How long can Clark hide his identity?

[Llama_Shepherd]

Also, let's not forget the real life example of Charlie Chaplin entering a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest, and even with pictures of him all around, he still lost, he wasn't even runner up. The same also happened to Dolly Parton.

Louis Ortiz was told by a friend how much he looks like Barack Obama, his friend did not suspect he was secretly Barack Obama. That's how the disguise works, not because of Clark Kent, but because of Superman.

 

[Senator Pleasury]

people are ready to accept the glasses as a disguise. i don't see problem here. of course clark will have to act differently in each personality.

Glasses as a disguise was already a problem. That's why even in the Reeve movies they tried a different hair, behavior, and the glasses were big. Not saying they have to be, but at least they tried to disguise his face. In MOS they didn't even try. It is literally Superman with glasses. And the tone in MOS makes it the more urgent to make the disguise effective.

You can also make the argument that no one would believe Superman is stupid enough to walk around in public with just a pair of glasses on. Reverse psychology basically.

You don't think people are familiar with the concept of aliens disguised living among us? Why would they think it's stupid anyways?

 

[The Caped Knight]

How long can Clark hide his identity?

I think if we take from a realistic stand point that most people won't think that a God like being as Superman would subject himself to living as a common human life as Clark Kent. Futhermore other than Lois and some of the military personal no one has seen Kal-El up close and Clark looks different when he's in the costume than he does in ordinary clothing. I think it can work, Some might see Clark and say he resemblance Superman face but they'll think twice about it. Let's be real their are people living today in the world who look like famous celebrities but their not . I think that would work in Clark's favor.

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I think if we take from a realistic stand point that most people won't think that a God like being as Superman would subject himself to living as a common human life as Clark Kent. Futhermore other than Lois and some of the military personal no one has seen Kal-El up close and Clark looks different when he's in the costume than he does in ordinary clothing. I think it can work, Some might see Clark and say he resemblance Superman face but they'll think twice about it. Let's be real their are people living today in the world who look like famous celebrities but their not . I think that would work in Clark's favor.

This is not a God like figure. Not in MOS. It's an alien. Kryptonian. And as such it is not far-fetched to assume he might be "among us" in disguise.

Not many people have seen Superman, but sure as hell they will.

Lois Lane took little to find Clark Kent as a super-powered being. Knowing his age and state where he lived would take as little for the army (or Lex Luthor) to get to the same place.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I want Perry to know at some point.

If it was nationally broadcast that Lois Lane knows the identity of Superman, then it's only a matter of time before Lex Luthor tries to squeeze it out of her. However, I think Lex knowing the truth about Clark/Superman crosses a line that can't be done in their first movie together.

 

[Da Games Elite]

Supes can keep his identity hidden forever if he just memory kisses everyone.

 

[N7 Joseph Shepard]

Not really, unless you're referring to the nonmilitary population of the world. There have been more than enough hints dropped that Clark Kent is Superman that it's really impossible for the military not to figure out that it's him.

Some people in the military might find out, like Swanwick, he very well could. But if he truly does trust Superman then he will keep his secret.

I still think they should introduce Spence Becker just for this, he was recently introduced in the comics and wouldn't you know it....he looks exactly like Superman/Clark Kent lol

I already posted this in the Henry Cavill topic, it doesn't have to be a big focus in the sequel, but could get a sub-story plot for Jenny and Lombard so they have something to do, have Perry scolding them for wasting time lol (Perry might also be someone who figures it out but keeps his mouth shut lol)

 

[Doc Samson]

5. If it's so easy for Lois to track him down, it'll be just as easy for the 1000s of journalists who will be trying to locate superman after the fight with Zod..

And therein lies the rub. Even if they had not taken the route of Lois finding out who he was, it would still seem a little far-fetched in this type of movie, which goes to great length to show what an alien invasion would be like publicly, not just for Metropolis but around the whole world.

But since they did go the route of Lois discovering him, it just doesn't play well that nobody else in the world would connect those dots because of glasses.

 

[InJustice]

Or Clark could do what Bruce Wayne did...

Batman = Batman
Bruce Wayne = "A guy who dresses like a bat clearly has issues"/playboy/etc.

