Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis, Earth-2
Lois Lane was the first born daughter of Sam Lane and Ella Lane on their farm in the small, rural community of Pittsdale, Iowa. Even as an infant, young Lois' destiny with intertwined with a man whom the world would one day come to call Superman. One afternoon, baby Lois discovered a strangely shaped toy rattle. She would never know that the device belonged to the alien infant Kal-El, who only recently arrived on Earth. The rattle proved to be of great use however, as she used the indestructible toy to drive away an attacking rattlesnake. (Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane v1 #26)
A few short years later, Lois eventually began attending high school, where she excelled in all of her studies. During her junior year, a large Metropolis newspaper known as the Daily Planet sponsored a nationwide contest for high school students. Whoever succeeded in submitting the best report would one day be awarded a position with the paper. Lois was selected to participate in the contest and she met Kal-El for the first time but she knew him only as mild-mannered adolescent Clark Kent, who had long-since secretly established himself as the hometown hero of Smallville known as Superboy. Lois and Clark competed against one another to win the school contest. Separately they discovered that a criminal named Paul Kory and his gang of thugs had been using sleeping gas on unsuspecting pedestrians in order to rob banks without getting caught. Clark was present during one of their daring escapades, but was forced to feign falling asleep so as to protect his secret identity. Eventually, he snuck away and nabbed the goons as Superboy, but he was unable to prevent Lois from getting the news scoop, thus winning the contest. This was the first step towards Lois' inevitable climb to stardom. (Adventure Comics v1 #128)
Following high school, Lois attended Raleigh College, majoring in journalism. After graduation, she made contact with Perry White, managing editor of the Daily Planet, who kept his promise to Lois and offered her a position as a reporter. In time, Lois became one of the most infamous investigative journalists in the Daily Planet's history. (Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane v1 #17)
Lois had Daily Planet pressman Carl run off a gag paper featuring an expose revealing Clark Kent as Superman in order to play a practical joke on her co-worker. Clark didn’t think it was funny, and he was aghast when Carl came down with appendicitis and without him around to stop production the paper made its way into the hands of the public. Perry White was furious that Lois had ruined his newspaper’s reputation, and wanted to fire her, but she thought he was overreacting. Clark decided to save her job, and told Perry they could play it up as a good natured hoax. Perry liked the idea of saving face and selling papers, so he told Clark to dress as Superman and keep up the act for a while. Perry let his friend Lee Brandon, head of the Third National Bank, in on the hoax, and for a publicity stunt they hired actors to pretend to rob the bank and have Clark save the day. Mobster ”Ironjaw” Grogan was in the Daily Planet building and overheard them. Realizing an opportunity for easy money, he had his gang replace the actors, and robbed the bank. Superman foiled them, then quickly changed back to Clark, and claimed he’d chickened out on the publicity stunt. The Daily Planet then revealed Lois’ article as a hoax, and Clark was happy his secret was still safe. (Superman v1 #20)
Later on, Hitler’s scientist Herr Fange unleashed a sea serpent on the coastal town of Weston, and Lois and Clark went to cover the story. The U.S. destroyer Grella was deployed to investigate, and Lois insisted they stow away to observe the action. Clark bowed out, feigning timidity, and changed to Superman. Superman brought Lois aboard the destroyer, and then locked her in the brig to keep her out of trouble. Fange sicced his sea monsters on the destroyer and Weston, causing havoc, but Superman turned them away. One of the monsters snatched up Lois, and Fange took her hostage, demanding that Superman allow him to destroy a U.S. convoy if he wanted her alive. Lois couldn’t stand to see the convoy destroyed, so she tore away from Fange and leapt into the sea serpents clutches. Superman rescued her and the convoy, while the whistle Fange used to control the monsters malfunctioned, causing them to tear him to pieces. (Superman v1 #20)
Perry White came to send Lois and Clark to investigate a report that Superman was about to jump off the Chandler Suspension Bridge, only to find that it was a publicity stunt cooked up by Herman the Heroic, a wanna-be costumed adventurer who idolized Superman. Lois locked Clark in a zoo cage to keep him out of her way, but when Herman was about to get himself killed, Clark changed into Superman and rescued him. Superman appreciated Herman’s gratitude but told him his foolishness would get him killed. Superman changed back to Clark and reentered the cage where Lois left him, but the cage and the big cats inside were stolen by the Leopard, who had a predilection for jungle cats, and his gang. Superman attacked the gang, but they sicced a number of cats on him, allowing them to make their escape. Lois and Clark covered Herman’s next stunt, wrestling a tiger at the Cosmos Circus. The Leopard replaced the old, toothless tiger with a vicious one, hoping to keep Superman occupied while he committed a robbery. Superman saved Herman again, and together they brought the Leopard to justice. (Superman v1 #20)
