JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
Secret Identities
From The Amazing World of DC Comics, vol. 4, no.
14 (1977), p. 17.
—Text was scanned from the original—
One of the Justice League's original policies was that they were not required to reveal their civilian identities to the other members at large. This was undoubtedly enacted as a security measure to safeguard against accidental betrayal. When in JLA #19, the Justice Leaguers were forced to reveal their secrets to one another In order to get around a United Nations' order of exile, Superman produced some Amnesium from his Fortress of Solitude to cause the JLA (along with the rest of the world) to forget what they learned. Various duos, however, saw fit to entrust one another with their secrets outside of Justice League context:
Superman and Batman unmasked for one another for the first time in SUPERMAN #76. Since this tale took place in the 40's, the duo were probably the Earth-Two Superman and Batman. The Earth-One Superman and Batman, however, were also aware of one another's civilian identities prior to the Justice League's first meeting. A parallel revelation scene must have occurred for the Earth-One counterparts when the WORLD'S FINEST series began depicting Earth-One adventures after the 1940's.
Flash and Green Lantern revealed their identities to one another in their first com¬ bined adventure outside of the JLA magazine in GREEN LANTERN #13. Atom and Hawkman exchanged secrets in HAWKMAN #9, their second non-JLA team-up
Superman and Flash confided in one another in their first non-JLA team-up in SUPERMAN #220.
Superman learned Green Arrow's identity (though not vice versa) while he was still Superboy in ADVENTURE #258. Oliver Queen had not yet begun his Green Arrow career, but Superboy learned that he someday would by peering Into a time-viewer.
In several issues of the super-hero team-up magazine, BRAVE & BOLD, pairs of JLA members were apparently aware of one another's identities, although all of the following stories took place well before the common knowledge of secret identities became JLA policy:
In B&B #50, Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow are clearly shown as knowing one another's identities though no prior revelation scene was recorded. In B&B #59, Green Lantern and Batman learn one another's identities, but make it a point to cleanse their minds of the knowledge by means of the power ring at story's end.
In B&B #70, Hawkman and Batman clearly know one another's identities, although no revelation scene had ever been previously recorded. In B&B #77, with Batman and Atom, and B&B #81 with Batman and Flash, the pairs are also shown to have knowledge of one another's identities, although no mention was made of the circumstances behind it.
In B&B #82, Batman, in his civilian guise of Bruce Wayne, tells Aquaman that he's Bruce Wayne, as if that name should strike a responsive chord in the dazed Sea King's brain. This implies that Batman once took Aquaman into his confidence, although, once again, the actual revelation had not been previously recorded.
In the JUSTICE LEAGUE magazine, various members' secret identities sacrificed or discovered in the course of several tales, and measures to remedy the situation were not mentioned: In JLA #41, Hawkman found it necessary to use his Absorbascon knowledge-gathering device to discover all of the other
JLA members' identities so he could contact them. The Absorbascon has not been shown with the capacity to erase the knowledge it gathers.
JLA #53 has the Atom telling the JLA where to find Hawkman's wife, Hawkgirl, at the Midway City museum where they both work, effectively compromising his identity to the membership at large.
In #54 the JLA visited Hal Jordan in the hospital where he was recuperating from a car accident, with the explicit knowledge that he is Green Lantern. In JLA #60, the Atom changed to Ray Palmer in front of the JLA assembled while combatting the foe.
In JLA #61, Green Arrow entered JLA Headquarters in his Oliver Queen Identity {for reasons known only to him).
In JLA #69, Wonder Woman announces her Leave of Absence as Diana Prince.
Soon after Black Canary's membership, it became apparent that all of theJLAers have confided their civilian aliases to one another. JLA #122 tells the story of the circumstances of this revelation. Green Arrow was shown speaking of his private life for JLA Archives in JLA #75, which could be construed as taking place immediately after common knowledge of secret identities became JLA policy. Thus the shared knowledge of identitles amendment must have been passed between JLA #74 (when Black Canary came to Earth-One) and JLA #75