is ditching his secret identity!

It's time for DC Comics to say bye-bye to Clark Kent,

and no, this isn't the start of a new Death of Superman arc

like in the '90s, but something different.

If you haven't hit up a comic shop in awhile,

it's not an understatement to say that it's been

an interesting ride for the Man of Steel

over the past decade.

Not only has he's seen a couple of reboots

with both New 52 and Rebirth, along with the rest

of the DC Comics universe, but he's also become a dad

and even seen his own father, Jor-El,

come back from the dead.

And now, it's looking like DC Comics

is ready to shake up the status quo yet again.

In December's upcoming Superman Number 18,

it's going to be revealed that the last son of Krypton

will be getting rid of one of the things

that has defined him from his inception:

his secret identity as the reporter Clark Kent.

That's right, in December, Clark Kent

will take off his glasses and reveal to the world

that he is, in fact, Superman!

This change comes thanks to prolific comics writer

who is currently in charge of Superman,

Brian Michael Bendis.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because his bibliography

is longer than Superman's cape.

Not only did he co-create Jessica Jones

for Marvel's adult line, Max,

Bendis is also responsible for characters

like Miles Morales during his Ultimate Spider-Man run

and Riri Williams AKA Ironheart in Iron Man,

as well as credited with reinvigorating the Avengers

for Marvel Comics back in the day.

So when he decided to switch teams

and begin working for the distinguished competition

in 2018, it was no surprise that he wanted

to kick off his run in a big way

by shaking things up in Metropolis,

like retconning the cause of Krypton's destruction

and aging up Superman's son, Jon.

But Superman revealing his alter ego of Clark Kent

is definitely major news for the character.

According to Bendis, this has been in the works

for awhile as he told the New York Times.

"On some level, this is what DC brought me here for.

"I didn't wanna stir things up right away."

Then adding, "I had to earn my place."

And in case you were thinking that this is just some sort

of gimmick that everyone on Earth would be immediately

mind-wiped from remembering, ala Spider-Man in One More Day,

Bendis also said, "I don't do fake-out stories."

Of course, this brings us to our next point.

This isn't his first time unmasking a hero.

He famously had Matt Murdock's secret identity

as Daredevil revealed to the world

during his run with the character.

Sidenote: while Daredevil's secret identity

has been reestablished, it is worth pointing out

that it didn't happen under Bendis's watch.

In fact, a lot of Bendis's quotes

seem to highlight the fact that this reveal

is not a gimmick, that there will be consequences,

and it won't be easily resolved and tucked away.

While this isn't the first time this has even happened

to the Man of Steel, Lois Lane let the secret slip

back in New 52 continuity in Superman 43,

but that version of Superman is dead now so who cares?

The real question is what does this mean going forward

for Kal-El and why now?

Bendis revealed that, "We wanted to do this

"because behind it is 1,000 brand new Superman stories

"that have never been told."

He then added, "Everybody who's ever been in contact

"with him is going to have

"a completely different perspective and reaction to this.

"Some heroes are going to be thrilled,

"some heroes are going to be livid,

"some villains are going to change their ways."

If nothing else, this does open a whole world

of possibilities for the character.

Arguably, his identity of Clark Kent

is part of what makes Superman so special.

It's the human part of his persona

that connects him to the people around him.

How he navigates the world without his mild-mannered facade

will be interesting to see,

along with how he handles things and what new problems

this will bring forward.

But we do have to ask won't this reveal

ruin the journalistic integrity

of all the things Clark has written about Superman

in the Daily Planet?

Will the public be able to trust his bylines

and what about Lois Lane's work?

Well, fans of ethics never to fear!

Bendis has your back.

Telling the New York Times, "I promise you

"that is the first thing that Lois Lane writer Greg Rucka

"stormed up to me with when we started working on this."

That's good to know.

So how long will this change last for?

Well, Bendis himself claims

that this will be the new status quo moving forward.

Honestly, we can't see it lasting forever.

This being comics and all.

While this change could potentially last for years,

eventually, some other writer will come down the line

and change things back.

Obviously, this might ruffle the feathers

of some hardcore fans, but others will be thankful

for the breath of fresh air that this could provide.

We'll just have to wait until Superman Issue 18

hits shelves in December, along with its follow-ups

to find out.

But what do you folks think?

Do you like this Superman reveal?

What do you think it'll mean

for the character moving forward,

and what other heroes would you want to see unmasked?

Let's discuss.

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