20 TV shows that pulled off jaw-dropping secret identity reveals

Sarah Michelle Gellar solidified her place in the history of vampire TV with her performance as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has a particularly notable reveal scene when she reveals the truth about her Slayer identity to her mother, who essentially responds to her in the way that far too many parents do to the news that their children are LGBTQ+. It’s a well-executed secret identity reveal that reveals the strength of this series’ writing and, just as importantly, of Gellar’s performance.

Rami Malek is nothing short of brilliant in Mr. Robot,  in which he plays tormented hacker Elliot. For most of the first season, he is under the sway of a figure known as Mr. Robot (played by Christian Slater). As the first season nears its end, he realizes that he is Mr. Robot and that the other figure is merely an extension of his psychology. It’s a reveal very reminiscent of Fight Club, but thanks to both the performances from Malek and Slater and the series’ excellent writing, it both makes sense and helps to further the drama rather than detract from it.

Marcia Gay Harden gives one of her most memorable performances in several guest spots in SVU. While at first she appears to be a white supremacist — and a particularly virulent one at that — it turns out that she is really an agent for the FBI, which makes for a well-executed twist. However, the series has more in store for viewers, as it’s ultimately revealed that she framed someone else for a murder she committed. Lewis is a woman of many identities and hidden depths, and this is what makes her one of the series’ most beloved, if problematic, secondary characters.  

The Acolyte might have been a short-lived Star Wars series, but it also featured a remarkable secret identity reveal when the sinister and murderous Stranger is revealed to be Qimir. The sharp juxtaposition of Qimir’s rather bumbling personality with the cold-hearted ruthlessness of the Stranger is one of the more terrifying aspects of The Acolyte. It’s another reminder of how those who have become Sith and been enslaved by the Dark Side are masters of deception and deceit, able to be almost anyone at will. 

The second season of The Wheel of Time brought a number of new characters into the mix. One of the most fascinating of these is Selene, who manages to get Rand under her thrall. In a twist, it’s revealed that she is none other than Lanfear, one of the Forsaken, powerful and evil wielders of the One Power. The truth is revealed when Moiraine stabs her, a shocking event that has tremendous consequences for everyone, including Rand. As Lanfear will subsequently reveal, she will let nothing stand in her way when it comes to claiming Rand as her own.

You always keeps the viewer guessing, and this persists right into the fourth season. One of this season’s most mysterious and terrifying people is Rhys Montrose, a young man who managed to become a superstar thanks to a bestselling memoir. However, he is also a ruthless murderer. It turns out that this version of the character is a projection of the main character Joe Goldberg’s mind, while he ended up killing the real Rhys. It’s a shattering revelation even for Joe, and it shows just how far he has lost control of his own psyche. 

The character of Verna haunts the entire run of Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, an adaptation of the various works of Edgar Allen Poe. In the end, it’s revealed that this sinister figure — who has brought about the death of all of main character Roderick Usher’s children — is in fact a sort of powerful entity who promised Roderick and his sister power and wealth if they were willing to sacrifice their own family. The revelation of her identity, while leaving some things unexplained, nevertheless shows just how willing Roderick and sister Madeline were to give up their humanity for the vanities of the world.

Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass is a finely constructed piece of horror TV, and one of the central mysteries of the early episodes is the identity of Hamish Linklater’s Father Paul Hill. At first, he seems to be a replacement for the old Monsignor Pruitt, but, as is ultimately revealed, he is the Monsignor, his youth restored by his encounter with a vampire in the deserts of the Holy Land. It’s haunting and horrifying in equal measure, particularly since the restored priest intends to spread this “gift” to the other island residents, an action with devastating results. 

The Boys doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its scathing indictment of America’s fetishizing of superheroes, and many of its characters are deeply reprehensible. One of the most notable plot twists involves Victoria Newman, who is revealed in the second season to be the Supe responsible for bursting the heads of various notable characters, all while masquerading as an anti-Supe activist. It’s one of the most brilliant reveals in the show, and it sets her apart as one of the series’ most compelling, complex, and deeply terrifying villains.

Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan’s sprawling fantasy series, is, like many other epics, focused on a chosen one figure. In this case, it ends up being Rand al’Thor, one of the young men taken from a village by the powerful Aes Sedai Moiraine. His revelation is shocking to him (less so to the audience, particularly those who have read the books). It hits the young man like a stroke of lightning, and it changes everything he thought he knew about himself. The pieces were there all along, but it took him a long time to put things together, making the final revelation much more impactful. 

