Clark Kent as a disguise

[RedSunOfKrypton]

No disputes here CK, I just thought it'd be a cool phenomena for some potential Superman tinkering. Heh maybe after the new crisis.  

[RedSunOfKrypton]

I'd like to see an Elseworlds story where Superman arrived on Earth as an adult and never adopted a secret identity. It'd be interested to see how different he'd be.

Stan Lee's Just Imagine: Superman, which I did like...what?

[Kuuga]

The simple fact that most people forget is that the average person on the street in Metropolis or anywhere else in the DC Universe does NOT know what we as the readers know.

So unless you have Superman telling people he has a secret identity no one will assume he even has one because he doesn't wear a mask. So no one in Metropolis has any reason to see a tall guy in glasses walking down the street and go "That's Superman!".

At the same time, you never want to have Clark Kent getting too high profile either. Superman is the one out front and getting his picture taken. Clark should remain a wallflower in so much as you can while still being a newspaper reporter. The WGBS thing is stretching it a bit as well as the Post Crisis thing where he's just outgoing and joe handsome winning pulitzers and writing novels and such.

So really I think the disguise only stretches belief when you get to the Daily Planet staffers and Lois in particular. Because this group has the tendancy to see both men up close on a regular basis. But even then theres where the whole, as another poster put it "Superman is a great actor" comes into play and why what Christopher Reeve did with part was so good. You don't even have to have Clark bumble to that degree but the basic idea is sound. He doesn't have to "compress his spine" when a simple slouch will do. The hairstyle, the attitude all come into play.

It helps to that Superman himself is such a presence to begin with, especially with the costume and everything that you're not gonna go looking for him in ordinary circumstances. You'd be looking up in the sky.

My personal take on it is that even while having been raised by human parents it's still awkward to walk around and have to act as though you don't have these abilities. Think about all the powers he has. So in alot of ways, I think he'd be awkward as Clark Kent even without having to act it that much. Wheras when he's Superman he's free to use his abilities. I mean yes he thinks and feels as human being but it'd be a hell of a task for any human being to constantly keep these powers hidden and to just deal with the complications of having a secret identity in general.

So I think when people say that if Superman is the "real person" it means the human element is gone is working totally from a Peter Parker based assumption and outlook on superheroes. The boy who grew up raised by human parents is the boy who became Superman. That human element is still there and let's not forget just how human the Kryptonians actually were. Besides, there are human elements shown in aliens all the time. Otherwise Star Trek and 90% of other science fiction prolly wouldn't exist.

But really when all is said and done, the glasses is part of the magic of Superman. If you can't suspend your disbelief and have fun with that idea (it's intentionally comedic after all) you really have no business reading superhero comics and should prolly just go watch football or something.

[Captain Kal]

Just to play Devil's Advocate on this one, and to be completely fair, the recent movie "A History of Violence" has a character that completely changed his character and behaviour.  Yet, his physical appearance was what his old enemies clued-in on that he was the same as from decades before.

I suppose one could say he wasn't that great an actor compared with Chris Reeves so that's why he wasn't so successful at this disguise.  It didn't help that he didn't hide his proficiency at fighting and killing which Clark Kent most assuredly would do.

BTW, given how Clark was portrayed as such a weakling as a kid, it does seem pretty unrealistic that he'd completely escape being beaten up, or a bully attempting to beat him up.  I wonder how he managed to keep up that facade and yet escape giving away his secret ID when the bullies thought they had an easy target.

[Super Monkey]

BTW, given how Clark was portrayed as such a weakling as a kid, it does seem pretty unrealistic that he'd completely escape being beaten up, or a bully attempting to beat him up.  I wonder how he managed to keep up that facade and yet escape giving away his secret ID when the bullies thought they had an easy target.

Please keep in mind that it was a different era and at a farming town. In these types of places are you more likely to get beat up if you act too cool, LOL.

[RedSunOfKrypton]

AHAHAHAHAHA LOL!

[Gernot]

Well, I thought they HAD bullies trip Clark Kent in the hallway, or push him around a bit, back in his school days.  

Then, too, DC showed an IDEALIZED small-town lifestyle.  Kent never got into serious fights (black eye, bloody nose) in high school, but then, neither did Dick Grayson or Peter Parker.

[Super Monkey]

I don't think they were allow to show that due to the Comics Code, in those days anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority