Iron Man changed the superhero genre back in 2008, but as we near Avengers: Infinity War and the end of the path Tony Stark started, it’s about time we looked back and assessed the ending’s unshakable influence: no, not the Nick Fury post-credits scene, rather the way “I am Iron Man” destroyed the secret identity trope.
Ten years on, it’s easy to forget the impact of Iron Man. We live in a world where Tony Stark is as iconic a hero as Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker, Robert Downey, Jr. is one of the biggest names in cinema, and the Marvel formula is a term of derision. That was not the case before Iron Man: it was a movie following an at-best B-List hero (who wasn’t even part of Marvel’s original shared universe plans) fronted by an actor renowned for his misdemeanors (in fact, Terrence Howard as James Rhodes was the deal-sealing get, with RDJ a secondary nab) that pretty much perfected what a “Marvel movie” is.
Of course, what Iron Man is most often lauded for is starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie itself is rather standalone, with most sequel setup subtle and Shellhead focused - Howard’s unfulfilled “next time, baby” and S.H.I.E.L.D. finally figuring out its inherently cool acronym name - but after it was all over Marvel laid down its own Infinity Gauntlet: a post-credits scene where Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury recruited Iron Man for the Avengers Initiative. It doesn’t matter that Jackson’s casting had leaked before the movie released, or that this tease doesn’t really make sense in the canon (this version of the Avengers is ditched in Iron Man 2, with the eventual team emerging from those ashes), this was the kernel of the MCU, with the “bigger universe” Fury promised coming crashing down in Infinity War.
But while post-credits stingers have changed how people view movies and this style of “take-it-if-you-want-it” expansive storytelling has allowed Marvel to toe the line between solid standalone movies and greater wholes, that wasn’t really Iron Man’s true ace. That would be the moment just before the credits where, in just four words, Robert Downey, Jr. broke the superhero genre’s one rule - and genuinely changed everything.
- This Page: Iron Man Destroyed The Secret Identity Trope
Iron Man Destroyed The Secret Identity Trope
At the end of Iron Man, Tony Stark gives a press conference intended to distance himself from the Stark Industries mayhem caused between him and Iron Monger the night before. Except, reckless hedonist that he is, he doesn’t follow the military’s instructions and claim the suit is a robotic bodyguard, instead proclaiming, “I am Iron Man”. It’s a deep character summation, encapsulating Tony’s self-involved nature (Fury even mocks it in the end-credits scene) and setting up his ten-movie redemption of truly becoming “the hero type”. However, it also saw Marvel tossing away the very notion of a secret identity.
Technically this was in line with the comic - while Iron Man had originally been covered up as a robotic bodyguard of Stark’s, he’d revealed the truth in the late-1990s (a fact that proved essential in subsequent comic arcs like Civil War) - but in the wider context of superhero movies it marked a seismic shift. The secret identity trope had been a part of superheroes since Superman lived as Clark Kent, and had evolved in the decades since to explain away powers - Batman’s wealth - or bring the character closer to the reader - Peter Parker is more relatable because of his unassuming real life.
It thus became a key part of the movies they inspired. The Reeve Superman and Burton/Schumacher Batman films both put heavy stock in the identities, with the villain discovering the truth typically being the worst possible outcome, and the same was true of the 2000s resurgence; in the likes of Spider-Man 2, the entire plot pivots on who knows Peter’s secret and when. Identity was at the core of Iron Man’s fellow 2008 release The Dark Knight too, with Batman’s internal dichotomy mirrored in the past-neutral Joker. Even as comic book movies were starting to branch off in new directions and genres, secret identities were a constant.
Then Iron Man thew it away. And he wasn’t the only one; across the MCU’s Phase 1, we saw identities slowly eroded. Thor completely ditched the Donald Blake human side (although did give it a cheeky wink) and The First Avenger so blurred the lines between Steve Rogers and Captain America that they’re interchangeable. Even Bruce Banner is widely known as the Hulk, with him having to pull out extra secret identities when on the run. The core Avengers most needing alter egos are spec-ops Black Widow and Hawkeye, but they’re so off-the-grid they barely have an everyday identity. Later additions have maintained this: Falcon, War Machine, and The Winter Soldier have their grandiose names, but can easily be called Sam, James and Bucky without confusing anybody.
Things have extended now that characters where the identity is the point have been successfully “MCU-ified”: in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the villain, best friend, and in the final moments Aunt May all learn Peter Parker is really the webslinger; Black Panther’s first appearance in Captain America: Civil War ends with him unmasking as T’Challa, befitting the public-facing side of the mantle.
What Marvel’s done over the past ten years isn’t just create a shared universe, but created a shared universe where the idea of an alter ego is a dated concept. This does mirror the source, especially when taking into account the Ultimate Marvel Universe, but it’s a major step for the big screen. In Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man introduces himself as “Peter”, only correcting to his “made-up name” when Doctor Strange does so. When everyone’s Super, no one will need a Super name. And that’s been the key to Marvel’s success.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Is Better Without Secret Identities
Kevin Feige has wanted to pivot from secret identities long before the MCU. Speaking of that Aunt May reveal in Homecoming - the film’s version of “I am Spider-Man” - he said it was something he’d wanted to do since Spider-Man 2 in 2004, believing that upending a heroes life pushed the character and creatives on a sequel. While that didn’t necessarily work for Iron Man straight away - Iron Man 2 is regularly viewed as one of the weakest entries in the series - it has grown over time.
