Who doesn't know Superman's identity?

[Wayne]

I was reading Countdown to IC and 52 # 1 and I'm not very sure if Blue Beetle and Booster Gold already knew/know that Clark is Superman?...
A friend told me that BG doesn't know and that Ted didn't until he saw it in OMAC...

What's the truth? Do they know Supes' identity?
Who else knows/doesn't know it?

[DonC]

Under current DC continuity most of the heroes know each other's secret identites. I absolutely loathe the fact that second and third stringers know who characters like Batman and Superman are. You're Batman, are you going to tell Hawkgirl #4 that you're also Bruce Wayne?

[Jack]

I can't help but feel a good deal of the problem is coming from Meltzer.

This is the guy who had a plot revolving in part around a photograph of Clark Kent going to the super secret superhero funeral of Green Arrow.

There's a difference between paranoia and secrecy. There really is. Batman shouldn't tell people about his secret identity. People shouldn't even think that Superman has a secret identity.

Ah well.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Agreed.

Superman´s secret IDs should be known by the number of fingers in my left hand (and two of those slots are already filled with Ma and Pa Kent).

Heck, people should not know that Batman is human, let alone Bruce Wayne.

[shanejayell]

It looks like most of the past & current membership of the JLA now knows, tho how the heck THAT happened I don't know. Up until a few years ago it was just the core JLA who knew....

[Captain Jim]

You're Batman, are you going to tell Hawkgirl #4 that you're also Bruce Wayne?

Well, she is pretty hot. And Bruce Wayne is a playboy...

Sorry, couldn't resist.:D

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Actually, I have to take back what I said.
5 fingers are not enough:

1. Ma Kent
2. Pa Kent
3. Lana Lang (I hate the fact that she knows but the damage is done...)
4. Lois Lane
5. Batman
6. Diana

[Jack]

Heck, people should not know that Batman is human, let alone Bruce Wayne.Dammit, I lost the post I was doing before.

I really agree on this point. Batman is most effective if people don't know that he's just a man. They need to believe that he's more than human, or he just becomes a.. guy in a not particularly funny costume. And knowing that he's Bruce Wayne is even worse, because his day job is to be a drunken playboy who's good at and for nothing. It's hard to know that and not look at Batman differently, and if everyone knows it... he just doesn't really work.

Same with Superman, whose day job is as a nerdy, mild-mannered flake. These things humanise the characters for us, but they also humanise them for the rest of the DCU, and Batman and Superman should stand out from the other heroes, be looked upon as gods. If you need a character to show they're close to Superman, have them call him Kal. It works just as well, but it doesn't take anything away.

I mean, the current JLA series had Hawkgirl teleport into the Batcave with a civilian clothes Black Lightning, call Superman Clark and then ask who BL was! You don't give away the biggest secret in the world in front of someone you don't even know!

[dupersuper]

I kinda' like the family feel it gives the league, but agree only the big guys should know. Having Supes, Bats, Robin, WW, MM, Capt. Marvel, Aquaman, Oracle, a couple GL's, Ollie, Dinah, Ray Palmer, etc. know each other is cool, but having more than the core league/society members know gets stupid quick.

[Jonathan]

Actually, I have to take back what I said.
5 fingers are not enough:

1. Ma Kent
2. Pa Kent
3. Lana Lang (I hate the fact that she knows but the damage is done...)
4. Lois Lane
5. Batman
6. Diana

I'd add Dick Grayson to that list. As well as Mxyzptlk, and maybe Darksied - though neither of those villains would ever intentionally reveal the secret, I don't think. Revealing the secret would ruin some of Mxy's fun, and make it pretty much useless to Darkseid.

[Wayne]

I totally agree with you, guys.Secret id should be kept SECRET. Only known among few.

But I read 52#1 and I saw Booster didn't recognize Clark as Superman, That's why the question came to my mind.
Does BG know supes' id?
And Ted Kord?...Did he know it?

Besides, If you read Hawgirl 59, just see who's Kendra talking to :D !!!

[666MasterOfPuppets]

I pretty much doubt that a newcomer such as the new Blue Beetle knows Superman's secret ID. Ted Kord? Not sure. Booster Gold? Almost certain he didn't.

But Hawkgirl does know Superman's secret ID.

[rwe1138]

I'd add Dick Grayson to that list. As well as Mxyzptlk, and maybe Darksied - though neither of those villains would ever intentionally reveal the secret, I don't think. Revealing the secret would ruin some of Mxy's fun, and make it pretty much useless to Darkseid.

I would also add John Henry Irons, Oracle & Pete Ross. Plus, if Clark hasn't told his "pal" Jimmy Olsen by now, after knowing each other for so gorram long, he's really not that good of a friend.

[kalorama]

Superman´s secret IDs should be known by the number of fingers in my left hand (and two of those slots are already filled with Ma and Pa Kent).

Why your left hand? Are there a different number of fingers on the right one?

I pretty much doubt that a newcomer such as the new Blue Beetle knows Superman's secret ID. Ted Kord? Not sure. Booster Gold? Almost certain he didn't.

When he came face to face with Clark Kent in one of the early issues of 52 he clearly didn't know he was Superman. Which I found kind of odd since (A) he had been shown to know Batman's ID and (2) with so much access to historical records (even faulty ones) you'd think he'd have made a point of finding that out at some point.

[kalorama]

I really agree on this point. Batman is most effective if people don't know that he's just a man. They need to believe that he's more than human, or he just becomes a.. guy in a not particularly funny costume. And knowing that he's Bruce Wayne is even worse, because his day job is to be a drunken playboy who's good at and for nothing. It's hard to know that and not look at Batman differently, and if everyone knows it... he just doesn't really work.

