Superman Revealing His Secret Identity – How Will This Unfold?

Brian Michael Bendis has revealed that in Superman #18, Superman will reveal his secret identity of Clark Kent to the world. (source) It was revealed in the solicitations, but readers expect those to be hyperbole. In an Interview with the New York Times, Bendis revealed that this development will not be a bait-and-switch.

“I don’t do fake-out stories,” Bendis promised. He did the same to Daredevil when he was writing it, and did not reverse it, another writer did. He added, “We wanted to do this because behind it is 1,000 brand-new Superman stories that have never been told.” It kind of has been done before, but always undone pretty easily.

How does it unfold?

There will be two special issues in January exploring this revelation. One, Superman: Heroes will explore other super-heroes reaction to the announcement. Of course the response will be mixed.

“Some heroes are going to be thrilled, some heroes are going to be livid, some villains are going to change their ways,” Bendis dropped a little bombshell. One villain will change his ways because of Superman’s announcement. You can start laying your bets now on who that will be.

What does it mean for the future?

George Gene Gustines of the New York Times brought up two excellent points. One lingering plot thread for Bendis has been a photo of Lois kissing Superman. Publicly married to Clark Kent, this branded her as unfaithful. This of course means the reveal could be to stop the lying that is now hurting the one person he loves most. Another mention is that if he continues to report for the Daily Planet, it could troublesome. Of course, that would also bring into play the journalistic ethics of employing someone whose senses can uncover information no one else can get.

Bendis is right about one thing, there are a lot of stories that this can open. More importantly, It begs the question of how it can affect other heroes who maintain secret identities. It has become a trend in recent years that some have no dual identity anymore. However, some, like Batman, may not even consider giving up their secret identity. 

Superman #18 arrives in stores on Dec. 11