Pre-Crisis, Earth-1
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Lois Lane
Clark and Lois had dinner with the Kents to celebrate their anniversary and gave them tickets for a cruise. Later they investigated Cerberus' bombing targets and Clark realized they were all LexCorp subsidiaries. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #1) Lois continued her investigation into Cerberus, and found a link to the island nation of Tatamalia that LexCorp was going to financially ruin by taking over their industry. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #2) Once Cerberus freed Tattamalia from LexCorp he threatened them and promised to destroy the nation if they did not pay him exorbitant amounts for his services. Lois covered an attempted bombing by Tattamalian rebels that tried to bring attention tot he situation to Metropolis. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #3) Lois interviewed the Daily Planet strike organizer Jeb Friedman, but he denied any involvement with Intergang. Lois confronted Clark, upset that she would never know if she was a better reporter because he used his powers to cover stories. Clark agreed to crack the Intergang case without the use of his powers. Angstrom confronted Lois' father Sam lane, who initially encouraged him to join Project Angstrom, the project that made him a monster. Lois tried to hold Angstrom back, but Superman saved the day, returning Angstrom to S.T.A.R. before the radiation in his body spread through the city. Lois wanted to expose the military corruption that led to Angstrom's creation, and although Sam Lane initially thought the public should not know he changed his mind when S.T.A.R. cured Angstrom and covered up any military involvement in Angstrom's creation in the ensuing news stories. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #4)
Superman battled Atomic Skull, who thought he was acting out the old Atomic Skull seriels he was obsessed with. Skull kidnapped Lois, thinking she was the serial hero's girlfriend Zelda. Their fight brought them to the ruins of S.T.A.R. Labs, where Professor Emil Hamilton gave Superman a boron control rod that sapped away the Skull's radioactive powers. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #5) Metropolis fell into riots and looting due to the blackout, and Lois and Hamilton met the Guardian, and told them Superman was not there to help because he was in the Antarctic and suffering from amnesia. Guardian took them to the arctic in the Whiz Wagon in hopes of bringing Superman back. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #6) Daily Planet workers attacked Clark for not having spent time in the picket lines with them, not realizing he'd been busy as Superman busting Intergang. Jeb Friedman, strike organizer, broke up the fight, and Lois defended Clark against Jeb, who was giving him a hard time. Lois told Clark he needed her to stand up for him, and he snapped at her, telling her he could fight his own battles. Clark and Lois were at each other's throats until Clark apologized and admitted he was a little jealous of Friedman, who had a thing for Lois. She assured him he was the only one for her, but she was glad to see Friedman leave Metropolis for the west coast, because she suspected his flirtations belied deep feeling for her. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #7) Cerberus cyborg henchmen Jolt and Blockhouse were ordered to keep Superman from interfering in his plans, and to this end they kidnapped Lois Lane and hypnotized her with a mind-control collar. Superman defeated the villains, but the mesmerized Lois put a collar around Superman's neck. He was losing his will, but dove into the ocean, and the salt water shorted out the collar. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #8)
Lois covered the theft of equipment from science labs, and found the culprits were Warworlders L'rri, Krl'li, and Mo'ah, who were building a bomb to wreck vengeance against Superman and Metropolis. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #12) Lois and Ella Lane watched over Lucy after the vampire Ruthven attacked her. Jimmy Olsen took a more active role, hunting the vampire, who was temporarily defeated with the help of Superman. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #14)
Jeb Friedman returned to Metropolis, gave Lois a half-hearted consolation on Clark's death, and told her she needed someone to be there for her. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #22) Lois went on a date with Jeb and kissed him goodnight, immediately feeling guilty afterwards. She was determined to go to Coast City, suspecting that Cyborg Superman was the real villain behind its destruction. Her trip was interrupted when a Kryptonian battlesuit made its way to Metropolis. Lex, Supergirl, Superboy and Steel all thought it was a threat and attacked it. They disabled it, and the resurrected Superman emerged from it. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #25) Lois called the Kents and they both hoped Superman could defeat Mongul and Cyborg Superman in Engine City. They couldn't stand the idea of Superman returning to life and then losing him again. Lois went to a diner with Jeb, but was too preoccupied to pay attention to him now that she knew Superman was alive. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #26)
Post-Flashpoint
The New 52
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Rebirth
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Lois Lane was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster where she made her first appearance in Action Comics v1 #1 (June, 1938).