Which is to completely deviate from the confident heroic figure that he's used to portraying.

 

[Mikelus]

Cavill on Clark's identity (around the 4:08 mark):

[YT]nrZQly7rkpM[/YT]

I agree with him, playing a bumbling idiot is not the best way to remain unseen, so I guess they're going with a George Reeves/Dean Cain normal Clark, maybe changing his voice a bit and being very reserved, etc. Anyway, the whole glasses thing has always been one of the weakest aspects from the comics, but is just the way it is, they're not going to have Superman wearing a mask or Clark a fake beard like some are suggesting.

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I agree with him, playing a bumbling idiot is not the best way to remain unseen, so I guess they're going with a George Reeves/Dean Cain normal Clark, maybe changing his voice a bit and being very reserved, etc. Anyway, the whole glasses thing has always been one of the weakest aspects from the comics, but is just the way it is, they're not going to have Superman wearing a mask or Clark a fake beard like some are suggesting.

I don't think Reeve's Clark wanted to be unseen as much as being perceived as the opposite of Superman.

 

[BH/HHH]

I think somewhere along the lines if Birthright would be the best way to go

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I think somewhere along the lines if Birthright would be the best way to go

I would have gone Birthright all the way. It was a better story/approach.

 

[sf2]

Also, let's not forget the real life example of Charlie Chaplin entering a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest, and even with pictures of him all around, he still lost, he wasn't even runner up. The same also happened to Dolly Parton.

Louis Ortiz was told by a friend how much he looks like Barack Obama, his friend did not suspect he was secretly Barack Obama. That's how the disguise works, not because of Clark Kent, but because of Superman.

Bingo! read this, friends.

 

[Human Torch]

I think Perry will be Clark's "Lucius Fox",where he doesn't come right out and tell him he's Supe,but Perry will know and keep it quiet.

 

[djprince]

one way of hiding is identity is by using kryptonian hologram technology, like jor el. Superman could have a press conference where he introduces himself to the world and have clark kent there as a reporter.

 

[sf2]

one way of hiding is identity is by using kryptonian hologram technology, like jor el. Superman could have a press conference where he introduces himself to the world and have clark kent there as a reporter.

a refreshing idea. the kryptonian technology has to be installed into the building in order to have the hologram working. (jor-el hologram can't go outside the ship.)

 

[jmc]

This is actually one area of the film I was intrigued by, especially when it became obvious Lois would know who he is. The question is how many people are going to play along as well? Clearly there's nothing the military can do to stop him so even if they figure out who he is (which isn't so hard to do) what's the point in exposing him? He states he has the nations best interests at heart and that he's not a threat. The people in Smallville who know seem reluctant to say much, if anything other than acknowledge what he did in the past. His role at the Daily Planet may in fact not be that of a mild manner reporter but as some office clerk doing thankless tasks being unnoticed, lets not forget that for his adult life he was managed to wander in and out as a nameless faceless person, so he's quite capable of blending in. And even if someone at the Daily Planet figures it out, would they really risk exposing him under the thought of what he can do? I for one seeing Perry White as being able to figure it out but leaving him be.

 

[kalelvis]

First, every comic book hero secret identity only functions because as the audience, we decide to believe it. Even the masked heroes require a a major grain of salt to believe their secret identities would stay secret.

For instance, once the police realized that Spider-man is targeting people who all look alike, it would be a pretty quick path to Peter's door step. Any cop who had interacted with Spiderman would know that it was a teenager. But as the audience, we choose to believe it works.

So, in realty it would take no time for people who come in contact with Clark AND Superman to make the connection. However, Not that many people are gong to come in contact with both.

It is actually pretty easy to be invisible in a big city work environment and as a stringer, it really doesn't sound like Clark is planning on "hanging out" at the Planet anyway. So long as they don't turn him into the world famous journalist and author, Clark is pretty safe, so long as he keeps a distance from everyone who works at the Planet when he is Superman. How many metropolitan news paper reporters could you pick out of a line up? It is the rare print reporter who because "famous" in the real world.

I think it is set up for Perry to know and not say anything based on his telling Lois he thinks she is right to kill the story because of how the world would react if they knew a person like that existed. That translates easily to "imagine what people would do if they knew who he really was...."

