Off My Mind: Is A Secret Identity Necessary?

Yes i'd want a secret ID. Imagine being at your job 24/7. That would be insane. I'd go loopy form the stress alone. Down time with friends and family is a must!

depends. as i envision myself as a superhero, i wont be telling everyone i meet i have superpowers, but i wouldnt be afraid to use them "in disguise" for an emergency. then again, sonic speed and angel wings aren't the easiest things to hide.

I guess I'm the only one to choose this option.
 
If I had superpowers I wouldn't need a secret identity, because I wouldn't be a superhero!
 
I'd just be a guy with superpowers. Most people probably wouldn't know about them, but no doubt I would use them to my advantage (not to harm others though).

If Superman told every one he's Clark Kent, he's getting the world's largest law suit laid upon him for making the news and not objectively reporting it. Journalists go to jail for lying so it is taken seriously because he's not writing for comic books (no disrespect). 
 
That was an angle in the Spider-man book when Jameson came after Pete. It's a good one. 
 
As for Steve, Tony...they don't really have much family left if any at all so their identity isn't compromised but it did affect the people around Tony.

How many videos did G-Man make in the woods that week? 
 
And I'd have one.

Having a secret identity would protect everyone you know and love. Like when Spiderman had to choose if he wanted to reveal his identity afraid to have his Aunt and Mary Jane put into harms way from people who wanted to harm him. If I had no enemies then there is no need for one, but if everyone hates you that's a whole different story. But would you keep your superhero life away from the people you love?

I'd flaunt it... lol... no i woulnt, but i wouldnt hide them either

not me, seriously

who needs one anyway, i can be what ever i want

I have to say it depends more on the people around me than me actually just choicing one. If for example people would complain about the thought of a hero than yes I would need one, but if the world was in a state of perputal state of chaos and needed a symbol to bring peace than no I wouldn't need it

Like every one has just said... as impossible as it would prob be to actually keep a secret identity in this modern world you would have to have one... Stupid Paparazzi and wanna be Scarface punks out there would ruine your life other wise... Besides if I had super powers I would be like Nate Grey... That way if anyone spotted me changing or what ever I could just wipe the last five secounds from their head lol 

This is a toughy. On one hand, you may need a secret identity to play superhero or else your personal life will be in danger... although it's kinda impossible to really be a superhero anyway, your best bet is to be a cop or something. 
But then again, if you reveal that you have honest to god superpowers, you could expect the government to find out what makes you tick. So you may not want to make your abilities public, and if you do it would have to be under an assumed identity.

I wouldn't have one.

Oh, and another thing, would you really want to be a super hero all the time? Everyone would always be bothering you, always wanting you to do something for them. You'd have to get some pretty thick skin, metaphorically speaking.

I'd pull a Planetary move. Elijah Snow and the rest of the Planetary organization do super things for humanity, but they are more covert with their actions.  The only people who know their identities are their allies and their enemies.  Of course, their enemies have learned a lesson about f@$king with them.
 
NO SECRET IDENTITIES, JUST COVERT OPERATIONS.

I've always been indecisive on this one...
but as I'm sitting here looking at the screen, I'm seeing my own and all of your
usernames soooooooo....
 
Edit: decided to be a little more clear. we here on CV actually have secret identities.
some of you may come out and say who you are, some might not. i don't. this has nothing
against any of you in it either. its just one thing. insurance. its a small chance, but crap happens,
and i cant take that risk. the reason i cant is because i have people in my life that i care about that
would be effected by the negative effects of an usurper. what it really comes down to then when deciding
" if i had powers, if i was a hero by choice, would i have a secret identity..."
 
 @G-Man said: 

 Lots of heroes have secret identities and try to live a normal life.

No hero is absolutely unstoppable, even the most powerful ones, so there will always be a risk.

I'd have too many impulses to show off to keep much of a secret identity in check.

I would try to have a normal life, but i know myself, so i would get mad at someone and use my powers on them or tell that really hot girl and she would go out with me, instead of my boring, useless girlfriend. And probably use my powers on most of my teachers, cause they piss me off.

 if none of my loved ones (family and wife) had super powers, then i would certainly keep an Secret Identity. even without supervillians, how long would it take for some criminal who i put in prison to come after them? or some disgruntled gang or drug king pin?
 if you want to love and live and have kids and such, your gonna need to be able to disappear....

Superhero Super power all the freaking time! 
 
Well. that is if I get the powers I want. Invulnerability and Invisibility

i'd need a secret identity just to be able to have e change of pace, Hell  superman  enjoys being clark  so he can keep connected to humanity and not fall into his kryptonian mind set   and hall jordan enjoys being a pilot   even takes off his ring so he can live a little without having to be gl 24 7

I think you'd have to have a secret identity....think of all the people in your family and all of your friends..heck even people you may not call your friends but just know you would be at risk 24/7....having a secret identity would be the responsible thing to do....how could you go public and put everyone you've ever met at risk of having some no name decide that he wants to be famous and taking a shot at your third cousin twice removed

Pro-Secret Id.  I don't want to be bothered 24/7 for everything.  I like my me time.

I guess it would depend on 
-how much villains would you made?
-do you have a family or friends to protect?
-do the public eye see you as a threat (like Spider-man)?
-would you do plenty of damage while superheroic-defending the innocents?

Yes, I woul definitely have a secret identity- just like soldiers in wartime get home leave(because the psychological strain of battle is too much for them), I would definitely like to put all the cares of my super hero/heroine activity  aside from time to time). Maintaining a secret identity might have its down side(like being in the" closet " for a gay/lesbian person or "passing" for white during the "Jim Crow era") but I think it's a good idea!
 
Terry

I say yes but here is example of Superman's identity working against him in Superman Annual 3. And one positive where his identity is reveled, both have the Waverider guy and that whole who is Monarch in them, but both stories great and a must read.
 
Superman Annual 3
 
Action Comics Annual 3

well maybe if u saw spider man 2 then a secret i dentitie would be really trouble some lol but i would have a secret i dentitie

Well someone like Superman can't live a "normal life" with ease given as  how he could destroy a house with a cough...lol I know he can control it but just saying.
 
But others like Peter Parker, can easier I think given the power differences.  
 
At any rate, I think it depends really but I would live two identities because of the family and friends thing. I think to come out in the open as "just a guy with powers, I live here and these are people I know" would be foolish and selfish, it would be not considerate of others who know me and thus I'd be putting them in danger. 
 
So yes, I do think it's necessary. Reason why FF are out in the open is easy, they're umm a group of 4 always together practically...who is going to mess with them as a whole? lol 
 
It's not like Superman or Spiderman where although they may be more powerful overall, they're still only one person. 
 
Good topic.
 

Depends, I guess. If the real world were like comics, where there were tons of people with super powers, I could see forgoing a secret identity. If the real world was like the real world is, except with one person (myself) having super powers, I'd definitely have a secret identity- or abandon my "human" identity entirely- because there would undoubtedly be people who would try to exploit that aspect of my life, either by manipulating me through friends and family, or otherwise attempting to strongarm me to doing things their way ("You want to keep your citizenship, pal? Better do what the US Government tells you to do.")

If i had one of those Thunder Ninjas uniforms from Power Rangers Ninja Storm and a clone of myself  i wouldn't  have a problem with keeping my indentity a secret.

"I would prefer to have a secret identity. "

" @ComicMan24 said:

"I would prefer to have a secret identity. "

Luthor knows that Sups have a secret identity, but he wont belive that the identity woud be someting like Clark Kent.