It seems that Superman's many cinematic outgoings are flawed when it comes to accurately portraying the hero's Achilles' heel. A moment from Trinity #11 shows that the Man of Steel's true weakness undercuts his presumably special relationship with Lois Lane.
The biggest cornerstone of the Superman mythos is the hero's relationship with intrepid reporter Lois Lane. Often in movies featuring the Big Blue Boy Scout such as Superman or Man of Steel, Lois develops an interest in the hero making waves in the city of Metropolis. After becoming a part of Clark's life, Lois is usually threatened by Superman's numerous villains who imperil her in some fashion to harm the otherwise invulnerable Kryptonian. Putting Lois is danger is often treated as one of the few ways of bringing Superman down a peg, which is understandable considering Clark loves Lois more than anything in the world.
However, it turns out that that weakness isn't limited to the love of Superman's life. In Trinity #11 by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the Justice League has found themselves on the home world of their twisted doppelgängers, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. The Justice League is greeted by the Syndicate’s evil variant of Superman, Ultraman, who attempts to broker an agreement between the two teams after the Syndicate kidnapped people to rebuild the Antimatter Universe. With the League unwilling to compromise, Superwoman brings out Jimmy Olsen and threatens to kill him. Superman relents, but the Jimmy in question is actually his Antimatter Universe counterpart, something Clark could easily tell with his x-ray vision. After interrogating the fake Jimmy and discovering what the Syndicate is planning, Superman heads out to confront Ultraman. When questioned why he agreed to save the evil Jimmy, Superman replies that everyone is worth saving.
Superman's Devotion To Life Extends To Everyone
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Superman values life. He’s dedicated his career to protecting the world from threats that would see the extermination of millions, while also taking the time to help average people who are struggling. Superman wants the best for everyone, even those who actively plot against him. While such nobility is what makes Clark the hero he is, it does raise the question of why the films continuously use Lois Lane when he appears to care about humanity equally.
Granted, audiences have a much more personal interest if someone like Lois is in danger since her and Clark's relationship is something nearly every Superman fan loves. Readers or moviegoers won’t feel the same sense of jeopardy if a villain simply grabs a random passerby to threaten. But the truth is that because of Superman’s values, he sees all life as equal. Despite Lois being his greatest love, he’d save anyone the same way he'd save her. A villain doesn’t need Lois since, theoretically, they could just as well threaten themselves to get Clark to capitulate. Superman being easy to manipulate means that the bad guys could save a lot of time and effort by threatening any average Joe to get what they want.