Identities, C/D?

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SPINNING OUT OF THE BOARD-SHATTERING EVENTS OF COUNTDOWN TO SECRET IDENTITIES, C/D?...

Okay, Daredevil's sorta outed. Everybody knows, but nobody, um, confirms. And Murdock can't cop to it, because it would prove that he's a bad lawyer.

But, y'know, take your average superhero punch-up...there's always plenty of blood, teeth and other tissue flying all over the place. How hard would it be to collect said tissue and, y'know, hey look, Batman's DNA!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

Speaking of which, did they ever find the fish that ate Aquaman's hand?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

Are you sure it wasn't a seal wearing a bow tie?

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

you think like i think

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

Anyway, the whole bizz of secret IDs is kinda, I don't know, counter intuitive to folks like Batman, Superman, etc, who are, y'know, fundamentally DRIVEN to save humanity etc. It's a selfish sorta act.
"I would like to do everything possible in my war on crime/injustice etc, but I would also like to watch Desperate Housewives all the way through without the phone ringing."

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)

I like the Alan Moore Supreme's take on it: hair color change Supreme!

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

also w/out secret id's --> no mindwipes --> no OMGWTFINITE CRISIS

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

Secret identities are way more about protecting your innocent loved ones than they are about buggering off to play videogames! Or, if you'r an X-Man, so you can go shopping with getting spat upon (although how this ever worked for Storm I'll never know).

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

Superman and Batman (at the start of their "heroic" careers, at least) didn't have any loved ones, though. It's only through their maintaining secret IDs that they've accumulated folks to put in DANGER'S WAY (which would be a good name for a Cdn TV show about a biologist and his two stoner kids).
Post-Byrne Superman, okay, has Ma & Pa, and eventually Lois.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

Is it so wrong to want to be loved (& to protect those loved ones from crowbars and laser beams)?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:36 (twenty years ago)

I don't know, Dr. Diva. Why don't we ask J. Loring for her feelings on the subject?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Her thoughts = "SPECTRE IS SOOOOOO HOTTTTTT"

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:41 (twenty years ago)

Actually, J. Loring is disqualified, since the Atom has long abandoned keeping his ID a secret--a result of the time he spent 6 inches tall in the Amazon jungle, I think, and was declared missing, presumed dead?
For that matter, S. Dibny also doesn't count, since Elong-Man HAS NO SECRETS!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)

in his pants

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 18:45 (twenty years ago)

Superman and Batman (at the start of their "heroic" careers, at least) didn't have any loved ones, though.

Ma and Pa Kent, Lana Lang and Alfred don't count as "loved ones"? Also, Bruce Wayne didn't have any friends until he became Batman?

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

DANGER'S WAY (which would be a good name for a Cdn TV show about a biologist and his two stoner kids).

i luv you huk

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 19:15 (twenty years ago)

I was talking about the ORIGINAL ORIGINAL start of their careers. Ma and Pa Kent were dead until 1986 when John Byrne decided they weren't (though they were still alive during Superman's Adventures When He Was A Boy...Superboy in Adventure Comics!)
And Alfred wasn't introduced until much later (didn't assume his current likeness until the 60s, I think!). But of course, the point of secret IDs back then was to add drama and romance, humour, etc, because all-adventure, all-the-time might get a little stiff.

But, like Peter Parker, okay, that one serves a purpose, because he doesn't have the kind of other worldly powers like Superman or Green Lantern where he could remove himself from the quotidian whatever, nor does he have the resources of a Bruce Wayne where he doesn't need a day job. Plus there's the bathos re: Uncle Ben and the pathos re: Aunt May, so Spider-Man's secret ID WORKS.

I just d/led a Golden Age Green Arrow adventure from More Fun Comics where Oliver Queen loses his fortune and he and Roy (Speedy) Harper have to get day jobs (OQ in the toy dept. of a dept. store, RH selling vacuums d-to-d) and can only fight crime on their lunch hours!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

Do not forget the original purpose for Bruce Wayne's Alter-ego:

"Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible..."

― iodine (iodine), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

so you can go shopping with getting spat upon (although how this ever worked for Storm I'll never know

Despite minor differences in hair color, everyone in Salem Center just assumes she's...

http://hyperion2000.free.fr/Bios/StevieHunter.JPG

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 22:47 (twenty years ago)

See SUPES SHOWCASE for what happens when Supey tries to get along without a Secret ID. It's pitiful. "He's spinning three hula-hoops at once -- AT SUPERSPEED!" These are the parlour tricks the bayong hordes of Metropolis demand of their Man Of Tomorrow 24 hours per day.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Tuesday, 18 October 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

Bruce Wayne didn't have any friends until he became Batman?

that would explain so much

― Mark C (Markco), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 09:41 (twenty years ago)

C/D: Maintaining secret identity by being the complete opposite of your real self while using your real name? "Barry you're so SLOW." "Bruce you're so TIMID." "Steve Rogers why are you burning that flag?" etc etc.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 10:17 (twenty years ago)

Thor gave up his secret identity during the Simonson run. Or rather, Odin removed his whole other persona out of existence. There was a rather wistful Simonson story where he goes to see his old hospital workmates to "relay" the final goodbyes from his alter ego - though I'm not sure why he couldn't just tell them who he really was.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

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