8 Superheroes Who Revealed Their Identities (And Paid The Ultimate Price)

When explaining to someone how revealing your secret identity is a risky idea, there are few better examples than that of Peter Parker in Civil War.

Spider-Man reveals his secret identity to the public mostly as a publicity stunt, as he and Tony Stark are attempting to convince superheroes to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act, which requires heroes have their civilian name and occupation recorded.

Unfortunately, the web-slinger also highlights why this is in many ways a terrible idea, as Peter and his family are hunted by villains, leading to Aunt May being shot - which would have killed her, had she not been given immediate medical help.

As it is, May would instead fall into a coma which Peter would have to literally sacrifice himself to the devil in order to fix, making this a prime example of why you keep your secret identity safely secret.