Your DC-Only controversial opinions (part II)...

[Ascended]

The secret identity holds up fine until you bring in the idea of facial recognition tech.

Because we know the secret, its easy to think that other people in-universe would jump on it. Oh, that Kent guy is a white dude with dark hair, and he works for the Planet and has written about Superman! Obviously they're the same guy even though there's probably dozens of dark haired white guys at the Planet, not to mention the millions in Metropolis alone! No, that's not what people are going to think. Nerdy, introverted, "forget he's in the room with you" Clark Kent is far too shy and quiet and awkward to have a double life, much less secretly be the greatest hero who ever lived.

And no one is thinking that Superman has a secret identity in the first place. No one puts it together because no one is looking.

Perry would figure it out, because he's Perry. Lois *did* figure it out, very early on, but could never prove it. Jimmy is....well he's Jimmy, stuff goes over his head all the time. Nobody else really interacts with both Clark and Superman enough to put it together. Lex, depending on the history and version, might if not for his ego. His own self-image prevents him from accepting that a god among men would live a life like Clark Kent's. Lex knows, deep down, but he can't rationalize it.

Facial recog could be a problem, but the answer to that is a very simple "Kryptonian computer virus skews the data."

I spent more than ten years working in a place where celebrities and world leaders would visit. And without the makeup, lighting, and pomp and circumstance you expect to surround them, they're pretty hard to notice. For Clark, who goes a lot further to protect his identity than a baseball cap and sunglasses and changes every aspect of his mannerisms, voice, speech patterns, etc., I can totally believe he could fool the world.

Some folk say "all it would take is one person figuring it out." No. One person figuring it out is a lunatic on the internet throwing around stupid conspiracy theories. We debunk stuff that is far more proven, with far more people supporting it (climate change); one person saying Superman is Clark is just gonna get laughed out of the room.

[SiegePerilous02]

I also don't think Superman having a secret life as a normal civilian is even public knowledge, is it? I think everyone just assumed he lived up at the Fortress when he isn't actively adventuring. People don't notice Clark Kent or think he might be Superman because there is no reason for them to think he'd work as a journalist.

He's otherwise just a very good actor to fool everyone else. Even goddamn Batman couldn't see it, they had to catch each other changing clothes to figure it out. In real life the disguise wouldn't last nearly as long, especially around people he interacts with as both identities, but this isn't real life.

[phantom1592]

Perry would figure it out, because he's Perry. Lois *did* figure it out, very early on, but could never prove it. Jimmy is....well he's Jimmy, stuff goes over his head all the time. Nobody else really interacts with both Clark and Superman enough to put it together. Lex, depending on the history and version, might if not for his ego. His own self-image prevents him from accepting that a god among men would live a life like Clark Kent's. Lex knows, deep down, but he can't rationalize it.

I don't like Perry knowing. I don't see why he would. He's not a world famous investigative reporter... He's the editor in chief. He's a BUSY MAN. He's not out chasing clues and running down leads... he's fact checking and layout checking and assigning a dozen different reporters stories and juggling the advertisers and doing everything he can to keep the paper in business (admittedly a job that gets HARDER as time goes by.) He's basically the same job as J Jonah Jameson... and nobody assumes that he's 'too good' not to realize Peter was Spider-man…

Dude's got too many plates spinning in the air to get a hand-wave 'of course he'd know...' I like to think the disguise is better than that. If Jimmy doesn't figure it out, despite having a good relationship with both.... Perry certainly shouldn't who rarely spends any time with Superman and is too distracted to probably look Clark in the eyes while on two separate phone calls.

Facial recog could be a problem, but the answer to that is a very simple "Kryptonian computer virus skews the data."

I spent more than ten years working in a place where celebrities and world leaders would visit. And without the makeup, lighting, and pomp and circumstance you expect to surround them, they're pretty hard to notice. For Clark, who goes a lot further to protect his identity than a baseball cap and sunglasses and changes every aspect of his mannerisms, voice, speech patterns, etc., I can totally believe he could fool the world.

