Should DC bring back Diana's secret identity?

[Ascended]

I agree that there is little need for a secret identity for Diana. Having a civilian identity is one thing, that I can see, used for regular travel, hotel bookings, purchases, and so on. But her secret identity in the 40s seems to have more come from the idea that superheroes should have a secret identity, not from any study of the actual character.

Diana did not grow up in her civilian (or secret) identity. She grew up as an Amazon; already there she is really different from Superman or Flash. She was sent to Man's World to act as an ambassador (or envoy), representative, teacher, and maybe most of all example. She is also by all accounts either a terrible liar or unable to tell untruths.

I can see her having a discreet civil identity, like she does in the Justice League the movie, but she won't have any permanent secret identity. It's more a matter of convenience than necessity.

That's how I view it too. Diana having a full blown secret identity has never sat well with me; it seems unnecessary and against the grain of the character. She's not an American citizen, she didn't grow up here, and she came here to actively pursue a specific agenda (which is benign and positive, but still, she's trying to influence the country and she's got political ties to another nation and is not a American national, so it's a delicate thing). Why would she go to the lengths a secret identity requires? She's not a spy. She's here to be seen. The only real purpose it would serve her is to keep some of the people in her life out of danger.....but it's not like that really works either, just ask Lois Lane and MJ Watson.

A civilian identity is necessary just for day-to-day life, and that can be enough for Diana to go have a cup of coffee without being mobbed by people.

The support cast issue someone brought up is a legit criticism though. A lot of writers do seem to feel that not having a secret identity means not having a life at all. But that's not a problem with the concept, it's a problem with the writers.

[Guy_McNichts]

I like that she doesn't have a secret identity. She doesn't really need it and, as others have pointed out, the real issue is a lack of consistent supporting cast, which Diana can have without a secret identity.

I actually think it would be funny if they turned it into a running gag. Like Diana isn't opposed to the idea of a secret identity and tries it from time to time but always loses interest or forgets or is just not good at it.

I remember there was once a scene--don't recall the writer--during one of her attempts at being Diana Prince where she was going to reveal her identity to someone (Nemesis or Black Canary?) and it went something like this:

WW: Listen, I have something to tell you...

person: You're Diana Prince.

WW: How did you find out?

person: You're really bad at it.

WW: (shrugs) Yeah, I know.

I think that's how they should utilize Diana Prince. She tries, but has no real commitment to it.

[kjn]

A civilian identity is necessary just for day-to-day life, and that can be enough for Diana to go have a cup of coffee without being mobbed by people.

That would probably be a decent idea for an arc or two: exploring Diana as an A-list celebrity. It does things to social interactions that are rather weird, and also changes how you perceive people. Now, Diana was raised as royalty, so in one way she is more similar to the old royal houses than the insta-famous people that our society creates right now, but it's still interesting.

Neil Gaiman would be a perfect writer to handle that.

[Fuzzy Mittens]

Hey, remember how Diana got her identity in the Golden Age?
Attachment 73230
Could we involve this somehow? Like this was the Diana that got trained in Kung Fu by I-Ching or something, and she lets Diana pretend to be her sometimes?

Thats certainly a neat idea. The depowered Diana Prince stuff was interesting and it would be cool to just go ahead and connect that with someone else. If people are dead set against Wonder Woman being intelligent, a medical professional and knowing martial arts, then we can work with her since DC has over the years established the original Diana Prince to have these skills.

Toss in the whole Marvin White stuff and it offers some interesting possibilities.

[AmiMizuno]

Interstly enough the newspaper-comics which at times worked as a origin story for the Amazons and a few other characters retcon Diana Prince in the golden age. The original Diana Prince. We see that Diana had simply decided to day herself that. Going with the last name Prince, why couldn't it be someone Diana looked up to? By that I mean going with both Perez's and Marston's origin. Diana Prince is Steve Trevor's mother. Who should still be alive, doing the time Diana becomes a teen. Prince helped the amazons with the doom gate. So that's how Diana takes the name Prince.

Why not make Diana a defense Teacher and a life coach? She is following in the footsteps of what the certain Prince does. Much like the original Prince she goes by her married name.

I would still keep her home in gateway city. Diana gets a passport from the magical city and it leaves to some interesting journeys

[Agent 86]

I’m not a fan of Diana having a “secret identity”.

I am a fan of Diana having a life outside of superheroics, whether it’s as an ambassador of Themyscira, teacher / lecturer, archaeologist or something else. But, I don’t think she needs a secret identity to have a side career or other interests and hobbies.

As for moving around, if celebrities can go incognito, then Diana can too. If we’re to believe that no one recognises Superman because of a pair of glasses and a different hair combing method, then we can also believe that Diana can grab a coffee or go to the movies if she chooses to do so by dressing down and if anyone says she looks like Wonder Woman, simply saying “thank you” (since Diana wouldn’t outright lie).