The biggest pitfall of having a secret identity is how it restricts conflict. The ramifications of being discovered vary from hero to hero, but the fear tends to manifest in similar ways; the scene in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace where Superman and Clark Kent try to double date could be applied to a variety of heroes with only slight adjustments for super speed. It’s not unique. Now, that is more a product of bad writing than something inherently flawed with the concept of alter egos, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be addressed; getting rid of the pretense of secret identities allows writers to define the characters more purely on their own merits. Indeed, while this trope fits for a lot of the popular heroes, it doesn’t for many more.
This makes a singular film more unique, but crucially helps build a cohesive world. The people behind the heroes are more distinct, and because those personalities are clearly defined they can link up and connect in more nuanced ways as the legwork has been done. This is probably why The Avengers was such a success. Instead of having Donald Blake, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark explaining who they are or them bickering in costume, Joss Whedon could dive right in and have the essential internal conflicts begin apace and go personal from the start. In Infinity War, we’re sure to see a much stronger conversational shorthand between characters that’s essentially the dividends of Tony’s first claim.
Above all, though, it’s deconstructional. Marvel films are typically taken a pure entertainment, but this is an example of them on a macro scale exploring what the “superhero genre” is; the comics were always about the people behind the masks, but this is a way to advance that in the different medium. The translation of page to screen is the MCU’s true brilliance, and the addition of something so reflective and - given the starting point - counterintuitive, elevates the whole.
There is also a more practical reasoning. Actors typically demand a certain amount of face time when playing a hero, leading to them often taking off their mask in the middle of a big action sequence. Financially gratifying as it may be to them, it creates in-universe issues, with the character going against that overriding desire to protect their identity; Andrew Garfield’s Spidey, with his perfectly kept hair, was particularly guilty of this. Aside from getting someone as game as Karl Urban was with Dredd (where the helmet is for a completely different purpose), eroding this as a hard-fast aspect is the best solution.
Read More: The Biggest (And Best) Change The MCU Has Made To Spider-Man
That’s not to say secret identities don’t have a place. As already discussed, the arcs for both Black Panther - whose reveal mirrors what he does to the country of Wakanda - and Spider-Man - Aunt May finding out is Peter’s biggest fear - hinge on these reveals. It’s just that Marvel isn’t resting on these as a long-term source of drama (like the comics that inspired them). Nor is it that they’re bad. Most recent villains have had some secret - be it motive or identity - that covers that area (Killmonger was even more a traditional hero in this regard), but that’s again providing new twists. Secret identities were stale, Marvel moved on. And that’s where problems for others come.
The Deconstruction Of Secret Identities Hurt DC
The lack of secret identities is, thus, one of many aspects that have led to Marvel’s unprecedented success, and probably one of its most undervalued; the fact Iron Man’s ending is remembered more for Nick Fury says it all. Still, we have seen it co-opted by other franchises; Fantastic Four was never as focused on this aspect, but the 2015 reboot barely glanced with assumed names; Logan exists in a world where X-Men are in the past; Deadpool is all about confronting the villain’s real identity.
But it isn’t always immediately an aware move, and this can be best seen in the impact it had on DC. Already in Man of Steel, the DCEU had a distance from the concept, with Superman equal parts Kal-El and Clark Kent before him taking on the thick glasses at the very end. That fit the story’s themes of identity and addressed in part one of the longest-standing jokes about Supes. The problems came when applying this approached to Batman. Bruce Wayne not revealing himself as the Caped Crusader is important two-fold; it keeps his interests safe, but more importantly fuels the unknowing fear of The Bat. To know who it is, even a mentally unstable billionaire, removes his key attack.
However, in part seemingly influenced by the popular consciousnesses’ shift away from alter egos, it’s a background concern for Batfleck - both in the writing and as a character. In Batman v Superman, it was made clear the secret wasn’t sacred to the writers; Lex Luthor - among several others - finds out Bruce Wayne is the Dark Knight, yet uses it as a minor part of an elaborate plan. Then, in Justice League, Bruce comes to share the flippancy, telling anybody who’ll listen he’s Batman: a pre-signup Barry Allen, an entire Icelandic village, and by the end just about the entire world when he makes Wayne Manor the Hall of Justice. Through all this, the scripts just assumed the identity was still secret. It pushes credulity, taking the character away from the source seemingly only because that’s the done thing elsewhere.
This is a root of Justice League’s problem; it had none of the finesse in the conception of all its characters, and that’s felt in the team’s interactions (no doubt hampered by having two directors’ input). In stark contrast to the clear lines of The Avengers, it felt confused and stilted - and appears to be down to a lack of awareness of the trope. You can ditch a secret identity, but you need to be aware of what that pragmatically means; as Feige said, writers must rise to the challenge.
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Marvel’s move away from secret identities may seem innocuous enough on a case-by-case basis, but as the fundamental grounding for a soon-to-be-nineteen-movie behemoth, it’s one of the most important story choices in the genre - and probably the reason the so-called formula has proven so hard to break. No matter if Thanos really does snap his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do anything as seismic as Tony Stark simply saying “I am Iron Man”.
Next: Avengers Theory: Why Thanos Is Only Attacking NOW
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