This thing of Clark Kent taking off his glasses and nobody recognizing him...

[sunofdarkchild]

Also, Superman and Clark Kent have been seen in the same place at the same time many times. Clark can easily get another hero to pose as him. Pre-crisis it was Batman. Post-crisis Matrix posed as Clark several times and because of her Superman and Clark were photographed together a number of times. It was a big news story that Superman had rescued Clark after Reign of the Superman, complete with a Jimmy Olsen photo of Lois with Clark and Superman on either side of her.

In the Red Robin series they had Vicki Vale figure out that trick so Tim also faked a crippling injury that Red Robin clearly didn't have.

[Xon-Ur]

I don't have any pics with me right now (I'm at work) because, while I'm not Superman, I have gone unrecognized when wearing my glasses and having my hair styled differently than when I wear contacts.

I was working a company ball a few years ago and we were told to wear a suit. I hadn't slept much the night before and decided not to wear my contacts. I also slicked my hair back because it was a 20s-themed ball.

One of my coworkers said hello to me twice and didn't recognized me until the third time, when I had time to say more than hello. She commented that with my hair and glasses, I didn't look "like me."

I have really bad eyesight, so my glasses make my eyes look smaller than they are. Couple that with how much older my hair makes me look when combed back, and you have the CK effect.

Using lenses made from his ship or just thick lenses makes Clark's eyes look smaller and changes the shape of his face. There's also the slouching, voice, mannerisms, baggy clothing, and the fact that people (unless they're really paranoid) aren't spending their time trying to figure out if their coworkers are really superheros in disguise.

I think the disguise works well even in film (look at Chris Reeve's performance) but if the actor isn't even trying (George Reeves, Cavill) then it just looks like Superman wearing reading glasses.

Byrne, Waid, and Johns have done great work in establishing why it works. Morrison/Morales also did a great job of it, as well as Quitely in AS-S.

[Jon-El]

I work in local TV news. If I run into a reporter or anchor out in public, I almost never recognize them. I'm used to seeing them in a certain setting only. No mic in your hand & I have no clue who you are.

I just assumed the glasses were part of comic book lore. I guess if we're looking at redefining the characters then old conventions like secret identities don't make sense anymore. I never thought about it myself.

[Jim Kelly]

I think the more interesting question is How did Clark first realize that he could fool people in this way? It seems to me that he must have had a similar experience as those being described, when he was young, where someone failed to recognize him simply because of a minor alteration in his looks.

That would have made a great untold story. I'm surprised it's never been done.

[DrNewGod]

...I guess if we're looking at redefining the characters then old conventions like secret identities don't make sense anymore...

As a means of getting readers to identify with the characters, secret identities may not be as useful any more. Western society is much more narcissistic these days, and individuals are more interested in pushing their identities (or at least what they want others to perceive as their identities) on others, and people hunger for fame. The secret identity, IMO, spoke more to readers who want to believe that there is more to them than others could see; that was particularly powerful for children who wanted to imagine themselves as having power even though no one else could see it. The percentage of readers who are children is far lower than it was in the past, the grown ups prefer to imagine themselves as basking in the benefits of celebrity, rather than being anonymously insulated from them.

From an in-story standpoint, it probably depends on the character. Even Bruce Wayne would have been sued into poverty if Batman's identity were public knowledge, and the question of who Batman is, or if he's even human, is one of Batman's key psychological weapons. For Superman, Clark Kent is the means by which the near-omnipotent Kal-el remains in touch with humanity (I know that's not how it's being written right now, but trust me, that will be back).

[Trey Strain]

It's a simple problem to fix. Just mention in passing in some story that he's altering the musculature of his face for some purpose. There's no need to do that to death either.

[Jim Kelly]

So who is Banksy?

I don't think secret identities have gone out of style. Some people want to be famous across all platforms and make sure their identity is known, even when they are using different codenames--but there's a considerable number of people who operate behind secret codenames and gain a following.

Yes, a lot of people want to be famous for being famous. But that's only one story. And maybe the most boring story. There are many who do good works and not just to embellish their Facebook profile. If Superman is extraordinary rather than ordinary--maybe that doesn't make him relatable for some people, but it still makes him intriguing.