Some folk say "all it would take is one person figuring it out." No. One person figuring it out is a lunatic on the internet throwing around stupid conspiracy theories. We debunk stuff that is far more proven, with far more people supporting it (climate change); one person saying Superman is Clark is just gonna get laughed out of the room.

I still love the story where henry Cavill was hanging out around grand Central Station in NY wearing an actual Superman t-shirt and nobody recognized him because he combed his hair different and wore glasses. That's just life.

[Robanker]

The secret identity holds up fine until you bring in the idea of facial recognition tech.

Because we know the secret, its easy to think that other people in-universe would jump on it. Oh, that Kent guy is a white dude with dark hair, and he works for the Planet and has written about Superman! Obviously they're the same guy even though there's probably dozens of dark haired white guys at the Planet, not to mention the millions in Metropolis alone! No, that's not what people are going to think. Nerdy, introverted, "forget he's in the room with you" Clark Kent is far too shy and quiet and awkward to have a double life, much less secretly be the greatest hero who ever lived.

And no one is thinking that Superman has a secret identity in the first place. No one puts it together because no one is looking.

Perry would figure it out, because he's Perry. Lois *did* figure it out, very early on, but could never prove it. Jimmy is....well he's Jimmy, stuff goes over his head all the time. Nobody else really interacts with both Clark and Superman enough to put it together. Lex, depending on the history and version, might if not for his ego. His own self-image prevents him from accepting that a god among men would live a life like Clark Kent's. Lex knows, deep down, but he can't rationalize it.

Facial recog could be a problem, but the answer to that is a very simple "Kryptonian computer virus skews the data."

I spent more than ten years working in a place where celebrities and world leaders would visit. And without the makeup, lighting, and pomp and circumstance you expect to surround them, they're pretty hard to notice. For Clark, who goes a lot further to protect his identity than a baseball cap and sunglasses and changes every aspect of his mannerisms, voice, speech patterns, etc., I can totally believe he could fool the world.

Some folk say "all it would take is one person figuring it out." No. One person figuring it out is a lunatic on the internet throwing around stupid conspiracy theories. We debunk stuff that is far more proven, with far more people supporting it (climate change); one person saying Superman is Clark is just gonna get laughed out of the room.

Let's not forget that, frankly speaking, who even is Clark Kent?

He's the second best reporter who flies under Goliath's (Lois) shadow at the world's best newspaper (a failing medium). He isn't on television a lot. He's not Anderson Cooper. How many of us know the second stringer at our local newspaper? At best, most know him as a thumbnail on an article, one he probably got to select or edit.

I understand eventually that might make the reigns, but on top of everything Ascended noted, he's really some nobody. Bruce Wayne he isn't.

I'm reminded of Lex looking in the mirror at Wally West and saying "I have no idea who this is." Most superhero identities that don't double as billionaires are pretty much nobody. It IS the information age and that sort of thing could spread, but I can easily see it dismissed as "you mean to tell me Superman goes to work 9-5 at a newspaper and has a boss? Get flippin' real."

Secret identities never bother me much because I've always taken them as read. It's a conceit of the medium and I'd rather go with it than deal with constantly needing to justify them. If I don't need to see action heroes reload every other frame, I can deal with the glasses working.

[TheManhunterfromMars]

I´m one of the few fans of recently Martian Manhunter x Hawkgirl, I agree it begin kinda forced, but eventually grow some chemistry between them, J´onn almost always stays single and it´s weird considering most Leaguers have dated each other ´til now, also I remember clearly Kendra x Carter was pretty unhealthy, Hawkman used to be more violent than usual being jealous and alone ´cause Kendra´s issues

[SiegePerilous02]

Secret identities never bother me much because I've always taken them as read. It's a conceit of the medium and I'd rather go with it than deal with constantly needing to justify them. If I don't need to see action heroes reload every other frame, I can deal with the glasses working.

