An interesting story from Superman: The Movie (1978). Roger Moore - who was filming a Bond movie at the same studio - observed Christopher Reeve walking across the backlot in full Superman costume. All of the women around him were watching like hawks. However when Christopher Reeve did the same thing in Clark Kent's suit, no one payed him any attention whatsoever.
It's pretty obvious why that is. Seeing a man in the corner of your eye come out dressed in bright red and blue will immediately get your attention while a guy in a suit will barely even register in your brain. It'll just be background noise.
Christopher reeves doesn't work at as a new reporter, and superman is alway in the media. You can't use reality as a way to explain comics, that how the DCEU is failing.
Guys, Henry Cavill sat in the Times Square, under a giant BvS poster, wearing glasses and a superman shirt. He sat there for several hours and 2 or 3 people recognized him.
Mercurius Rex and that's Henry Cavill the actor. The people saw him in theaters. Superman, on the other hand, always flies and is oftentimes far from people that his face barely registers for everyone.
that’s probably because it’s fucking Times Square and everyone is distracted taking pictures on the stairs or taking pictures with the people dressed as superheroes and shit. no one’s looking for Henry Cavill.
Ha! So true. I don't buy any of it. He works with idiots and everyone else in Metropolis is severely near sighted If anyone that I may recognise from movies shows up to work with me 9 to 5, Monday to Friday I'm sure as hell gonna call 'em out when I see them wearing spectacles (yes, I said spectacles - it rhymes with testacles and that pleases my inner eight year old). I'm not a Scarlett Johansson fan (save for Under the Skin, girls got booty in that!!), but I'd easily and quickly call her out on it...after work, over drinks... What about those other traits like his height and those arms and that chest? It's ridiculously hard hiding that under a long sleeved, crisp collared button down. I should know, I'm super ripped. No, no I'm not, but my point still stands.
+KRYMauL Right?!?! Why is this God-Clown even wasting 10 hours a day (travel time included) working a crappy entry level job at a newspaper. Clearly, he hasn't any refined time management/prioritisation skills.
+KRYMauL huh? ummm, mine. Always. To summarize; Superman wastes enormous amounts of time pretending to be human instead of looking after his human-pets, Metropolis is full of unobservant morons and Scarlett Johansson has a slap-slamming ass
I think Superman Returns did it just right. In that world, Clark Kent is as significant as a hobo. Nobody even bothers looking at his face, and his posture and own eye contact avoidance helps it even further.
you touched on it breifly but id like to emphasize alot of it is the psychology of the prople around him. Clark presents clark superman presents superman. Not many people give it enough real thought to go much further than that bc they wouldnt necessarily put two and two together unless they were obsessed. Moreover the resemblence seems to be a huge mocking point but honestly weve all known someone or been that person who gets "i swear you look so familiar" the subtle changes in his appearance and especially his posture and expressed confidence are HUGE on a psychological level. THere was a video i saw a long time ago where a male model did an experiment where he dressed kind of plain in jeans and an oversized tshirt with his hair just kind or as is and slumped posture and was acting somewhat timid. He then approached women and asked for numbers and was shot down about 8/10 times. Within the same hour he ran to the restroom, gelled his hair put on some more form fitting fashionable cloths to show his physique and style and then just stood up straight and acted with confidence and the SAME girls who shot him down ealier gave their number. When they were told about the experiment NONE of them believed it was the same person and the only girl who thought he looked familiar assumed she had just seen him in passing elsewhere. TLDR: Subtle changes can make BIG payoffs when appealing to the psychology of others
The clip in the original "Superman" where Christopher Reeve takes off the glasses while Lois is in the other room, stands up straight and, in his natural voice says; "Lois, there's something I have to tell you, I'm really..." then chickens out at the last second as Lois comes back into the room and goes back into the Clark Kent persona. THAT'S how it works!
+ejay1118 I agree. It's the best single moment in a very good movie. Christopher Reeve didn't need the costume to make the viewer believe he was Superman and the transformation didn't even require special effects.
***** Why would you look for the identity of someone who shows his face. And why should someone with all the power in the world have a secret identity?
+FeatheredCrow That and people just assume that when he's not saving Metropolis, or some other American city, he's somewhere else in the world doing his Superman thing, not playing dress up as a regular shmoe.
I actually like the idea that Lex’s ego clouds his judgement from deducing that Clark is Superman. Its a perspective that i really appreciate because it highlights a character flaw (which villains are meant to have).
There also is the possibility that he knows, but just chooses not to mess with Clark. Because when he is Clark Kent, he is not Superman doing Superman stuff.
Also in Smallville. Lex doesn't want to think his best friend is also his enemy. He even said his friendship with Clark blinded him to what was going on and who Clark was.
Lex Luthor knows Clark's true identity but keeps it to himself: Whilst Clark is working at The Daily Planet it's 8 hours less he's fighting crime and thwarting Lex's plots. Revealing the identity basically gives Superman 8 more hours to punch villains in the face and balls..
Superman doesn't NEED a secret Identity. Much like I don't NEED the internet. He grew up as Clark, he's used to being Clark. It's harder to maintain friends when you're the last alien from a distant planet. He doesn't need to be Clark. But he really really wants to
There is a line from the superman cartoon "the late mr kent" I think it was called. "You don't understand, I have to be Clark Kent, I'd go crazy being superman all the time"
I agree with you. In fact I think he would rather be Clark all of the time. Having all his powers forces him to constantly use them to save people. That's a huge burden to bare 24/7. On top of that weight is knowing that he cant save everyone of them. I think most people would go crazy with that sort of burden always on their shoulders. It seems miraculous that he hasn't killed more often than he has.
Oni Raptor It really depends on who's writing. My favorite superman story is "Up, Up, and Away" that follows a year in which he didn't have powers. It's written very well and really manages to strike that balance between being Superman vs being CK. Superman loves helping people. He doesn't see it as a burden, It's just part of his personality. Also, the bigger struggle for superman is holding back his powers back when he's CK. If he would lose concentration while shaking someones hand he would crush it in to dust.
Yosi Berman I appreciate your comment and I agree with you that its in the writing but when I said it was a burden I meant to think of it this way. There is a huge difference psychologically between the desire to help people and feeling that you are required to help people as a matter of life or death. the burden is psychological and internal. the cost of failure is that victims death or injury. Yet even for Superman he can not be all places at once. Even narrowing his focus to just Metropolis is a ratio for every person saved there are a dozen (100?) not. How would any rational being balance that cost internally. Not even counting those who blame him for a loved ones injury or death because he was elsewhere.
If you had a friend who looked a lot like someone famous. You'd naturally assume they just look like a famous person, not that they are in fact that famous person. Its genuinely a more logical assumption. Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry look similar but they aren't two different people.. or are they? Maybe they're the same person just kind of pulling a face and whenever they're together one of them is a robot. People dont usually think like that and that's why nobody has noticed.
Utracia1 There are too many examples of people seeing the two being in the same room for that to be a factor, especially in the comics. Hell, even the 90's Superman animated series had a robot Superman flying around while Lois was with Clark. Clark even handed the 'key to the city' to Superman in front of hundreds of witnesses, with a robot taking the place of Supes. Once you see them both in the same room repeatedly, you'll start thinking that they just happen to look similar, especially when they act completely different from one-another, as Christopher Reeve always did.
So, he wears glasses, he is slightly hunched over, his cloths hide most of his bodystructure, he walks diffrent and speaks diffrent. So yes, his disguise is thin, but belive me when i say that when Clark Kent would one day come to work and say the people he is Superman, people would not belive him. After all, Charlin Cheplin lost once a Charlin Cheplin lookalike-contest, and he did not even try to disguise himself.
If someone saw Clark Kent they'd probably be thinking in their head "hey, that man over there looks a lot like superman, but it can't be ." Because it's all about perspective and your average reporter working at the daily planet couldn't possibly be the man of steel .
Maybe they do all know he's Superman but they've all collectively agreed to pretend like they don't. All so Clark's tenuous grip on reality (because who would ever believe wearing glasses would protect their identity) isn't lost and he doesn't go completely nuts.
Hal Jordan's lack of imagination always bothered me. I mean come on Hal you have the ability to create anything you can think of. He should be the most powerful hero on Earth.
it's not that he is not creative, he creates constructs of guns, and jets, and things like that because he is an air force pilot, he has been surrounded by those things since he was a kid, so ofcourse those are the things that come to his mide. Also in a high energy situation, you create what comes to your head first, not what looks cool, or is original. That being said, I like Kyle Rayner, because as an artist his mind has no limitations, his imagination would be the most powerful, considering that it is a main trait in both being an artist and a Green Lantern.
If i was in a fight to be honest and had to come up with things to fight with constantly and improvise with only a couple of seconds of thinking time and concentrate on what my enemy is doing and have great concentration on the objects which i do come up with so they aren't week and don't break. I don't think I'd be able to do anything for like a year yntil I've practiced, memorised and figured out what to use.