- In Superman v1 #57 (1949), a Pre-Crisis story showed a possible future in the year 2949 where the people of Earth developed superpowers similar to Superman and Lois's Lane's descendant Lois 4XR had such abilities.
- In Action Comics v1 #484 (1978), the Earth-Two version of Lois Lane was shown to have a sister named Lucille Tompkins who was the mother of Susie Tompkins.
Alternate Versions
- In DC Comics Presents Annual v1 #1 (1982), an alternate version of Lois Lane was shown as an inhabitant of Earth-Three. She was a reporter who opposed the criminal tyranny of the Crime Syndicate of America and had long admired the work of Dr. Alexander Luthor where she came to love him. Lois convinced Dr. Luthor to become their world's first superhero using the power of science where he called the Earth-1 and Earth-2 Superman to aid him against Ultraman who was allied with the Lex Luthor of the alternate Earths. She eventually came to marry Dr. Alexander Luthor of her Earth where the pair had a son named Alexander Luthor Jr.
- In Gotham City Garage v1 (2017), an alternate version of Lois Lane appeared in a setting where Lex Luthor ruled the last city on Earth. She was shown to be operating a secret radio station known as the Frequency alongside Jimmy Olsen.
- In Nightwing: The New Order v1 #4 (2018), an alternate version of Lois Lane was shown in a world where superpowers had become illegal unless the person was registered with the government. In this possible future, Lois was shown to had become part of the resistance group and wielded a Blue Lantern Power Ring.
- In Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Death of Superman v1 #1 (2019), an alternate version of Lois Lane existed in one of the potential worlds of the Multiverse. This version witnessed the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday and was devastated by the loss where she came to resent the world for his demise. Lois travelled to the Fortress of Solitude to return his cape and was informed by the Eradicator that the construct's attempts at restoring Kal-El had failed with Superman truly being dead. With his energies depleting, the Eradicator was desperate to continue his mission with Lois requesting it to use her as a host body even if the empowerment would kill her as she intended to end it all. She aggressively sought stop all crises on the planet where she killed criminals and violently dismantled criminal operations. This saw her killing Lex Luthor, the Joker and even killing Batman when he tried to stop her. She was then confronted by the Cyborg Superman when Kal-El emerged from the life matrix. Hank Henshaw attempted to kill Superman with Lois desperately trying to stop him but she released radiation that killed Superman thus being responsible for his death.
In other media
Television
- In the DC Animated Universe, Lois Lane made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Superman: The Animated Series, Lois Lane made her first appearance in the animated television series where she was voiced by actress Dana Delany. Lois was part of a military family. Her father Sam Lane was actively enlisted in the United States military, so she and her sister Lucy grew up on an army base. At some point of her life, Lois had dated Lex Luthor, until she eventually dumped him. Lois has traveled a great deal as a reporter and can be easily classified as one of the Daily Planet's star editors. She always likes to be on top and isn't above taking risks to get a story as well as using aggressive tactics to accomplish her goals. These have included using informants. However, this technique has gotten Lois into trouble in two separate instances: The first was where Lex Luthor discovered that one of his scientists provided Lois with information and used him to lure Superman into a trap. The second being when she recruited an inventor who worked for LexCorp to provide information. He promptly became obsessed with her, and tried to kill her out of revenge for getting fired. When she first met Clark Kent, Lois dismissed him as an amateur. Eventually, they became close friends and would work together regularly with Jimmy Olsen. However, Clark was able to beat Lois out of story on a few occasions. Examples include when he was able to clear a convicted killer waiting to die on death row and his breaking the story of Superman's research pact with S.T.A.R. Labs. She eventually learned to respect Clark and would come to trust his judgment and abilities, including taking it hard when he faked his own death, admitting to Superman that she really liked him.
- In Justice League, Lois Lane appeared in the animated television series where she was voiced again by actress Dana Delany.
- In Smallville, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where she was portrayed by actress Erica Durance.
- In The Batman, Lois Lane made a guest appearance in the animated television series where she was voiced by actor Dana Delany.
Films
- In Superman, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the 1978 live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Margot Kidder. Whilst at the Daily Planet, Lois came to meets newly hired journalist Clark Kent. She was introduced to his Superman persona when he rescued her from a helicopter accident. Lois quickly becomes enamoured with Superman and accepts his offer to be interviewed for the newspaper. During the interview, she learns about Superman's homeworld, his abilities, and takes a fly in the sky over Metropolis. Lois later dies in an earthquake caused by Lex Luthor. Superman was so distraught by her death that he flew around the globe at supernatural speed, travelling backward in time and preventing the earthquake from occurring, saving Lois' life.
