Line #1 Main/CelebrityMasquerade


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5	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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14	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha.jpg]]]]
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16	With a few exceptions, superheroes need day jobs. After all, those wonderful toys don't just grow on trees. Some can make it big as {{Intrepid Reporter}}s, while others can fulfill their need to help people round the clock as {{Military Superhero}}es. The average KidHero [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld goes to school]] instead of a day job. But sometimes, your alter ego is someone who's in the public eye.
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18	When the superhero has a secret identity that is famous in their own right. When they are not fighting crime they are a famous rockstar, an actor, or just someone that is constantly in the public eye. Of course, this can cause the problem of someone being able to notice that the famous model and the superheroine seem to have a lot in common, especially if they have a PaperThinDisguise.
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20	See also StockSuperheroDayJobs, in which being famous is a "job" to hide his/her superhero life. MagicIdolSinger (when the IdolSinger in question is a MagicalGirlWarrior) is a sub-trope. Inverted by AntiClimacticUnmasking, where a hero is unmasked and other characters are surprised by the fact that they aren't already famous.
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22	Sister trope of CelebritySuperhero, in which the superhero is seen as the big star instead of using it as secret identity.
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24	----
25	!!Examples:
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
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29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Garaku Utagawa, a prolific painter, is actually an [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent ayakashi]]. Since ayakashi [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve are empowered by human recognition]], Garaku's fame [[ExploitedTrope directly empowers him]].
31	* In ''Anime/DancougarNova'', the SixthRanger turns out to be the famous IdolSinger [[spoiler:Eida]], who took up anonymous HumongousMecha piloting in her spare time.
32	** Main protagonist Aoi Hidaka is also a world famous Formula One champion was well as occasionally doing modeling.
33	* Creator/FujikoFujio's ''Manga/{{Perman}}'' has Sumire Hoshino, a famous young idol, a.k.a Perman 3/Pako, one of the superheroes with the name "Perman". In particular, she feels that she has more freedom as a superhero than as an idol.
34	* ''Manga/SailorMoon''
35	** Michiru Kaioh is an internationally acclaimed violinist who's played in major venues around the globe. She also is Sailor Neptune, the princess from planet Neptune and fights the evil Death Busters, protecting the Earth and her future Queen, Serenity.
36	** Her girlfriend, Haruka Tennoh, is a car racing champion who gets a lot of attention from the media due to her talent and young age. She transforms into the tough Sailor Uranus and defends the solar system from evil and chaos.
37	** The Sailor Star Lights are a trio of [[MagicIdolSinger magical teen idols]] that disguise as men in the manga and TRANSFORM into men in the anime. They use music to deliver a message to their princess which they are looking for. When in Sailor form, they fight evil Senshi and live to defeat the terrible Sailor Galaxia who tries to gather all the Sailor Crystals in the universe.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Books]]
41	* Franchise/{{Batman}} might be the inversion of CelebritySuperhero. Bruce Wayne is nationally renowned as one of the richest people on the planet, giving him a sort of "Bill Gatesian" status in the DCU, while the Batman (depending on how far along his career is in a given story) is often dismissed as a mere urban legend.
42	* In ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'', Rubberduck is secretly the movie star Byrd Rentals, and Yankee Poodle is celebrity reporter Rova Barkitt.
43	* When not fighting crime, [[ComicBook/Funnyman1948 Funnyman]] is Larry Davis, a famous Creator/DannyKaye-type comedian in his own right.
44	* ''ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers'': Ashley Crawford/Big Bertha is actually a famous [[FanserviceModel swimsuit model]] in her civilian form. This is due to her having complete control over her body mass, so her overweight superhero form looks very different from her civilian form.
45	* In ''ComicBook/JonSableFreelance'', famous mercenary Jon Sable has a second identity as best-selling children's author B.B. Flemm.
46	* A SpyFiction example occurs with Creator/OniPress' ''ComicBook/TheLeadingMan''. The story is about Nick Walker, a successful Hollywood movie actor is also a superspy working for ''[[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction The Agency]]'', a secret security organization, as a DoubleAgent.
47	* ''ComicBook/NewGods''. By day, [[ComicBook/MisterMiracle2017 Mister Miracle]] is Scott Free, the world's greatest escape artist, and does a lot of work for charity.
