Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane
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Clark Kent and Lois Lane are among the best known fictional couples. Both characters debuted in Action Comics #1 (1938) and have remained in a complicated relationship ever since.
The couple's relationship was based for a long time in a dysfunctional Love triangle, in which Clark was interested in Lois, who was taken with Superman. Clark, unable to reveal to Lois that his mild-mannered demeanor was a ruse, was unable to compete for Lois' affection, the irony being he was his own rival. Following the The Man of Steel re-boot, Clark's character became not only the more dominant personality of the Clark Kent/Superman character, but also more outgoing, aggressive, and assertive (more in line with George Reeves' portrayal). This allowed a more natural romance to develop between Lois and Clark.
Finally, Clark decided to reveal his real identity to Lois and so they began a long engagement which was complicated by the reintroduction of Lori Lemaris into Clark's life. At last, after a break up and several problems, in 1996, Lois and Clark got married and a wedding album was released. The event was also made to coincide with the TV series' Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman own wedding.
Despite the fact that Lois Lane is Clark Kent's love interest in almost every Superman incarnation, in Smallville, Clark's affection is directed toward Lana Lang, his childhood crush in canon.
Yet, the producers (called TPTB or AlMiles by the fans) claim they have been limited in the usage of Clark and Lois - and in the Lois Lane character in general - due to the fact that Lois and Clark are not supposed to fall in love in such an early stage (both are described as teenagers in the Smallville universe) and that is why currently, in the series, a romantic interaction between the two characters has not been managed, although there tend to be "anvils" or foreshadowing about said future relationship.
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[edit] Clark and Lois in different media
[edit] Comics
June 1938: the first super hero in the history of comics made his debut when Superman graced the pages of Action Comics #1. In that comic there was no Daily Planet, Smallville, kryptonite, Lex Luthor, Perry White or Jimmy Olsen, but there was Lois Lane. In fact, Clark Kent asked Lois out on a date in that first comic, but things went badly. When a gangster demanded that Lois dance with him, Clark adhered to his disguise as a coward, which meant Lois had to defend herself against the intruder's advances. The outraged gangster kidnapped Lois after running her taxi off the road. Superman rushed to the rescue and saved Lois and thus the love triangle built for two was born. Clark would pine for Lois and she would pine for Superman.
This remained the status quo in the comics for a number years, though Lois did warm up to Clark for the most part. Yet their relationship couldn't really advance with Lois left out of the secret and with Clark Kent's persona being a disguise. This changed in a comic from 1978 (the 40th anniversary of Superman). A wizard wanted to rid the world of Superman, but he had no idea that Superman had a secret identity. With Superman gone and no memory of being Superman and therefore no need to pretend to be a coward, Clark Kent finally became a man with a backbone.
The new 'take charge' Clark Kent, who was fearless and bold, became very attractive to Lois Lane, which proved it was more about attitude and personality than super powers that attracted her to Superman. Lois and the new Clark Kent began dating, fell in love and eventually he proposed and the couple got married. Then, on their honeymoon, when Lois saw Clark caught in a crossfire that should have killed him, but left no mark on him, she began to suspect he was really Superman. She tried to cut a lock of his hair and the scissors broke. As much as she loved Clark with no memory of being Superman, she knew the world needed Superman and so found the wizard who had cast the spell and had him reverse it.
Clark remembered he was Superman, but he also remembered being married to Lois and didn't want to back out of the marriage. Instead, he took her to the Fortress of Solitude and married her again, but as Superman and a Kryptonian marriage ceremony. From that point until the revamp, Lois and Clark of the alternate universe known as Earth 2, remained married; on Earth 1, however, it was business as usual. Lois loved Superman, but he said he belonged to the world and couldn't commit to anyone. Also Lana Lang, who had been created for the Superboy comics, was introduced into the Superman comics as an adult rival against Lois for Superman's affections. Lois won that competition, but still was not told of Superman's dual identity. However, a big change was coming...
In 1985, the DC Comics universe went through an enormous overhaul and revamp called Crisis on Infinite Earths. The purpose of the year-long event was to get rid of some character histories, conflicting continuity and overlapping worlds and create a more logical universe. When the crisis ended, Clark never was Superboy as a youth and Clark Kent became the real person and Superman the disguise. There was finally a setting in which Lois could logically fall in love with Clark Kent because he was the real person this time; although it would take a couple of years for Lois to feel anything romantic for Clark after he scooped her on the Superman exclusive.
In Superman #44, the couple buried the hatchet and began dating and fell in love. In Superman #50, Clark proposed to Lois and she accepted, but Clark didn't tell Lois his secret until weeks later in Action Comics #662. That threw Lois for a loop and she needed time to think it over. After contemplating the revelation and its implications, Lois decided it all came down to love. She loved Clark and would accept and share his complicated life and secret. Then, due to the pending debut of the series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, a chain of events were put into motion to prevent Lois and Clark in the comics from getting married until the TV couple was ready to walk down the aisle.
Superman was killed by Doomsday in Superman #75. Then, after a year of mourning, searching and resurrecting, Superman returned to the land of the living and the arms of Lois Lane. But the comics still had to drag their feet because Lois and Clark on the TV series met as strangers when the show debuted and it would take 3 years for them to make it to the altar. The comics launched into a series of arcs designed to keep the couple apart including a broken engagement arc, but Lois and Clark on the TV series finally married in October 1996 and so did their comic book counterparts.
