The year is 2023, and James Gunn's upcoming film Superman: Legacy is only two years away. The film serves as the true beginning of the incoming rebooted DC film universe. As such, audiences everywhere are preparing to see a new interpretation of the Superman mythos come to life. It will be the first attempt at a solo Superman feature since director Zack Snyder brought him back to the big screen in 2013’s Man of Steel, and fans of the character are eager to see what Gunn will bring to the table for Clark Kent.
Of course, it would not be a good Superman film if the world’s first superhero was not done justice satisfyingly. He is, after all, the main attraction. However, Superman has a supporting cast that is arguably just as important to any good Superman story as he is—Jimmy Olsen, Lana Lang, and Perry White are just a few examples of characters crucial to Superman lore. However, one character stands out among the rest as being the most important of them all: Lois Lane. Getting her story and character right should be just as imperative a task as it is for Clark Kent, including one key component: letting her do what she does best and be a reporter. More importantly, Superman: Legacy should respect all the parts of her character that make her reporting so good, to begin with.
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The World’s Greatest Reporter
Since her introduction in 1938, Lois Lane has made a name for herself as one of the most well-known comic book characters of all time. For starters, she is arguably the most iconic love interest in comics history (sorry, Mary Jane Watson). On top of being Clark Kent's wife, however, she is also a highly intelligent and fearless reporter for the Daily Planet.
In DC Comics she is often considered the best in the business, being one of the world’s top reporters. In fact, in her original origin story, she was hired by Perry White at the Daily Planet for her attempt at sneaking into Lex Luthor's offices in the pursuit of getting information—all while she was still the young age of 15. It was not too long into her career before she had established herself as a name to be spoken with reverence, as she soon became a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Suffice it to say, being a great reporter is simply what Lois Lane is best at. A long history of Lois Lane adaptations exists across film and television—some have gotten this aspect right, others, not so much. There are many ways Superman: Legacy can look at these past interpretations, and pull different pieces from them to make sure it wholly respects the bigger picture of Lois Lane's dedication to, and skill at, her career.
The Best of Lois Lane
In the many Superman adaptations, Lois Lane has been fortunate enough to have had a pretty solid run. In Margot Kidder's portrayal, we saw a version of Lois Lane who embodied the stubborn attitude of the character that allows her reporting to go above and beyond. In 1980’s Superman II, she tricked and disobeyed security at the Eiffel Tower simply because she would not take “no” for an answer. She went in and acted on her own terms, and would not let anyone stop her from doing her job.
Over three decades later, Amy Adams stepped into the role and brought the daring and adventurous side of Lois Lane to life. Whereas other adaptations of Lois have seen her remain more local and white-collar with her reporting style, this version of Lois went to all corners of the Earth to get the story she wanted. Bringing out a more investigative side, Lois did some serious detective work in 2013’s Man of Steel, where she was so dedicated to finding out the identity of Superman that she went on an entire transcontinental journey of interviews to piece the puzzle together. And in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film opened with her going behind enemy lines to get the interview she wanted with known terrorists.
Fast-forward to the present day, and in perhaps the most personal adaptation of Lois Lane yet, Elizabeth Tulloch truly embodies one of the character’s most deeply fundamental traits: her belief that her work is bigger and more important than herself. In the most recent season of Superman & Lois, Tulloch's Lois finds out she has cancer and is consistently forced to decide whether to prioritize her health or her reporting. Risking her well-being on multiple occasions, Lois skips treatments and pursues clues that will help her bring the bad guys to justice. This version of the character truly understands Lois Lane's selflessness, and her commitment to justice and good journalism, is unlike any other Lois Lane to come before.
A More Complete Lois Lane
With these different strengths of past Lois interpretations in mind, it is easier to paint a picture of where Superman: Legacy should go to do Lois Lane's career as a reporter justice. Her stubbornness, bravery, and selfishness have all been portrayed equally well across adaptations. For the next iteration to truly get the character right in the upcoming DCU, James Gunn should combine these equally fundamental traits to bring what could be the best Lois Lane yet to life. Gunn has demonstrated his skill at understanding character writing on the deepest of levels, so it’s safe to say that the character and everything that makes her so important, are in good hands.
Superman: Legacy releases in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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