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Post by dave on Apr 21, 2023 19:37:32 GMT
In World's Finest Comics Vol 1 #144 September 1964 Batman revealed his secret identity to Jimmy Olsen when the cub reporter became his partner while Robin worked with Supeman as the fought Brainiac and the 2nd CLayface. Is this tale an aberration? Or did Batman erase Jimmy's memory in a later story?
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Post by dans on Apr 21, 2023 21:45:58 GMT
didn't Green Lantern use his ring one time to erase all the secret identity knowledge of the entire population of the world? Or maybe he's known since 1964 but is really good at keeping secrets?
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 22, 2023 0:27:31 GMT
We had a discussion about this exact topic years ago. The consensus was that Batman has a "circle of trust" of a few people who know his identity, and Jimmy Olsen became one of them. I know, it sounds bizarre, but it happened.
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Post by redsycorax on Apr 22, 2023 0:55:53 GMT
Yes, I think this is canonical. Batman could have realised that Jimmy would be a useful and trustworthy intelligence gathering asset for his crime fighting work and so decided to disclose the information to him, knowing it wouldn't go any further.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Apr 22, 2023 1:36:21 GMT
Also, most people would not suspect that Jimmy Olsen knew Batman's true identity, so he is in little danger of being targeted by Batman's foes. OTOH, it would be muhc riskier for Clark to reveal to Jimmy that he is Superman, since Jimmy Olsen is well known to be one of Superman's best friends, and most people probably suspect him of knowing the secret already.
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Post by jonclark on Apr 22, 2023 3:35:14 GMT
Jimmy knows Clark's, Bruce's and Dick's identities on Earth-1 last I checked. Clark told him in a story on here and I'm pretty sure there were a few Pre-Crisis references to Jimmy knowing the secrets of the Dynamic Duo besides that one World's Finest.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Apr 22, 2023 11:56:14 GMT
Jimmy knows Clark's, Bruce's and Dick's identities on Earth-1 last I checked. Clark told him in a story on here and I'm pretty sure there were a few Pre-Crisis references to Jimmy knowing the secrets of the Dynamic Duo besides that one World's Finest. I know. That was just my explanation about why Batman and Robin trusted him with their secrets long before Clark told him his. |
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Post by starskyhutch76 on Apr 22, 2023 15:05:36 GMT
Jimmy knows Clark's, Bruce's and Dick's identities on Earth-1 last I checked. Clark told him in a story on here and I'm pretty sure there were a few Pre-Crisis references to Jimmy knowing the secrets of the Dynamic Duo besides that one World's Finest. Jimmy figured it out himself and said something along the lines of "I'm an investigative journalist for crying out loud" when he told Superman he knew. Now what is Lois's excuse? |
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Post by jonclark on Apr 22, 2023 19:27:57 GMT
Jimmy knows Clark's, Bruce's and Dick's identities on Earth-1 last I checked. Clark told him in a story on here and I'm pretty sure there were a few Pre-Crisis references to Jimmy knowing the secrets of the Dynamic Duo besides that one World's Finest. Jimmy figured it out himself and said something along the lines of "I'm an investigative journalist for crying out loud" when he told Superman he knew. Now what is Lois's excuse? I still go with the explanation from the story where Jonathan Kent was resurrected for a day and "revealed" the truth to Lois. She already knew she just decided to let Superman tell her when he is ready. Until then she sees no need for the Silver Age antics where she tries to "prove" it and Clark gaslights her. She's outgrown enjoying that game (barring an occassional nostalgic moment or two). I think Perry is like Jim Gordan and wants the "plausible deniability" of not looking too closely. Lana has just given up- but unlike Lois did so by "deciding" Clark isn't Superman. She finally accepted all his "proofs" over the years as true, though she still might tug on the threads just to get a reaction out of Clark or Superman. I think the Post-Crisis take on Lex sort of applies. He's not going to deny the truth like he did Post-Crisis if the facts are laid out for him. But his focus on Superman/boy and his own ego keep the pieces from dropping into place. He never thought to look closely at Clark (or anyone else in Smallville) in an attempt to learn the secret identity. And the longer he didn't look at it the more he was inclined to go "Nah, it couldn't have been that obvious or I'd have noticed" whenever any suspicion crosses his mind. |
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 22, 2023 20:32:55 GMT
Jimmy knows Clark's, Bruce's and Dick's identities on Earth-1 last I checked. Clark told him in a story on here and I'm pretty sure there were a few Pre-Crisis references to Jimmy knowing the secrets of the Dynamic Duo besides that one World's Finest. Jimmy figured it out himself and said something along the lines of "I'm an investigative journalist for crying out loud" when he told Superman he knew. Now what is Lois's excuse? Lois was gaslit for so many years by Superman she developed a complex about his secret identity? That's about the best guess I can make. |
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Post by dans on Apr 23, 2023 12:26:05 GMT
I think maybe Lois quickly figured it out, and when she realized how much trouble it could be if other people knew it, maybe she bought a self-hypnosis book from the back of a comic book and hypnotized herself to forget - and to forget again any time she actually learned it again in the future...
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Post by jonclark on Apr 23, 2023 20:09:38 GMT
I think maybe Lois quickly figured it out, and when she realized how much trouble it could be if other people knew it, maybe she bought a self-hypnosis book from the back of a comic book and hypnotized herself to forget - and to forget again any time she actually learned it again in the future... Had she married Superman, I now picture a 50 First Dates scenario where each day Clark has to re-reveal the secret to her- possibly multiple times per day. |
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Post by dans on Apr 23, 2023 20:45:45 GMT
Ah, but Clark is 'The Master Mesmerizer of Metropolis' and he would have figured it out - but maybe not for 50 days or so...
I wonder why when he was puzzled, Superman wouldn't jump a few days into the future, get the answer to the puzzle, and jump back? It's what I would do if I could easily travel in time!
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