Chris Countchrisdo theres nothing saying he can't get a super-version of a virus from krypton. His parents would have been exposed to kryptonian viruses and diseases, and he brought all those with him. The only counter point; is the viruses will not likely get direct sunlight exposure, and thus wont become super-virused! What would be really interesting; is super-cancer. Unstoppable deadly kryptonian cells dividing uncontrollably.
It's hard to distinguish Clark Kent from Superman when you have a *ton* of dust in your eyes... from all the fallen buildings that were destroyed during "Man of Steel" (2013). R.I.P. Metropolis. ;)
Fumontaindew2012 you're the one who seems to be the crybaby, whining about a character and using the tired old "not realistic or relatable" garbage, that attitude doesn't make you mature in fact it makes you come across as an annoying cynic with no imagination who's got nothing better to do than make cynical remarks about everything.
Tom Cruise worked as a UPS guy or something in preparation for a role. No one recognized him while he did it, and people were having regular conversations with him, up close. There's just no reason to assume that some guy who looks like Superman is him. If a barista in your favorite cafe looked like some celebrity, say Jon Oliver, would you assume that he's actually Jon Oliver? Of course not, it would be a ridiculous assumption to make.
The difference is no one thinks Tom cruise has a secret identity Hence no one is looking for it I'm sure there are people in the DCU who are purely there to find out superman identity Tom cruise does not have that same problem
+Tom Cockburn why would anyone in the DC universe think Superman would have an identity if he doesn't hide his face as well? Pretty sure noone would look at a god-like being and think he would pretend to be human.
+masterrance ikr, maybe a look alike of Jesus will make people think he is Jesus. there's a lot in Middle East..lol didn't Charlie Chaplin lose at a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest
+Tom Cockburn Well people in the DC universe don't really believe that he has a day job or secret identity, because he pops out throughout the day to help people. Like "Gotta pee BRb lul..." *Goes and stops a robbery, puts out a fire, lasers a pedos dick off from miles away, stops another robery annnnd "Oh hey guys, I miss anything in those two minutes I was away?" That plays a large part. You look up and don't see superman, you don't assume he's working at 7/11 or working at a newspaper, you just assume he's somewhere else saving someone. Thats how I see it anyways, but your opinion is valid as alot of heroes/villains do have alter egos and such. But, I do think we as real life people just assume "secret identity" because we've been conditioned that way: Peter Parker/Spidey, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, etc. We just automatically connect a superperson with having a secret alter ego. It's very rare someone doesn't have one: Joker, Shulky, Elastic Man? Not very common.
There's a barista in a local Starbucks near me that is a perfect doppelganger for Ben Affleck. I've never once asked him if he's really Bruce Wayne. Just like you said. It's really easy to fool most people because the mind naturally discounts things that seem far-fetched. Like the nerdy, awkward fool that is Clark Kent, could be the ultimate confident alpha male with superpowers.
Whenever pondering the whole superman identity thing. I like to remember a quote from the Dark Knight :"Let me get this straight, you think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante, who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, and your plan is to blackmail this person?" Same principle works here.
I think its necessary for him to have a secret identity, just cos if he doesn't, every villain in the universe will kidnap his parents and lois lane, every single day! Even though that seems to happen already......so no, its not necessary XD
I disagree, it's more of a metaphor for how we all have a superhero inside of us. Superheroes are metaphorical beigns like the modern myths and deities they are, so i never try to take them litterally.
***** Nope. Unless I were: 1. Metallo. If Superman got too close, I would just open my chest and let the kryptonite core do the rest. 2. Zod. You think an angry Superman is bad, try a Kryptonian with actual battle experience. 3. Zatanna Zatara or Doctor Fate. !!NAMREPUS EROM ON!
Bradley Cude Still wouldn't chance it. 1 and 3. How long would it take him to either get behind you, put you in orbit and use a meteor to hurdle you into the sun/black hole or poke you in the neck? 2. MOS. All I'm saying is it'd be easier just to kill _him_ first while he's still in normal mode.
***** True. Just ask Injustice: Year One Mirror Master. He kidnapped the Kents, and the only reason he survived was that Wonder Woman rescued them, not Superman.
Chris Reeve smiling and breaking the 4th wall is a tip of the hat to George Reeves in my opinion. As Superman, George was constantly looking into the camera and winking.
The really clever thing about MoS is that not everyone is close up to superman, the only person who has is lois lane, maybe the general but given their age you could expect them to forget, but noone in that film really had an up close and personal look at him and that is why zack snyder made this film like a first contact movie where aliens come to earth, we barely followed much of supermans life apart from going over his past and then to his present, it's mostly been about zod and his path to earth for superman.
I read once somewhere that Superman also changes his facial muscles enough so people can't make the comparison between the two. We as the audience watching and reading seems absurd to us, but in DC Comics not many people can tell the difference.
Quote from adventurecomics on tumblr- "Evidence against the argument that Superman's disguise wouldn't fool anyone: -Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton look alike contest to a drag queen. -Charlie Chaplin once failed to even place at a Charlie Chaplin impersonator contest. -Hugh Jackman went to comic con as Wolverine, only 2 people noticed him and one told him he was too tall, -Christopher Reeve used to go to a restaurant in costume when filming Superman. When he went in the Superman costume he was mobbed by people all the time. When he went in the Clark Kent costume no one realized he was Christopher Reeve."
Has everyone actually watched the original 1978 Superman movie? The scene in Lois' apartment where Clark is planning on confessing his identity to her is probably the only argument you ever need to answer this question, as well as one of the greatest displays of acting you'll ever see. Clark takes his glasses off and within a couple of seconds he _becomes_ Superman even without his blue spandex suit, literally growing 3 inches before your eyes, bulking up to herculean proportions and speaking with a _completely_ different voice. And then he loses his nerve at the last second when Lois comes back in, slips the glasses back on and _pop,_ he's Clark Kent again. Christopher Reeve was a MASTER actor.
That woman, Amanda, that Luthor fired went from prude to crazy hot in just three panels. Mr. Sunday, you should do an entire video about crazy Superman powers that were then forgotten about by the comics.
This is one thing I admittedly loved about Jesse Eisenberg's Luthor in *BvS,* the smart decision to have him realistically determine in one film that Superman was Clark Kent instead of playing up this antiquated dynamic in the DCEU. I had a similar reaction to Bane immediately knowing who Bruce was in *TDKR,* demonstrating his intelligence in their first meeting but choosing not to expose him because he wanted to retain the Batman as a symbol that he could destroy. Bane knew revealing Batman's identity would only leave him human. That wasn't enough in his eyes, he wanted Gotham to keep seeing him as a legend, a figure, so that he could annihilate everything that symbol once stood for and achieved. That's why he told them the truth about Harvey Dent, not to give the city "back to the people" but because the people & city were the Waynes' & Batman's legacy. Bane wanted Bruce to watch that legacy descend into chaos before killing it himself. By the same token, Luthor could've blackmailed Clark into sharing his identity as he did to make him fight Batman. But he didn't want Clark to be seen as human or relatable. He wanted Superman, the symbol, to be seen as a fraud, a "false god".
WAIT, THERE WAS A COMIC WHERE SUPERMAN COULD SHOOT A SMALL VERSION OF HIMSELF OUT OF HIS HAND? THATS SOME GREEN LANTERN TYPE SHIT LOL theres also a comic where he gets Lantern's ring, which would like make him one of most powerful heros in existence
+Zach Trevors He is the most powerful hero in existence already, and seriously though the fucking Green Lantern could be so much more powerful if he didn't just make the most generic human military stuff.
It was best said on the Lois and Clark show: "Superman is what I can do. Clark Kent is who I am." Superman doesn't pretend to be Clark Kent. It's who he was raised to be. If he were to abandon one identity, he'd give up being Superman, and just use his powers openly as Clark Kent.
Christopher Reeves went to the same cafe every day while he was playing Superman, then one day he went in his Clark Kent performance, and no one recognised him.
I remember an incident at a comic convention once when a fan asked Noel Neill (Lois Lane) how she didn't know how Clark Kent was Superman. Her answer? " It's simple: I didn't want to lose my job!" There you have it.
"Just like how Wolverine's claws are considered unbreakable" HAH! Tell that to the multitude of characters who have broken them, like when they shattered against Rogue's body, or when Black Bolt breaks Wolvie's claws :P
Milk Patty Why would someone think that an allpowerfull being with no mask that seemingly is active all the time, has met Clark (he has had robots pose as him so he can trick people by meeting himself) and has a completely different voice than clear Kiev would be Clark Kent?
