->''"Rita, a secret identity is as precious as a '''baby''' dipped in '''diamonds'''. NEVER give it out, especially to mutants."''
--->-- '''Wonderella''', ''[[TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella The Non-Adventures of Wonderella]]'', [[http://nonadventures.com/2007/04/07/mostly-armless/ "Mostly ARMLESS"]]

->''"Ego has been altered."''
--->-- '''The Great Machine''', ''ExMachina''

Put simply, a character (usually a superhero) keeps his involvement in the events of the plot secret from some or all of the other characters. Usually, he does this by creating a second, separate persona for himself, which he uses while participating in the plot.

This may be done for several reasons:
* TheWorldIsNotReady to know about him, or his enemy, if he has one.
* [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies He may wish to protect his loved ones from possible retaliation by their enemies]]. (Oddly enough, he often doesn't inform said loved ones of any risk. And it often doesn't work anyway.)
* He just enjoys the privacy.

While trying to protect that secret, the superhero is often placed in the worst kind of situations that threaten to expose it. For instance, there is the BruceWayneHeldHostage scenario. In more mundane moments, the superhero often has to quickly come up with a SecretIdentityChangeTrick in order to get out of sight. He may have to cut off most relationships to prevent this necessity.

People who guess at the connection almost invariably guess correctly. No matter how closely two superheroes resemble each other, no one will confuse them.

This is effectively a single-person variant of the {{Masquerade}}. Sometimes a select group of people are allowed to know the hero's secret identity. If they stay largely out of the action, outside an occasional errand or trap setup, they're simply {{Secret Keeper}}s. If the relationship with the hero is deeper, at least on a professional basis, then the insider may be a BattleButler. If one or both of a hero's parents were ever heroes themselves, they'll often be overjoyed rather than shocked at the child's heroism, and reveal it as part of their SecretLegacy.

See SecretIdentityIdentity for heroes where the secret identity isn't necessarily the "real" one. For the logical inverse, see CollectiveIdentity.

One of the archetypal Secret Identities is that of the RichIdiotWithNoDayJob.

Experts point to ''TheScarletPimpernel'', written [[OlderThanRadio at the turn of the 20th century]] by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, as one of the [[UrExample earliest examples]] of this trope. [[http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/law/back19990713.shtml Bob Ingersoll]] considers secret identities to be actually detrimental to fighting crime. Even so, it has become a staple of the SuperHero genre, to the point where it's easier to list exceptions, subversions and variations than straight examples -- such as ...
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: The DCU ]]
:
* J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, originally masqueraded as a human police detective named John Jones; a later {{Retcon}} made this an impersonation of a ''real'' detective Jones whose killing he had witnessed. Stories in the {{Modern Age}} have established the idea that, as an unlimited shapeshifter, J'onn has actually created ''dozens'' of secret identities (and at least one other heroic identity, the Bronze Wraith).
* Thoroughly deconstructed in the {{Post Crisis}} ''Captain Atom'', in that Cap had a "secret non-identity": a government-written cover identity of "Cameron Scott" that exists only on paper, to hide his origins as the time-displaced product of a 1960s military experiment, and to hide that Cap was a government agent masquerading as a superhero.
** The deconstruction of the secret identity trope and its moral and ethical implications was one of the major themes of the series.
* Trident, an opponent of the [[Comicbook/TeenTitans New Teen Titans]], was actually three separate individuals masquerading as a single villain.
* Similarly, the Crimson Fox of [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League Europe]] was actually a pair of twin sisters sharing both a single heroic ''and'' civilian identity (after having faked the death of one sister).
* Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, says in ''The Longbow Hunters'', "All those years of maintaining a secret identity, and the only reason nobody ever found out was that nobody cared!?"
* Amusingly subverted in ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited''. "The Great Brain Robbery" featured Lex Luthor switching bodies with the Flash.
--->'''Lex''': (looking in a mirror) At least I can discover the Flash's secret identity... (removes mask) ...I have no idea who this is.
** Possibly a reference to a SilverAge story in which one of the {{Flash}}'s RoguesGallery makes a similar discovery.
* Taken for a spin in the final storyline of ''JusticeLeague'' when, pursued by the conquering Thanagarians, the Justice League members decide the safest way to move is in their civilian identities (for the members who have them). The Flash balks at the idea, since it's, you know, his ''secret'' identity, and it's not like he doesn't trust the others, but... Impatient, Batman simply rattles off everyone's real name.
** And flat out averted with Green Lantern, who doesn't really see the need to hid his status as a galactic cop. Even his ''landlady'' knows about it (and, in one episode, attacks Flash with a broom when she mistakes him for part of his RoguesGallery).
* The [[TooGoodToLast short-lived]] comic ''Aztec'' introduced two background characters, a married superhero couple, neither of whom knew the other's secret identity. Think about it.
* [[BlueBeetle "Is it lame that I'm still excited about having a secret identity?"]]
* One Justice League storyline had aliens split the League into two beings, one for their civilian and heroic identities each, hoping to allow the hard-working heroes the opportunity to rest. However, it turned out that the separation only made things worse: for example, Bruce Wayne was all bottled fury with no outlet, while Batman was completely directionless. After the civilian identities save the day, the aliens re-combine the Leaguers and apologize for the trouble.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Marvel Universe ]]