48	* As ''ComicBook/{{Shi}}'', she's a martial artist and a {{vigilante\|Man}} who goes into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. As Ana Ishikawa (her civilian alter-ego), she's famous enough being an art historian and the director of Oiko Art Gallery.
49	* ComicBook/{{Vixen}} is secretly the well-known fashion model Mari Jiwe [=McCabe=]. Now that her mask is rarely included in her costume Mari has publicly announced that she's a superhero in several of her incarnations.
50	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} by wealthy heiress Janet van Dyne, who has long been a well-known fashion designer but has been fully above board with her dual identity as ComicBook/TheWasp for nearly as long.
51	* Various superheroines had a double life as {{Fanservice Model}}s for swimsuits and lingerie as ComicBook/JeanGrey, [[Franchise/GreenLantern Jennifer-Lynn Hayden (Jade), Arisia Rrab]] and ComicBook/{{Starfire}} (under the name of Kory Anderson).
52	[[/folder]]
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54	[[folder:Fan Works]]
55	* ''Fanfic/TheBoysRealJustice'': Bruce Wayne's celebrity billionaire status (and how it could lead to someone learning his secret identity) is brought up twice:
56	** He points out to Clark while the League's exploring Earth-7 that while Clark Kent, Diana Prince, and John Jones aren't well known in either reality, someone from their Earth would likely point out that Bruce Wayne was seen there. Hence his use of his ''third'' alias, Matches Malone, while exploring Earth-7.
57	** While in Gotham, the Boys (mostly Frenchie) learn a little bit about Batman and the most powerful people in Gotham. Because Bruce is famous, Frenchie does some digging and comes to the conclusion that Wayne is secretly Batman. Luckily, the Bat has a [[CrazyPrepared back-up plan]] for if this ever happens; have a shapeshifter pose as Bruce Wayne and be seen with Batman, disproving any claims that they're the same person [[note]] It helps that, thanks to his telepathy, J'onn can pull off Bruce's himbo personality ''perfectly'' [[/note]].
58	[[/folder]]
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60	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
61	* In ''Film/{{Eternals}}'', Kingo poses as a Bollywood actor - to be precise, he's posed as [[MyGrandsonMyself five generations]] of actors by the time Sersi, Ikaris, and Sprite approach him while [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether trying to assemble the full team of Earth-based Eternals]].
62	* Deconstructed at the end of ''Film/IronMan1'', where Tony Stark has to explain the fact that the flamboyant, world-renowned MillionairePlayboy CEO of Stark Industries sure has a lot of PoweredArmor and property damage around him and his company. At the press conference, he soon realizes that nobody's buying his cover story about it being his bodyguard and that all he's doing is [[DiggingYourselfDeeper digging himself deeper]], so he just comes clean and admits that he's ComicBook/IronMan. In the sequels, him being a superhero becomes a major part of his public persona.
63	[[/folder]]
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65	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
66	%% Zero Context* Oliver Queen is this towards the beginning of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', of the IdleRich variety.
67	* Hannibal of ''Series/TheATeam'', for a given value of superhero. Even though his "hero" identity is a ''wanted fugitive'', we learn that he is also still pursuing a career as a low-profile monster movie actor (naturally, he can only take roles where he wouldn't show his face).
68	* Ace Ukiyo, the titular ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'', is a famous celebrity known as "[[RedBaron Star of the star of the stars]]", while his identity as a Kamen Rider is unknown to all but a few.
69	* Minako Aino from ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' is the IdolSinger of the moment. At the peak of her career as one of the trendiest pop stars of Japan, she still has to fight the forces of evil under her Sailor V persona and later as Sailor Venus.
70	[[/folder]]
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72	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
73	* Sapphire from ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' is a pop singer whose superpowers manifested during a kidnapping attempt at one of her concerts. Fans have described her as "[[Music/JenniferLopez J-Lo]] with superpowers".
74	* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'': A WeirdnessCensor and the threat of [[MagicMisfire Paradox]] force mages to keep their supernatural powers secret, but they can take points in the "Fame" [[PointBuildSystem merit]] all the same -- one {{NPC}} mage is even an {{Expy}} of Creator/TomCruise. Curiously, famous characters are actually harder to target with SympatheticMagic, as their public persona obscures their personal identity.
