Dr Dread
Staff 
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on Jun 16, 2006 21:57:47 GMT -5
Marvel has had numerous heroes drop their secret identities in the past few years. Now with the Civil War series, Marvel seems poised to eliminate all secret identites?
Is it a good idea?
Will it let the biggest genie out of the bottle?
Is it the next natural and necessary progression of superheroes?
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Post by darkknightdetec on Jun 16, 2006 22:21:59 GMT -5
How can a hero possibly not have a secret identity? They would always be swarmed in public with reporters and fans. They would be more of a Hollywood star who fights crime than an actual hero. A superhero's job is never about the publicity.
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Post by giantevilhead on Jun 17, 2006 5:14:11 GMT -5
Most superheroes would go crazy if they didn't have a secret identity. They have to have a life. Being a superhero 24 hours a day would be like being at your job all the time, even if you love it, it's not going to be very enjoyable after a while. Plus they need some perspective on their situation that they can only get if they have a secret identity. Clark Kent asking what someone thinks about Superman will get a different answer than Superman asking what someone thinks about Superman.
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Post by HoM on Jun 17, 2006 9:29:22 GMT -5
I don't think the reason superheroes have secret identities is to ask the average guy what they think about them, eh?  |
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on Jun 17, 2006 9:38:54 GMT -5
I don't think the reason superheroes have secret identities is to ask the average guy what they think about them, eh? When the Batmobile has a bumper sticker saying "How's my driving? 1-800-BAT-DRIVE" That's when I quit! ;D |
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Post by HoM on Jun 17, 2006 9:47:11 GMT -5
EXALT!
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Post by giantevilhead on Jun 18, 2006 2:08:38 GMT -5
I don't think the reason superheroes have secret identities is to ask the average guy what they think about them, eh? Well, it's all about perspective. Some superheroes are so powerful that they can ruin your life by breathing hard. They have to get a good understanding of all the consequences of their actions, even the most insignificant ones. They can't do that as superheroes. Just look at all the storylines where superheroes turn evil, that almost always happens because they've lost touch with the common man or when they think that they know better than the people they protect. |
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Post by Lantern Lad on Jun 18, 2006 2:43:35 GMT -5
I think Spidey being outed was a bad move. Part of the characters charm was the fact that no one knew the man behind the mask. He was always the misunderstood hero. And, especially in his case, being married & having living relatives, it is an incredibly bad idea. Maybe it will be better than 'The Other', but I just see it going south.
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Post by Romans Empire on Jun 18, 2006 3:33:59 GMT -5
When Bendis outed Daredevil it worked. It was the central sub-plot during his entire run. In the end it served the character and the story. Thats how I look at it as a whole. Does it serve the character and or the story better when they do not have a secret id. The answer in most cases is no.
Take away the whole "oh no my family will be in danger" part of it for a minute and look at the characters that do not have secret id's. They essentially are one dimensional characters.
The characters that do have secret id's get to be portrayed as two characters and the reader is always in on the secret. When done right, it makes the super hero human and the readers can relate to that person better. (Clark & Superman)
But let me ask this question; What great loss would it be to Bruce Wayne if he was outed as Batman? I would say none. I can't remember the last time Bruce Wayne was a character in the Batman titles? Sure it would tamper with the Batman 'myth' in Gotham city. Sure everyone would know he was 'just a man' in a costume but hasn't that been played out already?
In the end whether the character has a secret id or not, what matters the most is how they are portrayed as that character and do we care to find out what happens to them next?
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Post by starlord on Jun 18, 2006 9:00:09 GMT -5
I think John has some valid points here, but Batman being outed would be a huge blow to what he does. Not necessarily because there would be anymore danger, but because Bruce has used the persona of Batman as a mystery figure that stalks the night. Is Batman even human? We know that, and yes many do, but to the general masses, he is still a mystery. If it were to be suddenly revealed that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Then hey folks, Batman is a real person (an ultra rich playboy to boot), well now there goes the fear factor.
As for my main man, Spidey? I'll see how it plays out, but I don't think it's a terrific idea at all. I know comics are suppose to be fantasy, but I can't see any logical recourse then every bad guy that he has ever fought, wiping out everything in Peter's life. MJ, May, The Bugle, the school, everything. It just doesn't work for me.
