That was something that always bothered me even as a kid: why would Superman let people know he has a secret identity? John Byrne did a issue of the Superman comic book where he addressed that by having Lex Luthor find out Superman was Clark Kent and he rejected that idea as he couldn't believe that Superman would go around pretending to be a powerless human when he could be Superman all the time.
Maybe this puzzlement arises because we are readers are aware of Superman's origins. In the comics, Superman himself wasn't aware he had been born on another planet until a 1948 story (this can be verified by checking an earlier post with the 'superman' tag).
So we're familiar with the conventional insight that Superman is always Superman, it's not a state he transforms into. The people in DC Universe didn't know this and you can why they would logically assume he was like earlier costumed heroes like Zorro or the Green Hornet.. that he was a regular person who put on the costume and became Superman.
George Reeves' portrayal reinforces this. Watching the old series, it sure seems to me that Clark Kent is happy as himself and only gets into the Superman role when things get too far out of hand.
Yeah, I see your point but the reason I can't buy it is that Zorro and The Green Hornet wear masks. So I see them and I know they've got a secret identity. Why else wear a mask? Not Superman. He doesn't wear a mask so why would I assume he's got a secret identity?
And anyway, I think like Lex Luthor: if I were Superman, I'd be Superman all the time. Why bother masquerading as a powerless human?
One thing we can agree on 100% is how George Reeves played Clark Kent. One reason I enjoy Reeves so much is that he played Clark as being pretty tough in his own right. On more than one occasion Clark talked smack to hoodlums and crime bosses trying to muscle him.
I don't know, maybe this is something I'd have to research by going through the late 1930's-early 1940s comics, radio show and newspaper strips to spot when we first see that people were aware Superman had a civilian identity? My guess might be that it was never explained. Siegel and Shuster didn't give the matter that much analysis, they were just telling exciting stories.
I've seen World War II-era SUPERMAN Fleischer cartoons that describe Clark Kent as having grown up in an orphanage (as well as one, "The Electric Earthquake", that locates the Daily Planet in Manhattan, rather than Metropolis; this is a significant plot point, since a disgruntled Native American mad scientist is trying to retake the island.
I'm guessing that either these cartoons were made before Superman's backstory had stabilized, or the Fleischers failed to compare notes with Siegel and Schuster.
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So we're familiar with the conventional insight that Superman is always Superman, it's not a state he transforms into. The people in DC Universe didn't know this and you can why they would logically assume he was like earlier costumed heroes like Zorro or the Green Hornet.. that he was a regular person who put on the costume and became Superman.
George Reeves' portrayal reinforces this. Watching the old series, it sure seems to me that Clark Kent is happy as himself and only gets into the Superman role when things get too far out of hand.
Reply
And anyway, I think like Lex Luthor: if I were Superman, I'd be Superman all the time. Why bother masquerading as a powerless human?
One thing we can agree on 100% is how George Reeves played Clark Kent. One reason I enjoy Reeves so much is that he played Clark as being pretty tough in his own right. On more than one occasion Clark talked smack to hoodlums and crime bosses trying to muscle him.
Reply
I don't know, maybe this is something I'd have to research by going through the late 1930's-early 1940s comics, radio show and newspaper strips to spot when we first see that people were aware Superman had a civilian identity? My guess might be that it was never explained. Siegel and Shuster didn't give the matter that much analysis, they were just telling exciting stories.
Reply
I'm guessing that either these cartoons were made before Superman's backstory had stabilized, or the Fleischers failed to compare notes with Siegel and Schuster.
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