75	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Jackpoint personality Kat O' Nine-Tails has a day job as a famous musician that she uses as cover for her 'Runner activity. She points out the trouble with trying to maintain a lifestyle in the public eye while simultaneously operating below the radar, and suggests that other 'Runners who want to work in the entertainment industry would be better off working as roadies, backup dancers, or special effects team members as those get you the same traveling options without nearly as much risk of being recognized.
76	[[/folder]]
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78	[[folder:Video Games]]
79	* Many {{Bruce Lee clone}}s in {{Fighting Game}}s are known for being movie stars. Characters like [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Fei Long]] and [[VideoGame/WorldHeroes Kim Dragon]] enter tournaments to show off their martial arts skills and show the world that what they do aren't just action stunts.
80	* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''
81	** [[IdolSinger Callie and Marie]] in ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'' are two of Inkopolis's premier pop singers, and also Agents 1 and 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.
82	** In ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'', Deep Cut, consisting of Shiver the Octoling, Frye the Inkling and Big Man the Manta Ray, are Splatsville's most famous idol singers and performers who also run the Anarchy Splatcast on battling stages. They also moonlight as bandits who steal treasure. [[spoiler:This causes them to run into the New Squidbeak Splatoon and mistakenly believe they're trying to find treasure before them. However, the trio's banditry is to help out the less fortunate in Splatsville.]]
83	* Jacky Bryant from ''Videogame/VirtuaFighter'' (and GuestFighter in ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive5'') is a JackOfAllStats: A famous race car driver and model from a rich family who also uses Jeet Kune Do as his fighting style.
84	* Johnny Cage from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' is a famous actor, [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed loosely based on]] Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
88	* Two examples in ''VisualNovel/VillainousNights''. Wolf is secretly Duke Vale, CEO of a big tech company, and Cat is Andi Kim, social media superstar. Both are secret identities, but in Andi's season 3 she goes public. [[spoiler:Lorelei also used to be a superhero who worked with megastar Scarlet Brighid for Optimus.]] The high proportion of celebrities in the group is parodied in Lorelei's route when the MC meets the other characters. She's shocked and delighted to meet Duke Vale and Andi Kim! ...and then Renzei takes off his mask and all she can say is 'yeah I don't know who this guy is.'
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Western Animation]]
92	* Real celebrities having exciting secret adventures is a common premise for CelebrityToons:
93	** ''WesternAnimation/TheGovernator'' was ''supposed'' to be about Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger as a superhero.
94	** ''WesternAnimation/MaryKateAndAshleyInAction'' makes the Olsen Twins Celebrity Superspies.
95	** ''WesternAnimation/ProStars'' makes Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky superheroes who use gadgets themed to their particular sports.
96	** ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' episode "Hoop Squad" had NBA players Tracy McGrady, Karl Malone, Yao Ming and Steve Nash as the titular Hoop Squad, secretly fighting crime while wearing PowerArmor. Karl Malone actually voiced himself on that episode.
97	** ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperGlobetrotters'' has five of WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters be superheroes fighting evil with both StockSuperpowers and their basketball skills.
98	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': Though the character Jet Fusion is more of a Celebrity Superspy, he fits the trope for the most part. Fusion is an actor who plays a [[TuxedoAndMartini James Bond-alike]] in [[ShowWithinAShow in-series films]] and gets recruited by a Spy organization [[ComicBooksAreReal to work as an actual spy]]. Fusion is able to justify his espionage activities under the guise of preparing or shooting of a new movie. For incidents that can't be easily covered up the United States government, he'll easily claim that they are [[AllPartOfTheShow stunts that are being recorded for an upcoming film]].
99	* ''WesternAnimation/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKids'' is about an incredibly popular teen pop group who are secretly [[TeenSuperspy Teen Superspies]] who use travelling the world to play gigs as cover for their espionage activities.
100	* The ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperheroGirls'' version of Bruce Wayne isn't just a philanthropist, he stars in a ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''-style reality TV show, playing his useless rich man persona to the hilt.
101	* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Chat Noir is actually Adrien Agreste, son of a fashion tycoon and part-time model. [[spoiler: Said fashion tycoon also happens to be the show's BigBad]].
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105	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CelebrityMasquerade