DC’s New Lois Lane Fixes 45 Years Of Superman Adaptations

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for My Adventures With Superman episode 4.

My Adventures With Superman’s Lois Lane just did something that most versions of the character in Superman movies and TV shows never did. DC’s My Adventures With Superman is a fresh take on Superman’s origin story, focusing on the life of Clark Kent (Jack Quaid) at the Daily Planet, and his interactions with Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid). Despite the Clark Kent aspect, My Adventures With Superman never stops being a Superman show, and it subverts some classic Superman tropes.

Following Lois Lane’s interview with Superman in episode 3, DC’s new Superman show continued to highlight Lois’ investigation of this mysterious new hero. My Adventures With Superman episode 4 also progressed Lois and Clark’s relationship, with the characters sharing some important moments. However, Clark and Lois’ first date was followed by a major Lois Lane cliffhanger ahead of My Adventures With Superman episode 5.

My Adventures With Superman’s Lois Lane Figured Out Clark’s Secret Identity

My Adventures With Superman’s Lois Lane, who is still an intern at the Daily Planet and has only recently started her journalist career, discovered Clark Kent’s secret identity. This happened in My Adventures With Superman episode 4’s ending scene, during which Lois concluded that Clark Kent is Superman. Lois was already investigating Metropolis’ new hero since episode 2, and now she was close to finding a connection between Superman and strange events that had happened in Kansas years ago. Lois realized that Clark sabotaged her investigation about this mysterious child from Kansas, which prompted her to reorganize her entire Superman research. Lois then realized that Clark had to be Superman.

Considering that My Adventures With Superman’s Clark and Lois dynamic has been one of the highlights of the show, it is curious that Lois already discovered Superman’s identity. However, giventhat My Adventures With Superman will have 10 episodes, Lois finding out Clark’s secret in episode 4 works. It is also refreshing to see Lois Lane, who is always described as a great journalist, find out that Clark is Superman by herself. It will be interesting to see how My Adventures With Superman’s Lois finding out that Clark is Superman will affect their relationship, as Lois asked Clark not to keep secrets from her.

Superman Adaptations Usually Have A Lois Lane Problem

Most Superman adaptations have a Lois Lane problem when it comes to Clark Kent’s secret identity. While there is a charm to Lois and Clark falling in love while the former tries to learm more about Superman, this type of dynamic cannot work for too long. Having this great investigative journalist not realize that Clark Kent and Superman are the same people, even though she is always interacting with them, can be a disservice to Lois Lane. It is usually Clark who reveals himself as Superman to Lois, or at least confirms her suspicions, in most movies and shows, rather than having Lois put everything together by herself.

Related: DC’s New Superman Tackles A Major Man of Steel Complaint

This was the case for the Richard Donner Superman movies, Smallville, and Superman & Lois. In Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, it took three seasons for Lois to realize that Clark was Superman. Perhaps the worst version of this trope comes from the DC Animated Universe timeline, during which Lois Lane never learned that Clark Kent was Superman. Man of Steel’s Lois Lane avoided that trope, although Henry Cavill’s Clark was not Superman yet when Amy Adams’ character found him. My Adventures With Superman’s Lois Lane has fortunately avoided that trope as well, figuring out Clark’s identity within four episodes.

New episodes of My Adventures With Superman releases Thursdays on Adult Swim and Fridays on Max.