More than once, laws have been passed in Gotham City to either prohibit Batman from entering, or making him a wanted criminal. So... why not a change of identity? Instead of a scary night predator that's a bat... why not introduce Owlman for a while, until the problem is solved? Owls are pretty intimidating too. And it's not as if there's an address for Batman where he can be found, or a summons can be delivered...

Superman's big vulnerability is to Kryptonite (you might have heard... ;) Why did he never come up with lead long underwear? Put it on under the costume, so that it's protected by the invulnerable Kryptonian cloth, and then only Superman's head and hands are showing. It's underwear, so there's no way that Luthor or Brainiac could see it. Simply have Clark Kent publish a story indicating that Superman no longer has a problem with Kryptonite (which would even be TRUE) and voila - problem solved.

This was done at Marvel with Namor; as I recall, at one point, he was unable to survive out of water for any length of time, so Mr. Fantastic created a costume that circulated water for him. There's precedent.

What do you folks think? Any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that were easy enough to handle that just were never used?

I'm not familiar with that Namor storyline, but it sounds interesting.

This may not be quite what you are looking for, but I read some HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE comics in the 80s. Somehow, He-Man (or the writers!) had He-Man protecting his secret identity. It seemed contrived. Why didn't He-Man just put it out there that he didn't have one?

He didn't have to say, "I have a secret identity, I must protect it..." He could simply have said, "I don't have one." Instead, some stories seemed to be about the secret identity.

If you're Batman or Spider-Man, you do have a secret identity, everyone knows there's a face under that mask. But if you're Superman or He-Man, and you are walking around with your face exposed, DON'T LET ANYONE KNOW YOU HAVE ANOTHER IDENTITY! 

Superman's head and hands being exposed is enough to kill him. Some sort of thinsulite lead-fabric composite underwear is just going to make life more of a headache for him and for Clark. There's no reason why such a thing couldn't be done for the length of a story and then shown to be ineffective, melting inside a volcano or freezing in space.

You'll notice Namor doesn't still wear Reed's Romita-designed wetsuit. When the story becomes about having to maintenance and find parts for a micro-plumbing mechanism, it becomes a problem in and of itself. The solution? Stop fixing the problem.

The "Don't let anyone know" bit is asinine. Just because someone's face is exposed does not mean they do not have another identity, especially in a context where practically everyone in their line of work does. The idea that Superman isn't going to have emerged from the population of witless humans scurrying for grubs beneath Luthor's penthouse, contempt, and often notice is an unsupported assumption. Where was he before he debuted? Who was he? And why would he not be that person still? That Superman would exist without ties to the human community he protects is not logical. Especially in view of the fact that heroes previous to Superman went about without masks and yet did not reveal their true identities when pressured by the government to do so. Heroes with exposed faces and hidden identities exist in the world of super-heroic fantasy. Characters living in that world should know that.

It's also worth noting that Superman did not tell the world he had a secret identity. A thug in a Golden Age story saw him change identities in an alleyway and alerted his cohorts. After that, it made the papers and the news was out. Even if you wish that story into a cornfield, the guy's name is not "Superman." You have to ask what other name he's either using or has used in the past. If he doesn't volunteer the info, he's keeping a secret and inquiring minds will want to know.

Prince Adam's hidden identity should not work at all except that everyone onscreen seems to know them both and long since come to the conclusion Adam just doesn't have the right stuff to be the completely identical He-Man. At least Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl have instantly changing hairstyles and clothing to help them snow the public. How to explain that Lori and Judy wear Electra-Comps in their daily lives, well, uh... Did I mention their hairstyles instantly change?

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The idea that He-Man had a secret identity first appeared in the Paul Kupperberg-written DC comics. 

It's fine to disagree - life would be boring if we all agreed - but is there any need to refer to my comment as asinine? Strong word, Brian. 

Couldn't you have simply said "I strongly disagree" or "I think you have it wrong"? 

JB has pointed out the foolishness of asking "where were the Avengers when Galactus first appeared in NYC? Why was it only the FF?" 

The clear answer: "they were somewhere else." (Not that the question should even come up!)

Also:

"Just because someone's face is exposed does not mean they do not have another identity, especially in a context where practically everyone in their line of work does."

Of course Superman has another identity: Kal-El, last (or at least "final") son of Krypton. It's public knowledge. Where did he grow up? Somewhere in the United States. Is anyone who doesn't really know him ever going to figure out where? Nope. 

As for JSA members and such -- I'm sure Jay Garrick moved his face quickly enough so that nobody working for the press could get a clear photo of his features. Johnny Thunder? No idea -- I can't remember if his identity was secret. Wonder Woman? She's Princess Diana of Paradise Island. Who would think she had a secret identity? 

You'll notice Namor doesn't still wear Reed's Romita-designed wetsuit. When the story becomes about having to maintenance and find parts for a micro-plumbing mechanism, it becomes a problem in and of itself. The solution? Stop fixing the problem.

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They do seem to favor variations on it over the green trunks though. 

Adam, Jay did vibrate his face to avoid photography, and Congress wondered who he was. Who raised Kal-El, Adam? Was he just that amazing that all of America sighs and thinks what a clever little tot he must have been to have brought himself up so well? Public knowledge in drips and drabs would not be sufficient to forestall further questions of this extremely public figure who just happens to be more powerful than anything in our nuclear arsenal. There's a reason why information on our potential overlord is front page news in DC's America. That would include where he goes and how he spends his time when he's off the public radar. And whether he's telling us everything, which they know he is not.

The comics' stance on Wonder Woman's secret identity changed because she really did not have one after 1987. She embraced her celebrity in the manner of the Fantastic Four and gave frequent interviews and publicity in her time as a CEO of her own corporation. No one else in the biz is doing that, and the public notices these things.The secret identity question doesn't go away for everyone simply because one of the group has ready answers.

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Arguably, the secret identity adolescent power fantasy was part of the appeal of the cartoon version. I don’t really get what it did for She-Ra though. “I’m a former Force Captain turned resistance fighter who transforms into a resistance fighter, but my horse can fly now!”