Maintaining your secret identity

Morrus · Jan 5, 2026

From a legal and working with the government PoV you could just ask how much it costs them to put a satellite into orbit and then offer to do it for half that price. You’d get rich pretty quick doing that for various governments and companies.

soviet · Jan 5, 2026

Morrus said:
From a legal and working with the government PoV you could just ask how much it costs them to put a satellite into orbit and then offer to do it for half that price. You’d get rich pretty quick doing that for various governments and companies.

What are their options if it goes wrong? 'Oh sorry I crushed it by accident'. Are they taking Superman to court? Risk upsetting him? They'd be out millions of pounds with no comeback.

How does each government know that you didn't add a surveillance/kill switch device to their satellite, at the behest of the government you worked for last week?

Morrus · Jan 5, 2026

soviet said:
What are their options if it goes wrong? 'Oh sorry I crushed it by accident'. Are they taking Superman to court? Risk upsetting him? They'd be out millions of pounds with no comeback.

How does each government know that you didn't add a surveillance/kill switch device to their satellite, at the behest of the government you worked for last week?

Well it’s not Superman, it’s me. Or you.

I’d have lawyer check the contract make sure I was covered if something went wrong. I’m sure they’re insured also.

Dunno about the spy switch though! Hadn’t thought of that.

MarkB · Jan 5, 2026

Morrus said:
From a legal and working with the government PoV you could just ask how much it costs them to put a satellite into orbit and then offer to do it for half that price. You’d get rich pretty quick doing that for various governments and companies.

And how are you being paid for this government contract work without using your real identity? Cheques made out to Megadude LLC? NASA doesn't tend to go with big piles of cash for their contractors.

I guess this could work as an alternative to a secret identity, making yourself more valuable alive and free than as a test subject, but it only works so long as you maintain that value.

Morrus · Jan 5, 2026

MarkB said:
I guess this could work as an alternative to a secret identity

Yeah, that's where I was going with it.

piper909 · Jan 5, 2026

I want the super power of shape-changing. And every day I used my powers or any other power I'd alter my DNA profile and my appearance. And perform publicly -- IF NECESSARY -- as an entirely new individual each time. And not necessarily human, either.

I'd just want to be like what some people today think an angel or angelic being might be -- some supernatural force that can never be proved to exist or be tracked, just something that pops up when needed, is mostly camouflaged in a way to blend in with ordinary surroundings, and vanishes without trace.

Dannyalcatraz · Jan 5, 2026

MarkB said:
And how are you being paid for this government contract work without using your real identity?

If you really start thinking deeply about how most superheroes with secrets interact with the mundane aspects of their world as depicted in comics, you realize that they’re doing at least one or more of:

1) they’re forging documents
2) they have friends in government pulling strings
3) they’ve got a network of associates working with them who either know their IDs or don’t care
4) they’ve engaged in a modest amount of shady stuff at the bare minimum

And the bigger the base or higher the tech, the more of those have to be true.

What’s the Batmobile’s license plate? Who built the Batplane? What OS does his computer run on? How is the Batcave powered? What does it say on Bats’ pilots license?

How did Peter Parker manufacture his web shooters?

Are Tony Stark’s Iron Man lab & manufacturing facilities OSHA compliant?

Who did the inspections on Avengers Mansion or Xavier’s school? Who does the maintenance?

If you’re openly toting firearms & bandoliers of reloads & ordinance, where’s the police response? SOMEBODY’S going to call.

Etc.

Dannyalcatraz · Jan 5, 2026

piper909 said:
I want the super power of shape-changing. And every day I used my powers or any other power I'd alter my DNA profile and my appearance. And perform publicly -- IF NECESSARY -- as an entirely new individual each time. And not necessarily human, either.

You’d probably dig this series:

Dial H for Hero - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

piper909 · Jan 5, 2026

Dannyalcatraz said:
You’d probably dig this series:

Dial H for Hero - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's not one I followed at the time, but I am familiar with it, and have read reprints and an occasional revival story. Yes, this is a good dodge Robbie Reed (?) had!