10 Superhero Secret Identities That Helped Turn Marvel Into a Powerhouse

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The concept of a secret identity was nothing new when the Marvel Universe debuted, but the publisher put their own spin on it, and became a comic powerhouse in the process. Marvel changed the rules of the game with the publication of The Fantastic Four #1 in the Fall of 1961.

Fantastic Four #1 bucked a number of trends that were dominant in comics at the time, including secret identities. The team operated in public, and everyone knew who they were. Other Marvel heroes, however, used secret identities in their fights against the bad guys. They also provided a layer of protection for the heroes’ loved ones.

Today, the secret identity is not as prevalent as it once was. Some Marvel heroes have disclosed their secret identities to the public, and a few even appear on this list. Yet during the heyday of secret identities, they helped define a character, and here are the 10 best Marvel secret identities.

10

Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Peter Parker, and Spider-Man, Are Always Down On Their Luck

Peter Parker cannot catch a break, either in his civilian identity or as Spider-Man. Marvel’s perpetual “hard luck” hero, Spider-Man, embodied the new approach Marvel was taking to superheroes. As Peter, he had bills to pay and classes to attend, and as Spider-Man, he had to deal with super-villains and a fickle public.

Having to fulfill the dual roles of a superhero and a dutiful nephew has led to a lifetime of heartbreak and tragedy. Spider-Man has witnessed friends, family and lovers die before him, and still others close to him turn into villains. The arc of Spider-Man’s life might indicate he would be a villain himself.

Yet Spider-Man rises above the hatred and the criticism to be a great hero, just as Peter Parker is a devoted and caring friend to those around him. Part of Peter’s development as a hero can be laid at the feet of his beloved Uncle Ben, who taught his nephew “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Unlike other heroes on this list, it behooves Spider-Man to keep his secret identity just that: a secret. In 2006’s Civil War crossover event, Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the world, setting into motion a chain of events that culminated with his marriage being erased from history. Spider-Man learned his lesson, and has kept it secret since.

Thanks to the Hulk, Bruce Banner Has Never Known Peace

When the Hulk debuted early in the Marvel Age of Comics, he put a fresh spin on the concept of a secret identity. After exposure to gamma radiation, Banner was transformed into the Hulk. At first, Banner changed into the monster at night, but eventually anger became the trigger that released the Hulk.

As the Hulk’s lore developed, it was revealed that the creature was Banner’s inner turmoil given physical form. As a child, Banner suffered horrible abuse at the hands of his father, Brian. Even as a child, Banner was denied love and care, getting his life off to a rough start.

After becoming the Hulk, Banner had to work to keep his identity a secret, which was easier said than done. Turning into a raging behemoth at the drop of a hat is not conducive to keeping something secret. In many early Hulk adventures, Banner would lock himself away in a sealed vault when he transformed.

Today, in the Marvel Universe, it is known that Banner and the Hulk are one and the same. As a result, there are many, even in the heroic community, who do not trust Banner, and nowhere was this more apparent than when the Illuminati launched the Hulk into space, a move that had dire consequences.

8

Thor/Donald Blake

Donald Blake Was the First Secret Identity to Get Ditched

Giving Thor the secret identity of Donald Blake created serious logistical issues, to the point where it was eventually abandoned all together. In Thor’s first appearance, debonair doctor Donald Blake found Thor’s hammer in a cave, and when he struck it against a surface, he transformed into the God of Thunder.

Even in his earliest adventures, it was apparent that Donald Blake was not going to work as a secret identity. As the character progressed, his co-creator Jack Kirby took readers to Thor’s home of Asgard, which Odinson visited quite often. This led to a dilemma: what happens to Donald Blake while Thor is in Asgard?

Eventually, Thor was spending so much time in Asgard that it would seem that Donald Blake was neglecting his life on Earth. Eventually, the identity was discarded, although others, such as Eric Masterson, have also held Thor’s hammer. These other identities have only served to muddle the waters around Thor even further.