- In Superman II, Lois Lane appeared in the 1980 live-action film sequel where she was again portrayed by actress Margot Kidder. After she found out that Clark was Superman, Clark tells Lois more about himself, flying her to the Fortress of Solitude and revealing that he loves her. Wanting to spend his life with Lois, Clark uses a Kryptonian device to alter his DNA, making him human. Soon after, Clark and Lois learn that three Kryptonians, led by General Zod, have arrived on Earth and are threatening humanity. Clark decides to restore his powers and defeats the Kryptonians. Later, Clark finds Lois upset about knowing his secret and not being able to be open about her true feelings. Clark kisses Lois, using his abilities to wipe her mind of her knowledge of the past few days.
- In Superman III, Lois Lane appeared in the 1983 live-action film sequel where she was once more portrayed by actress Margot Kidder. She was away from Metropolis on vacation to Bermuda, which put her in the middle of a front-page story.
- In Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Lois Lane appeared in the 1987 live-action film sequel where she was once again portrayed by actress Margot Kidder.
- In Superman Returns, Lois Lane appeared in the 2006 live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Kate Bosworth. It was shown that Superman after being on Earth and getting involved with Lois Lane looked to find his home planet of Krypton. Taking a ship, he came to travel into deep space where he was missing for 5 years. Unknown to him, she was pregnant with his child but she had no way of contacting Superman after he left. Eventually, she decided to move on with her life where she got engaged to Perry White's nephew Richard White. By this point, she had her son who was named Jason White where she kept the boys parentage a closely guarded secret.
- In All-Star Superman, Lois Lane appeared in the 2011 animated film adaptation of the comic story with her being portrayed by actress Christina Hendricks.
- In the DC Extended Universe, Lois Lane made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Man of Steel, Lois Lane made her first appearance in the live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Amy Adams. During or before her time with the Daily Planet, Lois gained a Pulitzer Prize for one of her articles. At some point, Lois was embedded with the 1st Division and wrote a few stories of her time spent there with them. On November 28, 2013, Lois Lane arrived in a northern region part of Canada to investigate a unique discovery that had been unearthed by the US military and was currently being kept top secret. As she descended from her helicopter, her luggage is taken by Joe, who carries the many heavy bags with casual ease. Lois then meets with Colonel Hardy, Dr. Hamilton and Officer Sedowsky, who informed her that a mysterious object buried deep within the ice was at least 18 thousand years old. During her stay on the site, Lois witnessed Joe roaming the site at night without any tundra gear on. Lois followed him to a recently melted cavern entrance that burrowed deep within the ice until it led directly to the epicenter of the artifact, which was revealed to be an ancient alien spacecraft. Lois continued to follow Joe and attempted to take a photo, but accidentally activated the automated sensors of a Sentry Robot on the ship, which attacked her. Lois was rescued by Joe, who crushed the robot with his bare hands, much to Lois' astonishment. The man saw that she was bleeding exponentially, and cauterizes the wound with his heat vision, the brief yet intense pain of which causes her to pass out. The next day, Lois awoke to find herself outside on a small glacier in the middle of the ocean, where a military helicopter had found her. On November 30, she returned to the Daily Planet in Metropolis, intending to write her story, but editor-in-chief Perry White refused to print it, since the military and Pentagon itself would just deny the story even occurred, and Lois had no solid proof of it. Later that day, not wanting to drop the story of her alien rescuer, Lois sought out gossip journalist Glen Woodburn to spread the story all over the Internet while she retraced the steps of her rescuer. Lois followed all of the leads regarding miraculous rescues occurring all North America by a mysterious man, until she found the original source in Smallville, Kansas.
- In Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lois Lane returned in the live-action film where she was once again portrayed by actress Amy Adams.
- In Justice League, Lois Lane appeared once more in the live-action film with her being portrayed again by actress Amy Adams.
- In Superman: Gods and Monsters, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced by actress Paget Brewster.
- In Superman: Red Son, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the 2020 animated film where she was voiced by actress Amy Acker.
- In Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the 2020 animated film where she was voiced by actress Alexandra Daddario.
Video games
- In Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, Lois Lane appeared in the video game based on the DC Animated Universe where she was voiced by actress Dana Delany.
- In DC Universe Online, Lois Lane appeared in the setting of the MMORPG where she was voiced by actress Adriene Mishler.
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Lois Lane was referenced in the setting of the fighting action video game.
Appearances
- Action Comics v1: (1938)
- Superman v1:
- Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane v1:
- Lois and Clark v1:
- Superman:
- Lois Lane v1:
- Action Comics v1:
- Superman v6:
External Links
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