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The secret identity is dying.
In superhero stories the secret identity allowed the superhero the ability to walk the streets without being mobbed by fans, enemies, and people demanding help for the lamest things. It protects loved ones from being attacked by supervillains or some average crook who wants to hold your sister hostage until you steal some diamond for him. It’s also good drama. How can the hero save the day and protect his secret identity, or if you’re a character like Spider-Man, how does needing to protect your identity interfere with your personal life?
However, I’m noticing more and more that in addition to losing the capes today’s heroes are losing the masks. Tony Stark lost his secret identity in one of the lamest ways they could, a back-up story in which Tony puts on his armor during a party to save a dog from traffic. New characters are missing them as well. If I could find a misstep with the new hotness in indie comics, the Rippaverse, it would be the lack of characters with secret identities. Alphacore are basically supercops, and that’s fine. However, Isom just appears to be a different name while I’m not sure Yaira has an alternate name. We’re probably missing her last name: Yaira Johanson or something. So far none of the announced Except heroes have masks, and we haven’t seen a supervillain yet. They’ve tried killing Superman’s alter-ego, Spider-Man’s alter-ego, and less and less Marvel heroes have them. The Villains Of Valley View maintain secret identities and they’re supposed to be villains in hiding. Usually a supervillain is only exposed when they’re arrested and put on trial because the villain doesn’t get the same rights as a hero.
So what’s the purpose of a secret identity and why are modern creators tossing them out with capes? I already did an overview of the purpose, but let’s dive into that and then get into why they’re dying.
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This is where I make a joke about the cover but right now I’m trying to remember getting the comic on ComiXology.
Red Skull: Incarnate #5
FINAL ISSUE
POSSIBLY ALSO JUST Red Skull #5
Marvel Comics (January, 2012)
WRITER: Greg Pak
ARTIST: Mirko Colak
COLORIST: Matthew Wilson
COVER ART: David Aja
LETTERER: Clayton Cowles
ASSISTANT EDITOR: John Denning
EDITOR: Alejandro Arbona
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Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.
PART 3: KnightsEnd
The end is in sight. All stories end sometime, even the good ones like this. Last time Bruce was ready to put on the costume but the name and persona doesn’t seem to be in his head. Hurry up, Bruce!
That is one thing that O’Neil has brought up thematically in this book: the hero identity. In these days where superhero names, identities, and code names are now treated as “mantles” so this or that creator can use the marketing of a big name to push their character (and often their social issues), it feels like the hero identity has been further nullified. Over in the Marvel universe the concept of secret identities seem to be slowly disappearing and there are writers and/or editors at DC that seem to be trying to do the same thing there. This seems like a good topic on it’s own so I’ll save it and get back on topic.
We’ve seen in this book that Bruce puts a lot of stock in those names. If Tim is in the Robin costume, he’s Robin. When Bruce was disguised as Sir Hemingford Grey he insists on being called by that name and keeping up the persona and speech patterns. It speaks to Bruce’s mindset. He’s Batman in the cape and cowl but Bruce out of it, lending more credience to my rejection of “Bruce Wayne is the mask”. Jean Paul is calling himself Batman now that he’s in the outfit, but he’s corrupting what it means to be Batman because he hasn’t rejected the part of him that became Azrael. He’s Azrael in a Batman themed armor but he’s holding on to that identity as the only one that matters. Is he even thinking of himself as Jean Paul anymore? On the plus side it helps maintain a secret identity without slipups. Say if Batman has to save Tim and friends and Tim doesn’t have a chance to change costumes, thus not changing identities. In Bruce’s mind Batman is saving Tim, not Bruce saving Robin or any other combination. It’s probably what helps Bruce keep “public Bruce” and “Batman” separate, and he’s not the only one. Look at the various defenses of Clark Kent and you’ll see what I mean. Even with me, “Troy A” is the penname I use in my comics while “ShadowWing Tronix” has become my reviewer identity. It’s more mindset than the performed personalities, though if you get too into the roles you get the recent take on Moon Knight in the comics.
Will any of that play into this chapter? Let’s dive in and see.
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The “First Ronin” draft didn’t go over as well as “The Last Ronin”.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17
Mirage Publishing (November, 1988)
“Distractions”
WRITERS: Eric Talbot & Kevin Eastman
ARTIST: Eric Talbot
LETTERER: Steve Lavigne
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Don’t watch the first few minutes while eating, but it goes away. Also: swearing.
Don’t bother looking for Yahtzee Croshaw on The Escapist channel anymore. Due to backstage drama he and a bunch of former contributors can now be found on the Second Wind YouTube channel. I have a few more Zero and Extra Punctuation videos in the backlog I’ll try to get through soon.
BW Media Spotlight 
BW’s Daily Video> Redemption Arcs Skipping The Arc
Okay, here me out before you press play. Yes, the host’s politics are blatant as are some of the insults, and there’s a lot more swearing on top of that than you get from your average BW posting. If that bothers you, come back later. I’m reviewing a comic followed by a full article later tonight. However, this is an otherwise good discussion of what makes a bad redemption arc with examples of both good and bad villain reforms, so I’m using it.
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on November 14, 2023 in Animation Spotlight, Movie Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged commentary, redemption arc, Villain.
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