Why Can't People Tell CLARK KENT is SUPERMAN?!? || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync

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Admit it. We've all asked this question before: Why can't anyone recognize Superman as Clark Kent? All Clark has is a pair of glasses. Well, Superman's disguise is a little more clever than what it seems. Today, we're breaking down the usefulness of the Man of Steel's special spectacles as well as discovering why no one has noticed that Clark Kent and Superman look pretty similar. Long story short, there is more to his disguise (or lack thereof) than meets the eye. Pun?
Every Wednesday, Comic Misconceptions explores fascinating trivia, crazy stories, and mind-blowing theories about the comic book universe from Marvel, DC, and beyond!
Hosted by Scott Niswander (@ScottNiswander)
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[@jayb8934]

There's another factor to consider as well, it's what I call the celebrity phenomenon. There's probably a more correct name for it but I don't know. In real life, some of the most famous celebrities in the world sometimes go out into the public with no more of a disguise that a baseball cap and sun glasses and they don't get recognized, even though their face is known to millions of people. The main reason for this is related to how our brains work when it comes to recognizing people or things. Basically, we are less likely to recognize someone or something if we see it in an unexpected context. You might initially fail to recognize even someone whom you know quite well just because you encounter them somewhere you'd never expect them to be. Thus, if Brad Pitt is sitting beside you on the bus, it never occurs to you that it's actually Brad Pitt. At most, you think to yourself "that guy kind of looks like Brad Pitt". Similarly, no one expects to see Superman behind them in line at Wal-Mart, so no one proclaims, "that guy is clearly Superman wearing a pair of glasses!" You brain just doesn't make the connection.

[@TheLastGarou]

+Jay B That's a good point. I know it's happened to me more than once. Not saying I am a celebrity(I'm not), but that I had long hair and a Van Dyke for years, and when I cut them off even people who knew me didn't recognize me. The same thing happened when I started wearing contact lenses instead of glasses, the identifying characteristics that people associated with me changed, so they didn't immediately recognize me.

[@SodaPopinksi]

+Jay B It's actually more the opposite, the more they try to come out, the more they are exposed.

[@GAMEOVERttp]

+Geom Etrotman its not the opposite! at all they only get recognised because the do stupid stuff like go the shops while been dropped off by a limo driver or because the media has followed them from there homes. They don't conseal there tracks and most even go out dressed in there hat and glasses to be caught and to make themselves appear like they are been hounded all the time to try to make there status appear bigger. As he said if brad was on a bus and you were 100% sure it was him you mind would still tell you no because he's on a bus he would never do that. Superman is the same as far as the people of metropolis know superman doesn't have an identity s when they see clark they don't even think twice superman using a bus naaaah even if it was him why is he dressed like that and not flying to his destination.

[@hydrolito]

McCacaulay Culkin was wearing a ski mask and some one recognized him in one news story.

[@thejordyoshi]

My favourite explanation is the one given by Max Landis in his series, Superman: American Alien. Clark's glasses are completely optional and he can take them off in public if he wants to, and when he does, people just go, "Hey, you look just like Superman," but dismiss him because it seems a little farfetched to them that the world's greatest superhero would actually be a bumbling nerd.

[@jmgonzales7701]

Thats the best explanation. But i hope they added something to it.

[@larrygreen8828]

The explanation of people not expecting he had another identity is pretty much the majority of the reason. People he worked with do not necessarily have to be blind to his similarities, but it would just be a "Hey you kinda look like Superman"... "Oh I do, that cool!" Nobody would ever think a godlike 'superman' is working with them in a 9-5 job everyday just for fun. Imagine you just started a job at some office and a coworker looks very much like Tom Hanks, but with some thick rimmed glasses, a slightly different hair style and voice, maybe bad posture. Of course you'll notice a passing similarity and maybe as a joke sometimes say Hi Tom. But nobody there would ever think he actually was...or that Tom Hanks would be pretending to be another person every day when he's not making a movie.

[@DoctorZisIN]

Larry Green I had a coworker once who looked just like Kevin Costner. Even his voice was the same! I made a joke about it once but he didn't seem amused. I never mentioned it again, but now I know Kevin Costner has a secret identity and works at a marketing office. He doesn't even wear glasses! But nobody believes me.

[@nakyer]

Grafight23 I'm trying to figure out who the Lex Luthor of Costner's life would be, and how we can prevent him from getting his hands on you.

[@SuperCityscan]

It would be little different, if you meet Tom Hanks every other day.

[@ojogbaneamedu2501]

SuperCityscan Yeah, but most times when Lous gets close to figuring it out Superman does something crazy to prove he’s not the same person as Clark Kent. Like using a robot to make them appear to be in the same place at the same time.

[@Justmyhandle]

@@ojogbaneamedu2501 *"Most times, when Lois gets close to figuring it out, Superman does something crazy to prove he’s not the same person as Clark Kent. Like using a robot to make them appear to be in the same place at the same time."* And the fact that he felt the need to do that in the first place could in itself be argued as evidence that the Clark Kent dynamic was getting obsolete/outdated. Honestly, I'd have just tried to write something simpler. Ex- Superman having the ability to change his eye color and constantly concentrating to keep that color active as Clark Kent. He'd keep this ability secret from EVERYONE, including Lois. If/when she became suspicious, Clark would just let her feel his eyeballs to confirm "See? No contacts". I'm unsure exactly how it would work (Maybe channel a tiny bit of constant heat vision to change the iris color), but it's not like his powers have ever been 100% consistent or realistic. Sure, that'd likely be criticized by fans too but it's still an easier + less convoluted explanation to suspend disbelief imo than "Glasses, different posture/hair/mannerisms, robot, etc". The old "Nobody would think Superman works a 9-5 job among us" argument makes A LOT of assumptions which grossly underestimate paranoid conspiracy theorists. Such people form pretty wild ideas already in a world WITHOUT superheroes. In DC's world, at least a minority would absolutely not find the concept so far fetched. As hard as it is for some purists to accept, one driving reason DC most likely kept this trope is simply because they knew getting rid of it would draw controversy and didn't want to risk it. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one or more of the writers just came out and said one day "Yes, we know the Clark Kent concept is silly. We knew that for decades, but what could we do? This is one of the core traits to arguably the most iconic character in modern fiction. If we changed Clark too radically or got rid of him for ANY reason, fans would riot. It wouldn't matter if it was perfectly justified, made perfect sense or even if it actually improved the storytelling. The internet would mercilessly crucify us, no question about it. Look at how the fandom blew up in the past, just because the red pants were changed. Look at what happened when Wonder Woman was given pants? There'd be hell to pay for all involved. It would follow us forever. Sometimes, you just have to resign yourself to 'comic logic', accept that we're in too deep with this character, and be mindful of the legacy you're playing with. Like it or not, everything down to the seemingly stupidest detail may be considered sacred to others. More often than not, people are historically just not kind to change." Am I wrong?

