8 Superheroes Who Had Their Identities Exposed

6. Green Arrow

Oliver Queen's identity literally makes no sense. Not because it doesn't make any sense in the grand scheme of nonsensical superhero identities (or because his glorious Van Dyke beard is a stone-cold giveaway that he's secretly also Green Arrow), but because DC's writers can never seem to decide whether it's public knowledge or not.

Oli is an odd case in that his identity was exposed after his death. Papers reported his true identity after he was killed disarming a bomb armed by eco-terrorists, and that remained the case when he returned in Quiver. However, in literally the next arc (Brad Meltzer's equally lauded Archer's Quest), no one knows his true identity again.

No explanation was given - it's just the case that he's got his double life back and the public is none the wiser. Queen is then able to mount a mayoral campaign in the years following. Before all of this even happened, the CIA managed to deduce Queen's identity during Mike Grell's Longbow Hunters - again, on account of his trademark facial hair - but Ollie was still able to keep his identity secret in the years following Meltzer's comic.

Compounding the confusion further is the fact Ollie has his secret outed yet again in the aftermath of Cry for Justice, which was then of course reversed with the New 52 and DC Rebirth.