| rdfs:comment | - A Secret Identity is one of the most important secrets a costumed superhero can have, and the most carefully guarded. However, no matter how Crazy Prepared a hero thinks he is for any given contingency, eventually someone -- for purposes of this article, let's call him "Tucker" -- will stumble onto his secret. So how can one convince Tucker that he is mistaken, that the superhero and the civilian are not one and the same? How about seeing the hero and the civilian in the same place, at the same time? Of course, if you're an Anti-Hero or a Villain, you could always just kill Tucker.
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| abstract | - A Secret Identity is one of the most important secrets a costumed superhero can have, and the most carefully guarded. However, no matter how Crazy Prepared a hero thinks he is for any given contingency, eventually someone -- for purposes of this article, let's call him "Tucker" -- will stumble onto his secret. So how can one convince Tucker that he is mistaken, that the superhero and the civilian are not one and the same? How about seeing the hero and the civilian in the same place, at the same time? Taking advantage of the fact that most superheroes wear a face-concealing mask, it is easy to slip a third party (usually a close friend or confidante) into the hero's costume, then have the actual hero appear next to the costumed person, in civilian clothing, in the sight of Tucker. Seeing the civilian and the hero standing side by side is usually enough to convince Tucker that he was mistaken, and the Secret Identity is safe. The ruse can become more convoluted and more convincing if the hero has superhuman powers which the costumed decoy must duplicate, if his disguise doesn't involve a mask, or if the decoy is an unwitting dupe, but a clever hero can usually get around this. Of course, if you're an Anti-Hero or a Villain, you could always just kill Tucker. Compare Dead Person Impersonation, see also Conveniently Unverifiable Cover Story. Not to be confused with Costume Copycat, a person who impersonates the hero without the hero's knowledge or permission. Examples of Identity Impersonator include:
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