I think glasses do make a difference. When I actually started wearing mine some people didn't recognize me....or maybe cause I'm just a forgettable person
Well I could probably write a novel on this topic but I'll try to keep it down to 100 words or less. There are many explanations. First Clark has had friends like the Martian Manhunter and Batman disguise himself so that his friends have seen them together on more than one occasion. The 50's and 60's Superman used robots to accomplish the same thing. Then there is the little known power called Super-Hypnotism. In a few issues he used it to show that other saw Clark as more frail than Superman. He used it even at the end of Superman II with Christopher Reeve when he kissed Lois and made her forget who he was or that they were married. In the TV series Lois and Clark he met some fellow Kryptonians for the first time and was astonished to learn that they communicated telepathically. This means he has low level telepathy that may not allow him to read minds but may allow him to block humans from being able to recognize him as Clark. This was backed up by the film Superman Returns with Brandon Routh in which his son immediately recognized Clark as Superman when no one else in the office did, implying it did not work on a half Kryptonian. Finally the most obvious reason is that even if people realize he looks like Superman they can't believe Superman would have a job and have to pay bills and such. I have a friend who was a Superman impersonator in the early 60's at hospitals and schools. He used to like to dress up as Clark and immediately return to the scene and he was never once recognized, so it may be a better disguise then we all think,
People just dont believe, OR DONT WANT TO BELIEVE that a normal citizen living amongst them could be as SELFLESS as superman IS! In a world where most people ignore crime, Just dont want to get involved for reasons of cowardess, Reasons legitimate like self preservation, cant be bothered with being THERE BROTHERS KEEPER, what ever the reason. Some people cant rap there mind that a person SO SELFLESS would dedicate there whole life to the protection of the peopkes of earth, sacraficing family, and friends. I gotta say its hard to believe a person out there eould care for humanity as much as superman does, AND THATS WHY HES THE GREATEST SUPER HERO OF ALL TIME.
Because the entire DC universe takes place in the head of a comatose Arkham patient Said patient is Bruce Wayne, who’s been comatose since witnessing his parent’s murder. His fellow inmates are made up of heroes, and villains in the DCU including the Joker. Also included are Clark Kent, and Diana Prince. Anytime either one of them puts on their glasses, the staff just humors them, and pretend that they don’t recognize them.
I love the idea that Lex Luthor knows exactly what Superman's secret identity is. The reason he stays quiet about it is "If he spends 8 hours a day being Clark Kent, that's 8 hours a day that he's not being Superman, and not screwing up my plans" lol
the "super villans conviently forgets super hero identity" thing is explained in 'identity crises' saying that, without telling batman, superman, and other heros. that super heros with magic or phycic powers erase the memory of villans that find out there identity. batman then finds out about that & is so mad to be kept in the dark & memory swept himself breaks apart the justic leage leading into one year later
Maybe Superman simply has a *Super Generic Face*, making it hard for people to even remember what he looks like. You know when people say "Oh, I just have one of those faces" ? That's what Superman has. (Also, Muhammad Ali is smarter than Lex Luthor.)
I like the "The public simply doesn't want to accept it." Reason.After all, there are still people that think a rodent in Pennsylvania brings upon the Spring.
on the one hand he doesn't because if he was pursued by someone they couldn't capture him without knowing his weakness but he's never be able to have a life in case a villain pursued the ones he loved and he would be constantly plagued by fans so yes he needs it
Yes, it is necessary. It keeps Superman grounded, at human level so he doesn't get the idea of himself as a god over them. It reminds him why he does what he does, who he's saving and what light he's trying to inspire. It is very necessary.
I find the whole 'secret' identity thing to make sense, when it comes to being out in public and with casual acquaintances, and quite silly when it comes to close friends and enemies. For example one of the best things about the 'Man of Steel' rendition of the character is the relationship that he and Lois have. She's portrayed as a smart reporter that not only sees through his 'secret identity' but finds him before there ever is a "Superman." I hope that in future movies they will use Lois as an ally to keep his identity a secret
It's been heavily hinted that is how things will turn out. However, she and Clark will need to keep their distance. There were people who saw them kissing seconds before he left to fight Zod.
In many versions of the character, Clark was a member of the 30th/31st century Legion of Super Heroes, who gave him a flight ring as a token of membership. Since he doesn't need it to fly, and it's loaded with other future technology (it can turn itself invisible, time travel beacon, and transtemporal communicator) I think it passively boosts or focuses his self image as oafish Clark Kent into other people's minds as a form of psychic camouflage.
Fantastic video James! If I may interject a little, as far as Man of Steel is concerned, the reason why Clark Kent wasn't recognizable in that film was because he wasn't fricking in it! Despite whether or not the film was any good, I felt like there was little to no characterization of Clark Kent that identified him as the hero all other heroes ascribe to be. Also, Thank you for referencing Superman: Birthright - It's probably my favorite iteration of the Superman origin and I've been recommending it to interested people left and right. Lastly, your question of whether Clark needs to have a secret identity; I would say that in consideration of heroes, Batman is the true persona of Bruce Wayne, while Clark Kent is the true persona of Superman. While he's embraced his Kryptonian heritage, it's not what defines him, it's his Kansas upbringing that serves as his moral compass, which employed steady values that he hopes everyone can accept. But as far as should he keep up a secret identity, sure. Aside from the trope of not wanting others closest to him being turned into targets by his enemies, he himself doesn't want to be viewed as a God that should be worshiped, nor as the savior who will always be there, because he won't. He wants to leave a lasting impact that will inspire Joe Schmoe to say "Hey, I want to help make the world a better place before I leave it". So for him to stay out of the fight sometimes to ensure that notion among people is nurtured may seem cruel, but in the long run if it's followed through it will lead to a brighter tomorrow, as what he set out to do. Now that I've written this out I wonder if that's actually addressed in the current run of the comics, that every once in a while the citizens of Metropolis are doing progressively more to help one another. The only person that comes to mind is Bibbo Bibbowski, and that's from the previous continuity. (Another aside, sorry, but of all the necks Superman should snap, why not the Joker's? Yeah Batman villain who's the best one and all, but seriously, that's a lot of lives he could save by a quick flick of the wrist there). (Also, sorry if this sounds dickish, but any chance for a birthday shout out for last month? Please?? Much appreciated dude)
The classic trope of secret identities (a hero protects his identity to protect loved ones from reprisals) is a bit outdated but still has a place in modern comic books.
Finally, I ask this question everytime I see a superman adaptation, since childhood. The voice in my head gets louder each time I see Henry cavil eeaaassy walkin in the newsroom😑
with everything he does in other versions to ensure no one realizes it’s him, i’ll accept it, but all henry cavill’s superman does is wear a pair of glasses. that’s it. he doesn’t change his posture, voice, mannerisms, nothing. anyone who’s seen clark and superman relatively up close or heard both of them talk before, during, or after the first man of steel should immediately recognize that they’re the same person.
The thing about the first Superman movies is that they actually work in a mythical sense. A lot of people tend to talk about how superheroes are the modern deities but they dont really seem to understand what that means: If you watch that movie it feels like youre watching a fairytale in motion, it understands that myths work in dream-logic. Remember those unforgetable "magic" moments in the Sam Raimi's Spiderman, like the train or sandman beign born? Thats the same principle.
I think the hypnosis glasses are the best explanation, he could make himself look scrawny so that people would never think he could possibly be Superman
I think it's a good idea for Superman to have an alter ego 1 so he can just walk around in the world he spends all day protecting. Otherwise he'd have fans and paparazzi on him all the time. But I believe it was Frank Miller who wrote the Batman series in which it's much later in the future and Lex Luthor finally put 2 and 2 together to = Hold everyone Superman loves hostage at all times and therefore gets Superman to work for him to a degree. Not saying that's exactly what would happen but something similar is likely.
1. He's an indestructible, immortal god from another planet. No one would assume he would be anything but that for 18 hours every day. Let alone working a low pay 9-5 every day, in disguise. 2.Everyone always seems to assume that Clark Kent is somehow a known figure in the DC Universe, that every person on the planet should make the connection (based on looks) right away. Clark Kent is as unknown as they come, except for the occasional, smaller article in the newspaper ( I don't even know if they include a thumbnail of his (disguised) face. The only people who actually regularly get a close-up look at Clark Kent are his friends and family, which would be the most logical people to even THINK of making the similarity; and pretty much of all them has at some point figured out his secret actually. 3. Superman/Clark is slightly taller are more buff and more good looking than the average person, but all-in-all he's got a pretty average look with his short, black, tidy haircut, blue eyes and normal clothes. And with his changed posture and demeanor, and the fact that the few people that interact with Clark on a regular basis has mostly known him since he was a clumsy kid, makes people see him as a passable "lookalike" at best. 4. You have got to understand also that Superman as a character was created WAY before smartphone cameras, HD TVs, the internet and mass-multimedia (also back when every adult man literally dressed the same - hat, suit and everything xD). It was way easier to get away with that disguise back in the 30's and 40's, when no one except for the people he actually saved ever got a good, close look at him, almost no one had a photo to even remember him of, and there was zero risk of anyone seeing him and then Clark up close in the same week. Well, except for (the obvious and classic) Lois Lane. Which DID begin to draw parallels.
*Supermans secret identity has been a staple of his character since his creation and it will always be that way* Brian Michael Bendis: Welllll, let’s change that shall we?
good points about the Hulk and GL. I have always thought that GL's green contraptions are too simple for a man who know stuff in the universe. And Hulk -- his pants grow and shrink along with his size, including some version of Hulk who gets bigger if he gets angrier, and yet these are not even alien-made shorts!