I disagree. From the perspective of his fellow heroes (as opposed to the random people on the street) I think it makes him work even better, because it shows people the lengths to which he's willing to go to achieve his goals and further his mission. He willing presents himself as a useless waste of a person to the entire world in order to keep his cover as Batman. That's serious committment to the cause. As for not knowing he's just a human being... that one would be rather hard to keep secret once they've seen him in action and see that he clearly doesn't have any powers. And, again from the perspective of his fellow heroes, I think knowing this makes him even more impressive in their eyes, not less.

Same with Superman, whose day job is as a nerdy, mild-mannered flake. These things humanise the characters for us, but they also humanise them for the rest of the DCU, and Batman and Superman should stand out from the other heroes, be looked upon as gods. If you need a character to show they're close to Superman, have them call him Kal. It works just as well, but it doesn't take anything away.

Except Superman has made it clear over and over that he doesn't want to be looked upon as a god. He considers his fellow heroes as friends and colleagues, equals. He doesn't want to separate himself from them.

I mean, the current JLA series had Hawkgirl teleport into the Batcave with a civilian clothes Black Lightning, call Superman Clark and then ask who BL was! You don't give away the biggest secret in the world in front of someone you don't even know!

Kendra clearly knew the Pierce was Balck Lightning. She just didn't know his real name. And I think she (logically) assumed that Lightning knew who Batman and Superman were, given that (as he states in the story) they used the passcodes that Batman gave him to get into the Batcave (which Kendra had apparently never seen before). She reasonably assumed that he was closer to these people than she was.

I personally like the switch back to the heroes knowing each other's identities. It creates an interesting sense of community that allows for a wider range of more emptionally driven interactions between the characters.

[MaxofSteel]

Plus, if Clark hasn't told his "pal" Jimmy Olsen by now, after knowing each other for so gorram long, he's really not that good of a friend.

I don't think it's so much about friendship that Supes hasn't told Jimmy the truth. It's simply because Jimmy would be in a LOT of danger from Supes' enemies if he ever found out. Its the same reasoning he used to keep his ID secret from Lois.

And I'm sure he still occassionally regrets the fact that Lois knows his secret too.

[Wayne]

Besides, I'd think they -superheroes- should be more careful with their Secret Id being revealed to new ones...
After Jean Loring.....You can't even trust those "close" to you.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Same with Superman, whose day job is as a nerdy, mild-mannered flake. These things humanise the characters for us, but they also humanise them for the rest of the DCU, and Batman and Superman should stand out from the other heroes, be looked upon as gods. If you need a character to show they're close to Superman, have them call him Kal. It works just as well, but it doesn't take anything away.

Souds good to me. Although there are some relationships that emphasize the human side of Superman, hence the other person calling him Clark. I mean, it would look kinda weird if Lois called him Kal.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

When he came face to face with Clark Kent in one of the early issues of 52 he clearly didn't know he was Superman. Which I found kind of odd since (A) he had been shown to know Batman's ID and (2) with so much access to historical records (even faulty ones) you'd think he'd have made a point of finding that out at some point.

Fortunately, he didn't find it out. There are too many people who know Superman's secret ID already. I like the feel of camaraderie in the League right now, but from that to everyone knowing Kal's secret ID there's a gap that didn't have to be filled, IMO. Diana, Clark and Bruce calling each other by their secret ID's shows that there's a close friendship. Hell, I can even accept it with the old members of The League: Hal, Zatanna, Carter, J'Onn, Ollie, Arthur, Ray, Barry... But it should stop right there.

[rwe1138]

Fortunately, he didn't find it out. There are too many people who know Superman's secret ID already. I like the feel of camaraderie in the League right now, but from that to everyone knowing Kal's secret ID there's a gap that didn't have to be filled, IMO. Diana, Clark and Bruce calling each other by their secret ID's shows that there's a close friendship. Hell, I can even accept it with the old members of The League: Hal, Zatanna, Carter, J'Onn, Ollie, Arthur, Ray, Barry... But it should stop right there.

I liked the way Clark & Bruce revealed themselves to Kyle, Wally & Plas in Mark Waid's (too-brief) run on JLA.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Issue numbers, please? Is that run collected?

[jeangreydp]

I like the core leaguers knowing, but no further than that.

I think it makes the dynamic between them more fun to read.

As much as it would be nice for perry or jimmy to know about Clark I would hate it in the end because that would take away from their dynamic as opposed to make it more fun.

[rwe1138]

Issue numbers, please? Is that run collected?

Mark Waid wrote JLA issues #42-58, as well as filling in for Morrison a few times before that. It's collected in 3 trades: Tower of Babel (42-46), Divided We Fall (47-54) & Terror Incognita (55-60). The unmasking happens in #50.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Thanx for the info.

[niall mc cann]

I liked the way Clark & Bruce revealed themselves to Kyle, Wally & Plas in Mark Waid's (too-brief) run on JLA.

Yeah, but that was a big deal at the time. It really felt like a huge step, like Wally and Kyle were graduating to some very sacred inner circle.

If everyone who's ever worn a cape knows, it kind of takes away from that scene, for me.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Agreed. Not everybody has to know Superman's secret ID, for crying out loud. It should only be known by those in his inner circle of friends.

[rwe1138]

Yeah, but that was a big deal at the time. It really felt like a huge step, like Wally and Kyle were graduating to some very sacred inner circle.

If everyone who's ever worn a cape knows, it kind of takes away from that scene, for me.

Oh, I totally agree with you. Not everyone should know. I was just pointing out a really cool moment where a couple other got to find out. I liked Plastic Man's response the best: "Bruce Wayne? As in, "Who Want To Be A Millionaire" Bruse Wayne?"