Fans are head over heels for the new Lois Lane.
We’re in a new era of Superman! A Superera! While we’re all excited for Superman Legacy and the all new cast announcement, fans aren’t NEARLY as hyped for that is they are for the Lois Lane rebrand that happened for the new animated series My Adventure With Superman. People are downright obsessed.
It’s hard not to be. For one thing, My Adventure With Superman has proved that it will likely be one of the best Superman stories ever told in only a few short episodes. Much like Smallville, the series focuses on Clark Kent in his early years. Clark Kent in this series is an adorable himbo, with bulging muscles and an even bigger heart. He’s a total Boy Scout and serves as the perfect foil for the rule-breaking ball of glorious chaos that is Lois Lane.
In a superhero content landscape that is generally allergic to character rebrands, Lois Lane’s transformation into a short-haired tomboyish tsundere type has been widely embraced by fans. And how could she not be? She’s totally adorable. She’s slightly diabolical, and this show is one that allows her to be an interesting character. Besides, look how cute she and Clark are together omfg.
Lois and Clark are brought together by Clark’s adorable goofball friend Jimmy Olsen, who is voiced by Black actor Ishmel Sahid. Jimmy acts as the BEST and WORST wingman for both Lois and Clark, encouraging the pair to act on their unspoken mutual feelings for one another, and then hilariously third-wheeling the pair just before they are about to reveal those feelings. Still, without Jimmy, Lois and Clark would never get together in the first place.
And BOY do people want them to get together, more than any other iteration of Lois and Clark. Superman as a character, sadly, is usually boring, and even when authors decide to make him interesting and specific, they don’t necessarily grant the same courtesy to Lois Lane. Granted, exceptions exist. Superman: Man of Tomorrow’s Lois Lane was widely praised for her courage and her headstrong demeanor, qualities that My Adventure With Superman‘s Lois shares. However, many Superman stories treat Lois Lane like an afterthought, but that’s not the case in My Adventure With Superman. In this show, Lois is a beforethought, a duringthought, an allthetimethought. Yes, this spunky little journalist is running through fans’ minds all the time.
The show is hardly even halfway through its first season, and a quick “Lois Lane” YouTube search will show that thirst compilations for the Daily Planet intern ABOUND. While the cynic may say that the flames of Lois’ popularity being primarily fanned by this kind of desire are more an indication that she’s a “hot” character, rather than a “great” character, a quick dip into the comments sections of these videos will show you otherwise.
Even the straight men, a notoriously hard to please demographic when it comes to character rebrands, are taking to the comments to say that they are not only enamored by Lois Lane’s new look, but by her personality. Lane’s wise cracks, dorky finger guns, and blush that rivals even the cutest of anime characters have everyone falling in love with the aspiring journalist. In short, the new Lois Lane is making people feel something.
While many fans originally only speculated about Lois’ ethnicity in the series (despite her voice actor Alice Lee’s Korean-American heritage) Lois Lane was confirmed to be Korean American herself during episode four (and on Twitter). Lois is pictured wearing a top that resembles a Hanbok, which is a piece of Korean formalwear. Korean fans were overjoyed by the news, and one took to Twitter to post adorable fan art of Lois helping Clark put on a Hanbok of his own.
And this relationship is perhaps the most beautiful and crucial part of Lois’ character and My Adventures With Superman as a whole. Lois loves Clark—not Superman, CLARK. From the very second these two characters are introduced, the onscreen chemistry is palpable. After running into Clark in a convenience store, Lois is immediately charmed by Clark’s gentle giant good looks, and Clark is equally enrapt by her. After uncovering a dangerous lead on a story, Lois pressures Clark and Jimmy risk their necks tailing a group of arms dealers agains their Daily Planet supervisor’s orders.
Clark’s Boy Scout instincts but heads against Lois’s propensity to bend the rules for her own gain, and in the end, Clark has to resort to using his Superman powers to save her. While she doesn’t recognize Clark, it’s safe to say that she’s left flustered by her encounter with the Man of Steel. The physical attraction is there, but her emotional attraction is reserved for Clark Kent alone. In a franchise where Superman’s Clark Kent persona is usually an afterthought, it’s refreshing to see that Lois loves Clark for the MAN he is, not the Superman.
(featured image: Adult Swim)