I always like the idea that Superman has the secret identity for the simple fact if he didn't he'd go nuts. At the end of the day he's still someone raised in a small town, from a farming community and so probably yearns for that human connection, which is harder if you are Distant Floating Godman.
I love what they do with Superman/Clark in All-Star Superman and make Clark slunch over more, try to stay out of sight, and because he's so vast Clark uses his size to make him more clumsy. You are a true genius Grant Morrision.
Man of Steel/Batman v Superman's superman seems to portray Clark Kent differently: he is actually a little more aggressive as Kent pursuing the Batman story, and when he's not fighting as Superman he seems come off as a Gentle Giant.
When BvS came out, Henry Cavill stood in the middle of Time Square (withe giant posters of his face all over the place) with a Superman shirt. He said that no one looked at him. A cop or guard asked hiw what he was waiting, and on old lady asked for her way (or just asked him to move, i don't remember)...
⚡️ HERE'S EVERYONE'S DETAILED EXPLANATION AS TO WHY NOBODY RECOGNIZES CLARK KENT AS SUPERMAN ⚡️ Clark's glasses are the real reason people can't tell he's Superman. Superman's eyes give off a low level hypnotism effect. Clark examined the wreckage of his Kryptonian rocket finding a Plexiglass window shattered which will cause HYPNOSIS to humans! When he wears glasses made of the Kryptonian plexiglass material, it amplifies that effect to make people see him as a different and normal individual. Detailed DC Comic info below: *Information Source: Superman #330 "The Master Mesmerizer of Metropolis!" *COMIC COVER DETAILS: Top Text: EXCLUSIVE! Superman's SECRET revealed! Superman(holding his glasses): "Lana-- Now do you believe I'm Clark Kent?" Lana Lang(holding a picture of Clark): "Of course not! What kind of idiot do you take me for? This is what Clark looks like!" Bottom Text: "Revealed at last-- the startling secret of how Superman fools the world with his Clark Kent identity!" ⭐️ "SUPERMAN: MASTER MESMERIZER OF METROPOLIS!" ⭐️ The story opens with Clark Kent waking up in bed, quite rattled from a nightmare of a satellite falling out of orbit and is headed straight at them in his office building. To Clark's astonishment, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Lana Lang urge him to change into his Superman suit. His close friends have apparently seen through him such as Lang. Lana refers to it as a silly blue suit. Now wide awake, Clark wonders why his disguise has seemingly fooled millions for so many years and finds out that Metropolis is being attacked by a super-villain called The Spellbinder, who induces mass-hypnosis to get folks to do just about anything at his command. Before long, after a battle between Superman and Spellbinder, Superman figures out why his super self-hypnosis failed to protect him from The Spellbinder. Superman is then amazingly able to use his own super-hypnosis power to all but insure that every person in Metropolis won't be affected by The Spellbinder. Superman heads back to work and changes from his Superman costume but then Lana Lang interrupts him. To Superman’s astonishment Lana fails to recognize that he's Superman changing to Clark. What she sees is just Superman holding glasses! Lana explains to Superman that she knows Clark, and that he has a phony similarity at best! Lana says that Superman’s too heavily built much too handsome for Clark. Superman then asks why Lana thinks this. She explains that she never knew how Superman could change his appearance so drastically if he was Clark. Clark is left confused as to why Lana sees him as Superman and not Clark. Then Spellbinder is at it again and Clark determines that he's got to self-hypnotize himself against the villain to also become immune. Before long, Superman begins another battle with The Spellbinder. Superman mistakenly believes that The Spellbinder's hypnosis won't effect him. However, The Spellbinder is able to convince him that he's lost his powers. After The Spellbinder wins and leaves the scene, Superman figures out why his super self-hypnosis failed to protect him from The Spellbinder and why Lana couldn't recognize him as Clark. He doesn't say yet to keep readers in suspense. Superman is able to avoid another dose of hypnosis from The Spellbinder after realizing that the villain is using SOUND for hypnosis. Via special earplugs, Superman is able to resist The Spellbinder's hypnosis and defeat him. After Superman's final fight with The Spellbinder, Clark finds that his glasses (made of the Plexiglass from his Kryptonian rocket) channel low-level subconscious projections from Superman to make people believe that Clark and Superman appear differently. Whereas ordinary glasses would not have this effect because his glasses are Kryptonian and "things" from Krypton take on super-special characteristics on Earth such as Superman himself. Clark goes to his apartment and studies himself and the Kryptonian Plexiglass in his eyeglasses. Clark says, "Apparently, my power of super-hypnotism is always working - at low power - even when I’m not willing it! It automatically projects my subconscious desire to be seen as a weaker and frailer man than I really am!... Without my conscious well behind this, my hypnotic power wouldn't work without one thing: "my glasses". "Some unknown property of the Kryptonian Plexiglass [in my eyeglasses] must intensify the low-level effect of my eyes! So when people look at Clark, what they see is the image of Clark I try to project!” (Clark creates a sketch of what he'd like to project himself as by making himself look frailer and not terribly handsome.) Superman goes on to conclude the story and explain to us readers that this effect not only is projected in person, but is carried via photographs and cameras.
I like how in Lego Batman that Joker finds the Batcave, under Wayne Manor, and deduces that Batman is Bruce Wayne...'s roommate :P I think it's right that it's just sort of stuck there now :p
Clark Kent was always super clumsy and acts weak to the point where it was to unbelievable for him to be superman. Lets face it, everyone has a doppelganger in this world, he could easily play it off.
Clark Kent should be an explorer always traveling, going around the world helping people in different countries and villages as Superman. Always traveling, like a nomad, it would make more sense for him to always be on the move across the planet as Earth’s protector. That’s one thing I believe was executed perfectly at the start of the Man of Steel movie. Keeping him in one place (Metropolis) around the same people everyday is what presents the biggest obstacle in maintaining his secret identity. People would figure it out if they see you 5 days a week at work lmao.
An interesting story from Superman: The Movie (1978). Roger Moore - who was filming a Bond movie at the same studio - observed Christopher Reeve walking across the backlot in full Superman costume. All of the women around him were watching like hawks. However when Christopher Reeve did the same thing in Clark Kent's suit, no one payed him any attention whatsoever.
It's pretty obvious why that is. Seeing a man in the corner of your eye come out dressed in bright red and blue will immediately get your attention while a guy in a suit will barely even register in your brain. It'll just be background noise.
tmzissupergay yeah but Christopher Reeves was a very attractive man who was also quite famous at time.
Christopher reeves doesn't work at as a new reporter, and superman is alway in the media. You can't use reality as a way to explain comics, that how the DCEU is failing.
But... we can also tell christopher reeves is also superman
Who is christopher reeves?
Guys, Henry Cavill sat in the Times Square, under a giant BvS poster, wearing glasses and a superman shirt. He sat there for several hours and 2 or 3 people recognized him.
True
Mercurius Rex and that's Henry Cavill the actor. The people saw him in theaters. Superman, on the other hand, always flies and is oftentimes far from people that his face barely registers for everyone.
But Henry Cavill isn't associated with Superman the way Christopher Reeve, or even Tom Welling are. He's never been Superman and he never will be.
Actually didn’t wear glasses
that’s probably because it’s fucking Times Square and everyone is distracted taking pictures on the stairs or taking pictures with the people dressed as superheroes and shit. no one’s looking for Henry Cavill.
I wore glasses today and walked past my friends, they asked me why i was wearing glasses.
+lekan adams thats funny
Ha! So true. I don't buy any of it. He works with idiots and everyone else in Metropolis is severely near sighted
If anyone that I may recognise from movies shows up to work with me 9 to 5, Monday to Friday I'm sure as hell gonna call 'em out when I see them wearing spectacles (yes, I said spectacles - it rhymes with testacles and that pleases my inner eight year old).
I'm not a Scarlett Johansson fan (save for Under the Skin, girls got booty in that!!), but I'd easily and quickly call her out on it...after work, over drinks...
What about those other traits like his height and those arms and that chest? It's ridiculously hard hiding that under a long sleeved, crisp collared button down. I should know, I'm super ripped. No, no I'm not, but my point still stands.
But was your hair parted the other way?
+KRYMauL Right?!?! Why is this God-Clown even wasting 10 hours a day (travel time included) working a crappy entry level job at a newspaper. Clearly, he hasn't any refined time management/prioritisation skills.
+KRYMauL huh? ummm, mine. Always.
To summarize; Superman wastes enormous amounts of time pretending to be human instead of looking after his human-pets, Metropolis is full of unobservant morons and Scarlett Johansson has a slap-slamming ass
I think Superman Returns did it just right. In that world, Clark Kent is as significant as a hobo. Nobody even bothers looking at his face, and his posture and own eye contact avoidance helps it even further.
you touched on it breifly but id like to emphasize alot of it is the psychology of the prople around him. Clark presents clark superman presents superman. Not many people give it enough real thought to go much further than that bc they wouldnt necessarily put two and two together unless they were obsessed. Moreover the resemblence seems to be a huge mocking point but honestly weve all known someone or been that person who gets "i swear you look so familiar" the subtle changes in his appearance and especially his posture and expressed confidence are HUGE on a psychological level. THere was a video i saw a long time ago where a male model did an experiment where he dressed kind of plain in jeans and an oversized tshirt with his hair just kind or as is and slumped posture and was acting somewhat timid. He then approached women and asked for numbers and was shot down about 8/10 times. Within the same hour he ran to the restroom, gelled his hair put on some more form fitting fashionable cloths to show his physique and style and then just stood up straight and acted with confidence and the SAME girls who shot him down ealier gave their number. When they were told about the experiment NONE of them believed it was the same person and the only girl who thought he looked familiar assumed she had just seen him in passing elsewhere.
