10 Annoying Things Every Superhero Movie Does

3. A Not-So-Secret Identity

As seen in: Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Back in the early years of the genre, it was pretty much mandated that every superhero had to wrangle with their secret identity. From Nolan's Batman films to Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy, the struggles of maintaining a secret identity was at the heart of these stories.

However, perhaps in response to the prevalence of this trope, the pendulum has now swung entirely the other way. It's now uncommon for a hero to have a secret identity at all (especially in the MCU), and even if they do, it's rarely considered a problem.

DC's new version of Batman never seems to worry about people finding out who he is, and Bruce Wayne's private life is rarely even brought up, never mind mined for dramatic material. Likewise, Spider-Man: Homecoming constantly compromised Peter Parker's alter ego, with the Vulture, Ned and even Aunt May all figuring it out in the space of one movie.

Again, this seems to be a response to the genre's early years, but there must be a middle ground to be found somewhere.