The secret identity trope was born from a fop with a sword

Art · Published 19 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before Batman or Zorro, there was Sir Percy Blakeney. Hiding behind the mask of a dim-witted, wealthy playboy, this 1905 literary hero established the blueprint for the modern superhero: a secret identity, a signature calling card, and a band of loyal allies working in the shadows.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was created by Baroness Orczy, who wrote the original manuscript in just five weeks. While the story was first adapted into a play in 1903, it wasn't until its 1905 novel publication that it achieved global success. The narrative is set during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, where the protagonist, Sir Percy Blakeney, leads a secret society called the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. This group of twenty English aristocrats works to rescue French counterparts from the guillotine, using a simple red flower—the scarlet pimpernel—as their signature symbol.

The character's duality is the core of the work's enduring appeal. To the public, Percy is a 'wealthy fop' and a 'dull, slow-witted' dandy. In reality, he is a formidable swordsman and master of disguise. This specific mechanism of hiding a heroic nature behind an ineffectual public persona proved so enduring that it paved the way for iconic figures like Zorro, The Shadow, Superman, and Batman. Marvel co-creator Stan Lee even noted that the Scarlet Pimpernel was the first character he ever read who could be called a superhero.

The story also explores complex themes of loyalty and deception. Percy's wife, Marguerite, is a beautiful actress who initially views her husband with contempt for his shallow lifestyle. The drama heightens when she discovers his secret identity—a secret he kept because he feared she might betray him, just as she had betrayed her brother in the past. This 'spurious love triangle'—where a woman is torn between her staid husband and the dashing hero, unaware they are the same man—became a staple of the serial fiction that followed.

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