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

That's funny, that exact argument about why would Superman pretend to be anything less is EXACTLY the reason Lex didn't buy that Superman was Clark in the 80's. He even fired the employee whose program calculated the fact.

[@primax5503]

We'll, Lex is "too intelligent" to know that Clark Kent is Superman

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

@@primax5503 No, it was just his ego was such that he couldn't imagine someone like Superman pretending to be a mere mortal. He just couldn't wrap his head around that idea. A thing about Byrne's run was the idea that most people assumed Superman didn't have a secret identity because he didn't wear a mask. Batman even said as much in the comic depicting their first encounter.

[@Iliketoeatallday]

He totally has something good going, if you had a friend who looked exactly like the president, you wouldn't assume they were secretly obama.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Matthew Litteral I think this comment perfectly sums up the entire video! Thank you!

[@savagedragon79]

Lois ruins that though..the love interest is a dead giveaway

[@Iliketoeatallday]

savagedragon79 However many continuities have her secretly knowing and just keeping his secret.

[@DmanDice]

True. Until that friend meets Obama. Once that happens its all over. If you cant tell your friend is acting like someone else then they are not a friend lol.

[@fadidabban]

Matthew Litteral Clark Kent is just a human who looks like Superman (doppelgänger), he has different hair, different accent and voice, he is thinner, has poor eye sight, get sick and bleeds, finally he is always there even when Superman is (seamless super speed transformation)

[@GurjobD]

I once read a comic where Lex Luthor found out that the Kents had a connection with Superman, and one of his employee suggested that Clark Kent might me Superman, but Lex Luthor said that why would someone super want to live a mortal life, and I think that's what keeps his identity safe

[@NerdSyncProductions]

BecauseImACooper Exactly!

[@GurjobD]

***** you replied!

[@NerdSyncProductions]

BecauseImACooper Of course!

[@GurjobD]

***** lol

[@GrandRiserOfficial]

Just like Batman and Bruce in the movie. To think about it, I never thought Bruce would have a playboy aura and go out with lots of ladies, considering he's a Batman. But to think again, it's a disguise used by Bruce to create a persona, that would make people think "It's Impossible that a playboy spoiled billionaire like Bruce is a Crime Fighting Batman with muscles."

[@brandoman79]

I can give you a real world example of why people don't know Clark Kent is Superman and that is the Late Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was known for entering Charlie Chaplin look a like competitions and losing; that's right the actual Charlie Chaplin would enter Charlie Chaplin look a like competitions and lose. Why? Because the audience, the judges and the those competing against him would never suspect Charlie would enter an impersonation competition. Why would he? Ironically Judges would often give Charlie notes on how he could look more like Charlie Chaplin. It's the same with Superman, Superman as an unmasked Hero has publically said his name is Kal El from the planet Krypton. Why would anyone think Kal El aka Superman from the destroyed planet Krypton is also "human" reporter from Smallville Kansas Clark Kent? They wouldn't. They may think he is an a crazy Superman fan boy who styles his hair like Superman's, he may even get you look like Superman. But again how many none Celebrities/Athletes do people say from time to time " Gee you know you look a lot like" Heck even the actual celebrity from time to time hear that comment made about themselves.

[@fireflame62]

Damn.

[@TheWarmachine375]

That makes perfect sense

[@Catlord98765]

Wait I thought Superman was Miles Morales and he gets his powers from a suit of armour he made himself as part of a super soldier program? I mean I am pretty sure this was stated in that one issue of the ultimate justice league of Finland where he fought the green joker...

[@NerdSyncProductions]

***** Must have missed that issue.

[@Catlord98765]

Jason Lu I obviously am talking about the Joker, who is the leader of the Cabal, with both a yellow and blue arrow rings. This was shown in the π's issue of Iron Chef.

[@PhotogenicCat]

***** No Shit Sherlock.

[@nikomiller]

I think it was from the story arc "Fear the Hunters on the Flashpoint Earth-616 of Future Past" where Frank Castle was revealed to be Johnny Blaze's black woman clone with Power Cosmic powers and he died on the Tardis while fighting Hush.

[@sladewilson4079]

Random Talking you people cant even remember captain ironhawkspiderhulkerine man

[@notbobby125]

4:23 Also, the general public at large knows that Superman has a name, Kal-El, and he has a home, the Fortress of Solitude. When he revealed his real name to the Justice League, some of the other heroes were shocked the Man of Steal had a day job. In the Blackest Night, we got this exchange which really demonstrates this: Green Lantern: Clark hides behind a pair of glasses and you're worrying about me? Flash: Clark slouches, wears clothes two sizes too big, and raises his voice an octave. There was also numerous times when Superman and Clark Kent appeared together (normally due to someone like Martian Man Hunter shapeshifting into either Superman or Clark) Christopher Reeves really showed how Superman could really pretend to be Clark Kent. He would orient his face slightly differently, making Clark look a bit chubbier, shorter, and have a different chin entirely.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

notbobby125 Totally! Christopher Reeve nailed the dual identity aspect of Superman perfectly!

[@aardvark280]

***** Yes, Reeve made us believe that no one would notice that Kent & Superman look alike - they act so differently that the resemblance would be dismissed as coincidence. I loved that Reeve constantly fiddled-with and cleaned his glasses, drawing more attention to them. And the best moment in the first movie results from Clark's decision to reveal himself to Lois - he seems to grow inches in height & breadth and starts to speak in Superman's confident baritone instead of Kent's reedy tenor... then chickens out and reverts to his disguise.

[@dejaypage1575]

Well I don’t think it’s all fake. I think he puts on a shoe in both environments but lets his less serious side shine as Clark but goes mostly all business as Superman.

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

thats still not enough anyone could tell they are the same person stop being deluded .

[@Barret9559]

@@@thenextshenanigantownandth4393 Friend, the film crew on Superman 1 thought there were 2 different actors for Superman and Clark Kent for months until that scene. They had worked with Reeve for months as he played both characters and didn't realize he was doing so until the scene @Howard Beatman talks about. Let me repeat this, Christopher Reeves fooled people he was working with for *months* until that scene happened.

[@Britton_Thompson]

Superman has used multiple opportunities to take pictures with Clark Kent so that people see they are two different individuals. He's done this with the help of shapeshifters such as Martian Manhunter; the old proto-plasma Supergirl who was originally "Matrix"; and the realistic looking robots from the Fortress of Solitude. So right away there are several photos and videos of Superman and Clark Kent standing next to each other. But mostly, no one suspects anything to begin with. They know he's alien to begin with, and people assume he's constantly doing the superhero thing 24/7; if not in Metropolis then somewhere else in the world. Nobody thinks an alien with superpowers would want to be human.

