A secret identity is a person's cryptonym, incognito, cover and/or

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

which is not known to the general populace, most often used in

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

. Brought into

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent in the

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

genre, and is a trope of the masquerade. In American comic books, a character typically has dual identities, one overt and one covert. The false or ''public identity'' being known to the general public as the "

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

persona" and the other being the secret identity. The private or secret identity is typically the superhero's legal name, true identity, and/or " civilian persona" when they are not actively assuming the superhero persona. It is kept hidden from their enemies and the general public to protect themselves from legal ramifications, pressure, or public scrutiny, as well as to protect their friends and loved ones from harm secondary to their actions as superheroes.

Example

*Bruce Wayne's "playboy billionaire" is portrayed in all media as his "mask", or false identity, while his

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

persona is his "face", or true identity. *Clark maintains three separate identities: one as the reporter Clark Kent and the other as the superhero

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

. These identities are kept separate from his

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

farmer identity, in order to protect his family's privacy. *Diana Prince, a diplomat, is the civilian identity of

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

, to blend in with society outside her homeland. *Danny Fenton maintains two separate identities: one as the teenage boy Danny Fenton and the superhero Danny Phantom; these identities are similar to

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

. *Kit Taylor is the secret identity of the superhero Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. Both identities are kept separate in Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. Occasionally, this trope is inverted. Examples of this are: *The

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

'' (2008), which ends with the lead character declaring to the world “I am Iron Man”. *'' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), which ends with Peter Parker's civilian persona being permanently erased from the memory of the entire world as a result of a spell cast by

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

References

External links

Who's wearing the maskThe Many, Many People Who Know Batman's "Secret" IdentityNo More Secret Identities: The Trouble With Alter Egos
{{Superhero fiction Fictional elements introduced in 1903 Adventure fiction Code names Espionage Pseudonyms Secrecy Superhero fiction themes

Example

See also

References

External links