# Superpeople With Multiple Super-Identities **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974 "2008-06-15T01:58:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/1 "2008-06-15T01:58:23Z")
Gather round, comic lovin’ Dopers!! I’m hankerin’ to have some ignorance fought, and you’re just the group to do it!! I’m reading the Avengers now. The entire thing, starting from issue #1. Until lately, I’ve only ever read newer stuff, and not much of it. But I’ve loved everything Avengers that I’ve ever read, so at the hubby’s request, I’ve gotten my grubby little paws on the entire run from start to…well, _now_! Long story short(ish), my question is this: Other than Hank Pym (Ant Man / Giant Man) are there other people who are more than one superhero? I’m not counting folks like Jamie Madrox, who can make copies of the one person who they are. I’m also not counting anyone like _draws mental blank_ the guy who was Robin for years, and then became Nightwing. (Can ya tell I don’t read much DC?) Anywho, I’m just looking for superheroes - or supervillains - who have more than one super-identity at a time. On a related side note, it would be cool as hell if there was someone who had a split personality, and one half had a hero identity, while the other half had an evil one. Neil Gaiman could do wonders with the charcters in _that_ world!! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/2 "2008-06-15T02:23:16Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] On a related side note, it would be cool as hell if there was someone who had a split personality, and one half had a hero identity, while the other half had an evil one. Neil Gaiman could do wonders with the charcters in _that_ world!! [/QUOTE] I believe it’s been done. Certainly Jason Blood/Etrigan fits that personality (Blood isn’t exactly a hero, but he does try to fix things). There was also the Bruce Gordon/Eclipso in the early days of the Eclipso character. As for the same persons being multiple heros, there’d Dick Grayson, who was both Robin and Nightwing (similar to Henry Pym, he changed from one to another), though his powers were the same. There was also Triplicate Girl, who became Duo Damsel when one of her selves was killed. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/3 "2008-06-15T02:40:54Z")
Clint Barton has been both Hawkeye and Goliath. Oh, and he once adopted a one-time persona named “The Golden Archer,” but this was merely a ruse on his part. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/4 "2008-06-15T02:44:45Z")
How about Robbie Reed in “Dial H for Hero,” who became two or three different superheroes in every story? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/5 "2008-06-15T02:53:04Z")
Superman was Gangbuster for a while. Marc ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/6 "2008-06-15T02:56:15Z")
**RealityChuck** , Hank Pym was Ant Man and Giant Man interchangeably. He’d go from one to the other and back again in the course of one battle. Wasn’ Nightwing Grayson’s alterego _after he was done being_ Robin? **JThunder** , I can’t believe Hawkeye is a dual hero! He’s hubby’s second favorite comic charachter _evar_ - he’s a huge fan - and he didn’t know that!! Now I get to lord it over him. _evil glee_ **Biffy** , the pic of that comic on the Wiki page looks really cheesy. I love it! Would someone who isn’t interested at all in the JLA heroes be able to enjoy it? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/7 "2008-06-15T02:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Clint Barton has been both Hawkeye and Goliath. Oh, and he once adopted a one-time persona named “The Golden Archer,” but this was merely a ruse on his part. [/QUOTE] He’s also Ronin of the New Avengers. Spider Man has assumed a few different identities. At one point there was a million dollar reward on his head so he became Ricochet, Hornet, Prodigy, and Dusk. Depending on how you look at it, he also may have been the Scarlet Spider. Captain America went by just the Captain complete with a different costume. Erik Masterson was Thor, then Thunderstrike. Iron Fist acted as Daredevil for a time. ETA: Didn’t see at the same time. Of those, Spider Man would be the only same time multiple, having used all of the identities briefly to avoid fortune seekers. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/8 "2008-06-15T03:03:21Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] **Biffy** , the pic of that comic on the Wiki page looks really cheesy. I love it! Would someone who isn’t interested at all in the JLA heroes be able to enjoy it? [/QUOTE] Well it _was_ really cheesy; at least the '60s version, which is all I’m familiar with. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone over the age of 11. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/9 "2008-06-15T03:05:36Z")
A few more… Steve Rogers is best known as Captain America; however, he has also adopted the identities of Nomad and The Captain for extended periods. Roy Harper was initially known as Green Arrow’s ward, Speedy. He later called himself Arsenal and now calls himself Red Arrow. Donna Troy has been known as both Wonder Girl and Troia. Aquaman’s ally Garth was initially called Aqualad, but he now goes by the name of Tempest. And of course, Wally West graduated from being Kid Flash to a full-fledged Flash. Hal Jordan, the one true Green Lantern, was the Spectre for a while. He also became Parallax, but that was a villainous persona. William Naslund was a minor WWII hero known as The Spirit of 76 before he became the second Captain America, replacing Steve Rogers. Jeff Mace was the Patriot before becoming the third Captain America. He is known known as the USAgent. Oh, and John Walker was initially known as the non-heroic Super-Patriot, but he later became the sixth Captain America. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/10 "2008-06-15T03:13:22Z")