[@scifikoala]

Ive heard rumors about a number of celebrities and iconic people (most notably Marilyn Monroe) who could change their mannerisms and attitude to go through public unnoticed and could flip on a dime to be their easily recognizable, iconic selves, so maybe its not to big of a stretch

[@aguywhowatchescartoons368]

Hugh Jackman went to comic con as his wolverine and people told him he was too tall.

[@JAbell1966]

Read a story about Moe Howard having a specific barber that he would go to for that iconic Moe bowl cut. The barber would cut his hair in such a way that combing the bangs down made him Stooge Moe and combing them back made him practically unrecognizable.

[@DoomMomDot]

If I remember right, pre- the latest reboot, Superman vibrated his face at super speeds to keep cameras and the like from being able to take clear pictures of him. And there was a time that Lex Luthor got information that Superman was Clark Kent, and rejected it outright as ridiculous ...

[@TheSimcraftFixion]

I would agree to you. People with glasses (like me) looks very different without it. Other people would expect people with glasses as smart kids that are not fund of activities. If Clark Kent is my friend, I would never question his identity. I will just imagine Superman flying around the world the whole time instead of having a normal life.

[@bichonnation9494]

TheSimcraftFixion yeah you look different. But your body shape, skin colour, hair colour, hair cut or ears. Are all the same. Glasses aren’t as good a disguise as, let’s say, a full body spandex with a mask that covers the whole front and back of the face.

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

I am near sighted and need glasses or contacts. Also I am a trans woman. My glasses are obviously a style that is for women (the glasses that are in the style of cat eyes) and they really help to make me look more feminine. Without them I don’t look quite as femme as I would like.

[@drawingat131]

Okay I agree with this. Think about it this way, Clark Kent is a nerd. He wears glasses and looks like a completely different person with them on. I wear glasses and people say I look completely different without them. So there is that sense of changing the shape of someone's face with glasses. Also, people argue that the employees of The Daily Bugle should easily tell that Clark Kent is Superman but the reason they can't is because it's a mental thing. If you spent your whole life finding out everything about Superman, would you ever really expect him to be among you? Would you expect him to be undercover as a nerd and be able to pull it off? Not really. So it's all a mental projection that they have. Superman and Clark Kent are seen as two different people to them but this isn't due to hypnosis now. Just mental blocking.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

drawingat131 Definitely agree with everything you just said. The problem is that we as people are viewing Superman from an outside perspective where we know that he has a double identity. It's hard to break that perception and try to imagine it as someone who works with Clark because we'd need to experience that for ourselves to truly understand.

[@abdmin3268]

But their voice r the same!

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Iron Spidey Flash He disguises his voice and even has different mannerisms for Clark and Superman. Like Clark being more soft spoken and sometimes depicted with a stutter.

[@drawingat131]

Iron Spidey Flash Not really. You see Superman has been able to literally transform himself from Superman into Clark Kent. He's clumsy, bashful, and an alright shy guy. Clark Kent has a small voice and he mumbles a lot. However, Superman has a powerful voice that spreads to whomever he wants. So Superman uses different mannerisms for Clark Kent. I'm in total agreement with nerdsyncproductions.

[@KillerArmyStyle]

Iron Spidey Flash No, Lois Lane has said that Superman's voice is much, much deeper than Clark's voice

[@jlogan2228]

henry cavill walked around comicon in glasses and plain cloths and nobody recognized him so literally had the clark kent effect going on plus along with the change in posture, glasses that dull his eyes, change in voice, and change in mannerism, alot of it may stsm from how we all know someone who looks just like someone else. so a candid resemblence doesnt really trigger anything within our brain. add into the fact superman has robots of himself and has had other heros masauerade as him or clark kent at the same time in the same room in the past so that also could be a factor. ultimately it really does come down to hiding in plain sight. we dont believe someone with godlike powers would hide themselves as a nerdy average joe working a regular old job bc we know of we had the same powers we certainly wouldnt live a life like that.

[@russianbot2179]

Also there are many many look-alikes. When you see someone that looks like Taylor Swift, you don't assume they are Taylor Swift, you just assume they *look* like Taylor Swift. Former president George W. Bush once said one of the most common things people on the streets tell him is, "hey, does anyone ever tell you that you look like George Bush?"

[@NerdSyncProductions]

***** Nailed it!

[@S1RLANC3]

Very true and it's also worth mentioning that he changes his hair as well which also adds to his disguise.

[@S1RLANC3]

***** They would be the least likely to know because they know Clarke Kent best and Clarke (being a reporter) has the added benefit of knowing the reporters that much better as well.

[@brownwindedangel]

True but allots lost in translation around how superman disguises himself one thing is as Clark Superman Slouches to go with his slightly wimp demeanor along with changing his body language wears clothes two sizes to big to hide his physique raises his voice so that as Superman is deeper than Clark Kent and despite it all Superman doesn't have uncommon features blue eyes and black hair are fairly common in the DC universe and Superman is sometimes described as having inhumanly sharp piercing blue eyes that are hidden by his glasses which muddle the effect. Also many people cant comprehend the idea that Superman is one of them the statues they have of him seem to project him as a god of sorts and how many people are out searching for a person on the street when you only see him flying through the sky

[@everettlogan2433]

If you fuckers ever pay attention to Aquaman (Vol 3 Throne of Atlantis) you would get an explanation from the man (S dog) himself He and Wonder Woman are sitting in a restaurant, this is supposed to be the first time Wonder Woman tries the whole glasses thing. She asks him why they don't recognize them and he says "Well, I'd guess most of the time when they DO get a look at us, they see us from far away or they're looking up at us from the ground. More important, I don't think people ever consider that we--" Wonder Woman interrupts "Hide among them?"

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

Why wouldn't those at the daily planet be able to tell though ? its like if harry potter took off his glasses at Hogwarts and wore different clothes ,everyone would still be able to tell hes harry potter .

[@AbelLawliet]

I always thought it was because he lived in Metropolis, a city with about the same population of New York City (about 20 million people), and the two most compiling reasons anyone would even consider Clark Kent is Superman is; 1) He looks like him without his glasses. 2) He's never in the same place at the same time as Superman. Still, there are MILLIONS of people how aren't at the same place and time as Superman, and you know there would be dozens if not hundreds of men who'd get plastic surgery to look like him. Plus Clark seems like the kinda guy who keeps to himself and only has a handful of people he considers close.

[@wk3820]

In the pre-Crisis days, Clark was frequently seen in the same place as Superman because of his small army of Superman robots, why handled situations he could not get to (like when as Clark he was doing his news broadcast in the 70s and 80s).

[@Anonymous01959]

You forgot one. Superman uses a different hairstyle as Clark Kent which helps modify his appearance. Spidermans dentist is related to Clem Kadiddlehopper

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Anonymous01959 Yeah, that whole left-part, right-part thing, as well as just overall a slightly different look. But yeah, you're right.