Marvel eventually retconned the relationship between Donald Blake and Thor. In 1968’s Thor #159, Odin revealed the truth: that he created Donald Blake as a way of teaching his son humility. Odin wiped Thor’s memories and imprisoned him within the body of Donald Blake. When Blake found the stick that became Mjölnir, Thor was freed, having learned his lesson.

7

Iron Man/Tony Stark

Although Today the Public Knows About Tony’s “Other Life,” This Was Not Always the Case

Currently, the majority of the Marvel Universe knows Tony Stark is Iron Man, but for many years, he successfully kept the two separate. As far as the public was concerned, Iron Man was Tony Stark’s “bodyguard.” Tony was able to keep his life as Iron Man under wraps, even with all the personal turmoil he experienced.

As it turns out, the Iron Man armor was good at concealing identities. For a short period, Tony’s best friend James Rhodes wore the Iron Man suit, while Tony recovered from a bout of alcoholism. During Rhodes’ brief tenure as Iron Man, no one was the wiser there was somebody else wearing the armor.

Tony’s aforementioned alcoholism was the direct result of being Iron Man. Juggling a heroic career, a busy social life and being the CEO of a multinational corporation took its toll on Tony, leading him to drink. Tony nearly lost everything due to the bottle, and is clean and sober today.

Just like in the MCU, Tony went public as Iron Man, although his movie counterpart did it much earlier in his career. Iron Man has successfully proven that a secret identity is not always necessary, and this may have encouraged other heroes to ditch theirs as well. However, it has not worked out well for some, such as Spider-Man.

6

Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Daredevil Shows Why A Hero Needs a Secret Identity

When Daredevil vaulted onto comic racks in the early 1960s, he was unlike any other hero on the stands. Blind characters were nothing new in comics: Marvel’s rival DC published the adventures of Doctor Mid-Nite a full twenty years before Daredevil debuted. Yet Daredevil pushed the concept in exciting new ways.

Readers of Daredevil #1 learned the new hero was actually defense lawyer Matthew Murdock, and he gained his unique powers thanks to radioactive waste. Although he was now blind, his other senses were enhanced to superhuman levels. Murdock also had a bevy of lovers, including Karen Page and the Black Widow.

Daredevil learned to keep his identity secret the hard way. In the landmark Born Again storyline, Karen Page, now addicted to heroin, sold the knowledge of Daredevil’s secret identity in exchange for a hit. This information found its way to the Kingpin, who then proceeded to tear down every aspect of Matt’s personal life.

Today, Born Again is regarded as a classic Daredevil story, one that shows just how precarious balancing a normal life with a career as a superhero can be. The story reinforces the secret identity trope in a grand fashion, showing just why having one can save a hero a lot of trouble.

5

The Wasp/Janet Van Dyne

Janet Van Dyne Has Successfully Combined Her Public and Heroic Lives

One of Marvel’s earliest women heroes, Janet Van Dyne has had great success in both her civilian life and in her career as the Wasp. Introduced as Hank Pym’s starry-eyed lab assistant, Janet eventually fell in love with him, and when he was threatened, she used his technology to save him. This would inspire her to become the Wasp.

In addition to her scientific interests and heroic career, Janet Van Dyne is a model and style icon. As a result of her keen interest in fashion, the Wasp has had more than a few different costumes in her day, to the point where there is no one “iconic” outfit for her, which stands in stark contrast to her peers.

Other developments in Janet’s personal life would have huge ramifications for her life as a superhero. Her now ex-husband Hank Pym, in a story that has not aged well, hit Janet in the face. This drove a permanent wedge between them, and even though they had reconciled somewhat, they still maintained a distance.

Unfortunately, this incident has overshadowed Janet’s career, but recent creators have stressed just how important she is to the Marvel Universe. The Wasp not only named the Avengers, but was also, arguably, one of the best chairs the team ever had. In the recently concluded Avengers Inc, the Wasp ran a club exclusively for superheroes.

4

Moon Knight/Marc Spector

Moon Knight Put the Wildest Spin Yet on Secret Identities

Moon Knight put a very original spin on the concept of a secret identity, in that, essentially, he had three different ones. Moon Knight may be the first hero to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which gave him three different aliases: Marc Spector, Jake Lockley and Steven Grant. Later, more aliases, such as Mister Knight, were added.