TLDR: Subtle changes can make BIG payoffs when appealing to the psychology of others
The clip in the original "Superman" where Christopher Reeve takes off the glasses while Lois is in the other room, stands up straight and, in his natural voice says; "Lois, there's something I have to tell you, I'm really..." then chickens out at the last second as Lois comes back into the room and goes back into the Clark Kent persona. THAT'S how it works!
+ejay1118 I agree. It's the best single moment in a very good movie. Christopher Reeve didn't need the costume to make the viewer believe he was Superman and the transformation didn't even require special effects.
They don't recognize it because nobody is looking for Supermans identity.
Because he never wears a mask nobody even thinks he has a secret identity
*****
not bad
+FeatheredCrow Plus the dude flies at Mach 5+ speed. Most average joes won't be able to see him at all.
+FeatheredCrow Agreed!
*****
Why would you look for the identity of someone who shows his face.
And why should someone with all the power in the world have a secret identity?
+FeatheredCrow That and people just assume that when he's not saving Metropolis, or some other American city, he's somewhere else in the world doing his Superman thing, not playing dress up as a regular shmoe.
I actually like the idea that Lex’s ego clouds his judgement from deducing that Clark is Superman. Its a perspective that i really appreciate because it highlights a character flaw (which villains are meant to have).
There also is the possibility that he knows, but just chooses not to mess with Clark. Because when he is Clark Kent, he is not Superman doing Superman stuff.
Also in Smallville. Lex doesn't want to think his best friend is also his enemy. He even said his friendship with Clark blinded him to what was going on and who Clark was.
Clark Kent is like the nerdy girl in those tween movie that nobody believes can be hot. Little did they know Clark is the prom queen.
No one cares about his identity! Simple.
@@heartless604 dc dont gives a shit about logic simple
@Thoughts that would be a foolish thing to believe,
Lex Luthor knows Clark's true identity but keeps it to himself: Whilst Clark is working at The Daily Planet it's 8 hours less he's fighting crime and thwarting Lex's plots. Revealing the identity basically gives Superman 8 more hours to punch villains in the face and balls..
But how will he pay his rent?
*****
You're thinking of the Batcave.
Arctic Batcave.
Yea, I read that in a comic a year or two ago...
***** The Fortress of Solitude.
Superman doesn't NEED a secret Identity. Much like I don't NEED the internet.
He grew up as Clark, he's used to being Clark. It's harder to maintain friends when you're the last alien from a distant planet.
He doesn't need to be Clark. But he really really wants to
There's still Supergirl and Zod (but still not that many of his race left)
There is a line from the superman cartoon "the late mr kent" I think it was called. "You don't understand, I have to be Clark Kent, I'd go crazy being superman all the time"
I agree with you. In fact I think he would rather be Clark all of the time. Having all his powers forces him to constantly use them to save people. That's a huge burden to bare 24/7. On top of that weight is knowing that he cant save everyone of them. I think most people would go crazy with that sort of burden always on their shoulders. It seems miraculous that he hasn't killed more often than he has.
Oni Raptor It really depends on who's writing.
My favorite superman story is "Up, Up, and Away" that follows a year in which he didn't have powers. It's written very well and really manages to strike that balance between being Superman vs being CK. Superman loves helping people. He doesn't see it as a burden, It's just part of his personality.
Also, the bigger struggle for superman is holding back his powers back when he's CK. If he would lose concentration while shaking someones hand he would crush it in to dust.
Yosi Berman
I appreciate your comment and I agree with you that its in the writing but when I said it was a burden I meant to think of it this way. There is a huge difference psychologically between the desire to help people and feeling that you are required to help people as a matter of life or death. the burden is psychological and internal. the cost of failure is that victims death or injury. Yet even for Superman he can not be all places at once. Even narrowing his focus to just Metropolis is a ratio for every person saved there are a dozen (100?) not. How would any rational being balance that cost internally. Not even counting those who blame him for a loved ones injury or death because he was elsewhere.
If you had a friend who looked a lot like someone famous. You'd naturally assume they just look like a famous person, not that they are in fact that famous person. Its genuinely a more logical assumption. Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry look similar but they aren't two different people.. or are they?
Maybe they're the same person just kind of pulling a face and whenever they're together one of them is a robot. People dont usually think like that and that's why nobody has noticed.
for years I thought that was the same chick
Just Saying lol point proven
What if this person happens to constantly vanish just in time for a mysterious hero to show up and save the day? Not even a slight suspicion?
Utracia1 Whenever someone has a slight suspicion he brings out robo-supes to dispose of said suspicions
Utracia1 There are too many examples of people seeing the two being in the same room for that to be a factor, especially in the comics. Hell, even the 90's Superman animated series had a robot Superman flying around while Lois was with Clark. Clark even handed the 'key to the city' to Superman in front of hundreds of witnesses, with a robot taking the place of Supes.
Once you see them both in the same room repeatedly, you'll start thinking that they just happen to look similar, especially when they act completely different from one-another, as Christopher Reeve always did.
So, he wears glasses, he is slightly hunched over, his cloths hide most of his bodystructure, he walks diffrent and speaks diffrent.
So yes, his disguise is thin, but belive me when i say that when Clark Kent would one day come to work and say the people he is Superman, people would not belive him.
After all, Charlin Cheplin lost once a Charlin Cheplin lookalike-contest, and he did not even try to disguise himself.
If someone saw Clark Kent they'd probably be thinking in their head "hey, that man over there looks a lot like superman, but it can't be ." Because it's all about perspective and your average reporter working at the daily planet couldn't possibly be the man of steel .
Maybe they do all know he's Superman but they've all collectively agreed to pretend like they don't. All so Clark's tenuous grip on reality (because who would ever believe wearing glasses would protect their identity) isn't lost and he doesn't go completely nuts.
***** I know all about his acting ability across the different versions. But despite all of that it is still kinda dumb that no one recognises him.
Hal Jordan's lack of imagination always bothered me. I mean come on Hal you have the ability to create anything you can think of. He should be the most powerful hero on Earth.
He could create a good Star Wars prequel.
Mine0TaurGameplayar Well done sir!
***** That created some disturbing images in my head.
it's not that he is not creative, he creates constructs of guns, and jets, and things like that because he is an air force pilot, he has been surrounded by those things since he was a kid, so ofcourse those are the things that come to his mide. Also in a high energy situation, you create what comes to your head first, not what looks cool, or is original. That being said, I like Kyle Rayner, because as an artist his mind has no limitations, his imagination would be the most powerful, considering that it is a main trait in both being an artist and a Green Lantern.
If i was in a fight to be honest and had to come up with things to fight with constantly and improvise with only a couple of seconds of thinking time and concentrate on what my enemy is doing and have great concentration on the objects which i do come up with so they aren't week and don't break. I don't think I'd be able to do anything for like a year yntil I've practiced, memorised and figured out what to use.
"I have no place in my organization for people who cannot see the obvious!"
That line is freaking hilarious.
"Hey,Martian Manhunter, wanna do me a favor?" problem solved.
Martian Manhunter? Do you mean Silver Age Superman?
Mission accomplished... Good work everyone.
Superman actually does use MM's help to do exactly this in the animated movie "Reign of the Supermen".
He uses his superspeed to kiss everyone who sees him, making them forget his appearance.
his lips must be chapped. And he's gotta have like, a thousand cold sores by now
***** What if he gets Super Ebola?
Chris Countchrisdo theres nothing saying he can't get a super-version of a virus from krypton. His parents would have been exposed to kryptonian viruses and diseases, and he brought all those with him.
The only counter point; is the viruses will not likely get direct sunlight exposure, and thus wont become super-virused!
What would be really interesting; is super-cancer. Unstoppable deadly kryptonian cells dividing uncontrollably.
He vibrates his lips so fast he gives people temporary brain aneurisms.
Best explanation ever!!
It's hard to distinguish Clark Kent from Superman when you have a *ton* of dust in your eyes... from all the fallen buildings that were destroyed during "Man of Steel" (2013). R.I.P. Metropolis. ;)
Building debris had so much screen time that I thought it was a leading character.
Well said. LMAO
***** funniest darn thing I've read all day
It just works. It works in real life too. You dont suspect that 1 guy at work is actually a star celebrity working a boring job for no reason.
***** actually you will if you arent an idiot
***** who's angry?
***** I'm 21 and I'm not angry. I am saying people have to be dumb to not put things together
+Fumontaindew2012 illogical I guess, lame? HELL NO!!!!