[@Anonymous01959]

.

[@Anonymous01959]

***** Every little bit helps. In some versions of Superman like Lois and Clark he slicks back his hair when in costume. Have you seen the 50's version? I'm not sure but I think I remember George Reeves using slicked back hair when Superman. George Reeves by the way committed suicide the day I was born. That's why I like to say I was born the day Superman died. What can I say, I have that effect on people. *"oh no ! Ben was born today, It's the end of the world !"* *BANG*

[@wiseguymaybe]

Heeyyy.....about the Spiderman's dentist relation......that was going to be my answer!!!

[@jamesl7709]

no, Klem was the dual identity of The Red Skeleton. atsa Joke folks...

[@jeremyvillasenor]

this is the first video of yours I've seen. subscribed. I liked how there was no awkward silence or forced jokes. I never once felt like I was watching a pandering G4 show. great stuff

[@NerdSyncProductions]

sherlockbatman Well, I can't guarantee that there won't ever be awkward moments or terrible jokes, but that's what you get for subscribing to NerdSync!

[@cop5144]

+NerdSync No over acting, good flow, natural sounding voice. Good host.

[@PrincessSerenity44]

+NerdSync wow you've changed........

[@NerdSyncProductions]

JuliaJean Turner I hope in a good way!

[@PrincessSerenity44]

um....well.....

[@kyransawhill6650]

You, sir, just earned yourself a new subscriber. I already knew pretty much all of this, but it's always fun to see people explain it in clear, understandable ways. It offers another resource to cite whenever I have to explain it to someone else and it's just fun to watch.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Kyran Sawhill Awesome! Enjoy your stay!

[@NavySharkz]

I remember reading years ago that he super vibrates as Superman to blur or obscure his facial features so people won't recognize him. That is the only explanation that makes any kind of sense.

[@DarlaLathan]

+NavySharkz The Golden Age Flash did that, too.

[@attack125]

+NavySharkz that's the flash not superman.

[@NavySharkz]

+attack125 Yeah I know The Flash does it too but I read the same about Supermam.

[@attack125]

NavySharkz superman did it once. in the series lois and clark. and not to hide is appearance. but to pass through a laser field so the bomb would not explode and lois would not die. (vibrated so fast his molecules came appart and he was basicly fased out of reality) but that is the only vibrating superman does. (except maybe in the sack with lois) remember. clark kent is de disquise/mask. not superman. superman is who he REALLY is.

[@NavySharkz]

+attack125 I hear you, just telling you what I read. His powers have been ret conned so much over the years it doesn't surprise me that he could do this at one point in his history.

[@Flufux]

I could get why the average citizen of Metropolis might not recognise him walking down the street, but for people like Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and whoever else has met him face to face numerous times, it just seems stupid that they wouldn't recognise him.

[@ChaoticButterfly]

Depends on the portrayal. In the case of Lex Luthor, it's his personal arrogance that stops him from believing it. I mean, he literally had a computer TELL HIM that Superman was Clark Kent, to which his assistant was like, "Of course!" but he said that the computer was just a soulless machine, that it couldn't possibly understand the workings of a god-like being. Lex truly does not believe that Superman would lower himself to pretending to be a _human_. Lois always suspects, on the other hand. That's part of her character, at least until they actually get married and he confesses to her. He goes SERIOUSLY out of his way to prove that he's not Superman to her, often by using robotic versions of himself. When you see two people you suspect of being one person in the same place... yanno? Kinda kills the idea that they might be the same person.

[@Javiikyuu]

Okay fine, I always thought this glasses cover situation was stupid but your video has convinced me. Everything makes sense.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

***** Yay!

[@Tebigong101]

Those are actually reasonable points for why most people wouldn't know about the dual identity.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Thank you! Please use this info to persuade anyone who thinks otherwise. Haha

[@ScrubNigel]

Still doesn't explain how Lois and Lex can't figure it out. They both meet with Superman, and Clark Kent, on a regular basis. Lex Luthor is supposed to be the smartest man on the planet, and one of the smartest in the Universe. It's insulting.

[@Tebigong101]

Nilzonist They both have strong feelings about Superman and have particularly defined ideas about him. I think that blinds both to the possibility that "someone like Clark" could be Superman in disguise, even though they are both are otherwise clever and observant people. Barring that I have to agree there is no reason they should not have realized that Superman is Clark. Again though that presupposes it would occur to them that Superman has, wants, or needs a dual identity for all the reasons Scott points out in the video.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Once again, I would like to iterate that neither of them think there is anything to figure out. They believe Superman is Superman all the time and doesn't have a secret identity. If you're not looking for something, it's easy not to see it. Plus, there's a rather funny joke on the internet where Metallo runs Superman's face through facial recognition software and he finds that it's Clark Kent. He tells Lex, but he says everyone already knows that. The reason that they don't make it public is because if he keeps his job, it's less time he has to spend as Superman. And they don't go to Clark's house to take him by surprise because it's not like he's less bulletproof in his pajamas. Haha If you really want to go that far, you could always assume that Lex knows Superman is Clark Kent, but is just playing it quite because he has nothing to gain from revealing it to everyone.

[@imirik]

Nilzonist too quote lex luthor "i like you kent, your everything he's not".

[@Lecreuset871]

wait.. what? Clark Kent is Superman? PFF..

[@JacobKaiju]

There was a rumor back then that Superman could vibrate his face to a certain point that you couldn't see what he truly looked like, which would make sense, though I could say that the fact that people only see what they want to see makes more sense. Now, He-Man/Prince Adam, yeah, that doesn't sense (well, in the 1980's anyway).

[@Binks129]

So pre crisis Superman was Cyclops? Good to know

[@lorddarkseid4009]

German Shepard So I wasn't the only one who thought that? Cool

[@TheAcrotach]

German Shepard *The Original cyclops #anothermarvelcopy hahaha

[@nakyer]

German Shepard Actually, that was a POST-Crisis thing. (Given him by the Kents to help keep his heat vision under control when he was a kid.) I don't believe anything like that was ever said in the Silver Age.

[@loganb9218]

While it's true that there's no reason to think that Superman would even have a secret human identity, don't forget that Pre-Crisis Lois Lane for some strange reason thought he would because she was always trying to figure out his secret identity. When retconning Byrne did away with that idea, because he said it didn't make sense (for the very reasons you stated).

[@ForkliftJoe]

I think it's even simpler than that. Name one (newspaper) reporter in your home town. I couldn't name one if my life depended on it! "Superman is Clark Kent!" (who?) (Kent you say? Kent or Tent? Oh, RENT! Some guy named Rent? Who's that? Never heard of him!)

