Theme Day for 7/1
Today's theme is "I'm really ____" "DUH!"
In other words, times when a hero's supporting cast found out his secret identity BEFORE being told...most of the time, this was done retroactively ("I ALWAYS knew it").
1. Iris Allen. On their wedding night, Barry talked in his sleep, and revealed that he was the Flash! So when, a year or so later, he actually came out and admitted it to her, Iris already knew.
2. Mary Jane Watson. In a pretty major retcon, Mary Jane Watson saw Peter Parker (as Spider-Man) change from her window. So she knew he was Spider-Man right from the get-go. This does not exactly jibe with her appearances before this was revealed, but it really wasn't SO out of whack.
3. May Parker. When May died in Amazing Spider-Man #400, she revealed that she, too, had known Peter was Spider-Man for quite a long time. This jibed even less so than Mary Jane. However, when Norman Osborn revealed that this Aunt May was an actress paid just to mess with Peter's mind, the original Aunt May came back. She, too, eventually found out that Peter was Spider-Man, but it was news to her.
4. Ben Urich. In a recent Pulse, Ben Urich revealed that he had known Peter was Spider-Man for quite some time. In fact, Ben treated it as almost an insult that Peter would think he WOULDN'T know, as the two had worked side by side as both Ben and Peter and Ben and Spider-Man.
5. Pete Ross. Pete found out about Superboy's identity when they were teens together, however, he did not reveal the truth to Clark. In fact, he also used all his abilities to make sure noone ELSE found out. Later, when they were adults, Clark copped to it, but Pete already knew.
Can anyone think of any other examples?
In other words, times when a hero's supporting cast found out his secret identity BEFORE being told...most of the time, this was done retroactively ("I ALWAYS knew it").
1. Iris Allen. On their wedding night, Barry talked in his sleep, and revealed that he was the Flash! So when, a year or so later, he actually came out and admitted it to her, Iris already knew.
2. Mary Jane Watson. In a pretty major retcon, Mary Jane Watson saw Peter Parker (as Spider-Man) change from her window. So she knew he was Spider-Man right from the get-go. This does not exactly jibe with her appearances before this was revealed, but it really wasn't SO out of whack.
3. May Parker. When May died in Amazing Spider-Man #400, she revealed that she, too, had known Peter was Spider-Man for quite a long time. This jibed even less so than Mary Jane. However, when Norman Osborn revealed that this Aunt May was an actress paid just to mess with Peter's mind, the original Aunt May came back. She, too, eventually found out that Peter was Spider-Man, but it was news to her.
4. Ben Urich. In a recent Pulse, Ben Urich revealed that he had known Peter was Spider-Man for quite some time. In fact, Ben treated it as almost an insult that Peter would think he WOULDN'T know, as the two had worked side by side as both Ben and Peter and Ben and Spider-Man.
5. Pete Ross. Pete found out about Superboy's identity when they were teens together, however, he did not reveal the truth to Clark. In fact, he also used all his abilities to make sure noone ELSE found out. Later, when they were adults, Clark copped to it, but Pete already knew.
Can anyone think of any other examples?
posted by Brian Cronin at 8:19 PM
7 Comments:
Ah, not directly, but in Detective 598-600 it's implied that Commissioner Gordon knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, he just never comes out and says it directly-he just talks to Bruce about Batman's duties as if it's a non-issue.
And in an interview from years ago Frank Miller put it out there that Foggy Nelson always knew that Matt Murdock was Daredevil but he also knew it was important to his buddy not to let on. This was during Miller's original run on the title in the early 80's and there are major hints of it in those stories. Matt later came out and revealed his identity to Foggy officially in the late 90s.
There is no need to be anonymous anymore on Snark Free Waters!
There is a "other" identity now, where you can put in your name without registering with blogger!!
Yay!
And I never knew that Miller said that. Hmm...I will have to reread those DDs with that in mind.
In BATMAN FAMILY #3, Robin is acting all smug because he has figured out that Batgirl is really Barbara Gordon. She immediately fires back with "You can call me Babs, if I can call you Dick!"
That information later got wiped from her mind, but by DETECTIVE #526, she'd figured it out again: "I'm not stupid... and I am a detective."
Excellent!
That's EXACTLY the kind of thing I was looking for!
Mark Schultz made Steel a supporting character in Superman: The Man of Steel after his solo title was cancelled. In #108, after a while of knowing John as both Clark and Superman, Clark decided to share his secret. He visited John's workshop, and told him he wanted to share something.
Without looking at Clark (who was taking off his glasses and revealing his costume behind him), Irons said that he knew he was Superman. He said that he was insulted that Clark would think that he hadn't figured it out (like Urich), but was glad he was finally being taken into confidence.
And speaking of Superman at the close of the second season finale of Lois & Clark, Clark proposed to Lois. The cliffhanger was in not hearing her response.
That came in the third season premiere, where Lois said "Who's asking? Clark?..." She then removed his glasses, "...or Superman?"
When Hal Jordan finally tells Carol Ferris that he's also Green Lantern (In Green Lantern (vol.1) #83), she isn't surprised and says that, on some level, she's always known they were the same guy.
In the old, seventies Spider-man's that I can remember, Mary Jane always seemed just peeved with Peter, and it also seemed like she might, um, have partied a lot. Retroactively, was it because she knew he was Spider-man and was getting madder and madder about him not telling her?
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