Moon Knight’s differing personas could not be more different: Marc Spector, his birth name, had been a ruthless mercenary. Steven Grant was a smooth and debonair playboy and Jake Lockley was a cab driver. Balancing these three personas has proven challenging for creators working on Moon Knight, and stories about them are some of the character’s best.

These personas served Moon Knight well. Marc Spector had the connections to get Moon Knight high-tech gear and weapons, while Steven Grant provided the financial means. Being a cab driver put Jake Lockley in a position to collect information from the streets, which often proved valuable to Moon Knight. As for Mister Knight, he is the most violent persona.

Moon Knight’s leap to the MCU created new takes on these personas. Instead of being rich, Steven Grant worked in a gift shop while Jake Lockley was a ruthless fighter. Ironically, Mister Knight, arguably the most unhinged of Moon Knight’s personas, was depicted as something of an ineffective fop. These changes were met with controversy by fans.

3

Power Pack/Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power

Power Pack Puts a Wildly Creative Spin on Secret Identities

Teams of kid heroes were nothing new in comics, even at Marvel, but Power Pack may be the best known of them, and they challenged the idea of secret identities. In addition to keeping their heroic identities a secret from the world at large, they also had to hide them from their parents.

The Power kids’ managed to do just that: keep it a secret from their parents, which sometimes involved them going to great lengths to do so. Later in the original Power Pack run, the parents did discover their children’s secrets, and it nearly destroyed the family. However, their parents’ memories of their children being heroes were wiped.

Today, the Power parents are still blissfully unaware of their children’s double lives, a testament to just how good Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie were at keeping secrets. The Power kids’ mother nearly had a nervous breakdown in light of the knowledge that her kids were heroes.

Once Power Pack’s book ended in 1991, the kids would go on to make appearances across the Marvel Universe. Alex and Jack Power joined the Fantastic Four’s Future Foundation, helping solve world problems, and Julie found success as an actress. Later, Julie would join Captain America’s Avengers Emergency Response Squad.

2

Blue Marvel/Adam Bashear

The Blue Marvel’s Secret Identity Was the Reason He Had to Retire

The Blue Marvel, Adam Brashear, is one of the most exciting Marvel characters introduced in the 21st century, and one who puts a tragic spin on the secret identity concept. A brilliant physics student, Brashear was in an accident that gave him the ability to harness the powers of a matter/anti-matter reaction.

Blue Marvel was also a Black man, and this ended up working against him at first. Adam made his debut as the Blue Marvel in the early 1960s, at a time when segregation was still the law of the land. He wore a face mask to conceal his identity, but it was destroyed, revealing who he truly was.

Needless to say, the world at the time was not ready to accept a Black superhero, so President Kennedy asked him to retire, despite having admired what Adam did. The Blue Marvel complied, and settled down to become a tenured physics’ professor, yet he was not done being a hero, instead working in secret.

The Blue Marvel was forced out of the hero game for a while due to the racism present in American society. If his identity as a Black man had been discovered at the time, then the American people may have had a freak-out. The Blue Marvel was a case of real world politics getting involved with a secret identity.

1

Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan

Ms. Marvel Is Just Your Average Teenager, With Super Powers

The Kamala Khan incarnation of Ms. Marvel has rightfully become one of Marvel’s most popular characters in a little over a decade. Teenager Kamala Khan received her shape-shifting powers after being exposed to the Inhumans’ Terrigen Mists. She decided to become a hero thanks to her idol, Carol Danvers.

Part of the appeal of Ms. Marvel’s adventures is that they manage to recreate the magic that was present in Spider-Man’s earliest appearances. Spider-Man, like Ms Marvel, began his career as a teenager, which brought with it much of the angst that comes with that time in a person’s life.

While the trend today is for heroes to ditch their secret identities and operate in public, Ms. Marvel continues to maintain one. This has created difficulty in her life, as she must balance being a hero with the desires and wishes of her family, as well as just being a regular teenager.

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