What are your thoughts on the Superman-Clark Dichotomy?

[Jcogginsa]

What are your opinions on the Superman/Clark dichotomy?

How distinct should they be?

What are your favorite depictions of it?

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Here's my take on how it should work

Superman should be three people, not two. he is Clark Kent, Kal-el, and Superman.

Clark Kent is his love of Earth and his family, his relaxation from the pressure of being Superman, the ability to be controversial in ways that he can't in the cape, and his way of connecting to other people on a deeper level

Kal-El is his zest for life, his drive to help other people, his means of exploring his powers and alien heritage

Both of these are things that are a mix between things that are real aspects of him, and things that he creates for the disguise

Superman is the combination of both of those two, and is only seen by people who know the secret.

[FishyZombie]

Personally I’m up for a little ambiguity, maybe even have the big man himself wonder which persona he feels most himself in. If that makes sense. Though I like the different interpretations over the years. I think that’s what makes the Clark/Superman dichotomy interesting to me is that there isnt really a definitive way go with it.

[superduperman]

I think the best depiction was probably George Reeves. He didn't play Clark like a goof, he was just a regular guy who happened to work at a newspaper. Far as I know, no one really thought Superman had a SI until people noticed that he was never around when Superman was. Like Byrne said, why would anyone suspect Superman of having a SI in the first place unless he was dumb enough to tell them?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I think both Clark Kent & Superman are equally important aspects of the same man, but they are also roles he plays to some extent. I think he genuinely loves being both of them, but neither completely represents who he is. I think he's also Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, at times, in addition to Clark, husband of Lois, and Dad, father to Jonathan.

Like everyone, he plays a variety of roles and each of them is a true expression of who he is to some extent. He is a mild-mannered dork. He is the World's Greatest Hero. He is a loving husband, son and father. He is an alien from a dead world. He's all of these things.

[Jon Clark]

I think Clark by definition has to be less than a full person (unless you create the idea everyone in Smallville was in on the secret). From his earliest days the boy was being told to hide what he could do. Other than Jonathan and Martha there was no one Clark could really talk to without watching what he said or what he did. He had to constantly avoid anything that might result in a physical confrontation (and a bruised knuckle).

Superman is closer to the truth. He can be open about his powers and isn't feigning anything to avoid a fight or run off to an emergency. But he still has to hide his Clark connections. What Jimmy or Lois mentions to Clark can't come up in their interactions with Superman. He can't talk about growing up in any detail without risking details that would identify the Kents.

The real person is the Superman we readers see. The guy with everyday concerns like changing a lightbulb who handles them in extraordinary way like levitating up to the fixture. The superhero who debates whether it is better to deal with Luthor using purely legal means or whether some covert actions might be justified.

[Jim Kelly]

Q: How does Superman screw in a lightbulb?
A: He reverses the rotation of the Earth.

The marriage to Lois complicates things, but let's avoid that and concentrate on the character before the marriage. I'd say there are five persona:

1. The public Superman. This is pure show--partly to inspire people and partly to scare off evil-doers.
2. The private Superman. This is the version of Superman that Lois, Jimmy and Perry know. The guy who hangs out at the Fortress of Solitude.
3. The son Clark Kent. This is the person that Jonathan and Martha know, who they raised and inspired. Bruce Wayne also knows this guy.
4. The reporter Clark Kent. He's good at his job and can be a tough guy when he needs to be.
5. The friend Clark Kent. This is the more human Clark that his co-workers see. Sometimes timid and not as brave as he appears to his readers. His friends like him but they are frustrated with his odd behaviour.

[titansupes]

Superman is Superman. That's who Clark Kent grew up to be.

Public Superman and private are the same guy, it's just that, like all of us-- He doesn't take his problems to work. His cheery disposition is natural, but he's not going to talk to a bystander or saved civilian about one of his experiments at the Fortress, or how he worries that Lois and he will never truly connect (pre-marriage and all that, obviously) or wax poetic about missing Krypton. Same dude, just doing other stuff.

