Inhaltsverzeichnis
DC has been publishing Superman comics for well over 80 years now. It should come as no surprise the character's history and back-story have grown pretty convoluted over the decades, despite (or maybe even because of) the many reboots and Crisis events DC throws Kal-El's way. That's especially true when it comes to the surprisingly complicated issue of Superman's secret identity.
DC has just altered the status quo yet again in Action Comics #1050. This issue is designed to lay the foundation for the next era of the Superman franchise, and it all starts by returning to a traditional status quo where only a handful of people know Clark Kent is Superman. But how did Clark get his secret back, and why? Before we break down exactly what happened, it's worth taking a step back to examine how DC has handled the Superman/Clark dynamic in recent years and why Superman's secret identity has become one of DC's most confusing plot points.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Action Comics #1050!
Superman's New 52 Identity Crisis
DC has often flirted with the idea of Superman's secret being exposed to the world. Countless Silver Age comics revolve around the nosy Lois Lane nearly uncovering the truth before Superman gaslights her into rejecting the evidence. 1986's Whatever Happened to the Man of Steel? acts as a hypothetical ending to Superman's story, showing what happens when his worst enemies uncover his secret and join forces to destroy him.
However, it wasn't until 2015 that DC really dove into the idea of Superman having his identity leaked to the world. Superman writer Gene Luen Yang introduced a shocking new status quo wherein a mostly de-powered Supes was on the run and dealing with the fact that Lois Lane of all people was the one responsible for exposing him. Only after several months did readers learn that Lois did so because Superman was being blackmailed by a technological villain named Hordr_Root. In her view, she was doing Superman and the world a favor by removing Hordr's power over him.
Superman eventually got his powers back and came to terms with being a public figure, though it wasn't long before that version of the character (the younger, unmarried Superman introduced during the New 52 reboot) was killed off and replaced by the classic, pre-Flashpoint version of Superman. That situation became even more confusing when someone else claiming to be Clark Kent showed up in Metropolis.
Long story short, he turned out to be Superman's nemesis Mr. Mxyzptlk in disguise, and that story ended with the pre-Flashpoint and New 52 versions of Superman being merged together to form a unified version of the character. In the current version of the DC timeline, Superman's first major identity crisis probably no longer happened.
Superman Reveals His Truth
Superman got his secret identity and his marriage back thanks to 2016's DC Rebirth, and he and Lois even have a son now. But despite how badly things went the first time around, Supes decided that the time had come to drop the facade and reveal his secret to the whole world in 2019's Superman #18.
That, along with the decision to age up Jon Kent to young adulthood, is easily the most significant development in Brian Michael Bendis' Superman run. But whereas Yang's story dealt with Superman being robbed of his most precious secret, Bendis' "Truth" saw Superman make the conscious choice to reveal himself and correct what he came to view as a mistake. As a hero and a journalist, Superman prides himself on his honesty. How can he claim to be an honest man if he leads two lives in broad daylight?
"Truth" also acknowledges the fact that Superman doesn't stand to lose nearly as much from revealing himself to the world as a character like Spider-Man. He and his son are so powerful as to be all but untouchable, and it's not as if the world wasn't already aware that Superman and Lois Lane share a close bond.
Various Superman comics in the years since have explored the long-term ramifications of Superman's decision, both good and ill. For a while, it seemed as though this might be a change that DC stuck with, particularly with the planned 5G initiative phasing out classic heroes in favor of younger replacements like the Jon Kent Superman, the Jace Fox Batman and the Yara Flor Wonder Woman. But DC eventually abandoned its 5G plans, and the spotlight has begun swinging back in favor of traditional heroes and stories. With Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths paving the way for Dawn of DC in 2023, the choice was made to once again restore Superman's secret identity.
Superman's Identity Restored (Again)
That's where Acton Comics #1050 comes in. A joint effort between writers Philip Kennedy Johnson, Joshua Williamson and Tom Taylor, this issue is meant to set the tone for the monthly Action Comics, Superman and Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent series going forward. Here, we learn it's none other than Lex Luthor who's responsible for making the world forget Superman's identity.
Luthor reveals his plan to a captive Manchester Black, a former villain who had recently experienced a major redemption arc fighting alongside Superman. Though he hates Superman as deeply as ever, Luthor reluctantly admits the world needs its greatest hero. Moreover, the world needs to see Superman as a god again, not an ordinary man. Luthor uses his own custom-built machine to amplify Black's psychic powers and give the world a collective mindwipe.
Black is killed in the process, though not before he delivers one parting gift to an infuriated Luthor. He reveals that for all Luthor obsesses over destroying his nemesis, Superman rarely gives Luthor a second thought. Whether that's actually true or not (we suspect Black is fibbing), this revelation clearly has the desired effect.
Fortunately for Superman, his closest friends and family still know the truth, thanks to the protective barrier surrounding the Kent family farm and the psychic safeguards provided to the Justice League. But Clark discovers the hard way just how comprehensive Luthor's mindwipe is when he approaches Perry White in costume and his old boss nearly dies from a sudden aneurysm. The world has not only been made to forget, but anyone who comes close to remembering is hypnotically blocked. That's also meant to explain how the mindwipe can account for the various video footage and news stories of Superman's identity reveal.
In a lot of ways, Luthor's plan is similar to how Spider-Man recovered his secret identity after the events of 2006's Civil War and 2007's Spider-Man: One More Day. Eventually, readers learned that Peter Parker approached Mister Fantastic, Iron Man and Doctor Strange, who built a hybrid magical and technological device to collectively erase the memory of Spider-Man's unmasking. That plot point was also loosely adapted for the MCU in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Superman's New Status Quo in 2023
The end result of all of this is that Superman is back to a more traditional status quo as 2023 begins. Where previously Kal-El had spent much of his time away from Earth, assisting with the formation of the United Planets and battling Mongul on Warworld. In his place, Jon Kent has taken up the mantle of Superman and even spearheaded the formation of a new Justice League in the pages of Dark Crisis.
Now, however, Superman is back home in Metropolis and seems ready to resume his dual existence as the Man of Steel and Clark Kent, intrepid reporter. He'll be working alongside the entire Daily Planet crew again and battling both classic villains like the imprisoned Luthor and an upgraded Metallo, as well as new foes yet to be revealed. His son Jon will remain active in the spinoff series Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, but Jon is seemingly no longer Earth's designated Man of Steel.
Superman has been unmasked and died multiple times in recent years, yet at this point that history has been mostly buried and forgotten. Some of it was wiped away by DC's constantly evolving multiverse, and the rest has been handled courtesy of Lex Luthor. Superman's secret identity has a very convoluted history, but the good news is that you don't really need to worry about any of it to dive into the new line of books.
Do you agree with DC's decision to undo Superman's identity reveal again? Should this plot twist have been handled differently? Cast your vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below:
For more on the year ahead for DC, see everything coming from DC in 2023 and the biggest comic books of 2023.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.