Yeah. That seems like it's pretty exhausting when you could just go along with the absurd ride about the nearly invincible flying man from the stars who shoots laser from his eyes because the sun is yellow.

[Tzigone]

J´onn almost always stays single and it´s weird considering most Leaguers have dated each other

While I don't really care, the idea of him simply not being sexually attracted to humans has some merit to me. I mean, our natural form is much different than a Martian's (well, sometimes).

Next up: I prefer the Guardians of the Universe be neither evil nor incompetent.

[jetengine]

The Identity thing was proven neatly by Cavill himself doing a stunt with it, nobody noticed him at all, even when he was nearva Superman poster.

[Ascended]

I still love the story where henry Cavill was hanging out around grand Central Station in NY wearing an actual Superman t-shirt and nobody recognized him because he combed his hair different and wore glasses. That's just life.

Exactly. Superman was right there, wearing his own t-shirt, and nobody noticed.

I watched a video for a sociology class years back. Someone would ask a random person on the street for directions. While getting them, some other people carrying a large painting would squeeze between them, and while hidden by the painting, the person asking for directions would switch out for a different person in the same clothes. No one noticed, and kept giving directions.

Then it went from "white guy switches with white guy" to "white guy switches with white woman." And no one noticed. Then it was "white guy switches with black guy." And the most that happened is one old lady did a double take....but continued giving directions. People don't see what they want to see, they see what they *expect* to see. And no one expects to get in an elevator with Superman. I think a lot of us here give the average person (and Clark Kent's reputation) far too much credit.

As for Perry, yeah he's EiC, and maybe he is too busy to notice. But before he was EiC, he was supposed to be the "Lois Lane" of his generation. Maybe he doesn't figure it out, and I wouldn't blame him for being too busy to. But if he did, it wouldn't surprise me. He's a busy guy, but that old news hound isn't out of the game yet either.

Let's not forget that, frankly speaking, who even is Clark Kent?

An absolute nobody who even his co-workers barely know and never think about.

[jetengine]

Clarks biggest name to fame is either Pre-crisis when he was a TV Newsreader or one of the few Books hes released. Thats it.

[DrNewGod]

The physical resemblance isn't necesarilly always remarked upon in-universe. Some versions of Clark Kent present a very different physicality compared to Superman.

Go back to the first five issues of Action Comics. S&S solved this with Superman's ability to alter his features. Everybody after just missed the opportunity.

[TheManhunterfromMars]

Except he does find himself attracted to humans in every way, as cultural as sexually/romantic... like, all his life on earth. Since first comics appearances, and Martians in old comics were like humans but only with green skin, besides powers. He had many human love interests, being Diane Meade and Aubrey Sparks the main ones.

[DrNewGod]

Let's not forget that, frankly speaking, who even is Clark Kent?

Depends on the story. In some, he's a mild-mannered nobody. In some, he's the Pulitzer-winning Contact For Superman.

Personally, I think Clark Kent should be low profile, unearthing stories about human needs that flashy types like Lois Lane turn into hashtags. But many writers seem to disagree.

[docmidnite]

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Next up: I prefer the Guardians of the Universe be neither evil nor incompetent.

Not exactly controversial as everyone’s wanted that since O’Neil turned them into gigantic cosmic pricks when he revamped them in 1970.

[Tzigone]

Depends on the story. In some, he's a mild-mannered nobody. In some, he's the Pulitzer-winning Contact For Superman.

I'm very much against any of the heroes being contacts for themselves - way too common a theme. I guess it can kinda work for Billy Batson, but for all the others, it's a giant neon sign pointing at them.

The Pulitzer-winning doesn't bother so much (though I do like Lois as the best reporter at the paper), since I could not identify many Pulitzer-winners by name, and none by face (that I know won). It's not a thing that 90% of people keep up with. People in the field, sure, but the rest of us - nah.