Without a doubt, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir has left its fans frustrated on more than one occasion. Protagonists Marinette and Adrien are madly in love but continuously turn a blind eye to the glaring truth. Miraculous: Ladybug centers around the partnership between the two, who transform into the heroes Ladybug and Cat Noir.
As with many superhero-based stories, secret identities must remain confidential -- even to fellow heroes -- in order to protect loved ones and maintain undercover operations. Throughout its run so far, there have been several close-call instances where Ladybug and Cat Noir have almost revealed their identities to each other — and one time they actually did. Here is the rundown of each infuriating scenario that has left viewers screaming at their television screens.
Lady Wifi - Cat Noir Nearly Discovers Ladybug's Identity
With "Lady Wifi" being only the fourth episode of Season 1, Miraculous shocked viewers by having Cat Noir already come close to discovering Ladybug's true identity. In the episode, Marinette's best friend, Alya Césaire, becomes the supervillain Lady Wifi after Hawk Moth akumatizes her. After cornering Ladybug, Lady Wifi attempts to remove her mask, but it appears to be glued on. Cat Noir comes to her rescue and the duo defeat Lady Wifi, who is "de-evilized" and restored to her civilian persona.
When the job is done, Ladybug and Cat Noir run into the hotel lobby where Ladybug ducks inside a closet. Cat Noir tries to stop her, promising not to tell anyone who she is, but she says that "nobody must know who we really are, not even us." Adrien pauses at the doorknob, considering breaking Ladybug's trust in order to know who lies beneath the mask, but decides against it.
The Dark Owl - Plagg & Tikki Discover The Duo's Identities
Season 2, Episode 13 of Miraculous sees Mr. Damocles (dressed as Knightowl) get akumatized into Dark Owl. In the final battle, Dark Owl captures Ladybug and Cat Noir in a large crate, which he proceeds to fill with whipped cream. He informs them that unless they hand over their Miraculouses, they will drown. Cat Noir is unable to break down the crate's walls, and deems their situation hopeless; however, Ladybug instead decides to give up and hand over their Miraculouses, telling Cat Noir they must close their eyes when they de-transform.
Unbeknown to Cat Noir, Ladybug has concocted a plan to trick Dark Owl. Marinette and Adrien keep their eyes closed but both Tikki and Plagg see each others' Miraculous wielders, but they keep quiet. When Marinette hands Dark Owl fake Miraculouses, this buys them enough time to transform again and escape, but neither she nor Adrien ever take a peek.
Frightningale - Adrien & Marinette Star as Ladybug & Cat Noir
Later in Season 2 of Miraculous, "Frightningale" sees Clara Nightingale become a musical monster when Hawkmoth akumatizes her. Clara wishes to produce a music video honoring the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. Marinette and Adrien are both cast -- much to their dismay -- as the music video requires identical costumes to be worn, which would put their secret identities at risk.
When Chloé is offered the Ladybug role, Marinette is outraged and jealous. She takes the role herself, despite the risk it presents. In rehearsals, Marinette and Adrien begin to slowly put the masks on, both worried that someone might recognize their heroic forms. Before having the chance to do so, Chloé and her father André storm inside and stop the rehearsal.
Troublemaker - Marinette Loses Her Miraculous
Another close-call encounter in Season 2 leaves Marinette vulnerable and almost ends with the reveal of her identity and the loss of her Miraculous. Jagged Stone is a famous rockstar and recurring character in the Miraculous Ladybug universe. When his personal assistant Penny gets akumatized into Troublemaker, she causes chaos at the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
Troublemaker manages to seize Ladybug and pin her down. She takes an earring along with half of Ladybug's Miraculous, and Ladybug slowly begins to de-transform. Cat Noir calls on his Cataclysm and then charges toward Troublemaker, who makes herself intangible to avoid the attack -- but subsequently drops Ladybug's Miraculous. Ladybug grabs the earring and puts it back on before she can fully de-transform. Cat Noir comments on the close call, stating that this was not how he dreamed to share their secret identities.
Oblivio - Marinette & Adrien Reveal Their Identities (With a Catch)
Season 3 of Miraculous introduces an interesting twist to the tale, as this episode begins with Ladybug and Cat Noir waking up in an elevator with no memories of their civilian or superhero lives. Presumably following an instance in which both superpowers (Lucky Charm and Cataclysm) were used, their Miraculouses begin to beep and they detransform into Marinette and Adrien.
Our amnesiac heroes gradually discover themselves again and fight Oblivio, who turns out to be Alya and Nino. Ladybug explains that she must cleanse the city and repair the destruction with her Miraculous Ladybug, which will wipe the memories of each others' true identities. Before that happens, Cat Noir asks for permission, and the two share an intimate kiss.
Cat Blanc - Adrien's Discovery Impacts The Future
At the beginning Season 3 Episode 22, "Cat Blanc," Marinette (as Ladybug) leaves a gift for Adrien, who watches her leave his house. After some thought, he concludes with absolute certainty that Marinette is Ladybug, despite Plagg's objections. Marinette is then met by Bunnyx (Alix Kubdel), who informs her that some unknown event has caused a disaster in the future. Hawkmoth is revealed to be Adrien's father, while Cat Noir is revealed to be Adrien. Hawkmoth manipulates Adrien's heartbreak over the loss of his mother and akumatizes him into Cat Blanc.
After much fighting, Cat Blanc grows impatient and demands Ladybug's Miraculous. When she refuses, he charges a "mega Cataclysm" that, if unleashed, will destroy the fabric of the universe. As a distraction, Ladybug tells Cat Blanc she will give him the Ladybug Miraculous, then leans in to kiss him. Then, she grabs his bell and breaks it to release the akuma, which she purifies. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm to mend the destruction and goes back in time with Bunnyx to erase her name from the gift, preventing the Cat Blanc timeline from ever occurring. So far, Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities are yet to be revealed without some sort of catch, but secrets can only remain secret for so long in Miraculous: Ladybug.
All episodes of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir can be streamed exclusively on Disney+.