[@DruNature]

man, this is probably one of my favorite videos from you guys (and I have been binge watching the last cpl days since subscribing) This is a question i have really never been able to understand until today, thanks!! Really, your channel is like having a conversation and its wonderful. keep up the good work.

[@vanmoody]

From my memory (I'm in my 50's and had the original comic when it came out) the hypnotism Superman uses as Clark Kent was not done intentionally. It was on a subconscious level. Superman didn't know that Clark appears a little older for instance. He discovers this at the end of the comic.

[@ytfriedemann]

Glasses change the look of the face immediately. Especially dark rimmed glasses. It is totally a different look. Plus Superman never hangs around very long anywhere cause he is fighting some evil somewhere(somewhere). Clark Kent is in a suit, or white shirt which hides muscular features and he is seen everyday. Yes Lois puts it together one day and sees CK as "S"resemblance and "S" had an "S double" to do some stand in for him as "S" doing some feat that like repairing a bridge (or something) while CK was standing beside Lois; to make it appear that "S" and CK are around at the same time. So Lois sees that it cannot be possible to be two people at the same time. Which knocks her mind for a loop and she then believes that "S" is "S" and CK is CK. So she becomes a loyal believer because she is a smart reporter, so if she says so, then it is so. This issue was way back like in issue #7? or so. (I never paid mind to the issue numbers.) so, early '60's. And then CK would leave the scene (because it was not good form for 2 reporters from the same newspaper to follow the same story" so he would go off in another direction to follow some other story...."like a kitty stuck up a tree", or something else of that nature. So he leaves Lois at the "S" scene. . This gives CK a chance to change into "S" and swap places with the double at super speed...so the double flies back to the Fortress at the North Pole. . The glasses did allow for CK to use his X-ray vision, his heat vision while wearing them as he has done so in early issues. After all Laser is light and produces heat at a Opaque surface. Light passes through glass easily. . Heat vision = Laser vision

[@gabby14lizm]

that thing about glasses changing appeareances is true, i recently started using glasses 24/7 and the people who knew me before didn't notice a difference, but then i met this girl, and she only saw me with my glasses on, so one night we go to hang out at the bar and i go with my glasses in my pocket, she sees me and asks me who i am, when i tell her who i am she starts talking about how different i look without my glasses surprised me a lot

[@comicbookbullies]

The concept of the glasses came for Hollywood actor Harold Lloyd. He was super famous, so when he didn't want to be bothered and just wanted to walk the street he would take off his glasses. NOBODY knew it was him.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

That is amazing! Thank you for sharing this.

[@hydrolito]

Macaulay Culkin wore a ski mask in public once and yet someone still recognized it was him. Mrs. Doubtfire Robin Williams had plastic over his face but it was still noticable him.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

I think to the audience who knows the premise of the movie is that Mrs. Doubtfire is Robin Williams in a mask, it's obvious. But you're just not expecting that in real life, so you don't look for it. Take for instance the Bad Grandpa movie. Even though it was just Johnny Knoxville in a mask, the people in public had no reason to believe anything other than it being a real old man.

[@comicbookbullies]

It's happened before. Jimmy Kimmel had a sketch of Drake wearing glasses interviewing people about his latest album. Nobody recognized him. And apparently everyone he interviewed said his album sucked lol.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Exactly. Bad Grandpa was the extreme scenario. Never actually saw it personally, but the makeup was nominated for an Oscar. Obviously, it doesn't have to be that good in order to fool people, like you said with Drake just wearing glasses and I think a beard?

[@Sei783]

Love this explanation of him using hypnotism. It's even backed in the comics about why people couldn't tell the difference. It goes to show that they thought of something to counter the obvious question.

[@Thunderscreamer]

You bring up some great points to a plot device I could never take seriously. Good work.

[@HypercatZ]

Once Lex Luthor guessed there was some kind of connection between Superman and Clark Kent and putted all the data he had into a megacomputer. And the computer told the truth, but Lex Luthor refused it because no man with the power of a god would pretend to be a simple man, in his point of view, and only an emotionlesss machine could come to such conclusion. So he trashed it. Moral of the story: People can't figure out Superman and Clark Kent are the same person just because they are not even trying. Plus there is the super acting. Have you ever played Ace Attorney series? Some of the charecters look like a totally different person when they shift from their fake personality to their real one. I think Superman does the same.

[@courier3258]

The dentist is the brother of the burglar who killed his Uncle Ben. But the answer probably already came out, as it was July 3, 2013 when this was uploaded.

[@lgik6427]

4:56 “I WANT PICTURES OF SUPERMAN!!” *Slams desk*

[@michaelskatharoudis9201]

This is why Christopher Reeve was the best of all the Superman's, he was the only one who played Clark and Superman as two different people, Routh was just impersonating him since Returns was supposed to be set after Superman 2 I think it was, Dean Cain and Henry Cavil are exactly the same as both Clark and Superman, yet in the first two movies why would anyone expect an all powerful alien to be Clark Kent of all people, what seems like he's fainting when really he's catching a bullet in front of Lois, using words like swell, just acting like a bumbling fool that even when Lois thought she put two together in the first movie dismissed the idea because of how different the two men are

[@DEATH111183]

think screw attack put it in a better more simplistic way than that. superman's mask is that of nerdy glasses and wimpy demeanor, adding to the facts people only believe what they see. in the case of superman. he's a man above all men. embodying the best of everything. strong, smart, good looking, nice, always tells the truth. and so on. then apply that to clark, yeah people can be like "clark kinda looks like him doesn't he?" then they just laugh it off and be like "clark would get hit by a parked car, he's such a clutz" that's where people instantly don't put two and two together. because they portay themselves differently, they'd obviously have to be two different men entirely

[@pn2294]

To be fair, he used to also wear a hat for disguise.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Paulinus Nwosu Very true.

[@shoo99ful]

Also he wears loose clothing to hide his muscle tone

[@agustind7321]

I hate it when people wear hats and I don't recognise who they are:/

[@AustynSN]

I can understand and accept why Clark isn't recognized out of a city of 7 million people. However, being from a small Kansas town myself, I don't understand how everybody in Smallville didn't recognize him as Superman immediately.

[@Tentites]

AustynSN People may very well look at Clark and think, "Huh, he looks kinda like superman" but they don't consider it being anything more than a coincidence. I know it's hard as the reader, who knows that Clark Kent is superman, to grasp that, but it's kinda the same territory as a celebrity look-alike. People think of Superman as that, Superman, with no secret identity, they aren't looking for him anywhere or even think he would have another life, and again, like mentioned in the video, he has gone to some fair lengths to make these identities separate individuals. I mean the picture at 4:22 is a great illustration of this dichotomy of heros. Where you have heros who are as they are, at face value; Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg, none of them wearing masks as they don't need to because they are that persona. Then there are those with secret identities; Batman, The Flash, and the Green Lantern, all of them wearing masks because they have secret identities to hide. This is something clear and evident, perhaps very well to the people of the DC Universe, so Superman really is the odd one here, he is the only one there who has a secret identity but no mask, so following that people assume as stated in the video that Superman is just that, Superman. Any resemblance one might connect between Superman and Clark Kent is likely just seen as coincidence.