I never went along with this idea that we only want relatable super-heroes. But I would agree that Superman is the kind of concept that appeals to children most of all--because they feel powerless and want to feel powerful. That's why there should always be some comics and cartoons and related products oriented toward kids. I think we relate to Superman--a lot of us--because we still have our inner child and we understand why he appealed to us in the first place, when we were those kids.

But you can also do very adult stories that play with that idea. "A Game of You" from SANDMAN, for example.

And a lot of us feel powerless even when we grow up. As we age, some us become super-powerful when we're around 30 only to slip back into being powerless when we're 50. Many of us feel misunderstood and like nobody really knows us at all. There are many sophisticated stories you could write about that.

The problem for Superman is that most modern stories are aimed at a median readership. Neither written for children nor for sophisticated readers.

[llozymandias]

It's a simple problem to fix. Just mention in passing in some story that he's altering the musculature of his face for some purpose. There's no need to do that to death either.

In the silver & bronze ages he did many things to make his different identities look different enough. He compressed his spine & muscles, when he was in Clark mode. That way Clark looked shorter & thinner than Superman. He gave his different identities different voices. Most likely he also made sure that each identity had its own body language. Sorry, but faces are not anywhere as unique as fingerprints. Imagine You know two people who have the same face. But they have different voices. Also one is taller & more muscular than the other. Would you really insist that they are the same person?

[StrikeJP]

Prosopagnosia is an inability to recognize the faces of familiar people, typically as a result of damage to the brain. I would have Clark's glasses cause "prosopagnosia" to those who look at him. Not saying the glasses would cause brain damage or anything, but just give the symptoms of prosopagnosia. It could be explained in some sort pseudo-science that the glasses are Kryptonian/Alien/from the future/etc.

[Shinomune]

Prosopagnosia is an inability to recognize the faces of familiar people, typically as a result of damage to the brain. I would have Clark's glasses cause "prosopagnosia" to those who look at him. Not saying the glasses would cause brain damage or anything, but just give the symptoms of prosopagnosia. It could be explained in some sort pseudo-science that the glasses are Kryptonian/Alien/from the future/etc.

So Clark Kent's glasses are proto-Hypnos implants?

[StrikeJP]

So Clark Kent's glasses are proto-Hypnos implants?

Yeah, something like that. The interesting thing with Prosopagnosia is that he would still have to come off as mild-mannered in his mannerisms, because with any Superman type mannerisms, people still might be able to figure out who he is.

[Jim Kelly]

As I've said many times over when this subject has come up before--in the '50s, '60s and '70s, people would have been stupid to think Superman and Clark are the same person--because they saw Superman and Clark together on countless occasions. He proved hundreds of times that he wasn't Clark Kent. So why would anyone keep thinking they were the same guy, when it has been proven that they aren't? Such a person would belong with those people who think the moon landings were faked.

Of course, Superman used robots, lookalikes, friends disguised to look like him--or else there was some magical or science fictional thing happening that caused Superman and Clark to appear together at the same time. Now, the problem is that Superman sometimes revealed to Lois or others that he had robots or doppelgangers. Superman shouldn't have let the cat out of the bag. But still, there were so many times when Clark proved to Lois that he wasn't Superman, it seems ridiculous that she would continue to have those suspicions.

When someone posts online about this--I have this wish that I could dump on said poster a stack of all the comic books where Superman and Clark appear together. But that would be murder--because if that many comic books fell on top of someone all at once, they'd be dead as a doornail.

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah but those are essentially out the window. In the current continuity, Superman has been outed and that one news report from Superman at the beginning of the arc shows the glasses. I kinda checked out of the story, but was that touched any more?

[Johnny Thunders!]

My favorite stunt is from the 70s. Clark interviews Superman on camera and moves too quickly for anyone to see the movement. I think it's in the Garcia Lopez book I think. I like the idea he can move so fast he can be in two places at once as a stunt.

[Jim Kelly]

The latest arc notwithstanding, I think it would probably be just as easy now, if not easier, for Superman to employ all the tricks he used in the past to make it seem that Superman and Clark were in the same place talking to each other. I think that would be his first act as soon as he got the job at the Daily Planet, so as to remove all future doubt.