* For the bulk of his career, Tony Stark presented IronMan to the public as an employee wearing the armor he invented, and serving as his bodyguard. This twist would actually seem to ''negate'' a great deal of the usual justifications for bothering to maintain a dual identity -- the general public knows Stark designed the armor, and any enemies of Iron Man are likely to become enemies of Stark by association. It sometimes seems the primary reason for this posture is to give Tony a measure of ''legal'' cover for Iron Man's activities -- and indeed, on at least one occasion, Tony has publicly "fired" Iron Man in response to a scandal arising from his actions.
** Eventually, Tony came out as Iron Man as part of a wave of secret identity refutations (Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, did the same thing around the same time).
* [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'s secret identity as Peter Parker was one of the best-kept in the business for forty real-world years. He recently unmasked on TV during a press conference, as part of the Civil War continuity event. His boss/enemy J. Jonah Jameson fainted, then fired him.
** In UltimateMarvel, on the other hand, Spidey's identity is the worst kept secret in superherodom. He's been unmasked by at least as many people as he's deliberately revealed his identity to. (A trend continued in [[{{Film/Spider-Man}} the movies]] -- he couldn't make it past his second film without being unmasked in front of literally dozens of people, although none of them recognized him.) The Ultimate version in particular may be a reference to the [[MemeticMutation fan meme]] that Spider-Man was one of the last big Marvel Characters to even bother with a secret identity, as his {{rogues gallery}} was full of people who knew him personally.
** And then, after Marvel had said his identity would remain open for ''years'', they promptly in-universe-retconned it with the One More Day/Brand New Day storyline. The less said about that, the better...
*** What irritates one troper is that Spider-man's secret identity was re-established ''before'' One More Day. It was a good story but no one talks about it, leading this troper to wonder if people actually read Spider-man because secret identity wasn't even the issue of One More Day.
**** Not the main issue, but certainly one of them. Everybody now remembers that Spidey revealed his identity, but not who he was. Not that he seemed to reveal his identity, but later a gang of Spidey wannabes claimed Peter Parker was actually a renegade member of their group. Apparently the people who didn't read the story include the writers of One More Day...
* The Scourge of the Underworld was an entire conspiracy collectively posing as a single vigilante killer.
* Aversion: when the Comicbook/FantasticFour were created, they intentionally avoided many genre tropes to distance themselves from their Distinguished Competition (that is, DC's {{Justice League of America}}) — with the most significant of these decisions being their lack of dual identities. One popular in-story explanation implies Reed does so to not make the others, especially Ben Grimm (for whom keeping a secret identity is basically impossible), feel ashamed of their abilities.
** Of course, considering that the FF were heavily modelled on DC's Challengers of the Unknown, the lack of secret [=ID=]s isn't really surprising.
* Also averted most of the time for DoctorStrange. Played with somewhat in that the public rarely takes him seriously--they tend to see him as a harmlessly eccentric New Age guru, and he likes it that way.
* Matt Murdock's life has been subjected to significant upheaval and turmoil, stemming from his {{Daredevil}} identity. Kingpin made his life a living hell after discovering it in the classic ''Born Again'' storyline, although that disaster arguably paled in comparison to what he's currently going through ever since being outed in a major newspaper.
* Bruce Banner is TheIncredibleHulk, which starts off as a secret but ends up as public knowledge in most continuities, in part because it's kind of a hard secret to keep under wraps. Ditto for his cousin Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk, albeit for somewhat different reasons. (Most of the time, She-Hulk is in control of whether she appears as Walters or She-Hulk; for a while, she appeared as She-Hulk pretty much all of the time, and eventually became locked in that form.)
* Thor's second identity for many years was protected by a TransformationSequence. When Odin removed this power, Thor merely dressed normally to construct a new identity. While he worked in construction, the boss noticed his strength and his dexterity and concluded he had to be -- Spiderman. A rare subversion of the "guess is always right." (He invited him home, and one of his children looked in Thor's dufflebag; the hammer gave it away.)