DP Clark is fake, but not wholly. He's the guy who wears glasses he doesn't need, pretends he can't hear and see things he does, who pretends to be timid and occasionally clumsy. He's none of those things-- HOWEVER, a lot of those traits were born naturally from his childhood, with Ma and Pa convincing him to just fit in. Its awkward for a child to put on an act everyday for years, and some of the aforementioned traits (trying to suppress his physical instincts while playing games at lunch time resulted in looking awkward just by happenstance, being occasionally ribbed for it made him timid for a long while before he grew past it etc). And he does genuinely love journalism, and the DP co-workers etc. Though its sometimes frustrating, he's learned to enjoy playing human.

[DragonPiece]

Honestly, I am fine with most takes on the character except Clark Kent purely being a disguise to the point where he is always a gag character. I really dislike how Clark acted when played by Christopher Reeve, where Clark was purely a disguise and it was clear he felt more comfortable and in his own skin whenever he was Superman. Honestly, just made me cringe whenever there was a scene where he wasn't Superman.

[Ascended]

Its late, and Im not sure this will make sense. But.

I think it's a spectrum. Both sides are partially real, partially false, and Kal slides up and down that scale as needed.

On one far end is "public" Clark Kent; the socially invisible, slightly awkward, rumpled guy who you forget is in the room. He doesnt talk a lot, doesnt really try to, and when he does he mumbles and stutters a little bit. He doesn't get jokes. He's always got a mustard stain on his tie. His clothes are never fashionable, but they're not so un-fashionable he stands out. He favors neutral colors (gray, black, white, browns) or the occasional muted blue. He looks like a big corn-fed farmboy who grew up doing manual labor.....and then let himself go. He looks soft. His hair is limp. His glasses make his eyes look larger than they are. He's not a bumbling idiot or the office clown. He's just the guy at his desk working when everyone else is gossiping around the water cooler. He writes a good expose but otherwise is so average he's invisible.

Much of this is an illusion, but its all built on truth. Superman is naturally shy. He never did fit in. He does have a odd sense of humor. He's not concerned with fashion. He did have an actual stutter when he was young.

In the middle of the spectrum is Kal-El. He has dozens, perhaps hundreds, of hobbies but favors engineering/mechanic work, astronomy, history, philosophy, and physics. He also enjoys things that provide a challenge like creative writing, painting, and composing music, but he's honestly not very good at many of those. He still collects art and music from around the universe. His sense of humor is dry and sharp. He understands pain, but also love. He's something of a socialist and corruption on any level, any abuse of power, angers him as if the universe itself had betrayed his trust. He can't resist an underdog or a lost cause and takes in virtually every stray that crosses his path. He is not comfortable in large groups and keeps his social circle small. Even then, he almost never opens up completely to even his closest friends and loved ones (with a couple obvious exceptions). He cherishes his alone time and is quite content with his own company. Kal sees beauty in the cosmos, is completely certain there is a higher power and is equally certain he can't comprehend even a fraction of it. For all his love of cerebral pursuits he's a man of action, is supremely confident in his own abilities, and takes great joy in his life.

This is the character at his most honest.

At the far end of the spectrum is Superman as the world sees him. He's beyond our comprehension. A man without limits living in a limited world, who sees more of the universe than we can imagine, shapes, dimensions, colors, particles, things we have never discovered and have no names for. His morality is binary; there is right and wrong, and that distinction is not difficult to make. He struggles with shades of gray. He's infinitely confident. Nothing fazes him. He is utterly selfless. He seems to know something about everything, from quantum physics to Tamaranean holiday traditions to goats giving birth. He looks like of a god; with a large physique that screams "power" without looking vain like a gym bunny. His eyes are a color never seen on earth before, his hair has luster and, along with his cape, always seems caught in a breeze, even when there's no wind. The world almost looks noticeably brighter around him. He radiates optimism, sheer grit, and sincerity. His stare alone could make a mountain move and then apologize for being in the way. He's a man of few words but will talk to anyone with open, polite friendliness. He has no time for pain or goofing around but always shows up when he's needed. He's always on duty, always watching for the next crisis. His voice sounds otherworldly, deep and resonant in a way no human voice ever will. His skin has a soft glow to it, almost as if he were lit from within by his own solar power. He knows, but rarely admits, that he break the laws of physics and it worries him. He shoulders his great burden with pathos and strength, but is not flippant about that burden and takes every life, every wound, personally. His brow is always furrowed, but he is always smiling. Until you cross the line, and then he has no patience for you and puts a stop to your trouble in the most effective way possible.

