The Return of Superman's Secret Identity Leads to the Death of a Major DC Character

Superman and Jonathan Kent's secret identities have been restored... but at the cost of another character's life. DC has some big plans for its Superman line of comics, starting with today's release of Action Comics #1050. With the Man of Steel back on Earth after his adventures on Mongul's Warworld, Clark Kent can now fight alongside his son Jon Kent, who took up the Superman mantle in his father's stead. Part of DC's Superman relaunch involves giving Clark and Jon Kent their secret identities back, and a preview of Action Comics #1050 teased how Lex Luthor and Manchester Black may have a role in it happening.

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Action Comics #1050. Continue reading at your own risk.

Action Comics #1050 comes from the creative team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Joshua Williamson, Mike Perkins, Clayton Henry, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Dave Sharpe. Just as its preview showed, Lex Luthor has Manchester Black held captive to a device strapped to his head. Manchester Black's hypnotic powers are being used to make the entire world forget that Clark Kent is Superman. The only people not affected are the Justice League – who have telepathic blockers in place thanks to Martian Manhunter – and the Kent Family, who were all gathered together under the protective shield the Justice League placed on the farm in Smallville.

Though we never see what actually happens to Manchester Black, Lex Luthor alludes to the antihero as being a casualty of his feud with Superman. Of course, Lex Luthor could be lying, and Manchester Black could be secretly alive and behind kept in solitude. In any event, Superman's identity is now a secret again, and if a person were to ever rediscover it, it would prove fatal. 

Action Comics Creative Team Discusses Returning Superman's Secret Identity

One of the first people to relearn that Clark Kent is Superman is Perry White. Thanks to the mental blocks placed by Lex Luthor, the stress of having the truth come flooding back into Perry White's mind leads to him having a mini-stroke. The Action Comics creative team discussed these ramifications in an exclusive with ComicBook.com.

"The stories we're about to tell in Action Comics, Superman, and Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent are a celebration of everything Superman is, from the Super Family to the Daily Planet to the most iconic love story in comics, Lois and Clark," said Action Comics writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson. "Some elements of the Lois and Clark dynamic can only be there with the secret identity. And even just on a deep-down gut level, something about seeing Clark Kent in the tie and glasses again, ripping open his shirt to reveal the S-shield underneath, just feels AMAZING. It's an image that puts John Williams' music right in your ear, and you feel like you can fly. That's how we want every Superman story to feel."

"The truth is a very important thing for Clark Kent," added incoming Superman writer Joshua Williamson. "For someone to steal that from him is a tragic moment and created a lot of interesting drama and story possibilities for the Superman line in 2023. We wanted to play with all the pieces of the great and iconic Superman mythology that we all love. When this challenge was presented to us, we wanted to make sure it was not just magically being put back in the box. There are dangerous repercussions to how this happens that lead to more story to explore. And you'll see the start of that in Action Comics #1050!"

Let us know your thoughts on Superman's secret identity returning and Action Comics #1050 in the comments.