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Superman Character
Clark Kent
A rare Superman cover with Clark Kent in the foreground
Publisher	DC Comics
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Creator(s)	Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
First Appearance	Action Comics #1 1938
Profession	Newspaper reporter and author
Affiliations	Daily Planet
Special Features	Superman's secret (or true) identitiy.

Clark Kent is the alter ego of the fictional superhero, Superman.

When the Kent's adopted young Kal-El, they named him Clark which was Martha's maiden name.

When he decided it was time to reveal Superman's existence to the world, Clark decided against wearing a mask as part of his costume, recognizing the importance of people trusting someone with as much power as he had. So, instead of wearing a mask as Superman, Clark decided that his civilian identity would become "masked" so that none would recognize Clark Kent and the Man of Steel as the same person.

To keep people from suspecting he was Superman, Clark has always pretended to be a "meek and mild" guy, who could never be suspected of being the dynamic Man of Steel.

Clark took to wearing glasses to further this ruse and to partially mask his face. He would also comb back the small curled forelock that would hang down his forehead. Clark Kent would slouch a little, looking a bit shorter and standing in a distinctively different way than his alter-ego. He would also speak softly, and at a slightly higher pitch than Superman. All this was part of the deception.

In the Silver Age of Comics version of the Superman story, Clark had his powers since infancy. He made his glasses out of glass from the Kryptonian space ship he arrived in,so that they don't melt when he uses his heat vision as Clark.

As a boy, Clark's best friend was Pete Ross, who would eventually accidently discover Clark's secret. When Clark's parents die of a tropical disease, he goes to Metropolis to seek his fortune. There he becomes a newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet, with colleagues Perry White, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen. As an adult, Clark tended to wear blue suits because they had to be chemically treated so they wouldn't burn up from air friction when he traveled at super-speed.

During the The Bronze Age of Comics, Clark becomes a TV reporter for WGBS TV. He is often the object of humor for Steve Lombard, sportscaster. Often Steve would play mean practical jokes on Clark, who would sometimes secretly use his super-powers to turn the tables on Lombard.

In today's Modern Age of Comics, though still "mild mannered", the grown Clark is less geeky and more confidant. He is an accomplished newspaper reporter and author. His parents are still living in Smallville. This Clark had his powers develop slowly, not really coming into them until he is a young adult. For this reason, in this version of the story, Clark was quite a normal teen-ager growing up, with Lana Lang as his girlfriend and confidant. Despite her feelings for him, Clark and Lana's romance does not outlast his childhood. When Clark comes into his powers, he tells Lana (as his best friend) all about it, and then leaves her for Metropolis where he is destined to fall in love with Lois Lane.

In today's comics, Clark Kent represents an important aspect of Superman's character. Although an alien by birth, Clark was raised on Earth by the Kents, and as such has the sensibilities and morality of a normal American raised in Kansas. He has more in common with Earth culture than he does with the relatively cold culture of his native Krypton.

So, while in past era's, Clark used to be a disguise behind which Superman hid, it can be said today that Clark Kent is the real person and Superman the disguise.

This, of course, is open to interpretation. See below.

Bill On Clark Kent

"Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."

--Bill, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 screenplay by Quentin Tarantino