[@AustynSN]

Funny enough, of the masked heroes you mentioned, The third Flash (Wally West) was for a couple decades a masked hero with a public Identity. To add irony to it, the first Flash (Jay Garrick) was a secret ID hero who didn't wear a mask. (He created the "vibrate my face to obscure my features" thing that Clark later stole for whenever there's a camera around." Not real point to saying all this, just liked the coincidence of the same legacy having an unmasked secret hero and a masked public hero.

[@albertmas3752]

+Tentites Even in one of earliest John Byrne's stories Luthor hired someone to track Supes and the woman in charge reached the conclusion he was CK, however Luthor's megalomaniac personality couldn't accept that a "god" could be an everyman. As if all the gods in mithologies didn't CONSTANTLY disguise themselves as simple humans

[@JordanWindhamBenford]

I can see how Clark Kent/Superman could fool the average Joe. He spends a majority of his time fighting at high speeds and giving an air of confidence and determination while Clark Kent comes off as a forgettable face in a sea of forgettable faces. What I can't understand is how Clark Kent can fool the most brilliant people on earth, particularly the villains who can do a simple investigation with high tech equipment to find out Clark Kent and Superman are the same.

[@soCanadianEH27]

Half-Nerd Half-Something Else Lex Luthor does find out, but because he's a sociopath he cannot comprehend the fact that the stumbling clumsy loser-ish Clark Kent is Superman due to his ego.

[@sleedolfine15]

Half-Nerd Half-Something Else He couldn't fool Batman.

[@dupersuper1938]

sleedolfine15 Well, pre-Crisis he and Batman pretty much changed in front of each other, post-Crisis he gave Batman his moms photo album to help in an investigation...

[@whovianhistorybuff]

+sleedolfine15 I think that's because batman isn't anywhere near as arrogant as lex luthor, lex considers himself superior to everyone else and wants nothing more than to have everyone around him singing him their praises, In effect he considers himself no less than a god in human form, in one story a supercomputer developed by lex deduced (correctly) that superman and clark were one and the same he immediately claimed that it was faulty and ordered it and the data destroyed as he could not believe that someone more powerful than himself would want to be anything less than a god to be worshipped and would humble himself by choosing to live as a human and while it's true that batman could be egotistical himself he is not arrogant enough to let personal opinion get in the way of the facts, that's why he's called the worlds greatest detective, that's why he figured out supermans true identity and not just ( as some people keep saying which I see as just a cop out when he does something unexplainable) BECAUSE HE'S BATMAN

[@dupersuper1938]

chris winfield "not arrogant enough to let the facts get in the way of personal opinion " Er...I think you got that backwards.

[@margiel6270]

This is the first video that I've seen of yours. You seem really genuine. Subscribed! :)

[@djquinn4825]

His disguise is flimsier in modern day than it would have been a few decades ago. Firstly, a lot of people these days, especially in big cities like Metropolis, have cell phones, which means having constant access to cameras and recording devices. Secondly, we have face recognition software that could identifies Clark as Superman if his face is put in the database. Someone like Luthor is resourceful enough to compile a database with everyone in metropolis in it. All he'd really need is a reason to try it.

[@souffrantdepine3762]

True, and he can't hypnotize a computer.

[@llSuperSnivyll]

About the Luthor part, that was actually done some time ago. The computer concluded that Clark Kent and Superman are the same individual. So what does Lex do? Dismiss the result and fire the inventor. It simply can't be true: "Why would the godlike Superman, who has the power to control the world if he desired, pretend to be a mere Daily Planet reporter?"

[@jorvaldez12]

Well Christopher Reeves (RIP) nail being Superman and Clark Kent. Turning from this God Like to a push over weakling is amazing lol the way he did it

[@ArcaneEther]

Talking about the concept of the iconic Secret Identity concerning Superman always brings me back to Bill's diatribe about it from Kill Bill 2. What a great speech that was!

[@KellahBeatzOfficial]

+Jeremy Higgins I think about that speech all the time

[@axgo21]

Dude great show!!! Keep it up!!

[@TimedRevolver]

The book Death and Life of Superman explains this in detail. Like he said in the video, Clark stoops, wears looser-fitting clothes, styles his hair differently, raises his voice several octaves and wears glasses that dull his eye color. In addition, he's intentionally timid and non-confrontational, making himself more clumsy. The readers see him change, see everything. The people of Metropolis don't. And of course Batman knows. The guy can memorize the shape of a face he's punched.

[@mattdarrock666]

SpiderMan's dentist is realted to Sandman, who happens to provide sand for him to use as teeth polish (Sand jet).

[@jaimejaviergodoyvillasenor5784]

you winner

[@GodoMatrix]

Nice, this is the first video I watched, and I like to see more interesting facts like this. Subscribed (y)

[@mzk1489]

3:23 - now we know why the pre-crisis Lois wasn't interested in him. The second part works post-Crisis where the "no secret identity" idea came out.

[@Oreolorun]

in Man of Steel its highly difficult for anyone to know who he is considering he doesn't really interact with the people there but on the super girl show on CBS they did not try to explain how people cannot figure out she is supergirl despite the fact she interacts with them, stood in front of her boss talked without altering her voice it was a very stupid thing to do without at least explaining why no one recognizes her

[@chiyosake]

The citizens of Metropolis aren't idiots or are dumb, and there is a point to what you just said, people wouldn't assume that Superman has a secret identity, as they would think that he wouldn't stoop so low just to hide himself, and will always be Superman all the time. One should also take note of Superman's super speed, he can travel at mach speeds enough to fool a person who would think that he and Clark Kent would be one and the same. In Superman/Batman Annual #1 pre-52, Superman fools Lois into giving up in learning the identities of both Batman and Superman, he travels in mach 5 changing his and Bruce's clothes and appears immediately as he uses ventriloquism in calling out her name. Superman uses this trick, as people would have a hard time figuring out how two people could be at two places at the same time, as of course when they look away superman is no longer there, and they would assume that he has other things to attend to, though there are other ways that Superman gets away with his secret identity intact.

[@jamesl7709]

naw, they're just Morons of Metropolis. Simple answer for simple-minded folks. I mean, heck, they're just a short ferry ride or Jersey Turnpike drive from Gotham City or New York City.

[@chiyosake]

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[@theactivewave6689]

you have very interesting topics ! subscribed !

[@AnimeLoveLover123]

Oh wow, I never thought of it like that. The whole hiding in plan sight thing makes so much sense now!

