Secret identities used to be as synonymous with superheroes as capes and masks, but these days it seems like either everyone knows the secret or heroes have abandoned their alter ego altogether. It’s hard to imagine Batman without Bruce Wayne, yet Thor currently has no Donald Blake in the comics or the movies. And Iron Man? He admitted his identity to the world with a smirk on his face. It begs the question, has the idea of a secret identity become an antiquated notion?
Before getting into specifics, it’d be prudent to address the idea of why secret identities exist in the first place. From a practical standpoint, a hero needs a secret identity so they can live a normal life until a time of crisis. As a public figure with popularity on the same level as your average celebrity, a hero must maintain a secret identity otherwise they would be tracked down by fans and press -- plus any villains who want to go after the hero’s loved ones. A secret identity acts as both a shield for their privacy and a reprieve from their superhero responsibilities. Even Batman needs to relax once in a while.
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