History Main / SecretIdentityChangeTrick

* Done oh-so-often in ''Anime/SailorMoon'', but most notoriously in the unusually humorous and self-aware episode 184, where the entire team, as well as the villains, happened to gather in Usagi's house, and she had to run through the rooms looking for a place to transform without revealing her secret identity to the Three Lights. (Who, in turn, had to find a way to transform without revealing theirs.)

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': After his identity became secret again, Wally West had to start doing this sort of thing. In one instance, when there's a problem at a social gathering of some sort that he and Linda were attending, he does his standard take-off-so-fast-no-one-sees-it routine, leaving a note in Linda's hand along the lines of "make my usual excuses," thus indicating that (unlike some characters' off-the-cuff and often strange excuses for running off) they'd quite possibly discussed and planned for such situations.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* One arc of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructs this]] when Calvin [[ItMakesSenseInContext become Stupendous Man to pass a history test,]] so he climbs into his locker to change into his costume. [[DidntThinkThisThrough Unfortunately it's too dark to see anything,]] [[https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/03/02 so he's trapped in the locker]] [[https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/03/05 until Miss Wormwood lets him out.]]
[[/folder]]

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

** Also played with during one issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderManDanSlott'': Peter, in his role as CEO of Parker Industries, is talking to Max Modell when there's a villain attack. Peter tries to think of an excuse and Max teasingly suggests he has to go and take pictures for the ''Bugle''. Peter starts to agree and then remembers he doesn't do that any more. Max instead suggests that maybe he wants to go and contact PI employee Spider-Man. Peter goes along with this one, but realises that if Max doesn't ''know'', he at least strongly suspects.

** "ComicBook/SupermanAndSpiderMan": Hulk is approaching Metropolis, but Morgan Edge wants Clark Kent to cover the news as his anchorman. However, Clark's super-vision has already spotted the green giant, so he uses a ventriloquism trick to make his co-workers hear someone screaming the Hulk is out on the street. Right away, Clark stomps the floor tough enough to make the building tremble, causing Edge to order everybody to evacuate the building. As everybody is rushing towards the stairs, Clark easily slips into a storeroom to change clothes.

* Franchise/SpiderMan:

** In ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'', Peter and MJ are taking a stroll on the way to the theater when Peter notices Comicbook/DoctorOctopus' blimp flying overhead. He mumbles "'Scuse me, MJ — feeling sick — gotta get some water —!" before dashing off.
** Also played with during one issue of ''Comicbook/SpiderManDanSlott'': Peter, in his role as CEO of Parker Industries, is talking to Max Modell when there's a villain attack. Peter tries to think of an excuse and Max teasingly suggests he has to go and take pictures for the ''Bugle''. Peter starts to agree and then remembers he doesn't do that any more. Max instead suggests that maybe he wants to go and contact PI employee Spider-Man. Peter goes along with this one, but realises that if Max doesn't ''know'', he at least strongly suspects.

* As part of its [[SupermanSubstitute homage to Superman]] the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Palafin has an ability where it ordinarily looks near-identical to its pre-evolved form Finizen, but once the trainer switches it out and back in, it transforms into its Hero form, which looks like an archetypal superhero and has monstrous stats.

* As part of its [[SupermanSubstitute homage to Superman]] the {{Pokemon}} Palafin has an ability where it ordinarily looks near-identical to its pre-evolved form Finizen, but once the trainer switches it out and back in, it transforms into its Hero form, which looks like an archetypal superhero and has monstrous stats.

* In an issue of ''ComicBook/DamageControl'' where Speedball ([[DorkAge not Penance]]) tries to find some satisfactory way to go change into costume when supervillains attack... then tells everyone he's going to go get a frozen yogurt.

** In ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'', Clark pretends he is sick to push Lois out of his apartment and go to help Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}.

** ''Comicbook/KryptoniteNevermore'' provides several examples:

* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}:

** In her [[ComicBook/Supergirl1972 first solo book]], Kara uses excuses such like "I'm thirsty! I'm going to buy a bottle of water!" or sneaks out of the dormitory when everyone else is watching the TV.
** In her [[ComicBook/Supergirl1982 second solo book]], [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5YsHcdKj67c/TOiNnCnlc8I/AAAAAAAACek/pFvktEGHqhE/s1600/Supergirl_New_Adv_01-02.jpg Kara takes the train to travel from New York to Chicago.]] Suddenly [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5YsHcdKj67c/TOiNm0uvIAI/AAAAAAAACec/Lg0Yc-m1DlE/s1600/Supergirl_New_Adv_01-03.jpg she decides to head back to the dining car.]]
** In ''Comicbook/YoungLove'' Linda remembers that she used to come up with all kind of excuses.

