Which characters have the most interesting civilian identities/lives

[Riv86672]

Was watching Marvel’s The Avengers and the classic Steve Tony exchange caught my attention...:

Steve Rogers: “Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you”?
Tony Stark: “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist”.

It got me to wanna ask which characters do you feel have the most interesting lives, discounting their hero-ing?

[Adam Allen]

It's a good question, but ... I don't know, is it kind of complicated by some characters not having a secret identity? I mean, it's true that Stark was all of those things, even before he was "out" as being Iron Man, but I also think that not needing to hide that he's Iron Man maybe gives him an edge on Tony Stark's civilian life seeming more interesting than Bruce Wayne's. The need to make it look like he is not Batman kind of hinder Bruce looking as awesome, I think.

So, in that vein, as long as he doesn't need to compete with superheroes who are publicly known as superheroes, I think I'd go with Matt Murdoch's civilian life being the most interesting. His whole backstory and supporting cast supplies all kinds of drama to the character -- and frankly makes it more interesting when he suits up as a vigilante, compared to most people who put on the tights.

[DrNewGod]

It's a good question, but ... I don't know, is it kind of complicated by some characters not having a secret identity? I mean, it's true that Stark was all of those things, even before he was "out" as being Iron Man, but I also think that not needing to hide that he's Iron Man maybe gives him an edge on Tony Stark's civilian life seeming more interesting than Bruce Wayne's. The need to make it look like he is not Batman kind of hinder Bruce looking as awesome, I think.

So, in that vein, as long as he doesn't need to compete with superheroes who are publicly known as superheroes, I think I'd go with Matt Murdoch's civilian life being the most interesting. His whole backstory and supporting cast supplies all kinds of drama to the character -- and frankly makes it more interesting when he suits up as a vigilante, compared to most people who put on the tights.

For a similar reason, when handled well, Superman's Clark Kent has an interesting life and career. Several different writers have made good use of it over the years, although my favorite remains "The Late Mr. Kent" from STAS.

IMO, most of the Silver Age Justice League had interesting day gigs. Hawkman and The Flash writers, though, were probably best at making events in the characters professional lives intersect with their superheroic adventures.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

As far as Marvel characters go, most of them don't have that interesting civilian lives because they don't have civilian lives period. The ones that still have secret identities can be counted on one hand: Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, and +1 in case I'm missing someone.

Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Clint Barton have had interesting civilian lives without having secret identities, but they're the exceptions and even then, they don't have the same amount of iconic supporting characters as the above.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I would say it's Spider-Man and Peter Parker. If there's a second, it might be Matt Murdoch.

Spider-Man stories are fun when he's Spider-Man but he has such a great supporting cast, that the parts of his life where he's Peter Parker, struggling with his boss, his friends, his Aunt, his wife is as exciting and interesting as the Spider-Man stuff.

If you were to do the story of Peter Parker, ordinary guy, who doesn't have superpowers or becomes Spider-Man, he would still be pretty interesting to follow (though not perhaps be totall successful) on the strength of his story and supporting cast. I mean take everything aside and in Peter and Mary Jane you have the best love story in superhero stories and one of the best in comics.

Whereas other superhero characters don't really have that.
-- If you were to do the story of Bruce Wayne, mopey orphan billionaire who never becomes Batman or fights cool rogues, you wouldn't have a story of any real interest. Without the villains, without Joker, without Catwoman, the rogues, Arkham and the gothic world of Gotham, you have nothing of value in Batman.
-- If you were to do the story of Clark Kent, who's a dude from Kansas and not an alien from Krypton, who goes to the Daily Planet and works as a reporter with Lois Lane as a colleague and has an office crush on her...I don't think you would have such an interesting story.

After Peter, Matt Murdoch, the blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen with Foggy and his romance with Karen especially as seen in Born Again would be pretty interesting and notable without powers. After all, Murdoch's conflict with Fisk/Kingpin isn't so different from any number of crime dramas about social crusaders going against corrupt mafia types.

[DrNewGod]

...-- If you were to do the story of Clark Kent, who's a dude from Kansas and not an alien from Krypton, who goes to the Daily Planet and works as a reporter with Lois Lane as a colleague and has an office crush on her...I don't think you would have such an interesting story...

eh. YMMV. I think that has not only great comedic possibilities, but great adventure possibilities.

[Riv86672]

Thought of one a minute ago. Vixen.
The life of a supermodel is supposed to be pretty exciting w. all the jet setting and globe trotting.

[ed2962]

eh. YMMV. I think that has not only great comedic possibilities, but great adventure possibilities.

Absolutely. It wouldn't be hard at all to play them either as a "Moonlighting" style reporter couple or even taking away the romance, play it as a "buddy movie/TV show" of the two contrasting personalities who have to solve the tough cases of big city corruption.

[ed2962]

I think a number of Silver Age and early Bronze Age characters could work without the superheroics. Back then, there was a greater effort in establishing that the heroes had lives apart from their costumes. I think it really depends on what genre or direction you want to go with..."Barry Allen:CSI"..."Teen Angst starring Richard Ryder"..."Carol Danvers Female Magazine Editor" (joking)

[Jim Kelly]

I don't think comics do a good enough job of exploring the lives of super-heroes in their secret identities. However, I'd say Adam Strange was always an interesting case. He was an Indiana Jones type of archaeologist. And because he had to keep going to some part of the southern hemisphere to catch a Zeta Beam to rejoin the woman he loved, that meant he was always in a different part of the world at the start of his adventures.

Likewise, but not often enough, all of the Hawks (reincarnate or Thanagar) in their civilian jobs as museum curators and archaeologists, could potentially go on expeditons or handle ancient artifacts.

Potentially, Zatara and Zatanna could have had the most interesting split identities. But writers have never really gone deep into that. In some versions, both these magicians do not use their real magic when performing their stage act. To them that would be cheating. The whole point of being a stage magician is the art of illusion and the skill you need to do that (ask Penn and Teller). I like to think that Zatara and Zatanna cared as much about their stage craft as they did about their hero adventures. And there's so much of the world of performance, the back stage drama and the creation of an on stage persona--that could be done with those guys.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Absolutely. It wouldn't be hard at all to play them either as a "Moonlighting" style reporter couple or even taking away the romance, play it as a "buddy movie/TV show" of the two contrasting personalities who have to solve the tough cases of big city corruption.

The great take on that is the 1930s screwball comedies, stuff like HIS GIRL FRIDAY, which did inspire the newspaper setting in the Daily Planet.

But the characters in those movies are more complex and connected than Lois and Clark in the comics.

[K7P5V]

My choice would be...

Billy Batson: Radio Reporter

[Riv86672]

I think Hal Jordan has a pretty cool civilian life, though most writers have chosen to ignore it in exchange for constant space opera.


I mean, Hal’s cool enough to make Bruce Wayne play second fiddle, and that’s no easy feat.

[Kusanagi]

Before they made her more hulk lite, I loved She Hulk's time as a lawyer. Especially during the Dan Slott run.

[Riv86672]

Before they made her more hulk lite, I loved She Hulk's time as a lawyer. Especially during the Dan Slott run.

Yup. Her as a lawyer slash professional hero was the best version of her.