I haven’t seen Kill Bill, but I came across this quote on tumblr the other day:
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, 2004)
I’ve read this argument elsewhere online and I’ve heard it from a few friends too. I agree with the point that Superman was born Superman and that sets him apart from other superheroes. His alter ego is Clark Kent as opposed to a superhero persona that other characters like Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker had to create.
I don’t agree with the argument, however, that the Clark Kent guise is a critique of the human race. Superman doesn’t dress like Clark Kent because he thinks that’s how the average human being is. Superman dresses like Clark Kent as a disguise. He wants to be under the radar, to be the last person anyone would expect to be Superman so that he can have a life outside of the blue suit and cape. So the glasses, the dorky behavior, the insecurities–that’s all an act to distance himself from the Superman persona. Superman could have chosen to stay on the farm in Smallville. He could have played professional football. He could have been a travel agent. He could have done anything, but he wanted to keep a low profile and stay close to world news. He took a job at the Daily Planet and he pretends to be the most awkward dork in the world. No one thinks he’s anything like Superman because if anyone did, Superman couldn’t attempt to live a normal life in Metropolis.
Bruce Wayne uses a deeper voice when he’s Batman. Peter Parker constantly banters with villains and makes wisecracks as he web-slings around New York City. They put on acts like Superman does, but their situations are polar opposites. Batman and Spider-Man make spectacles of themselves while Clark Kent tries to blend into the background. The Clark Kent guise is Superman’s understanding of the type of people we don’t pay attention to but not a stereotype of humans.
Though in some of Frank Miller's depictions of Batman, Bruce Wayne is definitely the alter ego and Batman is the primary one.
That he was born Bruce Wayne but became someone who thought of himself first and foremost as Batman gives depth to the character, IMO.
Thank you for commenting, Pete. It's true that in some depictions Batman is the person and Bruce Wayne is the alter ego that he keeps up.
I would argue that later in their careers, Superman and Batman are similar in the sense that they consider their roles as heroes to be primary. I still don't think their performances as Clark and Bruce are commentary on mankind, though.
I had one of those "who would win out of" conversations with a buddy the other day, concerning Batman and Iron Man. I argued for Batman, and described the scenario in filmic terms, having Stark fly round Batman, taunting him, while Batman just stands there. And when Stark's finished showing off, and hovers in front of Batman taunting him some more along the lines of "my suit is much cooler than yours because mine can fly" etc., Batman touches a button on his belt and says something about vetting your subcontractors… And there's a crash zoom into the interior of the Iron Man suit, up the spine to the circuit board that runs the thing, and there, next to the main processor, is a small chip marked "Wayne Industries"… which pops. And the Iron Man suit freezes and drops to the ground like a rock, immobilised.
And Batman walks up to the immobilised suit and says, right up close: "That's the difference between us Stark. When I act like an immature, irresponsible billionaire playboy… IT'S AN ACT."