Glasses as a disguise

I still can't get over how they 100% played the glasses thing straight 😂
– Comment on this clip from 'Death of Superman' where Clark reveals his identity to Lois

I have come to the conclusion that, to enjoy Superman media fully, you have to suspend your disbelief about the absurdity of glasses as a disguise, and just roll with it. Makes everything easier. 

There's no better option

I hadn't thought much about the "nobody recognises Superman when he puts on a pair of glasses" thing until recently, when I watched the pilot episode of Superman & Lois. Not even Clark's own sons realised he's Superman until he takes his glasses off and lifts a car in front of them. And that's just insane. No amount of "people see what they expect to see" can make that scenario believable. 

Fans often go for the explanation that nobody expects Superman to have a secret identity, and so they can look right at Clark and just not see Superman. A slouch, different hair, and a different personality could make this mildly plausible for people who don't know him (example: Henry Cavill, and example: Zooey Deschanel), but it doesn't hold up under scrutiny at all. What about facial recognition? People he's close to? His loved ones?

The only alternatives to the disguise I could think of would be something like:

• He puts on a mask: Doesn't work. He needs people to trust him. Superman not wearing a mask is such a huge part of the character.
• Some kind of "perception filter" in the glasses: More acceptable, but it's so far-fetched that it seems almost goofy.

So since there's not really any better way of handling the disguise, you as a viewer just have to accept that this is a thing that works, and move on. It's an illogical aspect of the Superman storytelling that you have to swallow. Because there's no proper way around it. This kinda sucks, because it is really silly when you put this kind of plot device into an otherwise "serious" movie or TV show. And more casual fans won't think about it that way. I would absolutely love to get a better explanation. But until someone comes up with one, I guess I'm fine just going along with it.

'Clark as the disguise' helped, but not enough

Maybe back when he put on a fake personality as Clark, the disguise was a tad more believable. There's lots of praise for this clip of Christopher Reeve subtly transforming from Clark to Superman. It's really impressive. But even then – It's just a pair of glasses. 

And I personally, really do not like that take on the character. I'm so glad this awkward, bumbling Clark isn't done much anymore. It makes absolutely zero sense that if Clark/Superman wants a secret identity, that he'd want to always go through the hassle of acting like a guy who's so lame that he's being ignored by the woman he's interested in. Why even bother trying to get Lois to be interested in him as Clark if that's not the real him? 

The reveal in 'Death of Superman'

"There's a reason I'm so secretive. And I think you deserve to know why."

If you just accept that the glasses work, and take this scene from 'The death of Superman' seriously, as it's intended, it's such a great moment. So much to like. If you accept that it's just not possible to tell until he takes the glasses off, that it's like a mask, imagine what an intense revelation that must be for Lois. I can just picture the million other ideas running through her head before he tells her ("Is he on drugs? Selling drugs? Clark would have to be on drugs to be on drugs"). He tells her, and she doesn't believe it. Then he takes the glasses off, and it still takes a moment for it to click. She probably hadn't considered it in a million years. And then her life is just completely changed after that. It's a bit dumb that they chose to have him give her that kind of important information out in public, but oh well. 

This same scene also contains one of my favourite Superman quotes:

Listen, Lois, I'm just a guy from a small town, who wants to do the right thing.

 

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Last edited: December 26, 2024