Fumontaindew2012 you're the one who seems to be the crybaby, whining about a character and using the tired old "not realistic or relatable" garbage, that attitude doesn't make you mature in fact it makes you come across as an annoying cynic with no imagination who's got nothing better to do than make cynical remarks about everything.
Tom Cruise worked as a UPS guy or something in preparation for a role. No one recognized him while he did it, and people were having regular conversations with him, up close.
There's just no reason to assume that some guy who looks like Superman is him. If a barista in your favorite cafe looked like some celebrity, say Jon Oliver, would you assume that he's actually Jon Oliver? Of course not, it would be a ridiculous assumption to make.
The difference is no one thinks Tom cruise has a secret identity
Hence no one is looking for it
I'm sure there are people in the DCU who are purely there to find out superman identity
Tom cruise does not have that same problem
+Tom Cockburn why would anyone in the DC universe think Superman would have an identity if he doesn't hide his face as well? Pretty sure noone would look at a god-like being and think he would pretend to be human.
+masterrance ikr, maybe a look alike of Jesus will make people think he is Jesus. there's a lot in Middle East..lol
didn't Charlie Chaplin lose at a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest
+Tom Cockburn Well people in the DC universe don't really believe that he has a day job or secret identity, because he pops out throughout the day to help people. Like "Gotta pee BRb lul..." *Goes and stops a robbery, puts out a fire, lasers a pedos dick off from miles away, stops another robery annnnd "Oh hey guys, I miss anything in those two minutes I was away?" That plays a large part.
You look up and don't see superman, you don't assume he's working at 7/11 or working at a newspaper, you just assume he's somewhere else saving someone.
Thats how I see it anyways, but your opinion is valid as alot of heroes/villains do have alter egos and such.
But, I do think we as real life people just assume "secret identity" because we've been conditioned that way: Peter Parker/Spidey, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, etc. We just automatically connect a superperson with having a secret alter ego. It's very rare someone doesn't have one: Joker, Shulky, Elastic Man? Not very common.
There's a barista in a local Starbucks near me that is a perfect doppelganger for Ben Affleck. I've never once asked him if he's really Bruce Wayne. Just like you said. It's really easy to fool most people because the mind naturally discounts things that seem far-fetched. Like the nerdy, awkward fool that is Clark Kent, could be the ultimate confident alpha male with superpowers.
Whenever pondering the whole superman identity thing. I like to remember a quote from the Dark Knight :"Let me get this straight, you think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante, who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, and your plan is to blackmail this person?"
Same principle works here.
Wait a minute? Clark Kent is... Superman?
WHAAAAAAAT????
I like the idea that his glasses contain Kryptonian technology.
I think its necessary for him to have a secret identity, just cos if he doesn't, every villain in the universe will kidnap his parents and lois lane, every single day! Even though that seems to happen already......so no, its not necessary XD
I disagree, it's more of a metaphor for how we all have a superhero inside of us. Superheroes are metaphorical beigns like the modern myths and deities they are, so i never try to take them litterally.
You have to ask yourself this though, would _you_ want to be the one on Superman's Shit-list for killing Lois or his parents?
***** Nope. Unless I were:
1. Metallo. If Superman got too close, I would just open my chest and let the kryptonite core do the rest.
2. Zod. You think an angry Superman is bad, try a Kryptonian with actual battle experience.
3. Zatanna Zatara or Doctor Fate. !!NAMREPUS EROM ON!
Bradley Cude Still wouldn't chance it.
1 and 3. How long would it take him to either get behind you, put you in orbit and use a meteor to hurdle you into the sun/black hole or poke you in the neck?
2. MOS.
All I'm saying is it'd be easier just to kill _him_ first while he's still in normal mode.
***** True. Just ask Injustice: Year One Mirror Master. He kidnapped the Kents, and the only reason he survived was that Wonder Woman rescued them, not Superman.
Chris Reeve smiling and breaking the 4th wall is a tip of the hat to George Reeves in my opinion. As Superman, George was constantly looking into the camera and winking.
What, Clark Kent is Superman!?!? Ha… next you'll be telling us Santa isn't real : )
I'll tell you why Lex Luthor cant put two and two together and deduce that clark kent and superman are the same person- because 2+2=4
He even had Martian Manhunter play Superman while he interviewed himself (The Martian) as Clark Kent.
Man, you really know your comic book history...!!! It's a pleasure learning about things I am not even interested in from you.....Cheers!!!
The really clever thing about MoS is that not everyone is close up to superman, the only person who has is lois lane, maybe the general but given their age you could expect them to forget, but noone in that film really had an up close and personal look at him and that is why zack snyder made this film like a first contact movie where aliens come to earth, we barely followed much of supermans life apart from going over his past and then to his present, it's mostly been about zod and his path to earth for superman.
I read once somewhere that Superman also changes his facial muscles enough so people can't make the comparison between the two. We as the audience watching and reading seems absurd to us, but in DC Comics not many people can tell the difference.
Quote from adventurecomics on tumblr-
"Evidence against the argument that Superman's disguise wouldn't fool anyone:
-Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton look alike contest to a drag queen.
-Charlie Chaplin once failed to even place at a Charlie Chaplin impersonator contest.
-Hugh Jackman went to comic con as Wolverine, only 2 people noticed him and one told him he was too tall,
-Christopher Reeve used to go to a restaurant in costume when filming Superman. When he went in the Superman costume he was mobbed by people all the time. When he went in the Clark Kent costume no one realized he was Christopher Reeve."
Has everyone actually watched the original 1978 Superman movie? The scene in Lois' apartment where Clark is planning on confessing his identity to her is probably the only argument you ever need to answer this question, as well as one of the greatest displays of acting you'll ever see. Clark takes his glasses off and within a couple of seconds he _becomes_ Superman even without his blue spandex suit, literally growing 3 inches before your eyes, bulking up to herculean proportions and speaking with a _completely_ different voice. And then he loses his nerve at the last second when Lois comes back in, slips the glasses back on and _pop,_ he's Clark Kent again. Christopher Reeve was a MASTER actor.
That woman, Amanda, that Luthor fired went from prude to crazy hot in just three panels. Mr. Sunday, you should do an entire video about crazy Superman powers that were then forgotten about by the comics.
This is one thing I admittedly loved about Jesse Eisenberg's Luthor in *BvS,* the smart decision to have him realistically determine in one film that Superman was Clark Kent instead of playing up this antiquated dynamic in the DCEU.
I had a similar reaction to Bane immediately knowing who Bruce was in *TDKR,* demonstrating his intelligence in their first meeting but choosing not to expose him because he wanted to retain the Batman as a symbol that he could destroy.
Bane knew revealing Batman's identity would only leave him human. That wasn't enough in his eyes, he wanted Gotham to keep seeing him as a legend, a figure, so that he could annihilate everything that symbol once stood for and achieved.
That's why he told them the truth about Harvey Dent, not to give the city "back to the people" but because the people & city were the Waynes' & Batman's legacy. Bane wanted Bruce to watch that legacy descend into chaos before killing it himself.
By the same token, Luthor could've blackmailed Clark into sharing his identity as he did to make him fight Batman. But he didn't want Clark to be seen as human or relatable. He wanted Superman, the symbol, to be seen as a fraud, a "false god".
I remember Kal breaking his nose when he was disguising himself as Clark. Though I can't remember what era/version of the character did so.
I wasn't wearing my glasses at work one day and my co workers didn't know who I was at first
WAIT, THERE WAS A COMIC WHERE SUPERMAN COULD SHOOT A SMALL VERSION OF HIMSELF OUT OF HIS HAND? THATS SOME GREEN LANTERN TYPE SHIT LOL theres also a comic where he gets Lantern's ring, which would like make him one of most powerful heros in existence
+Zach Trevors He is the most powerful hero in existence already, and seriously though the fucking Green Lantern could be so much more powerful if he didn't just make the most generic human military stuff.
At least on earth, he would be. But shouldn't we assume there is at least one kryptonian in the corps?
It was best said on the Lois and Clark show: "Superman is what I can do. Clark Kent is who I am." Superman doesn't pretend to be Clark Kent. It's who he was raised to be. If he were to abandon one identity, he'd give up being Superman, and just use his powers openly as Clark Kent.
Christopher Reeves went to the same cafe every day while he was playing Superman, then one day he went in his Clark Kent performance, and no one recognised him.
I remember an incident at a comic convention once when a fan asked Noel Neill (Lois Lane) how she didn't know how Clark Kent was Superman. Her answer? " It's simple: I didn't want to lose my job!" There you have it.
"Just like how Wolverine's claws are considered unbreakable"
HAH! Tell that to the multitude of characters who have broken them, like when they shattered against Rogue's body, or when Black Bolt breaks Wolvie's claws :P
Just because two people look alike does not mean they're the same person. Simple explanation.
They don’t just look alike, they literally look the EXACT same.
Milk Patty
Not really. Clark changes his haircut, slouches back, he wears a huge coat to appear fatter, changes his voice and acts clumsy.
