Why not just be Superman full time?

[Calhoun07]

Why does Superman even jack around with pretending to be Clark Kent? I know, for privacy, to flirt with Lois, whatever. But is he that finacially strapped he needs the Daily Planet job? Last time I checked, he seemed to have quite a bit of money to go around (with all those wonderful toys he's got. You know that lead lined suit of his didn't pay for itself with his good looks!) And if it's to protect those closest to him from harm...well, they get in trouble all the time as it is. He's had to save various members of the Daily Planet staff several times over, more so than some, so I think him being Clark Kent and working there is actually putting more people in harms way than if he just gave up Clark Kent all together and was Superman full time. And that would fix the obviously poorly thought out "secret disguise" of his.

[The Penguin]

More than anything Clark would like to be normal. When he loses his powers it does indeed seem like "the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders." He remains Superman because Jonathon and Martha raised him so well that he can't ignore the suffering of others, but at times he just wants to life a normal life.

With a secret identity he can do just that. Sometimes it gets a bit complicated for him, but I don't think he would have it any other way. Keep in mind Clark thought he was just like everybody else for more than the first decade of his life on Earth. Then he began to change. He can't turn his back on everything he's know since he was a toddler in favor of being Superman.

Clark/Superman is more than just heat vision and super-strength, he is a person and if all he did was be a hero, he's lose a big part of who he is. If he had to make a choice I think he would try to give up Superman before he would give up Clark Kent. I bet he would find that he couldn't ignore other the pain around him, and then The Man of Steel would return.

[The Green Hornet]

He would break being Superman full time


first and foremost he thinks of himself as CLARK-- not Big Blue

he NEEDS to be normal, even if its some of the time

in Kingdom Come, when Lois died, he snapped and allowed "clark" do die and he became Superman thereafter
he isn't the batman-- whats more Clark ENJOYS being clark and being a journalist

[Failure]

Like Penguine and Green Hornet have said Superman has a desire to be normal.

This was touched in STAS, when in "The Late Mr. Kent" Clark had a discussion with his parents, after Clark "died," that went basically like "if I had to be Superman full-time, it'd drive me crazy."

[Barb Gordon]

Unlike Batman who would love to be able to ditch the Bruce Wayne mask and concentrate on what's important: patrolling Gotham, Superman is more than a superhero. He was first and foremost, just a man. And he loves being normal, the average person, like he would have been on Krypton. It's always because of how John and Martha Kent raised him. He was raised in a very loving, natural environment where he was happy just being Clark Kent. Instead of two personas like Batman, sometimes it seems that Clark Kent instead has two jobs. One job is as a reporter, the other, a superhero. I think Batman has no problem staying Batman, being called Batman, etc. But for Clark it would, as the quote Failure put up, "drive me crazy".

~Barb

[MJC]

Superman wouldn't be himself.

Clark Kent isn't Superman, Superman is Clark Kent.

[Terminatah]

I'm sure his Daily Planet paycheck, besides paying for his social life as Clark, helps to support his parents in their old age.

-Terminatah

[DerekPowers]

don't forget, clark was pretty much normal untill he became a teenager (i could be wrong, but i think thats the case).

so he would always see himself as clark, and superman as his alter ego. he doesnt just like being a regular person, he is one, and he likes it and his "regular" life.

[Joe Wagner]

Like everyoen else has said Big Blue is Clark Kent and Clark Kent is not the persona. Much like a job, Clark is compelled to be Superman but also like a job to do it full time, all the time and have no release for his human side would cause him to break. I mean would any of us really want to give up our daily lives if we had the power to help others on a superhuman level. I know that while I would feel compelled to help people I wouldn't want to lose my own person in the process.

-Joe!

