In all of comics, no romance is better known than the love between Superman and women with the initials LL. Why that letter is so important in the mythology of the world's first superhero is anyone's guess. Maybe if the 'S' stands for "hope" then maybe 'L' stands for "deep feelings." But not all of Superman's romantic relationships deal with women with alliterative names.
Over the decades, Superman has found himself falling for many women. But which ones have really stood out? Which love interests have left a dent in the Man of Steel's heart? Who are the women that have meant the most to Superman during his long journey in comics, TV, and movies? These are Superman’s 10 greatest loves, ranked.
10 Luma Lynai
When Supergirl wanted to find someone for her cousin, it was no easy task. After a few bad choices, Kara seemed to find the perfect woman in Luma Lynai from the planet Stary. For Superman and Luma, it was love at first sight.
Wanting to share his life with Luma, Superman brought his new love back to Earth where tragedy struck. While Luma had superpowers under the orange sun of her home planet, the yellow sun of Earth was like her kryptonite. Luma was forced to return to her planet while a heartbroken Superman stayed on Earth.
9 Misty
In one of the probably unintentionally darker Superboy stories, a robot Super-Teacher from Krypton showed up in Smallville to test the young hero and make sure he had what it takes to really be all he can be. As one of the tests, the Super-Teacher, without Superboy knowing it, kidnapped a teenaged girl named Misty and brainwashed her to be everything Superboy liked in a girl.
Superboy and Misty hit it off and ended up dating for a few weeks. Things went bad for Superboy when a rampaging ape, another part of Super-Teacher's test, hit Misty in the head with a large rock. Luckily, she didn't die, but the blow does break the brainwashing, and Misty had no memory of the last few weeks she spent with Superboy. This storyline was fairly problematic and fans are glad it was never revisited.
8 Beautiful Dreamer
John Byrne's trilogy, Superman and Batman: Generations, told the story of DC's two biggest heroes as if they aged in real-time, starting in 1938 and going from there. In the third volume, Byrne took the story into the future where Superman, who was basically immortal, is married to Beautiful Dreamer of the Forever People. The loving couple had two children, Lar-El and Vara, and were very happy until Superman headed back to Earth and got stuck in a series of battles for 300 years.
When Superman finally returned to his family, Darkseid followed him and, with an army of Parademons, killed all of the New Gods, including Superman's children. To make it clear to Superman that this was all personal, Darkseid even snapped Beautiful Dreamer's neck in front of him.
7 Maxima
The oldest child of the Almerac Royal family, Maxima came to Earth after deciding that no one on her planet was worth her time. In her search for a suitable partner, she met Superman. Superman originally turned Maxima's advances down, which the warrior princess wrongfully used as motivation to become evil and teamed up with Brainiac.
Once she got over the rejection, Maxima gave up her evil ways and joined the Justice League, helping in the battle against Doomsday. For a while, she considered pursuing a relationship with Captain Atom, but that didn't work out either. Still, as depicted in the Armageddon 2001 event series, there is a reality where Maxima and Superman ended up falling in love.
6 Cat Grant
A co-worker at the Daily Planet, Cat Grant was brought into the comics as a new love interest for Clark Kent. A stylish gossip columnist at the Planet, Cat was opposite of the practical reporter represented through Lois Lane, but Clark still took a liking to her, though perhaps for the wrong reasons; mainly, Clark believed he could help Cat get her life together, which is never a good mindset to have when in a relationship.
Clark and Cat dated for a while, but when it became clear to Cat that she was more of a project than an actual partner to Clark, the romantic side of their relationship came to an end. These days, Cat is the CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media.
5 Wonder Woman
Both Wonder Woman and Superman are near-immortal beings with amazing powers and strong moral codes. They don't agree on everything, which would help make the relationship stronger, but they both do everything from a place of love and moral duty.
Superman and Wonder Woman became an item during the New 52 years of DC, and it created a whole lot of debates in fan circles. The two were great together, but many fans believed that their destinies lie with others.
4 Lori Lemaris
Summer romances and flings are common tropes when it comes to storytelling and romance. In fiction, these relationships almost always happen at the beach because somehow the beach is linked to romance. For Superman, that summer love really needed the beach because his girlfriend Lori Lemaris was a mermaid.
Superman met Lori while they were both students at Metropolis University. Lori, in order to hide her fins, used a wheelchair and a blanket to get around. Clark and Lori dated and soon fell in love. When Clark proposed to Lori, she rejected him and said she was leaving Metropolis. Being creepy, Clark followed Lori and discovered her secret. That ended Clark's interest in getting married, which is odd considering that he is an alien and yet he let something arbitrary get in the way of his relationship. Unless, of course, he became disinterested because Lori technically lied about who she was.
3 Lyla Lerrol
Sometimes there is no more painful a love than the one that never really was. In Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic "For the Man Who Has Everything" from Superman Annual #11, Superman experiences perfect love, only to have it torn away. In the story, Superman was attacked by Mongul at the Fortress of Solitude. Instead of taking on Superman in a usual fight, Mongul attached a Black Mercy to Superman. This plant put its victim into a catatonic state where they experienced the perfect life while their real body was eaten away.
For Superman, the perfect life he dreamt of was living on Krypton with his wife Lyla Lerrol and their children. It is everything the Man of Steel could want, but deep down, he knew it wasn't true. Superman fought against the false dream as Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman battle Mongul in the waking world. Finally, Superman broke free and, having lost the perfect life, took his anger out on Mongul.
2 Lana Lang
As Clark Kent's first love, Lana Lang stood as a reminder of all that makes Superman great. She also grew up in Smallville, giving her similar values to those that make Superman who he is. She is also the first person Clark opened up to about his powers, and while the two high school sweethearts didn't end up together in the long run, they remained close friends.
Lana was also, in many ways, the person who helped Clark learn what it is that he is attracted to in another person. She was honest, kind, loving, and trustworthy. These same things are what Clark loves about Lois Lane.
1 Lois Lane
Few couples are literally made for each other, but Superman and Lois Lane very much were. Like Superman, Lois made her debut in Action Comics #1, and from that day on, we all knew they would end up together. These days, Clark and Lois have moved well past the "will-they-won't-they" games. The couple is not only married but also has a son, Jon Kent, or Superboy.
What makes Lois so special in the world of comics is that her character stands on its own. By the time Lois Lane met Superman she was already the best reporter in the world. These days, she's not only the best reporter, but the best partner for Superman.