More than a decade later, the legendary couple are still married and have recently adopted a boy, Chris Kent, the natural son of Kryptonian villains General Zod and Ursa.
[edit] Christopher Reeve's Superman films (1978-1987)
Superman was released by Warner Bros. in 1978, and based on the popular DC Comics character. It was directed by Richard Donner and executive produced by Ilya Salkind, with music by John Williams. Superman/Clark Kent was portrayed by Christopher Reeve and Lois Lane was portrayed by Margot Kidder.
The movie led to three theatrical sequels: Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987). Superman Returns (2006) is based on the continuity of the first two films and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) is director Richard Donner's original vision of his sequel to Superman: The Movie.
One of the most important aspects in the first and second movies was the romantic relationship between the two main characters; Clark was hopelessly in love with Lois Lane and even (in Superman II) gave up his powers in order to be with her. The scene of the first movie where Superman takes Lois in his arms and both fly over the nocturnal sky of Metropolis has become classic and has inspired several parodies over the years.
A disagreement between Margot Kidder and the producers after Superman II led to Lois' character's part being reduced in the third movie, along with the Clark and Lois content.
[edit] Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1990s)
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action television series based on the Superman comic books.
It aired from 1993 to 1997, and starred Dean Cain as Superman/Clark Kent, Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane and John Shea as Lex Luthor. The series generally followed comic book writer John Byrne's 1986 revamping of the Superman mythos, with Clark Kent as the true personality, and Superman the secret identity. The main characteristic of this series is that it gave special focus on the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
General plot of the series: In 1966, Jonathan and Martha Kent witness the crash-landing of a small spaceship in Shuster's Field near Smallville, Kansas. When they investigate the craft, they discover the baby Kal-El and decide to raise him as their own, naming him "Clark Jerome Kent". 27 years later, Clark moves to Metropolis and gets a job at the Daily Planet. There, he is partnered with Lois Lane, who at first considers him little more than a pest. Eventually, however, the two fall in love and marry after a turbulent courtship. The marriage was timed to coincide with the corresponding event in the comic books.
The series spawned several short tie-in books aimed at young adults, as well as one full-length novel for adults, Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel (1996), written by C. J. Cherryh.
[edit] Smallville (2001-Present)
Smallville is a series currently on the CW (formerly the WB) that deals with a young Clark Kent learning to accept his powers and who he really is, along with his destiny. The series shows a Clark (Tom Welling) reluctant to accept his Kryptonian heritage, his responsibility over his abilities, a longing desire to be "normal" and a constant fear of others discovering his secret. While the show focuses on these issues, he experiences crushes and infatuations with Alicia Baker and Lana Lang.
Lois Lane has also been added to the main cast; she and Clark have developed a friendship, though currently there is only chemistry between them and no official realizations.
Erica Durance revealed at Wizard World Philadelphia 2006 that "DC Comics has really clamped down on Lois. You can't do a dream sequence (with her and Clark) or any of that sneaky stuff."
In the current season of Smallville, the restrictions on Lois and Clark's romance have apparently been relieved to a large extent. In the tenth episode of the season "Hydro" Lois and Clark share their first kiss. As Clark is disguised as Green Arrow and Lois doesn't know his true identity, the kiss was interpreted by fans as a foreshadowing of Lois/Clark/Superman triangle in the future.
In "Crimson" Lois puts on a lipstick - containing Red Kryptonite and an aphrodisiac - that made her fall in love with the first man she sees, which turns out to be Clark. Under the influence of the lipstick love potion, Lois kisses Clark, infecting him with Red Kryptonite. In this episode, Smallville's Lois Lane also finally adds her name to the list of Lois Lanes who have taken a flight with Clark Kent, as he takes Lois for a flight from the rooftop of Daily Planet building in Metropolis, although technically it was only a leap across the city, as Clark has yet to develop the ability of flight.
There are many fans who have made up the term "Clois" who know that in the end our power couple will happen.
[edit] Superman Returns (2006)
In the movie by director Bryan Singer, Superman has disappeared for a number of years. On his return, not only did he find the world he left behind change in ways he didn't expect, but the woman he loves is a mother and has moved on, being engaged.
Jason White is revealed to be the son of Superman by the end of the movie. What remains to be seen (presumably in the sequel to Superman Returns) is how Bryan Singer will resolve the love triangle between Lois Lane, Superman, and Richard White.
The role of Lois Lane is played by Kate Bosworth and the role of Superman/Clark Kent is played by Brandon Routh.
[edit] External links
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| Creators | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster |
| Characters | Superman (Clark Kent) · Lois Lane · Jimmy Olsen · Perry White · Jor-El and Lara · Ma and Pa Kent · Lana Lang · Pete Ross · Steel · Superboy (Kal-El; Kon-El) · Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) · Krypto · Eradicator · Chris Kent |
| Villains | Lex Luthor · Bizarro · Brainiac · Cyborg Superman · Darkseid · Doomsday · General Zod · Metallo · Mongul · Mr. Mxyzptlk · Parasite · Prankster · Toyman · Ultra-Humanite · Intergang · Phantom Zone villains |
| Locations | Daily Planet · Fortress of Solitude · Krypton · Metropolis · Smallville |
| Storylines | The Origin of Superman · Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane · The Death of Superman |
| Miscellanea | Kryptonite · Powers · Symbol · Publications · Supporting characters · Alternate versions of Superman · History of Superman · Superman in popular culture |
