Superhero alternate identities

Word Balloons #1171: Matt and Dean look at some superheroes with alternate heroic identities

Clark Kent is Superman and Peter Parker is Spider-Man, right? 

Well, in comics nothing is necessarily permanent! Even the most stalwart superheroes have sometimes found it necessary to take on another identity. In this week’s column, Dean Compton of The Unspoken Decade and I talk about some of our favorite identity changes in comics. 

Spoilers ahead for some of these stories! 

Matt’s #5 

Scarlet Spider into Spider-Man

This falls into a love-it or hate-it for a lot of people, but when Spider-Man’s clone was revealed to be alive – and then revealed to be the original Peter Parker! – he originally took the name of the Scarlet Spider, with a secret identity of Ben Reilly. Later, he stepped in for the Peter Parker we had known as the new Spider-Man. The Dan Jurgens-written “Sensational Spider-Man” was among the titles following the blond Ben as Spider-Man. 

Dean’s #5: 

Ghost Rider to Blaze

I know that Johnny Blaze is back as Ghost Rider now, and in fact that there seem to be several Ghost Riders these days, but when I first started getting into this comic book world Danny Ketch was Ghost Rider.  His presence led Johnny Blaze, the former GR, to investigate the new one, and Blaze becomes an important character in Danny's nexus.  Blaze will wind up with a hellfire shotgun and shares a title with the new Ghost Rider.  As time goes he will change even more, but the idea that the OGR was now a trenchcoat-wearing, chain-smoking, grizzled hardcase with a hellfire shotgun and a bad attitude was such a cool leap forward.  I get why they eventually put Blaze back as Ghost Rider, but I absolutely dug him more in this role in some ways.

Matt’s #4 

Superman into Gangbuster 

Metropolis teacher Jose Delgado had suited up as the non-powered Gangbuster but was forced to give up the ID after a spinal injury. Meanwhile, a new, more violent Gangbuster begins patrolling the streets of Metropolis in Superman’s absence. It turns out Superman’s fatal confrontation with the Phantom Zone villains and further psychic meddling by Brainiac had caused a split in the Man of Steel’s psyche. These events eventually lead to Superman’s temporary self-imposed exile from Earth. 

Dean’s #4 

4. Captain America into USAgent

John Walker is a jerk.  He always was and always will be.  He does have a strong sense of goodness and honor in him though, but not enough to never quite stop believing that the best force for good is a bully for good.  That's why Walker made a terrible Captain America.  Cap is the embodiment of the good ideals and spirit of the country,  You can't be that sort of icon and believe that might makes right.  On the other hand, it makes him a perfect USAgent.  His no-nonsense "the government is right and that means so am I" attitude is perfect for that sleek dark suit to do the dirty work that America needs doing.

Matt’s #3 

Altar Boy into Confessor 

Brian Kinney comes to Astro City to prove himself in “Kurt Busiek’s Astro City.” The martial-arts-trained Kinney stops a robbery, drawing the attention of the dark-caped superhero known as the Confessor. Becoming Confessor’s sidekick “Altar Boy,” Kinney begins to investigate his mentor, who has a significant secret, while anti-hero hysteria begins to sweep Astro City. 

Without going deep into spoilers – because everyone should read the story, titled “Confession,” which appears in “Astro City” Vol. 2 #s 4-9 – the events of the storyline eventually lead to Altar Boy wearing the dark robes of the Confessor.  

Writer Kurt Busiek, artist Brent Anderson, and cover artist Alex Ross are the creative team for this and the majority of the “Astro City” storylines. 

Dean’s #3 

Iron Man into War Machine (James Rhodes)

James Rhodes is such a cool character.  The guy has always been appealing to me, He always keeps his cool. and he has taken Tony's place as Iron Man at least twice that I know of, with the second time ending with him taking the War Machine armor.  Rhodey quickly made that identity his own, using the armor in international incidents and also finally making Tony Stark own up to being a bad pal many times over many years.  Now, most folks would never think of Rhodey as Iron Man, as he has cemented his legacy as the wielder of the armor that proves that the best defense is an overpowering offense!

Matt’s #2

Captain America into Nomad 

Steve Englehart was one of the most prominent writers to tackle Captain America in the 1970s. His storylines “Secret Empire” and “Nomad” are among the most famous adventures of Captain America.

In the storyline, Captain America discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the U.S. government. He's disillusioned by what he's discovered and gives up the Captain America identity to become Nomad. This Watergate-era Captain America examined what happened to the country's greatest super-heroic symbol when the government failed to live up to his trust. “Secret Empire” ran in issues 169-176 of “Captain America.” “Nomad” ran in issues 177-186.

Dean’s #2 

Kid Flash into Flash

Imagine you play the guitar fairly well.  Good enough to pal around with The Beatles.  Now one of them quits, and they want YOU to replace them.  I feel like that is what Wally West had to do as he stepped into the boots of The Flash.  Barry Allen was the superhero who started the Silver Age!  Wally struggled with that shadow, sometimes buying into the old " if you don't try then you can't fail" mindset, but watching him come into his own was terrific, and now there's an entire generation of folks who think of Wally West as the Fastest Man Alive!

Matt’s #1 

Captain America into the Captain

Mark Gruenwald became the longest-serving writer of Captain America during his run in the 1980s and 1990s. In “Captain America” #332, a government commission demands that Captain America answer solely to it. Steve Rogers refuses and gives up the costume of Captain America. In the storyline, the government hires its own Captain America, who discovers how hard it can be to live up to the perception of a legend. Steve Rogers continues to fight for liberty while wearing a predominantly black costume and calling himself simply “The Captain.” Eventually, the two Captains face-off, and discover what dark forces have been behind both of their recent troubles. Artists for the storyline were Tom Morgan and Kieron Dwyer.

Dean’s #1 

Robin into Nightwing 

This one is probably the best of all time.  Dick Grayson was very firmly attached to the Batman mythos and for a while in the 80s and early 90s. Nightwing was more closely associated with the Titans than Batman.  Nightwing has his own distinct needs, wants, desires, and hopes than Robin.  Nightwing shows us a character growing in a way we usually do not get to see in superhero comics, and his journey from Robin to Nightwing and his growth as Nightwing has been one of my favorite "long game" things in comic book history.

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.