Editing Superman (section)

===Clark Kent===
{{redirect|Clark Kent}}
Superman's [[secret identity]] is Clark Joseph Kent, a reporter for the ''[[Daily Planet]]''. Although his name and history originate from his early life with his adoptive Earth parents, everything about Clark was staged for the benefit of his alternate identity: as a reporter for the ''[[Daily Planet]]'', he receives late-breaking news before the general public, always has a plausible reason to be present at crime scenes, and need not strictly account for his whereabouts as long as he makes his publication deadlines. He sees his job as a journalist as an extension of his Superman responsibilities—bringing truth to the forefront and fighting for the little guy. He believes that everybody has the right to know what is going on in the world, regardless of who is involved.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/index.html |title=The New Batman/Superman Adventures |publisher=[[Warner Bros.]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202074631/http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/cmp/index.html |archive-date=February 2, 2007}}</ref> In the [[Bronze Age of Comic Books]], Clark Kent was featured in a series that appeared primarily in ''[[The Superman Family]]'', "The Private Life of Clark Kent" where Superman dealt with various situations subtly while remaining Clark.

To deflect suspicion that he is Superman, Clark Kent adopted a mainly passive and introverted personality with conservative mannerisms, a higher-pitched voice, and a slight slouch. This personality is typically described as "mild-mannered", as in the opening narration of [[Max Fleischer]]'s [[Superman (1940s cartoons)|''Superman'' animated theatrical shorts]]. These traits extended into Clark's wardrobe, which typically consists of a bland-colored business suit, a red necktie, black-rimmed glasses, combed-back hair, and occasionally a [[Fedora (hat)|fedora]]. Clark wears his Superman costume underneath his street clothes, allowing easy changes between the two [[persona]]e and the dramatic gesture of ripping open his shirt to reveal the familiar "S" emblem when called into action. His hair also changes with the clothing change, with Superman sporting a small curl or [[spit curl]] on his forehead. Superman usually stores his Clark Kent clothing compressed in a secret pouch within his cape,<ref>{{Cite comic |penciller=John Sikela|story=The Origin of Superboy's Costume! |title=Superboy |volume=1 |issue=78 |date=January 1960 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref> though some stories have shown him leaving his clothes in some covert location (such as the ''Daily Planet'' storeroom)<ref>{{Cite comic |writer=[[Steven T. Seagle|Seagle, Steven T.]] |penciller=[[Scott McDaniel|McDaniel, Scott]] |inker=Owens, Andy |story=Truth |title=Superman: The 10¢ Adventure |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=March 2003 |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |location=New York, NY}}</ref> for later retrieval.

As Superman's [[alter ego]], the personality, concept, and name of Clark Kent have become synonymous with [[secret identity|secret identities]] and innocuous fronts for ulterior motives and activities. In 1992, Superman co-creator Joe Shuster told the ''Toronto Star'' that the name derived from 1930s cinematic leading men [[Clark Gable]] and [[Kent Taylor]], but the persona from bespectacled silent film comic [[Harold Lloyd]] and himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://davidschutz.tripod.com/superman3.html |title=When Superman Worked at The Star |last=Schutz |first=David |website=The Adventures of Superman |date=April 26, 1992 |access-date=December 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717013550/http://davidschutz.tripod.com/superman3.html |archive-date=July 17, 2010 }}</ref> Clark's middle name is given variously as either Joseph, Jerome, or Jonathan, all being allusions to creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.