This is exactly why I don't like the Superman movies, hate pre-Crisis, and love anything post-Crisis. In Pre-Crisis continuity, he still came to earth as a baby, is raised as human, but completely abandons his upbringing because OMG he's not from Earth! Suddenly he's all Kal-El from Krypton instead of Clark Kent from Kansas. It's a completely unrealistic take. And the "costumed persona", Clark Kent, is just horrible to watch. I was horribly disappointed when I found out that Superman Returns was following that continuity, and wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for my husband.
Post-Crisis, including L&C, just makes sense to me. Clark Kent is raised as a human, lives as a human, and has all of those human foibles that make us who we are. When he finds out about his powers and heritage, he doesn't abandon who he has been for the past 16-25 years, but tries to add that part of him to his whole person... but can't exactly do that without becoming hunted, so he dons a costume. It's like any other superhero in the comics.. The Flash, Spider-Man, Green Lantern. When these people gain their powers, they don't go about changing who they are, they just try to fit this new part in as best they can.
