I get into this discussion with my wife every time we watch The Arrow. Or anyone who has a secret identity and conceals with a mask or in Kal's case glasses. According to her it is impossible to fool someone with something so simple. I disagree and see her point.
This is why i disagree. I base it on my own experience. When I used to work at this lumberyard years ago. I had a habit of wearing baseball caps, I'm telling for months at a time. At one point I would stop wearing it for whatever reason (haircut, or lack of). I kid you not. The next day people wouldn't recognize me at the job I was at for 5 years. Their argument was due to me not wearing my hat. Are you telling that's all it takes? Sometimes it is. We as people are actually accustomed to seeing the same thing. We go to the same job, looking at the same people. Dealing with the same of whatever. When there's a sudden change, like a new employee or hair style, car, etc. We're completely thrown off and have to get used to that change. So in Clark's case and even Bruce's. If you couple that with a different set of clothes (from their costumes) and demeanor you can conceal your true identity well enough.
Why I see her point. I remember this from the Green Lantern movie. Green Lantern went to see Carol Ferris for whatever reason. In the film they grew up together. I mean he had the mask on, his eyes were different, he tried to change his voice but to no avail. She knew it was Hal. Her reasoning was that she knew that jaw line through and through. I had to laugh when that happened. Because I could see that happen to me. A mask or cowl wouldn't properly conceal my face. I would need a helmet to hide me completely and hope my body language wouldn't give me away. It's true, my family and my close friends would know it was me for the simple fact that they know me. I would completely have to change how I interact (its possible) with folks in order to really conceal my identity.......maybe.
Part of the reason people like Superman and Green Arrow and others who wear those simple domino masks can hide their identity is simple. It's all fake, lol. Despite some real life experience I had with it. It's simply all fictional. So in your face!! Don't tell my wife I said that.
Part of it is just the open mindedness of the characters. Ra's, Riddler, and Bane all figured out who Batman was because they were willing to consider the idea that it was Bruce Wayne. Gordon and Joker have both expressed that they never want to know, so they have never figured it out despite them having the ability. Kong in Ultimate Spider-Man is another good example. He wasn't incredibly smart, but was open minded enough to catch what everyone else missed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, with Superman they have established he has a hypnotic power that would make a mask redundant.
Superman with a hypnotic power? How stupid is that?
DeleteNot as bad as 'super-ventriloquism', which is also listed in his power set. It does explain his mind wiping kiss ability though.
ReplyDeleteIt's still stupid
DeleteI'm fine with kicking Supes back to his 1930s powers and forgetting all the stupid crap he picked up along the way.
ReplyDeleteBefore or after he gets his flight?
ReplyDeleteWhen "Leaping tall buildings in a single bound" was actually what he did.
ReplyDeleteGlasses is the dumbest disguise. Instead of updating, modernizing, etc the disguise, writers just try to explain it with his ever growing set of powers or with false personality quirks. Some have written him to vibrate fast when near people so he looks kinda blurry, some have him act nerdy, slouch, fumble over everything, stutter, and wear baggy clothes all at once. I'm glad they skipped over Lois not knowing his identity in Man of Steel. For once, the character is actually worthy of her Pulitzer Prize Reporter moniker. On the note of the Green Lantern movie, that scene where she finds out his identity within a few seconds was the the funniest bit in that film.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked that in Man of Steel. It was very realistic in a comic book film. It just made sense. The only one who is allowed to blur his face is actually any of Flashes.
ReplyDeleteI think another reason why some can get away with just the domino mask is because they aren't really in the limelight much. Sure, their close friends and family will likely recognize them pretty quickly, if people don't see them on a daily basis in street clothes, casual clothes, outside of the cape, etc, they're not very likely to know who the heroes are without the mask (unless some people are actually halfway observant). Bruce, however, is a famous figure, so he'd need more than just the domino mask; hence the cowl.
ReplyDelete