Much of this is an illusion as well. But its still built on truth. He is confident, but he does doubt, he does wrestle with his choices. He is polite and friendly, just not as friendly as Superman acts. He adjusts the way he looks just as much as he does for "Clark Kent" but he accentuates other qualities.

[SmokeMonster]

It seems simple to me. He's a Kansas farm boy who's had to hide and lie about his powers all his life (and later, wear glasses/bumble around) unless he's putting on the suit, where he instead has to keep his civilian identity a secret and where he likely leans into his role-model side more, realising that the world looks up to him.

[The World]

I feel like the question of the Hero/Secret ID question burns more brightly here than in any other superhero fandom that I've seen. What's real and what's fake, most places I think it boils down to a simple narrowing down of what things are important to the character's core and what isn't. With Superman things seems to opaque and obfuscated since the character has been written for so long and by so many people that everyone has had the character ponder deeply on something or another.

I've reconsidered Bill's pondering from Kill Bill Vol.2. Some people chalk his Superman tangent as the ravings of a mad man but I think he just picked out the aspects of Supes character that were relevant to himself and ignored the rest and that's pretty much what everyone does with Superman. For pretty much every other Superhero you peer into the character and connect the dots, with Superman I think people start looking for themselves within Superman and put everything else on mute.

Personally even when Clark was suave and debonair, was able to freely get dates with Lois and a brief meeting with Cat Grant left her want to shag him in the elevator he was still putting on an act. Still pretending not to see and hear things he could see and hear, still pretending to get hurt by things that couldn't hurt him, having to explain why he was buff, etc. Clark seems like it takes effort to maintain, Superman seems effortless in his interactions.

But that's just me, I still kind of see Clark as something of humor gag at times and Superman is the real Clark Kent.

[Jim Kelly]

On the SUPERGIRL show, Kara Danvers appears to be the authentic person. She really does need her glasses. Maybe they served a physical function initially and now it's more psychological, but she seems to prefer to wear her glasses so she can control herself. And it makes sense that if you had all those powers, it would be a challenge to control them, which could make someone appear awkward and restrained.

Melissa Benoist's version of Supergirl is a lot like George Reeves as Superman, where the two persona are essentially the same, with a few small differences. Kara Danvers acts a bit more like a nerd and Clark Kent isn't respected by Lois Lane, who thinks he lacks strength of character.

[Kuwagaton]

To me it's not so simple as what he's wearing. It's what he shows of himself with the intention of giving meaning to his actions. It's of course just one guy, so all "3" are him. But to segment:

Kal-el is his place in the universe. When people come from far away, they seek to deal with Kal, the last son of Krypton. Even when they're technically seeking Superman. He is a man detached from a life in a world that created him but is solely responsible for its legacy (Supergirl, the pets, etc. are important, but do not diminish his responsibility). Being Kal-el is about being the son of Jor-el, the sequel to a man who refused to let hope die. A man who sent the last of his hope across the stars to make good on keeping that hope alive so that others can share it. You can find a very popular recent case of this in Action Comics Vol. 2 #13, but my clearest example is



Superman is his heart for justice and adventure. He likes using his tremendous gifts not just for giving hope, but administering justice even when no one sees or understands. He knows that when he suits up, crazy stuff will happen, and he suits up time and time again. But it's not about the suit or the powers. Being Superman is about leading with his heart and following his convictions. It's about living with a sense of purpose. You can find a great case of this in Superman Vol. 2 #22 or Adventures of Superman #475, but my favorite example would be



Clark is digging deeper than empathy not just for the sake of justice, but because no man is an island. People are made to connect with one another, and Clark makes things personal. He makes active, subjective choices and has chemistry not defined by obligation or sense of purpose. There are experiences across his life, almost all spent on Earth if not completely, where special powers or heritage are irrelevant, and in those spaces he's allowed to be Clark. A very direct example would be Adventures of Superman #472 where he gets "real" with the Brubakers as only Clark can. Or the World's Finest series by Gibbons, when he gives Bruce that present. But I would even say, for the sake of including more of the character's history, what you see in Action Comics #451, at the height of Clark being understood as a basic facade

[seismic-2]

As a result of the Byrne re-boot, we now accept that Supes grew up being Clark Kent, rather than Superboy. Probably that "human" upbringing still has the most influence on shaping his identity, so Clark Kent is the person, and Superman is his job.