Superman secret identity reveal worst storyline since "Grounded "?

[Vordan]

People in his life kept trying to help Clark in Truth and he pushed them away every time.

Lois still works there, she could do the stuff Superman can't.

The problem is that Truth is not the only Superman story where his identity goes out and everything turns out terrible. We've had over eight decades where literally that happens and over and over again we are shown it's a bad thing. It would be like if Superman decided that he can kill people in the same way cops and soldiers do and he doesn't turn into a murderous tyrant; technically possible, but it flies in the face of eighty years of stories where we are told that is an objectively terrible thing.

Which is the whole point of this story: To do something different. So what if there were other stories that said it was a bad thing? You know what else flew in the face of previous stories? Clark Kent being the “real” identity when Byrne rebooted him. The Kents being alive into Clark’s adult career as Superman Lois and Clark getting married. Jon Kent existing. All of Post Crisis constantly reaffirmed that Lois and Clark couldn’t have children because they were biologically incompatible. I’m not interested in rehashing old stories. Frankly a lot of old stories aren’t very good, they’re not actually about anything except trying to uphold the status quo as a good thing. A story could absolutely be done where Superman kills and doesn’t become a murderous tyrant. It’s not what I’d write or what I particularly want to read but to say it can’t be done seems stupid to me. Superman beat the Joker pretty handily every time they went up against each other until Injustice made him an idiot who gets easily punked. Supes didn’t liquify Lex’s brain when Lex became President, but did do so in the Justice Lord universe.

This will probably end up getting undone down the road but for now I’m interested in seeing where this is going. I don’t like everything Bendis has done, but I like enough to keep reading.

[Lvenger]

Frankly a lot of old stories aren’t very good, they’re not actually about anything except trying to uphold the status quo as a good thing. A story could absolutely be done where Superman kills and doesn’t become a murderous tyrant. It’s not what I’d write or what I particularly want to read but to say it can’t be done seems stupid to me.

This part of your post is basically in line with LordUltimus' view only on a different subject. It would be just as fundamentally against Superman's beliefs for a writer to make him suddenly willing to kill villains as it is for Bendis to make Clark think revealing his secret identity to the world is a good idea. There are numerous stories and arguments for why both changes to Superman's mindset are a bad idea and would yield disastrous consequences for Clark in the long run. I also don't see what's wrong with looking back at a character's history to justify one's point. There are certainly more than a few Pre Crisis fans on here who would prefer it if Superman reverted to that status quo. Which would obviously rub the Post Crisis fans the wrong way.

In any case, doing something different is not a good enough argument for Bendis to rewrite not only one of the few heroes who still has a secret identity but the character who made the concept of secret identities possible. Too many heroes don't have secret identities anymore in current comics and for Superman to give that up is annoying.

[LordUltimus]

Which is the whole point of this story: To do something different. So what if there were other stories that said it was a bad thing? You know what else flew in the face of previous stories? Clark Kent being the “real” identity when Byrne rebooted him. The Kents being alive into Clark’s adult career as Superman Lois and Clark getting married. Jon Kent existing. All of Post Crisis constantly reaffirmed that Lois and Clark couldn’t have children because they were biologically incompatible. I’m not interested in rehashing old stories. Frankly a lot of old stories aren’t very good, they’re not actually about anything except trying to uphold the status quo as a good thing. A story could absolutely be done where Superman kills and doesn’t become a murderous tyrant. It’s not what I’d write or what I particularly want to read but to say it can’t be done seems stupid to me. Superman beat the Joker pretty handily every time they went up against each other until Injustice made him an idiot who gets easily punked. Supes didn’t liquify Lex’s brain when Lex became President, but did do so in the Justice Lord universe.

This will probably end up getting undone down the road but for now I’m interested in seeing where this is going. I don’t like everything Bendis has done, but I like enough to keep reading.

There were never stories that said those things were bad things. The closest was for the latter two him being afraid if the secret came out they'd be targets.

[Kuwagaton]

Which is the whole point of this story: To do something different. So what if there were other stories that said it was a bad thing? You know what else flew in the face of previous stories? Clark Kent being the “real” identity when Byrne rebooted him.

There's basically always some sort of precedent, like Byrne going by Reeves from decades earlier for his Clark or the million Superman Jrs they've made up, I guess because after almost a hundred years nothing is all that new. But I say that goes in favor of when someone really does try something new like a regular Superman just up and outing himself. Sure it's ultimately about if we happen to like the story but points for trying something different.