The idea of secret identities has been a staple of superhero comics since their inception. The vigilante stories that would inspire the first superhero comics always featured people wearing costumes or masks, going out in secret to fight for the greater good. Superman cemented the idea into the superhero canon when he kept his identity a secret from even his closest love interest for decades. The inherent drama generated by heroes needing to hide who they are in both sides of their lives is awesome, but in the modern day, most heroes’ important casts already know who the heroes are. Some heroes have even chosen to cut out the middleman and make their identities public.
There are pros and cons to secret identities, and while most heroes benefit from them at the end of the day, it’s best to treat the concept on a case-by-case basis. Today, we’re examining both sides of the argument by looking at seven different Justice Leaguers, four of whom have public identities that should be private, and three with secret identities that should be common knowledge. So, without further ado, let’s examine these Justice Leaguers and their complicated identities.
Harley is well-known as a former supervillain. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Gotham who doesn’t know her history and how she fell for a green-haired murder clown. She was once a respected psychologist, but now she can’t walk down the street without at least three people wondering if they should call Batman. She’s become completely divorced from the person she once was and exists now solely in the eccentric superhero world. Yet, she could definitely benefit from anchoring herself to mundanity again.
Giving Harley a secret identity could give her the chance to experience what normal life looks like again, bringing an all-new dimension to her character. She’s defined her entire character around who she has become since meeting the Joker, but what Harley really needs is something that could elevate her to the next level. Giving her a taste of normal life would be the perfect contrast to her zany adventures and give her something to actually work towards. A storyline where Harley reclaims parts of the life she once threw away would be incredible and give her the direction that her character has been craving.
When Wally West became the Flash, writers wanted to differentiate him from Barry, and one of the biggest ways was by giving him a public identity. Most of the concerns heroes face, such as their loved ones being in danger or never having time for themself, don’t apply to the Flash, given that he can move fast enough to make both points moot. Wally would eventually return to a secret identity, but it’d be a great change for his character to return to how his tenure as the Fastest Man Alive started.
Wally, unlike most other heroes, doesn’t have a defined private life outside of his family. He’s not known for having a particular job or hobby. Even then, his kids have powers of their own, and they regularly fight alongside him. Letting Wally tackle threats as himself could give him his own niche as the main Justice Leaguer with a personal life and public identity. Wally has always tried to honor Barry’s past while forging his own way forward, and him being a public inspiration, showing that the Flash is just a normal guy like anyone else, is the best way to do that.
Diana once had a secret identity as Diana Prince, but she has long since left that behind. Yet I think her secret identity is one of the most essential parts of her character that was erased. The ethos of Wonder Woman’s character is of a woman raised in paradise, but who chose to come to Man’s World so she can show everyone the path to a better life. Diana understanding humanity and how Man’s World works are essential to her mission of peace. She wants to know how the societies outside her home function, but she can only learn so much if she never truly interacts with them.
Diana’s civilian identity is essential because it gives her a chance to experience what it’s like to live in the world that she’s trying to save. Diana is all about showing the truth, but truth requires understanding. Without a secret identity, Diana is a veritable goddess who emerged from paradise to preach about how to live better lives, but with a secret identity, she is all of that and someone who has seen the struggles that only normal people can observe. This identity would let Diana connect with the people she wants to save all the more, and that is always something that she strives for.
Oliver Queen is a strange character. In fact, he’s practically built on contradictions. He’s DC’s de facto socially minded hero, but he’s also a womanizer who has been known to let his own self-righteousness blind him to the people closest to him needing help. He’s a wonderfully flawed man who does his best to leave a positive impact on the world, even endorsing the presidential candidate he believes in as both Oliver Queen and Green Arrow. It’s this social-mindedness that makes me think Oliver could and should operate publicly.
He’s always used his Green Arrow identity as a method to help in ways that Oliver Queen couldn’t, but it’s time for both identities to work together. Ollie has always been an advocate for transparency and leading by example, which makes the idea of him keeping his identity a secret strange. Ollie is the number one person pushing for society to change from the inside out, so it only makes sense for him to lead that charge and show people how he chooses to fight for what’s right. Ollie specifically would benefit so much from a public identity, and I personally just think it fits him better.
I know that Lex Luthor isn’t a superhero most of the time, but he has been a Justice Leaguer several times, and even works alongside them right now, so I’d say he counts. He’s especially someone who can benefit from his name being less associated with villainy, at any rate. Lex has always been the number-one public figure for supervillainy, battling Superman with technology branded with his company’s logo. Back in the early days of the post-Crisis timeline, Lex tended to avoid public scrutiny with subterfuge and controlling the narrative, but nowadays, he doesn’t even try to hide his evil schemes, and that’s a shame.
Lex Luthor has been arrested on charges of trying to destroy the world a ridiculous number of times, but nothing ever sticks. Lex has to escape and return to his penthouse to keep Superman’s stories marching forward, and I agree that Superman’s comics are better when Lex is around, but it’s gotten a little much at this point. Lex hasn’t tried to cover his tracks in forever, and losing that loses one of the most fun parts of his character. Lex should return to being a mastermind who has to work to avoid public revelations, which inherently adds more drama given that Superman and Lois both work for a newspaper. If Lex is immune to journalism, then a major part of Superman’s mythos just doesn’t work, and that’s not right.
Creators and fans alike are usually desperate to differentiate Supergirl from her better-known cousin. She most certainly has her own strengths and weaknesses, but her broad strokes are either close to or identical to Clark’s, so finding her own niche on a big scale can be difficult. Giving her a public identity could be the solution to that problem, but more than that, it’s a great way to take her in a brand-new direction that Superman could never explore properly. When Clark revealed his identity to the world, he lost a huge swath of his classic dynamics, but that wouldn’t happen with Kara.
Yes, Kara has a private life, but she’s not tied to any classic career, and even her adopted parents are D.E.O. operatives, so it’s not like they’re unable to defend themselves. Kara being open about who she is, where she came from, and how she wants to make her second home a better place as an immigrant to it could be a powerful message. It allows writers to explore the idea of a Super-character being public with their identity without losing the essential aspects that Clark would. Kara being public about being Supergirl could finally let her be her truest self, and that’s something she desperately needs.
I know what you’re thinking, as Batman is one of the few major heroes who hasn’t revealed his secret identity at one point or another, but I don’t mean that he should keep his identity a secret from the world but from other heroes. Nowadays, most heroes know each other’s secret identities, but back in the day, knowing someone’s true name was a major sign of trust. Batman, specifically, only told the Justice League his identity after years of working with them, with only Superman and Wonder Woman knowing prior to that. He used to be one of the most staunch about guarding who he is, and I think he should be again.
Batman revealing his real name should be an event and a major sign of trust. The fact that it’s implied that everyone knows has never sat right with me. Batman is paranoid, yes, but the real reason he should keep his identity a secret is to preserve the impact of the revelation. Inter-heroic secret identity shenanigans are a subset of the drama that these identities create that isn’t explored nearly enough, and keeping some secrets adds tension that stories can always use more of. I’m not mad with Batman having a more open identity, but him keeping it close to his chest makes a bit more sense.
Which heroes do you think should have public identities, and which do you think sould keep them secret? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
