Is It Enough?

With the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice just around the corner, I have seen the endless debate about Superman as Clark Kent "getting away" with simply putting glasses on. Most fall on the side of "I would spot him in an instant" or "that's totally lame, he still looks the same!" Well, no, actually. What people don't understand is how much how you know someone is entirely based on context.

For example, have you ever been out shopping and had your mail-person stop you in the store and say hi? Until he/she says who he/she is, you probably draw a complete blank. Same with your hairdresser, next door neighbor, priest, and even some coworkers. This is because each of them wears a specific 'costume' when you see them, or you know them contextually based on location: the mail carrier uniform, an apron, a frock, and a suit and tie.

The human brain is a wonderful tool, but it can be easily confused. This is how magic works; tricks rely on the brain's inability to do some things for some tricks, or its desire to compensate and "fill in the gaps" for other tricks. That's how misdirection and palmistry work. And the same is true for people and faces. It's why we see the face of Jesus in toast burns and window reflections.

A great case in point is the large number of popular artists who are able to walk around freely in cities the size of New York and Los Angeles (and others) without being spotted. Some are always spotted, because they tend to dress and act similarly to some of the roles they play (Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark, for example), yet others, when simply dressed in jeans and a shirt, are completely hidden from view to the average person.

Take, for example, Henry Cavill. As a test, he recently walked around in NYC wearing a Superman shirt and hanging around Batman v Superman posters and yet no one recognized him (link). Without the proper context of the costume, or the red carpet and a tuxedo, people just don't recognize Cavill. But dressed as just Average Joe wearing a Superman shirt? Nope. I'm betting at least one person saw him and said, 'He looks sort of like Superman, but Superman is taller, I think.' Now they see that article and they kick themselves.

Just changing your hair color can cause people to be confused and walk right by you on the street, so why wouldn't completely changing your clothes, putting on glasses, and acting in a different manner work, too? Of course it would. Why do you think that the police, FBI, etc., release Most Wanted photos with examples of different hairstyles and hair colors? It's because they know how easy it is for a person to not see who they are looking for if the fugitive changes the style or color of their hair. So they put the person into more contexts for the viewer to make it easier for them to help find the fugitive.

Long story short: yes, glasses and a change in posture, vocal inflection, and/or simply context is enough for people not to see that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person.