The Scarlet Pimpernel to Superman, Batman to Bateman: Secret Identity

What links the following: a flying mammal in the Chiroptera order, an arthropod of the order Araneae, a portable lighting device , Nietzsche's philosophical concept of the Übermensch and an English wayside flower?

Answer: The Dual Identity.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is seemingly the first use of a dual identity for just and nobles purposes. Created by Baroness Orczy, he's a precursor to characters like Zorro and inevitably Superman.

The Pimpernel however has more in common with Superman than he does say Batman or Green Lantern. Whilst with these characters, their superhero personalities can be seen to some extent as the disguise, with the Pimpernel and Superman, the disguise isn't the the identity known to the world but the one used to hide their truth from the world. Superman is Superman, Clark Kent is the façade as beautifully demonstrated by Christopher Reeve in the original 1978 film. And likewise with the Pimpernel, Sir Blackney, the foppish English aristo who seemingly cares more about cravats and cricket than he does crusades and courageous acts of mercy in rescuing those damn Frenchies!

They seek him here, they seek him there...!

These characters are binary opposites within their dual identities. You look at Blakeney and you see a vein character more concerned with the quality of his cravat than the lives of those around him or those in need in another countries. But Blakeney true side is the Pimpernel side, this is especially apparent in the BBC series starring Richard E. Grant.

Clark Kent lacks the confidence and posture of Superman. You look at the way Reeve portrayed him and you can see a lot of effort was put into differentiating the to halves of the character. Kent's voice was higher pitched and to a point kind of whiny, whereas Superman was deeper, firmer and did not waver. These traits don't fall under the typical categories that come to mind when thinking about binary opposition, but they are binary opposites. The meek and the bold, the preening and the modest lesser thought of than right and wrong, good and bad.

Kent, Superman, Kent, Superman- Which is the real identity?

And whilst this idea that Superman is the true identity and Clark Kent is the pretence, in some cases this idea has been modified, specifically in the TV series  Lois and Clark it's reversed. Clark Kent becomes his true self and Superman the façade he uses to do the good he knows he can, with a third guise added in the form of turning Clark Kent into a bespectacled journalist.

In the Tim Burton's original Batman film, Bruce Wayne was the true Identity with Batman being a identity that is a means to an end. Where as in Nolan's films he seems to have the idea that the real identity is Batman, all the character has left is justice, and Bruce Wayne much like the Scarlet Pimpernel is the foppish playboy persona he distracts all with! Note the hotel purchase scene in Batman Begins where he talks about this not being him, the idea of Bruce Wayne is gone only Batman is left.

A further film that I think also takes the idea of the dual identity but takes it in a different direction entirely is American Psycho. Here it is not an alien brought down to Earth who assumes an identity to save the world, or a millionaire playboy who's determined to avenge the death of his parents and so dons an array of weapons and gadgets to achieve his goals. In this film the secret identity, the hidden person is the real Patrick Bateman. The one that wants to take an axe to your face and leave your body dissolving in a bathtub in Hell's Kitchen, that wants to stab you to death and play around with your blood. As Bateman says, "There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there."

I JUST WANT TO FIT IN!

He's an examination of the Yuppie culture that grew up in Manhattan in the 80's, a fusion of these wall street waanabes into a serial killing maniac. He has two identities, but these identities unlike Superman and the Scarlet pimpernel are in opposition in morals and ethics. On the surface and to the world, patrick Bateman is just like any other Yuppie around, to the point where Bateman prides himself on being the most yupie he can be, with the blandest business card and the best apartment. On the inside, he's Patrick bateman, murdering pschopath with no care whatsoever for moral and ethical boundries, who is driven to kil....