[@FabianoGama]

Weeks ago Henry Cavill decided to walk on streets wearing a Superman t-shirt, without glasses, next to a giant poster of Batman v Superman to see how many people would recognize him as (the guy who plays) Superman and only 2 people came to talk to him and it was just to ask for information. People don't tend to see what they are not expecting to see. Not expectinr that superman has a secret identity plus a totally different body language, plus glasses plus a different hair style could help a lot to keep a secret identity, at least for people you don't have so much contact everyday. I don't know about his co-workers in Daily Planet, who see both Clark and superman on pictures everyday. Christopher Reeve was amazing on making Superman and Clark Kent different people. And he was the only actor who didn't look akward in a superman suit.

[@DanAvenell]

+Fabiano Gama Or nobody saw Man Of Steel.

[@fazerichman8233]

Why don't people recognise Superman ask Clark Kent? Because they're not watching a movie. From the point of view of the audience, we are purposefully shown his face so that we can see what Superman looks like and when we see Clark Kent, we don't wonder why some random man in continuously popping up in the comics or on the screen. The people if metropolis can't see him - in fact, the few people who have actually seen him as Superman also recognise him as Clark Kent (specifically in the movies. Lane and Batman in both Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman know Clark Kent is Superman). It's a simple slight of hand trick - if you can't clearly see what Superman looks like, then you having nothing to compare it to.

[@djbambamsito]

Great vid bro.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Edgard Jesus Zanoletty Robles Thanks, bro!

[@ryanr.5158]

I never really thought about it that way, it actually makes sense.

[@Katalyzt]

To answer the question in the title of the video: "Why Can't People Tell CLARK KENT is SUPERMAN?!?" Because he is the greatest method actor of all time. Even better than Marlon Brando. I mean, he really immerses himself in the role of a bumbling weak human. ;O) Katalyzt

[@-lotus8650]

I think Christopher Reeve did a nice job at being a Clark Kent. He tried to act awkward and shy to not raise any questions, even though Kent only wears glasses.

[@joejordan3603]

I always loved the end of Kill Bill when Bill explains his take on the Clark character.

[@articavngr]

Cool channel, keep it up! New subscriber.

[@matthewfeldman7121]

I see you have an Orange Corps ring. Nice.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Rocket Raccoon Thanks!

[@matthewfeldman7121]

I really wanted one, but it was too late when I tried to buy them. I could only get them in Baltimore now, and that's far.

[@thefurrybastard1964]

***** Actually, *everyone* in Metropolis knows that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same, they're just *far* too polite to point it out.

[@icaruscarinae]

I heard somewhere more recent versions of superman compress his spine to become shorter.

[@wk3820]

Even the old Curt Swan Clark slouched. He drew the official Bronze Age DC model sheets for Superman, available online and in an Arlen Schumer YT video on Swan, and his side-by-side of Supes and Clark clearly made Clark look a few inches shorter due to slouching.

[@CombatSportsNerd]

Man i just love learning all these crazy facts

[@dignerds]

Great vid

[@maxzapsgamingzepzeap2337]

Honestly it's pretty obvious why people don't recognize Clark Kent as Superman. No one would ever suspect the worlds greatest hero to be some boring civilian because if they had his powers they would probably flaunt them whenever possible. People only see what they want to see, and a person can actually look surprisingly different when you look at them with and without glasses on them, because that's how you perceive them

[@JPKloess]

Awesome ring.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

JP Kloess Thanks!

[@ShadowWingTronix]

Thank you! These are the same points I've tried to make, that it's more than a pair of glasses that makes the Clark Kent identity work.

[@MarvinJoJo645]

Well done!

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Marvin Pollard Thank you!

[@monteemann7325]

Here's something to annoy you guys and girls my English teacher thought Flash Gordon and the flash were the same person I rage every tim

[@deadmams5113]

Senketz Gaming I would be so mad that's like saying marvel and D.C. are the same comany

[@darlalathan6143]

Hahahahahahahahaha! My art history teacher thought Wonder Woman was a lesbian! She's actually bi, lol!

[@KreSade01]

How does Superman fly forward? Does he has rockets on his shoes. He can blow wind out of his mouth. Does he just fart a little to push himself forward.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Jonathan Petrosky There's lots of debate surrounding this subject, but I lean towards super farts.

[@TheMoonShepard]

Gravitational manipulation

[@CoolPaDuke]

I love it when glass just happens to shatter into identical round pieces that will work perfectly for glasses.

[@rmdx27]

I had also read in a superman comic that he also vibrates his face really fast to help make him look different.

[@jaspergillo5997]

Jimmy Kimmel found out Supes's identity easily

[@jamarisupermodelkickfields5682]

I remember that episode

[@mbachecha]

my question is: who cuts the hair of superman? how does he shave and cut his finger nails?

[@whovianhistorybuff]

although the haircut thing is a bit of a mystery in various continuities he has been shown shaving by using a mirror to reflect his heat vision back at his face singeing off the stubble and cuts his nails using his teeth

[@albertmas3752]

+chris winfield in fact he doesn't use a mirror but a piece of polished metal from the spaceship that brought him to earth because a mirror would melt with the intensity of his heat vision. The same goes for his haircut.

[@jaydencrowe8111]

This makes alot of sense, and I wish the comics would explore this more.

[@elijahwhite7036]

When you said that he lifts up his glasses a little, maybe there is a special part of his glasses, so when he lifts them up, his X-ray vision goes through the glass, like those special glasses that the bottom half is like a magnifying glass

[@crossbones116]

Grant Morrison really did a good job in this area, with Frank Quitely's are showing Clark as a dumpy average joe with Superman as a towering... well, superman. Christopher Reeve, likewise, was really good at using body language to emphasize that these are two different identities.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

crossbones116 Christopher Reeve was a master at the two characters! I can't speak highly enough about how well he was able to transform into two completely different people.

[@Raja1938]

***** Yep. Years ago I showed my then-gf the movie for the first time. Until the scene in Lois' apartment where he takes off the glasses, she was ABSOLUTELY sure that Clark & Supes were played by two different actors.

[@ron531]

What about the Government or Media or villains ala Lex Luthor who want to know his identity? Your argument falls apart because of the existence of Facial Recognition Software which is provided more advanced in the DCU than IRL

[@Raja1938]

Ron Williams Right. Today's Clark Kent disguise should involve some sort of Kryptonian holographic tech. Like Scharzenegger used in Total Recall.

[@bbtfan4617]

You know, it's not really as far fetched as a lot of people think-when you're used to seeing people dress and act a certain way, it's hard to recognize them when they're dressed and acting differently. Case in point, the other day I met a woman from my crossfit class and I was so used to seeing her in gym clothes and her hair in a pontail that I didn't recognize her at all in ordinary casual clothes and with her hair loose.