And on a flipside the Martian Manhunter has had many secret identitiesall over ther world, just diffirent lives he can jump into and out of if he needs to or the mood strikes him. Jason Todd has been Robin, the Red Hood and Nightwing. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/11 "2008-06-15T03:19:28Z")
From the Wild Cards stories, we have Captain Trips, who could turn into various superhumans by taking various drugs. I recall Jumpin Jack Flash, Cosmic Traveller, Moon-something-or-other, and when he took a bad batch once, Monster. There was also the Sleeper, who every time he slept woke up looking different with different powers. From Marvel, the various members of the Power Pack switched powers several times, often changing names in the process. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/12 "2008-06-15T03:40:22Z")
Ben in the current kids’ cartoon of Ben 10 is a wonderful example. His super power is the the ability to become any of 10 different super characters. At least that’s the impression I have gotten by surfing past the cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/13 "2008-06-15T03:44:44Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] On a related side note, it would be cool as hell if there was someone who had a split personality, and one half had a hero identity, while the other half had an evil one. Neil Gaiman could do wonders with the charcters in _that_ world!! [/QUOTE] [Sorta - Rose and Thorn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_and_Thorn). At the same time? Yeah, a lot of people are mentioning just different identities. Aside from the aforementioned Spider-Man ones…hmmm. Superman, as was said, adopted the Gangbuster identity while still Superman, but he wasn’t aware he was doing it. Oh, he was Nightwing when he went into Kandor to fight crime. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/14 "2008-06-15T03:44:54Z")
The various owners/users of the “Dial H for Hero” gadget, which transformed them into different heroes each time it was used. I recall there was a villainous version at one point as well. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/15 "2008-06-15T04:15:51Z")
[QUOTE=Love Rhombus] Jason Todd has been Robin, the Red Hood and Nightwing. [/QUOTE] He was just impersonating Nightwing though, so I’m not sure that that one should count. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/16 "2008-06-15T08:31:49Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] On a related side note, it would be cool as hell if there was someone who had a split personality, and one half had a hero identity, while the other half had an evil one. Neil Gaiman could do wonders with the charcters in _that_ world!! [/QUOTE] The [Badger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Badger) had multiple personality disorder, but his other personalities were non-heroic ( to include a dog, a little girl, and a few others) MPD is a pretty tragic disease, so it’s hard to integrate it into a superhero comic. The Badger was heroic and funny and disturbing, usually all at once. Curiously, it never really caught on like Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/17 "2008-06-15T16:17:48Z")
The Shadow - Lamont Cranston, Kent Allard, several others. Granted they were personas rather then superheros, but it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/18 "2008-06-15T16:39:32Z")
Aren’t there a number of Marvel Super-Heroes who have simultaneously “hosted” the Captain Universe powers? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/19 "2008-06-15T16:42:58Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] The Shadow - Lamont Cranston, Kent Allard, several others. Granted they were personas rather then superheros, but it works for me. [/QUOTE] Moon Knight does the same thing: Marc Spector, Stephen Grant, Jake Lockley. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974/20 "2008-06-15T20:51:25Z")
[QUOTE=Love Rhombus] And on a flipside the Martian Manhunter has had many secret identitiesall over ther world, just diffirent lives he can jump into and out of if he needs to or the mood strikes him. [/QUOTE] He also has had multiple hero identities. He was known as the Bronze Wraith, a member of the Justice Experience, during the 60s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superpeople-with-multiple-super-identities/452974.md?page=2)