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other examples ]]

* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Prince Zuko takes up the identity of The Blue Spirit on multiple occasions. Then Katara masquerades as the Painted Lady in one episode.
* Literary example: In ''Brothers in Arms'' by LoisMcMasterBujold, Miles Vorkosigan tries to distance himself from his SecretIdentity Admiral Naismith by claiming Naismith is his clone. Then [[spoiler:he finds out that he really does have a clone, who tries to impersonate him and is not spotted by Miles's friends because they think the clone story is a fabrication.]]
* In ''{{Preacher}}'' there is a villainous example where a serial killer called the Reaver Cleaver is hiding behind a civilian guise, [[spoiler:a reporter investigating the serial killer's identity]].
* Parodied in the ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch "Bicycle Repair Man", which is about a man in a society of people who constantly wear Comicbook/{{Superman}} costumes who, when bicycle-related trouble arises, becomes the overalls-and-cap wearing Bicycle Repair Man. "Is it a stockbroker?" "Is it a quantity surveyor?" "Is it a church warden?"
* {{WWE}} [[ProfessionalWrestling wrestler]]/parody superhero The Hurricane, true to form, maintained a secret identity as mild-mannered backstage interviewer Gregory Helms. His costume as an interviewer was even more outlandish than his superhero costume, with big thick horn-rimmed glasses and a plaid fedora with a press pass sticking out of it, and he fooled absolutely nobody.
** Except for the occasional character given an IdiotBall by the writers.
*** He's since ditched the overdone getup for a simple suit and ponytail, though the IdiotBall returned in full force. Especially noteable in the fact that he's billed as Hurricane '''Helms''' and sports the sleeveless BadassLongcoat Helms wore after ditching the gimmick the first time, yet has been given two ''separate'' profiles on their website! [[WallBanger *headwall*]]
* In the British kids' series ''HelpImATeenageOutlaw'', the main characters Tom, Moses and Deedee are secretly the highwayman Swiftnik and his two sidekicks. However, unknown to the other two, supposed peasant girl Deedee is actually an identity used by Lady Devereaux, a RebelliousPrincess whom Tom/Swiftnik thinks of as his true love, despite being incapable of recognising her without her [[WigDressAccent wig and dress]].
* In the first few seasons of ''PowerRangers'', all the heroes maintained "secret identities," even though all the villains knew full well who they were (and often attacked them as they went about their civilian lives). Some season finales end with the group being found out or deliberately morphing public; other incarnations of the show did away with this, often with the Rangers also functioning as a public law enforcement or rescue service.
** The Japanese Super Sentai rarely bothers with Secret Identities except when the Rangers are still in school such as Turboranger or Megaranger, and this is solely to prevent alienating them from their peers at school. Otherwise the teams are either military sponsored with the members belonging to the miltary (Goranger, JAKQ, Changeman, Maskman, Ohranger etc) the teams abandon their civilian lives after becoming Rangers and live and operate solely out of the team's base. Bioman, Liveman or the teams are not from Earth and have no civilian lives at all, and operate out of their bases (Zyuranger Flashman Gingaman).
* ''{{Transformers}}'' played with it a bit, putting what was, at the time, a new twist on it... The secret identities weren't millionaire playboys or mild-mannered reporters, but cars, jets, cameras, and other everyday vehicles and objects.
* As befits the nature of the game, ''WhoWantsToBeASuperhero'' requires that the contestants guard their secret identities at all times. Letting hers slip got Monkey Woman eliminated in the first season; in the second, Hyper-Strike was reprimanded for telling his real last name to a group of children, and only survived that round of eliminations because fellow contestant Parthenon botched the SecretTestOfCharacter at the same time.