I think Swanwick will definitely be in the know and act as the liaison between the government and Superman.

So, the short answer is, if the writer's put any real effort into they can keep his Daily Planet Clark identity pretty safe so long as the writers are thoughtful and creative.

 

[shin_en]

http://tumblr.literaryrogue.com/post/47284243211/the-rocks-superman-snl-skit

 

[Axl Van Sixx]

http://tumblr.literaryrogue.com/post/47284243211/the-rocks-superman-snl-skit

Let's face it: Superman's secret identity is inherently ridiculous. There's no getting around it. If Snyder and Goyer were to augment his disguise in any way by giving him a fake beard or something, there would be a huge fan outcry for not staying true to the original character.

We all want the traditional bespectacled and clean-shaven Clark, yet at the same time we want to believe the secret identity is realistic. Sorry guys, but there's just no way to square that circle. It all comes down to three simple words: suspension of disbelief.

That said, I think that last post by kalelvis brilliantly summarized some of the inherent problems with the "secret identity" trope and some of the creative ways that the writers of MOS 2 could get around them.

 

[metaphysician]

For instance, once the police realized that Spider-man is targeting people who all look alike, it would be a pretty quick path to Peter's door step. Any cop who had interacted with Spiderman would know that it was a teenager. But as the audience, we choose to believe it works.

Okay, I'm going to stop you right here. You make this claim without giving any justification. You don't seem to realize how many people live in NYC, and how much crime happens every day. Nothing about Spider-man attacking thugs who happen to look similar would magically make a cop go "it must be that teenage kid whose uncle got killed."

 

[kalelvis]

@ Metaphysician

Except that the cops do specifically mention that it is a connection and any good cop would look back at cases that might be related. Wasn't it a police sketch that Spiderman was using to target his prey? It isn't like it is a cold case file, the murder of Uncle Ben was still an active case. I don't think it would be like a light bulb going off, but I think that it is a definite and logical trail that a good cop would follow.

New York is a big city and ultimately that is one of the biggest buffers between any superhero and their secret identity...the sheer numbers. In the case of Superman, a person in a city like NY would have to be looking for Superman in civilian clothes and happen to find himself at the Daily Planet at the exact moment that Clark happened to walk by to make a connection. The odds are pretty poor. So long as they don't start putting Clark's picture next to his articles(which doesn't happen except for the most famous of reporters) he should be pretty safe from the general public putting the puzzle together.

Of course this doesn't account for the people who are around him all the time, which I think most agree there will be some serious work on the part of the writers to keep it relatively believable that they don't put it together..

There was a great issue of StarBrand in the Marvel New U, where the hero goes to a comic convention and John Byrne gave him all the reasons that even a masked hero would be hard pressed to maintain a secret identity, it was pretty awesome. He listed some pretty compelling reasons that even a mask wouldn't hide a person well enough.

If you add in all the security and cell phone cams in a major city, it would take very little time for the police to create a pattern to a hero's movements and nail down their neighborhood. "Hey look" everytime we lose Spider-man going into a dark alley, this kid with goofy hair and a skate board shows up just down the street!"

Which leads me back to as readers/viewers, we just decide to by it so long as the writers keep it reasonable.

 

[Jamiestarr]

Take any real world person Superman would be as famous as:

Elvis Presley
Michael Jordan
The President of the United States
Madonna

Do you ever think the above people have other or "secret" identities?

Do you suspect that you maybe secretly work with Madonna? Michael Jordan? Obama?

No. Why not?

Because, like Superman, these celebs don't wear masks. You assume that Michael Jordan is living as Michael Jordan all of the time.

People aren't necessarily looking for Superman's secret identity...they don't know he has one. Also, Kal El is the name that the public is aware of.

The fact that Superman is not disguised diffuses MUCH of the mystery that comes along with Batman, Spider-Man, and The Lone Ranger.

Problem solved.

 

[Joeyjojo72]

Facial recognition software, along with a dozen other glaring clues, means that glasses and a different personality wont mean dick in the gritty realism of the MoS world. He wouldnt last 24 hours in Metropolis, hell 24 minutes, before someone recognized him. As things stand, it makes ZERO sense. They have plenty of time to figure it out though.