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I was reading this question about the world's obliviousness to Clark Kent's secret.

It got me thinking - regardless of Clark Kent, it seems as though there would be least some cases of people thinking/assuming/claiming that they or someone they know is secretly Superman.

Are there any cases of this in any of the Superman media?

Conrad Bennish Jr
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    Too many to count. On an almost weekly basis in every media; https://babblingsaboutdccomics3.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/sup_145_001.png, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/JusticeLeagueActionS1E35SupermansPalSidSharp, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0506565/ and that's not taking into account the hundreds of alt supermen who've been mistaken for the real thing – Valorum Jun 27 '18 at 06:25
  • @Valorum well! That’s quite a few. Thanks! – Conrad Bennish Jr Jun 27 '18 at 06:32
  • @Valorum If you want to make that an answer I’d be happy to accept it – Conrad Bennish Jr Jun 28 '18 at 00:49
  • Thinking/assuming/claiming...or choosing? – Gaultheria Jun 28 '18 at 06:57

2 Answers2

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This is a pretty common plotline in the Superman universe, with side characters (invariably brought in as special guest stars) being accused and ultimately proven not to be Superman when they get attacked by his villainous enemies and Supes has to show up to defend them.

A few examples include Superman #145 ("The Secret Identity of Superman!")

enter image description here

Superman: Flight to the North (1955)

Arriving in Metropolis to seek his fortune, the clueless Sylvester Superman answers a Superman classified ad for the "real" Superman and before long has been hired by a woman named Marge to deliver a lemon meringue pie to her fiancé, Steve , stationed at a remote Air Force weather base in Alaska. Meanwhile, gangster Leftover Louie has wagered $25,000 that he can convince his schoolmate Marge to bake him a fresh lemon meringue pie, even though she can't stand the sight of him. Inevitably, these two plot strands are intertwined, as a hopelessly confused Steve welcomes the vacuous Sylvester, a gun-toting Louie, and the honest-to-goodness Superman into his tiny snowbound shack.

Superman #9 ("Secrets and Lies")

enter image description here

Etc etc etc.

Valorum
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While endorsing the previous answer, I wanted to add this cover from Action 474:

Cover of Action Comics #474. 7 men dressed as Superman are on a stage. On the left one with brown hair, grey at the temples, leans over a lectern labeled "The TONIGHT SHOW." A black-haired man in glasses is jumping to his feet as he is shot in the chest with a ray fired by Doctor Light, in black and white, from the audience. 5 other men dressed as Superman are seated to his left; from left to right, a man with blondish hair and a droopy moustache, a man with brown hair, a man with red hair and freckles, a man with black hair, and a blonde-haired man with a small moustache. The text on the cover reads "There are seven Supermen on this stage...but after Doctor Light fires his weapon, they'll only be one left! We challenge you to guess which it will be!"

showing seven people who have been mistaken for Superman, including Clark, of course, and Jimmy Olsen. Also TV host Johnny Nevada (a play on Johnny Carson) actor Gregory Reed, and Rock Stirling.

DavidW
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Emsley Wyatt
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  • I remember reading one comic awhile ago (sadly I don't remember which one) where The Penguin suspects Bruce of being Batman and goes to shoot him but Batman knew what he was up to and wore a bullet proof vest and then everyone thinks he's Superman and then the real Superman shows up and every gets so confused they decide Bruce is neither Batman nor Superman – LookingForAnime1234 Jul 24 '21 at 00:18