History Characters / SupermanLoisLane

* TheNicknamer: In adaptations that internal monologues or thought bubbles, Lois would be the person to give the iconic names for the villains and even Superman himself, so it would give a quick explanation where they got those nicknames without having to devote too much screentime or sounding unnatural.

* AlternateReedRichardsIsAwesome: In the Earth-2 comic line, her brain wave was uploaded to the Red Tornado android by her father and she eventually took up the mantle.

* TheNicknamer: In adaptations that internal monologues or thought bubbles, Lois would be the person to give the iconic names for the villains and even Superman himself, so it would give a quick explanation where they got those nicknames without having to give screentime or sounding unnatural.

** The ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}'' had one alternate universe, ''Brave New Metropolis'' presented that without Lois, Superman would become a KnightTemplar puppet of Lex Luthor. When Prime!Lois accidentally visits this world, she sneers at this trope by mocking AU!Superman, "Look at you now, married to Luthor". A later AU however averts this, ''A Better World'' shows Justice Lord!Superman becoming a dictator while keeping Lois under house arrest.

* TheyDo: With Superman or other comic characters.

* ActionDressRip: A story has Lois did it with a ''wedding dress'' while [[BloodstainedGlassWindows shooting up a church]] at her undercover wedding to a drug lord. And then storms into the Daily Planet like that to re-accept Clark's marriage proposal. No-one at the Planet [[SeenItAll really notices]], because Lois [[IntrepidReporter has a certain reputation]] [[WeirdnessMagnet for pulling this kind of crazy shit twice a month]], and [[CityOfAdventure Metropolis is wild and crazy like that.]]

* MamaBear: She proves to be this with her son Jonathan - when the Eradicator tries to kill him because of his half-Kryptonian[=/=]half-Human nature, Lois ends up discovering Batman's Hellbat Armor, a suit of armor designed to go toe-to-toe with friggin' ''Darkseid'', and using it to pummel the construct. Hell, Lois name drops the trope herself in this scene:
-->'''Lois:''' There's some facts about Earth you need to learn... never mess with the baby bear when the mama bear is around.

** The Lois of the ComicBook/New52 gained Superman's powers after ''[[ComicBook/SupermanSuperLeague The Final Days of Superman]]'', and even got her own title, ''ComicBook/{{Superwoman}}''. [[spoiler:[[DecoyProtagonist She's dead by]] [[FirstEpisodeTwist the end of the first issue]], as Lana Lang is the true protagonist.]]

* OutdatedName: A classic example. "Lois" was a pretty trendy girls' name during the Golden Age of Comic Books, but has underwent a significant drop in popularity since then. By TheEighties, when it dropped out of the top 1000 names for girls, it was associated more with middle-aged women than twentysomethings. Nowadays, you can't possibly say "Lois" [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit without picturing Superman's girlfriend]].[[note]]Or [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter's wife]].[[/note]]

* The 1978-87 ''Superman'' film series, played by Creator/MargotKidder

[[Characters/SupermanTheCharacter Clark Kent/Kal/El/Superman]]\\

** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'', voiced by Creator/DanaDelany
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueThroneOfAtlantis'', voiced by Creator/JulietLandau

** ''WesternAnimation/TheDeathOfSuperman'', voiced by Creator/RebeccaRomijn [[note]]Romijn reprised her role in [[WesternAnimation/ReignOfTheSupermen three]] [[WesternAnimation/BatmanHush other]] [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar films]][[/note]]

* WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons, voiced by Joan Alexander

* ParentsAsPeople: Recent interpretation of her father Sam to be in this light. He's a high ranking military officer, which frequently clashes with her career as a famous journalist who exposes corruption and dirty deeds of the government. He has hesitation about Superman - the man she supports and is in love with.

[[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/SupermanCyborgSuperman Cyborg-Superman]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/DCComicsMongul Mongul]], [[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone Phantom Zone Criminals]] ([[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]])\\

!!!'''Species''': Human
!!!'''First appearance''': ''ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber1'' (May 1938)

* AdultsDressedAsChildren: An ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' story from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, titled "Fairyland Isle", featured ComicBook/LoisLane disguising herself as a little girl, wearing a sailor suit, GirlishPigtails, and glasses. [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/12/13/i-love-ya-but-youre-strange-is-that-lois-lane-or-a-little-girl-i-cant-tell-the-difference/ Details here.]]

