Warning: Spoilers for Vixen: NYC #12 ahead!
The rules regarding a hero’s secret identity may seem set in stone, but a new DC comic on Webtoon challenges those stale tropes with a new modern take. Starring the animal-channeling Mari Jiwe – better known as Vixen – Vixen: NYC presents itself as the classic coming-of-age story of a hero first discovering the scope and consequences of their powers. As the series progresses, however, it challenges one of the foundational notions of the secret identity: that lying to one’s closest friends and loved ones is the only way to keep them safe from villains who might use that connection to do them harm.
The Vixen that stars in Webtoon’s new comic is much younger than her mainstream counterpart, having just moved to New York City to begin her freshman year of college. As she acclimates to her new city, she quickly accrues a roster of familiar friends such as her new roommate Karen Beecher-Duncan (a Bumblebee yet to be), Beast Boy, as well as Anissa Pierce (Thunder) and her girlfriend Grace Choi. It’s not until Karen falls prey to a ring of kidnappings on campus that Mari learns of the animal spirit powers of her amulet, tapping into them for the first time to rescue her friends.
In Vixen: NYC #12 by Manou Azumi, Jasmine Walls, Omar Vallejos, and Toby Fan, Mari and Karen discuss the fallout of Mari’s new powers while cleaning the apartment in preparation for an imminent visit from Mari’s parents. When Mari expresses trepidation over telling her family about the amulet, Karen pushes back, embodying DC’s stance that secret identities are a waste of time and saying “seems like a big part of your life to keep hidden.” Although she later relents and trusts Mari to figure out how to handle the situation, it’s clear from her surprise that she doesn’t believe Mari should lie to them about her powers.
This is a massive reversal of the usual secret identity trope in which the hero must keep their powers hidden from everyone in order to protect those around them. While Grace Choi instructs Mari to use a code name while in the field, no mention is made of hiding herself from friends and loved ones. Given the way Mari has attracted friends throughout the series who also know about her abilities (admittedly, many of them being heroes themselves and laying the groundwork for Vixen’s own B-team), the emphasis instead seems to be on creating a trusted support network so that she doesn’t have to bear the burden of her powers completely alone.
Vixen: NYC makes a compelling argument about why the rules of the secret identity need to be challenged. With her friends by her side, Mari is ready to face any challenge; compare this to a hero like Marvel’s Spider-Man, whose secret identity has led Peter Parker to misery time and time again as he repeatedly forsakes and pushes away those who care about him in favor of his responsibilities as a hero. DC’s new Webtoon offering presents a much healthier approach: by getting rid of the secret identity, trusting others, and sharing the burden, one becomes so much stronger than by living in fearful isolation.
Vixen: NYC is available on Webtoon.
