Back when I read He-Man I remember everything changing when they decided Eternia was too boring, and Skeletor was going off to rule the universe in a spaceship, and Prince Adam changed to He-Man in front of him, and caught hold and got dragged off to meet a pre-existing set of heros he was going to lead. Something cosmic happened, and he became He-Man for good, since Sk knew who he was now.
I just remember they never had a personal life, or any female characters, after that.
Ray Palmer’s identity is still public.
As far as I can tell, the following are the only heroes at DC who still maintain “secret identities:”
Superman
Superboy
Batman
Robin
Nightwing
Huntress
Flash
Kid Flash
Green Lantern-Kyle Rayner (debatable)
Hawkman
Hawkgirl
Captain Marvel
Mary Marvel
Captain Marvel Jr.
Martian Manhunter
Blue Beetle
Impulse
Max Mercury
I don’t think Superboy even has a different life. Isn’t he Superboy 24/7?
Impulse isn’t Impulse any more. He’s the new Kid Flash, now.
And Superboy has been adopted by the Kents, and is maskerading as Clark’s cousin, Connor. He wears glasses as Connor. (He has 3 names, just like Superman - Superboy, Kon-El (his Kryptonian name - given by Kal, IIRC), and Connor Kent.)
Since two Titans have taken over this post:
The current Wonder Girl got kicked out of her high school when her cover was blown. The fact that she was WG was a problem, so they gave her the boot. (The final straw (or close to it, anyway) was a griffin following her to school. (Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins.))
Doesn’t Roy Harper (Arsenal) still maintain a secret identity?
Speaking of the Teen Titans, can anyone fill me in on what happened after the finale of the Terra / Judas Contract storyline?
In the storyline, the Titans’ protege recruit Terra was revealed to be a plant, spying on the team for the Terminator. She learned their secret identities, the intimate details of their private lives, and spilled all to Deathstroke. I know Terra was killed, the H.I.V.E. defeated, and Deathstroke brought to justice. But at least the Terminator still knew all their secrets.
When I stopped reading the book, I recall the team was fretting about Terminator’s upcoming trial, and wondering why he hadn’t blabbed to the public about what he knew. Nightwing pointed out that if Terminator knew he was Dick Grayson, then it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out that Batman was Bruce Wayne. A few years later, I read somewhere that Deathstroke had JOINED THE TITANS! So, what happened in the meantime?
No Dual Identity/Public Identity
Guy Gardner
Jade
Ray Palmer
Ralph Dibny
Cyborg
Wonder Woman
Starfire
Red Tornado
Wonder Girl
Arrowette
Changeling
Secret Identity
Superman, Superboy;
Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr;
Flash I, Flash III, Kid Flash II;
Batman, Robin, Huntress, Oracle, Black Canary, Nightwing (but he’s pushing it);
Hawkman, Hawkgirl; most of the JSA;
Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle; Firestorm; Green Lantern III… er, IV… crap. Kyle.
Uncertain
Captain Atom - probably secret, but he’s military personnel.
Green Arrow - It is a pretty crappy disguise, but I think he’s still secret.
Booster Gold - I think he’s public.
Plastic Man - Secret, I believe.
John Stewart - Public, I believe.
Arsenal - Secret, I believe.
Green Arrow II - Secret, I believe.
Metamorpho - I just don’t know.
Fire - Public, I believe.
Sheesh… lots more, give me time to think…
Public.
In an issue of Outsiders (the one that revealed that Shift wasn’t the real Metamorpho (#6, I believe, though I don’t have that issue - I’m reading this from the Looking For Trouble TPB), Thunder reads from a news story about the Outsiders (a less than flattering one) - ‘Rex Mason, AKA Metamorpho, veteran hero and adventurer was among the few of the costumed vigilantes that showed sensible heroism…’.
Also from the Outsiders: Thunder is attempting, at least, to keep her identity secret (at her father’s insistance), Shift and Indigo haven’t adopted civilian identities (not that they could, they’re not exactly designed to blend in with crowds), and Grace Choi hasn’t adopted a costumed identity - again, she tends to stand out, anyway, being 7’ tall - and quite striking looking, even aside from her size.
Nitpick, Flash I (Jay Garrick) has been public for years. Arsenal is public, but not publicized, if you see the difference. He doesn’t go out of his way to hide his identity, but it isn’t widely known. Same for Ollie Queen. Green Arrow II does keep his identity secret, I think, but since his “real life” relationship to Ollie isn’t well known, it works for him.
You’re right about Plas.
I have to say I haven’t followed Arsenal’s misadventures at all outside of his membership in the Outsiders, so you may be right - but Jay? You may be right, but I’d like some evidence.
I mean, Impulse had been running about with Flash I after Max was out of the picture… and Bart was living with Jay - and Bart’s secret ID is still definitely a secret.
Annnnd I think Oliver is still secret as well, given the descriptions of the events around his funeral, recapped in the pages of Green Arrow.
photopat is correct. Jay Garrick has been public for years. I think in one of the Secret Origin specials they have him give an interview about how he spends his time and Joan is there for part of it.
Lok
In an issue of Flash before the new JSA series started, Wally was sidelined for a few days while his shattered legs healed. Jay handled things in Keystone and at one point he and Joan were interviewed for a show called The Brave and the Bold.
Even though Barry and Wally had their “secrets” reinstated, Jay has no specific familial tie to them, so his identity being public is safe. They haven’t really explained how they keep attention away from Bart though.
I think that Wonder Woman is known around the DC world as Diana, princess of the Amazons. Especially since the Bats and the Super calls her by name.
Right. She doesn’t have a secret identity. Early in the current continuity her publicist Mindy Meyer suggested she call herself “Diana Prince,” and she didn’t see the point. She preferred to be honest about who she is. She just has one name, like Cher or Sting.
Wait, when did this happen? Is Young Justice still around? I stopped reading Impulse at #189, and Young Justice early on.
No. Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy and Wonder Girl are now Teen Titans. (And Nightwing and Arsenal are no longer Titan, having called it quits after Donna Troy was killed. They started up the new Outsiders a short time later.)
This is all fairly recent. Graduation Day (where the trigger points to all of this happened) came out last year.