The first two seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power contained a number of mysterious characters, and one of the most beloved was the Stranger. Kindly and yet unexpectedly powerful, he was notable for his strong bond with the Harfoot Nori. It’s not until the end of the second season, though, that viewers finally learn his identity: he’s none other than Gandalf, who will play a major part in The Lord of the Rings. It’s a rather heartwarming reveal, giving the viewer even more reasons to love him.

One of the enduring enigmas of the first season of The Rings of Power was just who of the many characters was Sauron. It turned out, of course, that it was none other than Halbrand, who finally revealed the truth about himself to Galadriel. It’s a haunting and beautifully executed moment as the reality comes crashing down on this Elf hero, who has been nurturing her hated enemy next to her the entire time. Many viewers saw this coming, of course, but it was still a powerful reveal that reset the series' dynamic going forward.

The Good Place  was, in many ways, a signature Michael Schur production, with its good nature and its ability to engage with serious philosophical questions.  It also featured a number of narrative twists and turns, and the ending of the first season featured a bombshell secret identity reveal. Ted Danson’s Michael, who seemed to be a sort of angel, was revealed to be a demon who had invented the supposed “Good Place” as a means of torturing human souls. It was brilliantly executed, and it set the stage for many of the plot developments to come.

Agatha All Along, like its predecessor WandaVision, features a remarkable performance by Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness. However, Joe Locke also captures the complicated identity of Teen, who, it turns out, is actually Billy Maximoff. The scene in which this becomes clear is especially powerful, as he demonstrates his powers and has headgear that looks a great deal like Wanda’s. The stage is set for Billy to come into his true powers, and the subsequent revelations that Billy took over the body of a teen killed in a car crash make his identity reveal even more potent.

Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects focuses on Camille, a troubled journalist who returns home to investigate the disappearance of two girls, only to fall into her mother’s grasp. In the end, it seems as if the mother is responsible — due in part to her suffering from Factitious disorder imposed on another — but, as it turns out, it was actually Camille’s half-sister, Amma, who did it. This secret identity reveal occurs right at the end of the series, leaving the viewer haunted by what they have just learned: that a young girl could, essentially, be a serial killer.

WandaVision is arguably the best TV show produced by the MCU, and Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes, Wanda’s next-door neighbor with a suspiciously sunny disposition, is a true highlight. Of course, it’s ultimately revealed that she is really Agatha Harkness, a very powerful witch manipulating Agatha all along. It’s a reveal that makes perfect sense and highlights and, in addition to flawless execution, it also features one of the most infectiously listenable songs of 2021. This reveal also helped to make Agatha such a popular character that she got her own spinoff, Agatha All Along.

Breaking Bad is one of those series that is a perfect example of the antihero trend that was so popular in the 2000s and into the 2010s. As his power as a meth cook grows, main character Walter White adopts the persona of Heisenberg, unbeknownst to his brother-in-law Hank, who is part of the DEA. Eventually, however, Hank pieces it all together when he finds a poetry book in Walt’s bathroom. It’s a brilliantly executed reveal that changes the game for everyone, particularly Hank and Walt.

Netflix’s Stranger Things is an undoubted hit with a remarkably terrifying villain: Vecna. This figure causes quite a lot of damage and heartbreak and horror, but it’s not until the fourth season that the audience learns that he was actually Henry, one of Eleven’s peers when she was being experimented on by Dr. Brewer. This is a perfectly executed reveal, and it makes perfect sense with all that has come before in the series. While there’s no question that Vecna is evil, the revelation that he underwent the same tortures as Eleven does at least give some deeper context to his villainy.

Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House is a terrifying piece of horror television. One of the enduring mysteries in the series is the real identity of the Bent-Neck Lady, a sinister figure that haunts the character Nell. In a twist, it’s revealed that she is this sinister figure and that, as a result, she has essentially been seeing her future dead self. It’s a brutal and beautiful reveal that is very much in keeping with the way the series as a whole grapples with grief, mourning, and death.

Ron Swanson is one of the most beloved characters in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, but unbeknownst to his colleagues, he has an alter ego: the saxophonist Duke Silver. The discovery of his secret identity actually takes place in various stages, and in each case it’s hilarious to watch the characters realize that the normally very stoic Ron has a more artistic side. As with so many other characters in the show, he really does contain multitudes.