* Inverted in ''JonSableFreelance'' in that Sable is publically known as a mercenary. What he keeps secret is that writes children's books under the name "B.B. Flemm", and he has an elaborate disguise he wears when he has to make public appearances as Flemm. Furthermore, his publisher knows about Sable's real life, but is ''very'' persuasive in making him keep to his writing contract in that false identity.
* In the film version of ''Mystery Men'', famous superhero Captain Amazing has [[ClarkKenting Clark Kent glasses]] (which fool absolutely everyone except the protagonist), but the Mystery Men themselves don't generally bother. Everyone knows that Roy and his friends are trying to be superheroes, and the only one with a secret identity is the Blue Rajah. And that's only because he's embarrassed and doesn't want his mother to think he's weird.
* The webnovel [[http://www.freewebs.com/captain_gamer/ Captain Gamer: Digital Defender]] plays around with secret identity candidates for the titular protagonist relentlessly. It practically drips with LampshadeHanging, seeing as how the candidates (so far) are the local {{Jerkass}} (who may actually just hold up a {{Jerkass Facade}}?), an {{Intrepid Reporter}}, a famous actor who also has {{Jerkass}} tendencies, The {{Millionaire Playboy}} that said actor does not like, An [[IronMan employee of the main institute]], and an aged teacher who more fits into the {{Mentor Archetype}}.
** Let's not forget that if you've read the [[http://bobandgeorge.com/gamer/Gamer.html webcomic]], there's also a {{Rival}} to consider.
*** Let's not even drag in any knowledge you'd gain by visiting the [[http://gamerhang.myfreeforum.org/index.php forums]].
* Although they aren't super heroes, the talents employed by the Peacock talent agency in ''PenguinRevolution'' are obligated to maintain a secret identity, and fired if their real identity is revealed.
* Also not a superhero, the HannahMontana show on Disney.
* Secret identities are a big deal throughout the WhateleyUniverse. At the SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy, students use codenames, and for anything that might expose them (like printed campus security reports or the televised combat finals) they have to go by the codename and wear a costume. Way back when the headmistress was Ms. Might and her secret identity was blown, her husband was murdered and her kids were terrorized. She's tough on this rule.
* So many people in ''SuzumiyaHaruhi''. [[strike: They are all super-heroes]], oh wait, they are just secret identities.
* In Ryuusei no Rockman / MegaManStarForce, Subaru Hoshikawa goes out of his way to avoid revealing that he's actually Rockman / MegaMan.
* Aversion with ''KimPossible'', where she [[OvertOperative does not bother]] with any SecretIdentity [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld while going to school and frequently saving the world]]. And yet [[DudeWheresMyRespect she does not get any respect for it]], nor [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon has she any luck with the boys because of it]].
* Lelouch, the morally gray revolutionary from ''CodeGeass'', takes on the masked LargeHam persona of [[MyHeroZero Zero]] when he founds and leads the Order of the Black Knights against the [[TheEmpire Holy Empire of Britannia]] - his normal persona is that of an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent.
* Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai in ''DetectiveConan'' must keep secret the fact that they were youthened instead of killed by a poison used by a shadowy secret organization. The original rationale was to pretend Conan's prior identity, Kudo Shinichi, was dead—but he can't stop phoning his girlfriend using his Shinichi voice, so it seems to be a pretty open secret that Kudo is still alive. (And some people are clever enough to put two and two together and figure out who he is, too.)