[@ChaoticButterfly]

Harold Lloyd... he was most famous as his "glasses" character... like, seriously famous movie star in the 1920s... however, no one ever recognized him when he wasn't wearing the glasses, and he didn't even _have_ to do anything to change himself.

[@bbtfan4617]

+ChaoticButterfly I didn't know about that but it does give credence to the possibility of glasses being an effective disguise.Another thing is, people who serve in the military often have a hard time recognizing their collegues when they see them in civilian clothes.

[@kellyhernandez513]

p

[@Traumglanz]

I like the smallville (tv) version, where the whole disguise simply does not work for long and simply his friends cover for him, shut up about it and wait for him until he is ready to reveal his secret to them. Besides that he has in that version quite a lot of people that are close enough to him to know.

[@diddymuck]

in one of the first five post crisis issues of Man of Steel, S-man states he uses a tactic originated by the Golden Age Flash...he vibrates his body slightly when in close contact with people so his facial features are blurred.

[@rocketdave719]

As I've seen pointed out elsewhere, prior to Supes realizing he was inadvertently hypnotizing people, he frequently used robot duplicates or a disguised Bruce Wayne to protect his secret identity. But these Clark Kent stand-ins always looked like Superman with glasses- not some frailer guy. Plus how would hypnotism work with photographs of Clark or when he appears on TV? So, while interesting, the hypnotism explanation has a few holes in it.

[@darlalathan6143]

So does his glasses disguise, lol! He needs a balaclava, Venetian, luchador or hockey mask.

[@johnrau2265]

Did you notice the panels Scott showed. A sketch of Superman paired with a photo of the hero was an accurate sketch. The photo of Clark Kent is the image comics readers always see: the Man of Steel wearing glases and a minor re-combing of his hair. But that sketch!! Thinner, frailer, thinning hair-- does not resemble Superman outside of hair color and being male. The person who did the sketches had no concept that Superman and Clark Kent could possibly be one and the same. That's the enhancing of Superman's Super-Hypnotism by those glasses from the window of baby Kal-El's rocket. The sketcher BTW was Jimmy Olsen.

[@rocketdave719]

@@johnrau2265 None of that addresses the points I made.

[@SailorBarsoom]

I'm prepared to buy "because they don't realize he even *has* a secret identity" if it weren't for the fact that DC did unpteen jillion stories around people trying to figure out Superman's secret identity. Well, back in the 70s and 80s they did. I don't read comics much these days. If they've quit doing that, then sure, I'll buy "because it never occurs to them that Superman is ever anybody *but* Superman!"

[@Catarrhini]

Sailor Barsoom Thank you!

[@SailorBarsoom]

Catarrhini You're welcome.

[@Chimera1591]

Yeah, but that was the Silver-Age. Post-Crisis Superman doesn't have people who think Superman has a SID.

[@SailorBarsoom]

Chimera1591 Cool. Then the whole "Gee, it never occurred to me that he has a secret identity" thing works well. Now, the most effective SID in DC comics is probably Billy Batson/Captain Marvel. Different height, different age, different voice, body language, etc. Only the Sailor Starlights from Japan (they change sex in hero form) have a better one.

[@Chimera1591]

Everyone knows Billy Batson is Captain Marvel in DC.

[@TheSeanmerckel]

Thats brilliant I never thought of that.

[@stebaer]

It was in Superman#330 that on the cover it said revealed at last how Superman fools the world with his Clark Kent disguise?on the Cover Superman put on his glasses saying "Look Lana now do you believe that I'm Clark Kent?She then says "Of course not what kind of a fool do you take me for Clark looks like this."While showing a frame of Clark Kent to him.Inside after going up to the satellite to make a special setting when Lois, Lana,Jimmy,and Perry catch him in the act in the Storage Room with his coat and shirt open they're not knowing that it's his disguise because of the hypnosis from the satelite's setting.So yes it's revealed that it's not just the disguise alone that works but a beam of hypnosis from the satellite to make it work too.

[@johnrau2265]

I don't recall a satellite being involved, but "The Secret of Superman's Glasses" it the one Scott had those panels from; that even seeing a photo of Clark Kent they view him differently, although the camera doesn't lie: it's Supes with glasses.

[@masonkane5884]

You could defeat Superman by making armor out of babies. He wouldn't dare harm them.

[@92brunod]

Superman and every character that deserves to be called a hero...

[@CosmicPlatonix]

If you can see while wearing this armor, Superman can reliably target your eyes.

[@pkb138]

Superman can lobotomize you with his supervision, think he will have no moral regret to do it with someone who uses babies like this.

[@geckoo9190]

I don't buy it, it seems more like an excuse for a design flaw or a lazy designer.

[@ojogbaneamedu2501]

Gecko o No this would certainly work for most people. Only people this sort of falls off for are Lois and Pete. But Supes has disproven this so many times by having him and Clark show up together.

[@Zale__]

if you read one of the superman new 52 , the one right after the issue where he discovered his solar flare power and tells Jimmy Olson (I think that's his name?) his secret identity, Clark also says that his glasses also change the shape of his eyes.

[@alexius23]

I recall a Superman comic called something like The Super Hypnotist of Metropolis....way back in the day. Basic premise was that Clark unconsciously hypnotized everyone into seeing Clark as a skinny stoop backed nerd. I.E. an artist does a sketch of Clark & he sees him that way. The comic dealt with Clark becoming aware of his previously unknown ability/skill

[@tjhunter445]

I thought the frames of the glasses were made of lead therefore he cant use his x-ray vision.

[@liebestitch689]

Wait wait you people are saying Clark Kent is Superman, that's ridiculous what's next Bruce Wayne is Batman

[@thatonedude6695]

the hypnotism thing is new to me... I guess I would have to read the comics to learn how he would fool the cameras though LOL

[@chubbyninja842]

To me, the very best explanation of why people don't recognize Clark as Superman is derived from one of the earliest explanations of his entire power set, which is that he's simply a "SUPER" man. Everything he does is simply "SUPER". For example, in his first incarnation, he didn't fly, just just jumped. Well, anyone can jump, but he does it SUPER. He could run super fast. He was super strong, super tough, he had various forms of super vision and super hearing. Well, when he puts on those glasses, he's ACTING like a different person. His acting is ... SUPER! His acting is so completely convincing that you actually believe he's a completely different person.

[@RevengeOfThaNerd]

Yes, yes I will subscribe.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Revenge of the Nerd You're the best!

[@rogelioestrada6208]

People can't tell because the writer who created superman decided to write it that way

[@watertypes4evers]

"So next week is our 10th episode " oh boy this is a throw back.

[@Ittosai]

Charles Chaplin participated in a contest...inpersonating himself...and got third! Something similar happened on Comic Com, where actors have been able to wander around in full character and be seeing as "Very good cosplayers". People might believe Clark to look like Superman, but they would dismiss the idea of him being actually Superman.