How DC's Rebirth Reinvented Lois Lane

Lois Lane has been part of Superman's world from the very beginning. First appearing in 1938's Action Comics #1 alongside the Man of Steel, the Daily Planet's ace reporter has been a core character for nearly 80 years, evolving from "Superman's Girlfriend" (or one leg of a love triangle between Clark/Lois/Superman, or Lois/Superman/Lana Lang) to crime-fighting investigative journalist. Along the way she finally married Superman -- who by now she knew was Clark Kent in disguise -- and they made an incredible team.

But with the New 52 reboot, all of that was gone. Gone was the marriage, the relationship, and, to a large degree, even the spark: Lois, no longer infatuated with Superman, dated other guys, while the Man of Steel got close to Wonder Woman. DC Comics' Rebirth, though, brought back the Lois and Clark of old, and along with them their son Jonathan Kent, a new Superboy. This represented a shift and an evolution for Lois that may be far greater than even the creators behind these stories had anticipated; Lois is now a stronger character than she's ever been.

While modern fans rightly roll their eyes at early incarnations of Lois as a lovestruck young woman and mere accessory to Superman, when the New 52 untethered her from Kal-El's orbit her newfound independence ironically diminished her stature both in comics and in the in-story events of the DCU. Lois was no longer an integral part of Clark/Superman's life, and with their romantic interest in each other all but removed from the comics, her presence was practically interchangeable with any number of strong female supporting characters Clark has interacted with over the years. And with less interaction with Superman came less access to the superhero community at large.

Compare that with now.

Since the beginning of Rebirth, Lois Lane has been presented not only as the equal of Clark Kent, matching him Pulitzer for Pulitzer, and if anything shown as the more exceptional of the two, but is increasingly seen as the equal of Superman.

After all, who could forget this scene from Superman #5?

What changed? Most fundamentally, the presence of Jon Kent. Fighting for truth and justice is one thing, but motherhood has given Lois a more visceral cause. She will protect her son at all costs; in a superhero world, that sometimes means becoming a superhero. The first arc of Trinity, written by ongoing Superman writer Peter Tomasi, also shows Lois being essentially accepted into the club.

Tomasi is no stranger to writing family of superheroes. His acclaimed run on Batman and Robin (and follow-up series) fleshed out the relationship between Bruce and Damian Wayne, exploring how the fact of their father/son dynamic affected their costumed exploits. In Superman, he delves even further into what it looks like to raise a super-kid. This time, with a mom who's not a supervillain!

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Lois Lane: Professional Show-Stealer

When handled well, Lois is almost always the most interesting part of a Superman comic, and Rebirth has given her character exceptional growth. Clark is presented as a "Good Dad" to Jon, teaching him all about power and responsibility. That's worthy and appropriate. But Lois is fierce in protecting Jon from any threat, and really that's more thrilling than any superpowered battle. She's always been resourceful and has had her share of action-packed moments throughout the years, but now they've become a part of her everyday life. In the "Black Dawn" arc, Lois once again donned a nuclear bat-gauntlet and piloted a Batmobile (!!!) in a quest to find her missing husband and their son. Repeat: Lois drove the Batmobile.

It might also be mentioned that "Black Dawn" concluded with Lois, not Clark, rescuing Jon from Manchester Black's control.

All of this feeds in, then, to the events of the forthcoming "Imperious Lex" arc, teased in DC's recently-released solicitations for comics shipping in October. The cover to Superman #32 shows a powerful Lois Lane in the armor of a Female Fury -- those warriors from Apokalips nurtured from birth in the ways of war by Granny Goodness -- and Lois gets her own Kryptonian-style insignia. It's not clear from the text how this comes about or what role Lois will play, but as Superman and Lex Luthor fight to "bring peace to a leaderless and warring Apokolips," there's at least the suggestion that Ms. Lane is presenting herself as an alternative option for leadership. The solicitation copy for the following issue, representing the third episode of the arc, has young Jon recruited by Steppenwolf; as we have seen, Lois will certainly have something to say about that.

It seems doubtful, at the conclusion of "Imperius Lex," that Lois will remain a full-time Fury. But just as she retained pieces of the Hellbat armor she discovered on the moon for use in future adventures, one can easily imagine her either keeping her Fourth World weapons and armor, holding tight to her combat training in the Fire Pits, or both. In the Silver Age, when Lois acquired superpowers it was played for laughs; now it's part of a conscious project on the part of one of comicdom's smartest women to gain new tools for her quest for truth, justice, and the protection of her family.

Lois's evolution, then, is a direct result of her new circumstances. But Lois Lane is also a fictional character, and so of course the acclaim must be laid at the feet of the creators who bring these stories to life, primarily Tomasi and Superman artist Patrick Gleason and the Action Comics team of Dan Jurgens and Viktor Bogdanovic. Tomasi, especially, was absolutely the right choice to lead this new era for the Kent family, having already left his mark on the Waynes. Because, up 'til now, not many Big Two series have dealt effectively with superheroic parents -- however, Marvel does have Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but they are the exceptions, and especially prior to their respective Netflix series, didn't have the universal recognition of Superman and Lois Lane. And even within DC, very talented writers have done less with the challenge of heroic parents. Mark Waid's swansong on The Flash introduced Wally West and Linda Park's kids, and while there were some fun elements to those stories they ultimately failed to resonate with fans. And there was no question that Linda, in many ways similar to Lois, was ever going to join the battle alongside her speedster husband.

Not a dream, not an imaginary story, Lois Lane has undergone more growth and evolution than any other hero of DC's Rebirth era. That's exciting, because it shows not only a new side to an always-compelling character but also offers a new look at the heroism of motherhood within a superhero world.