What is the deal with secret identities? Combining the allure of the theater and the danger of a cat burgler, a domino mask has been the calling card of super heroes for generations. Yet does it really accomplish anything? It reveals the subject’s nose, eye color, lips and cheeks. Surely… it hides nothing at all. Yet for anyone who has ever worn one of these masks it cannot be denied that it does something for the wearer. Super hero masks protect the hero’s identity while also presenting a new, stranger face to the world. It would take a much smarter fellow to delve into the true meaning of masks and heroes (like John Campbell) and I’m just too mad, but… wearing a mask does change you.
As a child I had hours of fun running into a bush or behind a door to change into my Batman Halloween costume only to emerge asking ‘where’s Jamie? I’m Batman.’
My brother mostly played along and that could be part of the key here. No one can really believe that Aunt May doesn’t realize Peter Parker is Spider-Man or that Jim Gordon has no idea his good friend Bruce Wayne masquerades as the Batman and how could Lois Lane not notice that Clark Kent is clearly Superman?? Are they all, like my brother, just good sports?
Aside from the absurdity of the idea and the evocative mythical relevance of the concept, secret identities are becoming as dead as the dodo. As evidenced in this summer’s blockbuster film Iron Man where Tony Stark throws caution to the wind and admits publicly that he is in fact Iron Man, the conceot just is not necessary any more.
Back in the day, a secret identity was a tool to extend a story of perhaps create some kind of drama that some nosey girl might find out our hero’s secret (it doesn’t take much to connect the dots to what this could really mean, does it?). Yet readers today are more excited about danger and violence to lose sleep over wondering ‘will Aunt May catch Peter in his uniform?’ The first step in untangling this old trope was when Captain America publicly announced his identity. A bold move, it was eclipsed by the stunning storyline by Brian Michael Bendis where Daredevil’s identity was exposed, turning the blind lawyer’s like on its head. Likewise Tony Stark saw no reason to hide his identity any longer and after going public as the armored avenger he probably wondered why he didn’t do it sooner!
In an age where nosey girlfriends or immortal aunts are no longer plot devices, is the secret identity even necessary? In a recent issue of Batman, Bruce Wayne seems to be exposed before his finacee, but is there any real drama there or is it just another issue where Batman nearly gets outed (again) for putting on a silly outfit at night to beat up strangers?
What do you think?