As others have noted, the secret identity really goes towards bigger issues of a poorly and inconsistently used supporting cast, base of operations, career / interests, etc.

[Vordan]

I’ve never really felt like it was a meaningful part of Diana. I like that unlike Clark and Bruce, Diana doesn’t draw a line between her heroic and personal identities. That said if someone had an interesting enough pitch why not? But not right now, I really don’t want any more continuity fixing stories any time soon.

[kjn]

As for moving around, if celebrities can go incognito, then Diana can too. If we’re to believe that no one recognises Superman because of a pair of glasses and a different hair combing method, then we can also believe that Diana can grab a coffee or go to the movies if she chooses to do so by dressing down and if anyone says she looks like Wonder Woman, simply saying “thank you” (since Diana wouldn’t outright like).

Or going clubbing, as in this memorable example:

Brave-and-the-Bold-033-pg-11.jpg

(Brave and the Bold v3 #33, "Ladies Night")

[WonderScott]

Yes, please. A huge amount of story potential was lost when they axed Diana Prince.

Agreed. I'm all for bringing back Diana Prince.

[AmiMizuno]

I don’t mind Diana using Diana Prince. For base things. I mean when she going outside she simply uses the name Dian Prince. I know it’s a comic but she would still need some form of if. Which she could easily get thanks to Argus

I mean even then if Diana did a few things like teach a class wouldn’t she want to make sure that people are taken it seriously? There been a number of times Diana couldn’t really get her point across due to people focusing on the fact they wanted to get closer to Diana for the wrong reasons. She wants to make friends not because she Wonder Woman.

[Jim Kelly]

Personally, I wanted Wonder Woman and Diana Prince to both exist but be different characters. And while they look similar they are not alike, but WW uses Amazon science-magic to give herself the appearance of Diana Prince. Diana Prince would be a full-time adventurer-aviator with martial arts skills, globe-trotting and getting into all kinds of trouble. From time to time, WW borrows the Diana Prince identity, with her permission, when the Amazon princess doesn't want to be recognized or wants to avoid ceremony.

Failing that, Diana Prince is simply the name that Princess Diana uses when she's doing regular life stuff--the same way the royals use Windsor as a last name--e.g. William Windsor.

[Koriand'r]

I feel like we're too willing to throw away classic Marstonian elements of Wonder Woman's mythos. I love Diana Prince, I love both ways she transforms into Wonder Woman, I love the martial arts and white outfits, I love the espionage and secret agent stuff and I love the danger involved with Diana having a nonsuperpowered form. And I hate the idea of lofty and well meaning but ultimately boring professions like teaching or archaeology. I want excitement, not more lectures, mythology or restrictions on where Wonder Woman's stories can go.

[Amazon Swordsman]

Then just don’t call it a secret identity. Call it a “civilian identity”. I’d do it like sailor moon, where she’s basically hidden in plain sight when not transformed as WW. People don’t bother her and she gets to do regular things like everyone else. My WW wouldn’t arouse much of any speculation other than the occasional “hmm, you look like a decent WW impersonator”.

“You look similar to WW, but her hair is shinier than yours!”
“You’re a good WW knock off, but she’s definitely taller.”
“Who does she think she is, a WW wannabe? She’s NOT WW, her eyes are much bluer than hers.”

Silly comments like that. That would be my little gimmick. That’s how I’d handle it.

[Agent Z]

I feel like we're too willing to throw away classic Marstonian elements of Wonder Woman's mythos.

If anything, we're more likely to keep them. Steve Trevor is in the books right now and has appeared in more adaptations than Julia and Vanessa. Most of her rogues gallery that is featured are Marston creations (albeit with some differences in depiction). And they keep trying to make the Invisible Plane happen just because so many people know about it.

I love Diana Prince, I love both ways she transforms into Wonder Woman, I love the martial arts and white outfits, I love the espionage and secret agent stuff and I love the danger involved with Diana having a nonsuperpowered form. And I hate the idea of lofty and well meaning but ultimately boring professions like teaching or archaeology. I want excitement, not more lectures, mythology or restrictions on where Wonder Woman's stories can go.

Espionage is a lot more boring than most media makes it out to be. And restrictions on what WW stories to have are not inherently a bad thing. Especially as it also means restrictions on bad stories.

Also, the secret agent stuff and nonpowered Diana weren't from Marston.

[Killerbee911]

The real question is why? You can develop a supporting cast without a secret identity. She can live in the real world without a secret identity. I mean Black Panther is kinda laying down effective blueprint of what "Princess Diana of Themyscira" can be in the real world. I see people throwing out Teacher, life coach, archaeologist, etc. as jobs mainly because that is old pattern for comics not because it would make Wonder Woman better. I don't see a good reason for secret identity other than occasional stealthish mission.