* In the novel ''Death Wish'' and its sequel ''Death Sentence'' by Brian Garfield, Paul Benjamin (given the surname Kersey in the films) went to elaborate lengths to maintain his dual identity as the vigilante. He knew quite well that the police would object to his sudden justice (the same reason that the Shadow and the Spider had dual identities). In the second novel, Benjamin buys goggles, a fake mustache, and a fur cap to disguise himself. The film series of Death Wish somewhat muddies this, since movie producers often demand that expensive name actors make their face completely visible, since they pay so much for them. However, the makers of the films did not completely ignore that Kersey had a dual identity. in the second film Paul Kersey buys an old pea coat, longshoreman's cap, and beat up pair of pants while prowling around as a vigilante. He rents a room in a flophouse to do first aid for his injuries. In the fourth film, the LAPD did not know the vigilante's identity. Also in that film, a man blackmails Paul Kersey into a meeting by announcing to him that he knew of his activities as the vigilante and would expose him.
* The Penetrator, from a series of novels published by Pinnacle in the 1970's and 1980's, maintained a dual identity as Mark Hardin. Since he had served in the military, he quickly realized that his fingerprints remained on file and would betray. Therefore, he developed special flesh colored prosthetics to prevent them from betraying him.
* Richard Stark's thief character Parker used the alternate identity of Charles Willis to launder his gains from his heists, owning parking lots and gas stations for tax reporting purposes. (Stark, himself, had a "secret identity": he was a pseudonym used by Donald E. Westlake.) Similarly, Max Allan Collins' Nolan owned various small businesses whose juggled books hid his swag and boodle.
* Leslie Charteris' the Saint's true name remained unknown to the public until the end of the book ''The Last Hero''. As the Saint would later reminisce on page 140 of Count on the Saint (hardcover edition), the public knew of him at first as only "an avenging wraith". When Templar attempts to stop warfare in The Last Hero, the authorities became aware of him. However, in later stories such as The Sleepless Knight, the Appalling Politician, and The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal, the Saint and his associates would wear masks as needed after the Saint made an understanding with Inspector Teal.
* Secret Identities are a major part of the plot of the anime ''[[{{Dokkoida}} Dokkoida?!]]''. Supervillains are unleashed and given Secret Identities to test a pair of supersuits used by the heroes and promised a pardon if they can successfully unmask either one. Also, should ''anyone's'' identities become known, the whole test is null and void. Finally, due to budget constraints, everyone (heroes and villains alike) [[LivingWithTheVillain are living in the same apartment building.]]
* [[{{Watchmen}} Rorschach]]'s identity is so secret, even his colleagues don't know his real name or what he looks like under the mask for a long time.
* One old comic had a one eyed army veteran who became a superhero. Forgetting his name let's call him Mr Anger. He retired as a Captain. His superhero name? Captain Anger. No one manages to figure out who this mysterious one eyed "Captain Anger" secretly is. Not even his friends.
* Lady Marian on the latest series of ''RobinHood'' runs around Nottingham distributing food and medicines as the Night Watchman. No one manages to figure this out, despite the fact that the WatchMAN very clearly and obviously, has breasts.
* Subverted in the webcomic EverydayHeroes. The main character, Mr. Mighty, wears his superhero outfit all the time, even when doing yardwork and chatting with the neighbors.