[Frank White]

I think Bats wants to be normal too, after all remember that scene in MOTP when he apoligized to his parents

[Green Guardsman]

actually after Legacy, superman was so afraid because he almost took over the world that he vowed never to use his full strength again, and he was so shamed that he had to give up being clark kent and he could only be Superman full time because he has shame! I read this off of the JL site on Toonzone.net

[Joe Wagner]

Originally posted by Green Guardsman
actually after Legacy, superman was so afraid because he almost took over the world that he vowed never to use his full strength again, and he was so shamed that he had to give up being clark kent and he could only be Superman full time because he has shame! I read this off of the JL site on Toonzone.net

Not exactly - after all in the first episode of the series we do in fact see Superman as Clark Kent in bed. I couldn't see Superman giving up his secret identity - he'd break without a release from being a superhero.

-Joe!

[The Green Hornet]

hehe besides the TZ Watchtower page is a lot of speculation on Karkulls part, as well as some fact mixed in

[Green Guardsman]

Originally posted by jjwspider


Not exactly - after all in the first episode of the series we do in fact see Superman as Clark Kent in bed. I couldn't see Superman giving up his secret identity - he'd break without a release from being a superhero.

-Joe!

Well, that is what it said, hmm.. I'll check it out when CN reairs Secret Origins. Although I hope in season 2 JL we see their
non-superhero alter ego's more! I mean in season 1 we only see one little shot of Superman as Clark Kent and Green Lantern as John Stewart!

[Patrick Bateman]

Very good points.

[Livewire]

Well, there's not much left for me to say. Most everyone has pretty much summed it up: Supes is first and foremost Clark Kent. He wants to lead a normal life like everyone else, and is only Superman because he has such incredible powers, and not being able to stand by and let evil go unhindered, he is compelled to use them for the greater good.

[LastSonofKrypton]

Actually, I think it's more than just a preference for being Clark Kent. I think Kal-El also realizes that, as a near all-powerful Superman, he can't really relate to humanity. Instead, he would probably wind up viewing us as just a homogenous mass of weak human beings to be continually rescued. Clark Kent gives him a chance to see and feel everyday human concerns and to interact with humans as equals.

It serves another purpose too. Let's face it- Superman is supposed to be superior to "normal" human beings in just about every way. If this superior being were to take a good, hard look at how humans have run this planet, how long would it be before he starts thinking, "I can do a better job than this and I should, for their own good." Clark Kent, far more than Superman, keeps him in touch with humanity and keeps him humble.

Just my $0.02. And we know what that buys these days.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


Originally posted by LastSonofKrypton
It serves another purpose too. Let's face it- Superman is supposed to be superior to "normal" human beings in just about every way. If this superior being were to take a good, hard look at how humans have run this planet, how long would it be before he starts thinking, "I can do a better job than this and I should, for their own good." Clark Kent, far more than Superman, keeps him in touch with humanity and keeps him humble.


Actually, Alan Moore addressed this very thing in Miracleman, which was his rather dark take on the Superman-type superheroes (with V for Vendetta being his take on Batman). Pretty much what you describe is exactly what happens after Miracleman gets "outed." It actually had a rather touching scene when Miracleman "buries" his alter ego.

I don't know if you can still obtain the trade books (there's a big copyright flap on right now between Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman or something), but if you can, they're worth reading.

-- Ed/Ace

[MILatino]

Originally posted by Calhoun07
Why does Superman even jack around with pretending to be Clark Kent?

Originally, as with most superheroes, it was to protect his loved ones from harm should any enemy couldn't get even with him directly. However, Superman is such good pals with Clark Kent's pals that now it makes no difference. People use Lois, Jimmy, and Perry as bait all the time.

Also, it makes no difference, for any one to bother with Lois as it is because Superman will come to anyone's rescue. They can grab any poor soul off the street, send Superman a message, and he'd be there. What's he gonna do? Say, "Oh, well, it's not Lois. You can go ahead and kill him."

[Nightwing]

Originally posted by LastSonofKrypton

..........

Just my $0.02. And we know what that buys these days.

Yeah well those pennies buy more here on these boards than it may be able to buy at your local market. Well said. I agree. :)

[BarryAlen]

Read Kingdom Come

All will be answered