Be it in the comics or live-action, Superman stories often repeat an annoying problem – but Man of Steel rightfully avoided it. While Man of Steel retroactively became the first movie in the DCEU, which has since been rebranded as DCU, the Zack Snyder film was originally crafted to be the beginning of a Superman trilogy inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies. The Dark Knight trilogy had proven that even iconic characters like Batman could be reinvented for a new story, which set the stage for the Superman franchise to be rebooted seven years after Superman Returns.
Unlike Superman Returns, which tried to continue the story of Richard Donner’s Superman films by ignoring Superman III and Superman IV, Man of Steel went for a completely different approach to Superman and his mythos from what audiences were used to. The Golden Age-inspired Superman masterfully portrayed by Christopher Reeve was replaced by a more modern take on the character heavily inspired by John Byrne’s Superman. One notable difference between Zack Snyder’s Superman and other iterations is that Lois Lane finds out the truth about Clark Kent before they even become friends – thus avoiding the classic yet tiresome dynamic of Pulitzer Prize winner Lois Lane not realizing that Clark Kent is Superman.
The DCEU Had The Best Superman & Lois Movie Dynamic
The history of Superman and Lois Lane is almost as long as the history of superhero comic books. Still, when it comes to movie versions of the iconic DC Comics couple, the DCEU had what can be considered the best dynamic between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. While the charming dynamic between Clark and Lois in the Richard Donner films translated the Golden and Silver Age’s Superman and Lois very well, there was not much to their relationship other than the “will Lois Lane ever find the truth about Superman?”. Man of Steel explored a different dynamic – one in which Lois and Clark never kept secrets from each other.
Other Superman iterations had already moved past the secret identity storyline, but those were often following a more experienced Superman at a later point in his life. Superman & Lois, which sees an older Clark Kent who has already built a family with Lois Lane, is an example. The DCEU, on the other hand, saw Clark and Lois being partners in the “superhero business” even before they were a couple. Lois Lane was also not limited by Superman’s story, as exemplified by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Lex Luthor investigation storyline. In the "Snydervese", it was Lois Lane’s death that would have led to Superman falling to Darkseid’s Anti-Life equation.
Will Amy Adams Return As Lois Lane In The DCU?
Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League are so far the only DCU films to have featured both Superman and Lois Lane. Almost five years after Justice League, neither Henry Cavill nor Amy Adams had returned to the DCU. Now, Cavill’s Superman has made his comeback in Black Adam – thus opening the door for more Superman stories in the DCU. However, as of now, there is no confirmation of what Henry Cavill’s next appearance as Superman in the DCU will be nor if it will also feature Amy Adams’ Lois Lane. That said, even if the DCU has to soft reboot Superman, not bringing Amy Adams back would be a mistake.