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on Jun 18, 2006 21:05:59 GMT -5
Well, I've been thinking about it, and so far a public identity hasn't hurt Captain America nor Daredevil. I thought it was initially a bad idea to reveal Spider-Man's identity to Aunt May. After reading how it was dealt with, I was wondering why they had waited so long.
Honestly, on the DC side, I think Superman could drop the Clark Kent secret, and there wouldn't be much of a change. A bigger change than him going public, was his marriage to Lois. She was always the person he tried the hardest to hide his identity from, and now that she knows it, the secret identity seems almost superfluous.
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Post by artteach on Jun 19, 2006 22:55:46 GMT -5
From a writers standpoint secret identities give you more to work with. You have two sides to the same coin to work with. Think of your favorite storylines, remove the SI and see if they work.
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Post by brigante133 on Jun 20, 2006 0:52:28 GMT -5
jonah hex seems to do fine. oh wait... he's not really a hero huh.
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Post by artteach on Jun 20, 2006 1:37:29 GMT -5
Okay, edit, Think of your favorite storyline with a SI, remove the Si and see if the story works.
Batman: Murderer/fugitive/etc would not work without SI. Superman:For all Seasons/ Long Halloween/ Dark Knight Returns/ Dark Victory would be missing key elements without the SI.
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Post by HoM on Jun 20, 2006 3:31:45 GMT -5
jonah hex seems to do fine. oh wait... he's not really a hero huh. |
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Post by thumper727 on Jun 22, 2006 0:22:52 GMT -5
By giving away their secret identity they lose half of their story. For example, in comics today there can be a bruce wayne and batman story, which usually interact. But if the world knew that Batman was Bruce Wayne, there could only be one half of the story because the two characters are then the same. I think the identity and the hero are two seperate characters, more so in the DC universe than Marvel, and if you got rid of the idnetity you get rid of half the fin and suspense of people finding out their identity.
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Post by Romans Empire on Jun 22, 2006 13:51:55 GMT -5
A lot of good points have been brought up here.
I agree that Batman losing his secret id would change the way he is perceived as a character. But, when was the last time Bruce Wayne was an important character in the Bat books. When I say important I also mean an interesting element to any given story. Maybe during the Murderer/ Fugitive arcs? That was a gimmick when it comes down to it.
When has a writer made Bruce Wayne as interesting as Batman?
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Post by dragonbat on Jun 22, 2006 14:47:58 GMT -5
Christos N. Gage. LOTDK 201-203
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Post by Romans Empire on Jun 22, 2006 15:33:49 GMT -5
Christos N. Gage. LOTDK 201-203 I loved his work on the Deadshot mini so I will check it out. Thanks Ellen. |
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Post by HoM on Jun 23, 2006 2:04:16 GMT -5
Deadshot was awesome!
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Post by cheshire on Jun 24, 2006 12:07:58 GMT -5
I forget what News I was watching but one station actually did a story on Spiderman and how he unmasked himself. It seems like a lot of people are mighty pissed.
To answer the question, secret identies are a must.
Think of Huntress as a school teacher, that wouldn't work out at all. The kids would always be asking her things, she would probably lose her job for being a violent influence, even though she is on the good side.
The government could go after Oracle in a heartbeat if she hacked into their computers and an actual picture of her came up.
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Post by starlord on Jun 25, 2006 8:31:47 GMT -5
I'm not to worried about the Spider-man issue. Rumor has it that Marvel will reveal that the original Captain Mar-Vell is actually still alive and in a pocket universe, where he will begin to pound on a crystal wall and eventually everything in the Marvel Universe will be retconned.  |
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Post by darkknightdetec on Jun 25, 2006 22:09:26 GMT -5
Wow, a 100% vote for secret identities. I wonder how this poll would do on the Marvel boards...
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Apprentice
Staff
I really need a new avatar...
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Post by Apprentice on Jul 1, 2006 14:20:26 GMT -5
Huh? This isn't a Marvel board? Uh-oh...*slowly backs away*
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Sam
Staff
People will still know it's me if I change my username right...?
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Post by Sam on Jul 25, 2006 18:25:06 GMT -5
See I really like the idea of a hero not having a secret identity, like the Flash in the Johns run. It was cooler when he ran his wife to work or hung out with the rogue cops and was friends with Hunter Zolomon.
As a side note I thought Hunter Zolomon should have been the new Flash OYL, but that's just me.
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