** Also played with during one issue of ''Comicbook/DanSlottsSpiderMan'': Peter, in his role as CEO of Parker Industries, is talking to Max Modell when there's a villain attack. Peter tries to think of an excuse and Max teasingly suggests he has to go and take pictures for the ''Bugle''. Peter starts to agree and then remembers he doesn't do that any more. Max instead suggests that maybe he wants to go and contact PI employee Spider-Man. Peter goes along with this one, but realises that if Max doesn't ''know'', he at least strongly suspects.
* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': After his identity became secret again, Wally West had to start doing this sort of thing. In one instance, when there's a problem at a social gathering of some sort that he and Linda were attending, he does his standard take-off-so-fast-no-one-sees-it routine, leaving a note in Linda's hand along the lines of "make my usual excuses," thus indicating that (unlike some character's off-the-cuff and often strange excuses for running off) they'd quite possibly discussed and planned for such situations.

** In her [[ComicBook/Supergirl1982 second solo book]], [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5YsHcdKj67c/TOiNnCnlc8I/AAAAAAAACek/pFvktEGHqhE/s1600/Supergirl_New_Adv_01-02.jpg Kara takes the train to travel from New York to Chicago]]. Suddenly [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5YsHcdKj67c/TOiNm0uvIAI/AAAAAAAACec/Lg0Yc-m1DlE/s1600/Supergirl_New_Adv_01-03.jpg she decides to head back to the dining car]].

* Since Bruce Banner is usually not in control of his transformations into the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk, he can't really orchestrate one of these tricks. It's thus pretty convenient for the writers that his secret identity was outed very early in his career.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTheAmericanRabbit'', Rob Rabbit tells his Jackal captors that he's the tap dancer of the band. They scoff and the senior Jackal demands he dance ([[WhyDontYouJustShootHim over the objections of his partner]]) and Rob complies. In doing so, he manages to dance out of sight before the Jackals realized he's escape. By the time they turn the corner in pursuit, Rob's already changed into the American Rabbit and tackles them.

* In an episode of WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}, Riff Raff threatens to expose his alter ego Shoeshine Boy if he continues to interfere with his gang's plans. He decides to dart in and out of doors ScoobyDoobyDoors-style to flummox him before defeating the gang.

* After his identity as Franchise/TheFlash became secret again, Wally West had to start doing this sort of thing. In one instance, when there's a problem at a social gathering of some sort that he and Linda were attending, he does his standard take-off-so-fast-no-one-sees-it routine, leaving a note in Linda's hand along the lines of "make my usual excuses," thus indicating that (unlike some character's off-the-cuff and often strange excuses for running off) they'd quite possibly discussed and planned for such situations.

** In ''ComicBook/ThePlagueOfTheAntibioticMan'', Clark Kent twice scares the dog of Steve Lombard's nephew to create a diversion which lets him sneak out and changing identities.

* Franchise/{{Superman}}:

** Subverted in the unreleased 1940 Franchise/{{Superman}} story "The K-Metal From Krypton". Circumstances (temporary power loss) trapped Clark Kent, Lois Lane and two thugs in a mine with a dwindling oxygen supply. Unable to easily sneak off to change, Clark simply opened his shirt in front of everyone. The two thugs were said to be too "dazed" to notice what was happening, but Lois was lucid enough to notice and Superman even confirmed to her that she was not hallucinating due to lack of air. Apparently, the plan was to have Lois brought in on Clark's secret permanently, but the idea was vetoed by National Comics (and thus the story was never published).
** One Superman comic indicated that, for his time as Superboy, Clark's father used a long-expired bottle of medicine as an excuse for Clark to go running off.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'' Tim slips away do deal with some drug dealers with an excuse about grabbing something to eat when he's at a Shakespeare in the park festival for extra credit with some friends. When he takes too long to return and forgets to bring any food back with him his friend Ives covers for him by saying the play is so boring and poorly acted that Tim probably slunk off and took a nap.

[[folder:FanWorks]]

This calls for a Secret-Identity Change Trick, and fast. Usually, the superhero will try any excuse and/or use any situation to his advantage in order to change, such as ducking into a telephone booth to swap outfits. On film, such an act allows for an easy way to have the audience understand where and how the hero changes without needing to explicitly show it (Scene X: Civilian enters phone booth. Camera stops rolling, actor leaves booth, changes clothes offstage, re-enters booth, camera re-starts. Scene X.1: Hero leaves phone booth).

[[caption-width-right:300:The boss needs those drafts in an hour? [[MundaneMadeAwesome This looks like a job for]] [[BaitAndSwitch Clark Kent]]!]]

BruceWayneHeldHostage is a specific situation where this may be necessary. See also WeNeedADistraction. If the hero isn't very good at it, he may claim [[INeedToGoIronMyDog he needs to go iron his dog]]. Compare with AnonymousPublicPhoneCall, which is when a character creates an anonymous phone call with a telephone booth.

BruceWayneHeldHostage is a specific situation where this may be necessary. See also WeNeedADistraction. If the hero isn't very good at it, he may claim [[INeedToGoIronMyDog he needs to go iron his dog]].

This calls for a Secret-Identity Change Trick, and fast. Usually, the superhero will try any excuse and/or use any situation to his advantage in order to change, such as ducking into a telephone booth to swap outfits.