The collector If you saw both of them up close it would be impossible to not make the connection without suffering from a mental handicap
Milk Patty
Why would someone think that an allpowerfull being with no mask that seemingly is active all the time, has met Clark (he has had robots pose as him so he can trick people by meeting himself) and has a completely different voice than clear Kiev would be Clark Kent?
The collector I don’t know, maybe because their faces literally look indistinguishable
I think glasses do make a difference. When I actually started wearing mine some people didn't recognize me....or maybe cause I'm just a forgettable person
Me : **breaks something**
Mom : **coming to beat me**
Me : **Wears glasses** 😎
Mom : Who are u? Where is my son?
your voice is like heaven to my ears
Well I could probably write a novel on this topic but I'll try to keep it down to 100 words or less. There are many explanations. First Clark has had friends like the Martian Manhunter and Batman disguise himself so that his friends have seen them together on more than one occasion. The 50's and 60's Superman used robots to accomplish the same thing. Then there is the little known power called Super-Hypnotism. In a few issues he used it to show that other saw Clark as more frail than Superman. He used it even at the end of Superman II with Christopher Reeve when he kissed Lois and made her forget who he was or that they were married. In the TV series Lois and Clark he met some fellow Kryptonians for the first time and was astonished to learn that they communicated telepathically. This means he has low level telepathy that may not allow him to read minds but may allow him to block humans from being able to recognize him as Clark. This was backed up by the film Superman Returns with Brandon Routh in which his son immediately recognized Clark as Superman when no one else in the office did, implying it did not work on a half Kryptonian. Finally the most obvious reason is that even if people realize he looks like Superman they can't believe Superman would have a job and have to pay bills and such. I have a friend who was a Superman impersonator in the early 60's at hospitals and schools. He used to like to dress up as Clark and immediately return to the scene and he was never once recognized, so it may be a better disguise then we all think,
People just dont believe, OR DONT WANT TO BELIEVE that a normal citizen living amongst them could be as SELFLESS as superman IS!
In a world where most people ignore crime,
Just dont want to get involved for reasons of cowardess,
Reasons legitimate like self preservation, cant be bothered with being THERE BROTHERS KEEPER, what ever the reason.
Some people cant rap there mind that a person SO SELFLESS would dedicate there whole life to the protection of the peopkes of earth, sacraficing family, and friends.
I gotta say its hard to believe a person out there eould care for humanity as much as superman does, AND THATS WHY HES THE GREATEST SUPER HERO OF ALL TIME.
Because the entire DC universe takes place in the head of a comatose Arkham patient Said patient is Bruce Wayne, who’s been comatose since witnessing his parent’s murder. His fellow inmates are made up of heroes, and villains in the DCU including the Joker. Also included are Clark Kent, and Diana Prince. Anytime either one of them puts on their glasses, the staff just humors them, and pretend that they don’t recognize them.
I love the idea that Lex Luthor knows exactly what Superman's secret identity is. The reason he stays quiet about it is "If he spends 8 hours a day being Clark Kent, that's 8 hours a day that he's not being Superman, and not screwing up my plans" lol
the "super villans conviently forgets super hero identity" thing is explained in 'identity crises' saying that, without telling batman, superman, and other heros. that super heros with magic or phycic powers erase the memory of villans that find out there identity. batman then finds out about that & is so mad to be kept in the dark & memory swept himself breaks apart the justic leage leading into one year later
Maybe Superman simply has a *Super Generic Face*, making it hard for people to even remember what he looks like. You know when people say "Oh, I just have one of those faces" ? That's what Superman has.
(Also, Muhammad Ali is smarter than Lex Luthor.)
Paradox Acres false and stupid. the Lex Luthor thing not the rest
paul johnson II Hey, don't get angry at me. It was in the comics ;)
Paradox Acres oh then the comic is stupid not you my bad
paul johnson II Yeah, it was in the video. (I'd look for it but I'm too lazy)
paul johnson II Well black people have more common sense than white people and if Ali figured out superman was Clark Klent,he wouldn't be so indinial
A pair of glasses can't fool the world's greatest detective
It actually did.
Tell that to Zod's snapped neck!
Yes....
Sherlock Holmes!
I like the "The public simply doesn't want to accept it." Reason.After all, there are still people that think a rodent in Pennsylvania brings upon the Spring.
Henry Cavil actually went around NYC with glasses on and even a Superman shirt on and not one single person noticed him
he didn't even wear glasses
Mr Sunday Movies, how do you not have 1 million subscribers yet, you're amazing
I seem to remember an issue where someone figured it out by comparing voices as voices are like fingerprints everyone has an unique one
on the one hand he doesn't because if he was pursued by someone they couldn't capture him without knowing his weakness but he's never be able to have a life in case a villain pursued the ones he loved and he would be constantly plagued by fans so yes he needs it
I think it's pretty simple. Nobody knows that Superman has a secret identity so nobody's looking.
Yes, it is necessary. It keeps Superman grounded, at human level so he doesn't get the idea of himself as a god over them. It reminds him why he does what he does, who he's saving and what light he's trying to inspire. It is very necessary.
clark kent is important to superman just so he can stay humble
i recommend red son for that.
Listening to these rants makes my day better. Call it lame, they just do
I think it's the comb over he does with his hair in combination with the glasses that helps to keep his identity a secret.
Everyone knows Superman...Very few people know Clark Kent.
I find the whole 'secret' identity thing to make sense, when it comes to being out in public and with casual acquaintances, and quite silly when it comes to close friends and enemies. For example one of the best things about the 'Man of Steel' rendition of the character is the relationship that he and Lois have. She's portrayed as a smart reporter that not only sees through his 'secret identity' but finds him before there ever is a "Superman." I hope that in future movies they will use Lois as an ally to keep his identity a secret
It's been heavily hinted that is how things will turn out. However, she and Clark will need to keep their distance. There were people who saw them kissing seconds before he left to fight Zod.
'Because of his strict, no-mask policy' hits a little different in 2020
In many versions of the character, Clark was a member of the 30th/31st century Legion of Super Heroes, who gave him a flight ring as a token of membership. Since he doesn't need it to fly, and it's loaded with other future technology (it can turn itself invisible, time travel beacon, and transtemporal communicator) I think it passively boosts or focuses his self image as oafish Clark Kent into other people's minds as a form of psychic camouflage.
when henry civall wore glasses he still looked like himself
Fantastic video James! If I may interject a little, as far as Man of Steel is concerned, the reason why Clark Kent wasn't recognizable in that film was because he wasn't fricking in it! Despite whether or not the film was any good, I felt like there was little to no characterization of Clark Kent that identified him as the hero all other heroes ascribe to be. Also, Thank you for referencing Superman: Birthright - It's probably my favorite iteration of the Superman origin and I've been recommending it to interested people left and right. Lastly, your question of whether Clark needs to have a secret identity; I would say that in consideration of heroes, Batman is the true persona of Bruce Wayne, while Clark Kent is the true persona of Superman. While he's embraced his Kryptonian heritage, it's not what defines him, it's his Kansas upbringing that serves as his moral compass, which employed steady values that he hopes everyone can accept. But as far as should he keep up a secret identity, sure. Aside from the trope of not wanting others closest to him being turned into targets by his enemies, he himself doesn't want to be viewed as a God that should be worshiped, nor as the savior who will always be there, because he won't. He wants to leave a lasting impact that will inspire Joe Schmoe to say "Hey, I want to help make the world a better place before I leave it". So for him to stay out of the fight sometimes to ensure that notion among people is nurtured may seem cruel, but in the long run if it's followed through it will lead to a brighter tomorrow, as what he set out to do. Now that I've written this out I wonder if that's actually addressed in the current run of the comics, that every once in a while the citizens of Metropolis are doing progressively more to help one another. The only person that comes to mind is Bibbo Bibbowski, and that's from the previous continuity. (Another aside, sorry, but of all the necks Superman should snap, why not the Joker's? Yeah Batman villain who's the best one and all, but seriously, that's a lot of lives he could save by a quick flick of the wrist there). (Also, sorry if this sounds dickish, but any chance for a birthday shout out for last month? Please?? Much appreciated dude)
The classic trope of secret identities (a hero protects his identity to protect loved ones from reprisals) is a bit outdated but still has a place in modern comic books.
Finally, I ask this question everytime I see a superman adaptation, since childhood. The voice in my head gets louder each time I see Henry cavil eeaaassy walkin in the newsroom😑
with everything he does in other versions to ensure no one realizes it’s him, i’ll accept it, but all henry cavill’s superman does is wear a pair of glasses. that’s it. he doesn’t change his posture, voice, mannerisms, nothing. anyone who’s seen clark and superman relatively up close or heard both of them talk before, during, or after the first man of steel should immediately recognize that they’re the same person.
Cavil is rarely ever clark anyway
I got a better question than that. What does Wayne enterprises do?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conglomerate_(company)
The thing about the first Superman movies is that they actually work in a mythical sense. A lot of people tend to talk about how superheroes are the modern deities but they dont really seem to understand what that means: If you watch that movie it feels like youre watching a fairytale in motion, it understands that myths work in dream-logic. Remember those unforgetable "magic" moments in the Sam Raimi's Spiderman, like the train or sandman beign born? Thats the same principle.