* Many paperback original series featured protagonists who operated as "mystery men" without the public knowing their true identities. These include the Hitman (Mike Ross), the Hitman (Dirk Spencer), Hawker, the Sharpshooter (Johnny Rock), the Avenger (Matthew Hawke), the Marksman (Philip Magellan), the Assassin (Peter [=McCurtin=] series), the Revenger, the Revenger (yet another series), the Protector (Alex Dartagnan), .357 Vigilante, Cross (Andrew Vachss series), the Vigilante (V.J. Santiago series) and Chant.
* The Gray Seal, by Frank L. Packard. Jimmy Dale as the Gray Seal also used various alternate identities such as Larry the Bat, the forerunner of the Spider's second alter ego of Blinky [=McQuade=].
* Many versions of Spring-Heeled Jack, such as written by Burrage. Note that some versions go back to 1886.
* Judex, from the French films.
* The titular hero of ''DannyPhantom'' has this big-time. The only people who know his secret identity are three of his friends (along with every villain and ghost he's ever met). The show plays a lot with the idea of "what if ____ knew about his powers?" Although that might be because it's [[RecycledINSPACE heavily influenced by Spider-Man]].
* Dexter Morgan carries out his slayings of fellow, but less selective serial murderers anonymously, since he knows that his lack of normal empathy alone would land him in an asylum. Morgan's daily feigning of normal human emotions represents as careful a masquerade as Don Diego Vega and Sir Percy Blakenly's role playing as fops.
* {{Eyeshield 21}} features an ace football player who hides his identity behind an eyeshield and code name. Subverted in that several cast members figure out his identity almost instantly, while others are much slower on the uptake. Further subverted in that about halfway through the series, he abandons his secret identity altogether (on live TV no less) and operates under his real name from then on, with "Eyeshield 21" remaining as a nickname.
* The Eldran series both averts and plays this straight. In the first and last series, the protaganists are a class of ''fifth-graders'', and their schools hide/''are'' the titular robots, so its hard to keep what they do secret anyways (that and the military tried confiscating Gosaurer in its series, but the situation turned sour when it turned out it wouldn't work for them). However the second entry in the series - Ganbarugar - plays this very straight, and with justification (kinda) in that if the heroes reveal their identities, they'll be turned into dogs.
* Secret identities are mandatory in the WhateleyUniverse. Every student at [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] is obliged to use a codename for powers testing, combat finals, etc. Lots end up using their codename more than their real name. It's supposed to be to protect the kids' families.
*Zorro, of course. Like the Scarlet Pimpernel and Superman (in his earlier incarnations), Zorro maintains an alter ego who behaves like a bumbling coward.
*Arthur Rosenfeld's Xenon Pearl's identity as a mob fighter remains officially unproven on police record.
*Becky Botsford's secret identity as WordGirl is so secret that it is known only to her and to her sidekick, Bob / Captain Huggy Face. Even her adoptive family doesn't know her real identity.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Truth In Television ]]

* Undercover Police Officers obviously cannot use their real identity (i.e. A cop) to infiltrate gangs and catch drug dealers, and so on.
* Army, Airforce and Naval troops also often use codenames over the radio, and many build up reputations that earn a nickname, either for themselves (Rommmel - The Desert Fox) or for their regiment.
* Secret Agents would obviously be useless without a false name or, at the very least, a code to identify themselves to their handlers.
* Real Superheroes/Crimefighters, who actually patrol the streets and beat up criminals. Many are sanctioned by overworked local police forces. For example, the Chief of Police in Jackson, Michigan, has officially sanctioned 'Captain Jackson' and asked his police officers not to ask any of Jackson's costumed superheroes to give their real names.
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