Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions) is a fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. He serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman. Over the decades there has been considerable debate as to which personality the character identifies with most.

From his first introduction in 1938 to the mid-1980s, "Clark Kent" was seen mostly as a disguise for Superman, enabling him to mix with ordinary people. This was the view in most comics and other media such as TV (starring George Reeves) and radio. Since 1986, during John Byrne's revamping of the character, the emphasis has been on Superman being the alter-ego of Clark Kent, the side of the character he most identifies with.

Through the popularity of his Superman alter ego, the personality, concept, and name of Clark Kent have become ingrained in popular culture as well, becoming synonymous with secret identities and innocuous fronts for ulterior motives and activities. There have been suggestions that the surname Kent is a nod to the character of the Earl of Kent (known in most scripts simply as Kent) in the Shakespeare play King Lear, as both assume simplistic disguises, yet managed to fool those closest to them. The first name Clark is a reference to actor Clark Gable, with Clark's middle name being a reference to either of his creators depending on the version.

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