I think the hypnosis glasses are the best explanation, he could make himself look scrawny so that people would never think he could possibly be Superman
that batman looked so happy in the suit haha
I think it's a good idea for Superman to have an alter ego 1 so he can just walk around in the world he spends all day protecting. Otherwise he'd have fans and paparazzi on him all the time. But I believe it was Frank Miller who wrote the Batman series in which it's much later in the future and Lex Luthor finally put 2 and 2 together to = Hold everyone Superman loves hostage at all times and therefore gets Superman to work for him to a degree. Not saying that's exactly what would happen but something similar is likely.
Either its acting/mannerisms, or hypnotic glasses/hypnotic power.
It's funny how this is recommended to me in 2020
1. He's an indestructible, immortal god from another planet. No one would assume he would be anything but that for 18 hours every day. Let alone working a low pay 9-5 every day, in disguise.
2.Everyone always seems to assume that Clark Kent is somehow a known figure in the DC Universe, that every person on the planet should make the connection (based on looks) right away. Clark Kent is as unknown as they come, except for the occasional, smaller article in the newspaper ( I don't even know if they include a thumbnail of his (disguised) face. The only people who actually regularly get a close-up look at Clark Kent are his friends and family, which would be the most logical people to even THINK of making the similarity; and pretty much of all them has at some point figured out his secret actually.
3. Superman/Clark is slightly taller are more buff and more good looking than the average person, but all-in-all he's got a pretty average look with his short, black, tidy haircut, blue eyes and normal clothes. And with his changed posture and demeanor, and the fact that the few people that interact with Clark on a regular basis has mostly known him since he was a clumsy kid, makes people see him as a passable "lookalike" at best.
4. You have got to understand also that Superman as a character was created WAY before smartphone cameras, HD TVs, the internet and mass-multimedia (also back when every adult man literally dressed the same - hat, suit and everything xD). It was way easier to get away with that disguise back in the 30's and 40's, when no one except for the people he actually saved ever got a good, close look at him, almost no one had a photo to even remember him of, and there was zero risk of anyone seeing him and then Clark up close in the same week. Well, except for (the obvious and classic) Lois Lane. Which DID begin to draw parallels.
*Supermans secret identity has been a staple of his character since his creation and it will always be that way*
Brian Michael Bendis: Welllll, let’s change that shall we?
good points about the Hulk and GL. I have always thought that GL's green contraptions are too simple for a man who know stuff in the universe.
And Hulk -- his pants grow and shrink along with his size, including some version of Hulk who gets bigger if he gets angrier, and yet these are not even alien-made shorts!
I always like the idea that Superman has the secret identity for the simple fact if he didn't he'd go nuts. At the end of the day he's still someone raised in a small town, from a farming community and so probably yearns for that human connection, which is harder if you are Distant Floating Godman.
Yeah, Superman can see you. Muhahahaha! :D
It's also explained in the John Bryne run that Superman like Flash vibrates at a certain speed to prevent many clear photos of him being taken.
I love what they do with Superman/Clark in All-Star Superman and make Clark slunch over more, try to stay out of sight, and because he's so vast Clark uses his size to make him more clumsy. You are a true genius Grant Morrision.
Man of Steel/Batman v Superman's superman seems to portray Clark Kent differently: he is actually a little more aggressive as Kent pursuing the Batman story, and when he's not fighting as Superman he seems come off as a Gentle Giant.
When BvS came out, Henry Cavill stood in the middle of Time Square (withe giant posters of his face all over the place) with a Superman shirt. He said that no one looked at him. A cop or guard asked hiw what he was waiting, and on old lady asked for her way (or just asked him to move, i don't remember)...
Who was the artist who made that pic at 2:05
Ed McGuinness
⚡️ HERE'S EVERYONE'S DETAILED EXPLANATION AS TO WHY NOBODY RECOGNIZES CLARK KENT AS SUPERMAN ⚡️
Clark's glasses are the real reason people can't tell he's Superman. Superman's eyes give off a low level hypnotism effect. Clark examined the wreckage of his Kryptonian rocket finding a Plexiglass window shattered which will cause HYPNOSIS to humans! When he wears glasses made of the Kryptonian plexiglass material, it amplifies that effect to make people see him as a different and normal individual. Detailed DC Comic info below:
*Information Source: Superman #330 "The Master Mesmerizer of Metropolis!"
*COMIC COVER DETAILS:
Top Text: EXCLUSIVE! Superman's SECRET revealed!
Superman(holding his glasses): "Lana-- Now do you believe I'm Clark Kent?"
Lana Lang(holding a picture of Clark): "Of course not! What kind of idiot do you take me for? This is what Clark looks like!"
Bottom Text: "Revealed at last-- the startling secret of how Superman fools the world with his Clark Kent identity!"
⭐️ "SUPERMAN: MASTER MESMERIZER OF METROPOLIS!" ⭐️
The story opens with Clark Kent waking up in bed, quite rattled from a nightmare of a satellite falling out of orbit and is headed straight at them in his office building. To Clark's astonishment, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Lana Lang urge him to change into his Superman suit. His close friends have apparently seen through him such as Lang. Lana refers to it as a silly blue suit.
Now wide awake, Clark wonders why his disguise has seemingly fooled millions for so many years and finds out that Metropolis is being attacked by a super-villain called The Spellbinder, who induces mass-hypnosis to get folks to do just about anything at his command. Before long, after a battle between Superman and Spellbinder, Superman figures out why his super self-hypnosis failed to protect him from The Spellbinder. Superman is then amazingly able to use his own super-hypnosis power to all but insure that every person in Metropolis won't be affected by The Spellbinder.
Superman heads back to work and changes from his Superman costume but then Lana Lang interrupts him. To Superman’s astonishment Lana fails to recognize that he's Superman changing to Clark. What she sees is just Superman holding glasses! Lana explains to Superman that she knows Clark, and that he has a phony similarity at best! Lana says that Superman’s too heavily built much too handsome for Clark. Superman then asks why Lana thinks this. She explains that she never knew how Superman could change his appearance so drastically if he was Clark. Clark is left confused as to why Lana sees him as Superman and not Clark. Then Spellbinder is at it again and Clark determines that he's got to self-hypnotize himself against the villain to also become immune.
Before long, Superman begins another battle with The Spellbinder. Superman mistakenly believes that The Spellbinder's hypnosis won't effect him. However, The Spellbinder is able to convince him that he's lost his powers. After The Spellbinder wins and leaves the scene, Superman figures out why his super self-hypnosis failed to protect him from The Spellbinder and why Lana couldn't recognize him as Clark. He doesn't say yet to keep readers in suspense. Superman is able to avoid another dose of hypnosis from The Spellbinder after realizing that the villain is using SOUND for hypnosis. Via special earplugs, Superman is able to resist The Spellbinder's hypnosis and defeat him.
After Superman's final fight with The Spellbinder, Clark finds that his glasses (made of the Plexiglass from his Kryptonian rocket) channel low-level subconscious projections from Superman to make people believe that Clark and Superman appear differently. Whereas ordinary glasses would not have this effect because his glasses are Kryptonian and "things" from Krypton take on super-special characteristics on Earth such as Superman himself.
Clark goes to his apartment and studies himself and the Kryptonian Plexiglass in his eyeglasses. Clark says, "Apparently, my power of super-hypnotism is always working - at low power - even when I’m not willing it! It automatically projects my subconscious desire to be seen as a weaker and frailer man than I really am!... Without my conscious well behind this, my hypnotic power wouldn't work without one thing: "my glasses". "Some unknown property of the Kryptonian Plexiglass [in my eyeglasses] must intensify the low-level effect of my eyes! So when people look at Clark, what they see is the image of Clark I try to project!” (Clark creates a sketch of what he'd like to project himself as by making himself look frailer and not terribly handsome.) Superman goes on to conclude the story and explain to us readers that this effect not only is projected in person, but is carried via photographs and cameras.
my favorite DC character, superman was my introduction to superheroes, i was 5 or six when i dressed as superman for all saints's evening
Kryptonian glass? that was in Secret Origins!
These are hilarious! Commentaries! I love them! #keep'emcomin!
I like how in Lego Batman that Joker finds the Batcave, under Wayne Manor, and deduces that Batman is Bruce Wayne...'s roommate :P
I think it's right that it's just sort of stuck there now :p
He explained that people think that superheroes are 24/7 and never bothered to pay attention to other people
Clark Kent was always super clumsy and acts weak to the point where it was to unbelievable for him to be superman. Lets face it, everyone has a doppelganger in this world, he could easily play it off.
In man of steel no one really sees him except Lois Lane.
Clark Kent should be an explorer always traveling, going around the world helping people in different countries and villages as Superman. Always traveling, like a nomad, it would make more sense for him to always be on the move across the planet as Earth’s protector. That’s one thing I believe was executed perfectly at the start of the Man of Steel movie. Keeping him in one place (Metropolis) around the same people everyday is what presents the biggest obstacle in maintaining his secret identity. People would figure it out if they see you 5 days a week at work lmao.