** In UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|of Comic Books}} comics, Lois had a young niece named Susie Thompkins, whose shtick was getting into trouble by telling fibs. Susie's last appearance was in the mid-50s; a few years later, Lois' (unmarried) sole sibling Lucy Lane was introduced, and Susie was never seen again, save a few appearances in the "Mr. and Mrs. Superman" stories of TheSeventies. There, she's shown as the daughter of Earth-Two's married Lucy Lane Thompkins.
** When DC launched their ComicBook/New52 program, Lois and Clark's relationship was retconned out of existence (to make room for a romance between Superman and ComicBook/WonderWoman) and Lois had a new boyfriend named Jonathan Carroll. He disappeared sometime prior to the [[ComicBook/SupermanTruth "Truth"]] arc, and as of ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' Lois and Clark are very much together.

** Her hair style changes considerably depending on the artist, going from long to medium to ''Dido flip'' to assymetrical.

* DerailingLoveInterests: If it is an [[AlternateUniverse Elseworld story]], you can bet this is what happens to Lois, that is [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse if she isn't just killed off.]]

** In ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', Norman noted that even though Lois was famously a very independent woman, she would still tell people "Well, Clark thinks..." Not because he was a crutch, but because she loved her husband that much.

** ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' takes this to the extreme with Injustice!Supes becoming evil in grief over [[spoiler:The Joker making him accidentally kill a pregnant Lois.]]
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' has Superman telling Lois that she is "my world" and [[spoiler:a vision by Batman shows that in a BadFuture, Superman becomes a dictator in grief over losing Lois (though another vision does clarify that Clark was pushed to the DespairEventHorizon over her death, leaving him vulnerable to being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy corrupted by the Anti-Life Equation]]).]]

* MilitaryBrat: Ever since the mid-1980's reboot this has been a key part of her characterization, as it provides a backstory, a source for her ActionGirl badassery, and plenty of dramatic tension between her, her strict father General Lane, and her sister Lucy (who often sides with the General over Lois). In many stories, Lois's military friends and the knowledge she gained about military protocols often come in handy for stories she's chasing as well.

[[folder:N - Z]]

** The Lois of the ComicBook/New52 gained Superman's powers after ''[[ComicBook/SupermanSuperLeague The Final Days of Superman]]'', and even got her own title, ''ComicBook/{{Superwoman}}''. [[spoiler:[[DecoyProtagonist She's dead by]] [[FirstEpisodeTwist the end of the first issue]], as Lana Lang is the true protagonist]].

* OutdatedName: A classic example. "Lois" was a pretty trendy girls' name during the Golden Age of Comic Books, but has underwent a significant drop in popularity since then. By TheEighties, when it dropped out of the top 1000 names for girls, it was associated more with middle-aged women than twentysomethings. Nowadays, you can't possibly say "Lois" [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit without picturing Superman's girlfriend]][[note]]Or [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter's wife]][[/note]].

* TooDumbToLive: [[GoingForTheBigScoop Thanks to her fondness for]] getting a front page story, and always having Superman to back her up if/when she needs it. Sometimes it's shown that she takes these risks because she knows she has backups, or [[DamselOutOfDistress can handle herself just fine.]] And sometimes she puts herself into these situations because a hostage can get the best details of what the criminals and supervillains are up to.

* VitriolicBestBuds: In those continuities where she doesn't know Clark Kent and Superman are the same, she is usually this to Clark, enjoying a very friendly workplace rivalry with him and chastising him for his timidity. In the early [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] her dislike for Clark was genuine but their relationship quickly evolved into this trope. Later, more often in the post-crisis stories, this went even further as her teasing covered up a massive crush on Clark.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Since the [[Film/SupermanTheMovie 1978 film]], Lois has been mostly played by an actress slightly older than the actor playing Clark Kent in live-action, despite the two characters being roughly the same age, or, as was the case in Donnerverse films, Lois being the younger one[[note]]A scene deleted from the theatrical cut of ''Superman'' (but present in the DVD and television cut) has a teenage Clark run pass a train with a pre-teen Lois on board.[[/note]]. This is probably to reflect her hardbitten, StreetSmart reporter persona against Clark's farmboy naivete.

%% Image and caption selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1390096650064955700
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!! Lois Lane

[[caption-width-right:350:[[AlliterativeName Lois Lane]], a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal lovely lady who lands]] [[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/bury-the-lede-versus-lead ledes]], looks for love in [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal lofty latitudes]], and [[ActionGirl laughs]] at [[DamselInDistress liability.]]]]
!!! '''Species''': Human
!!! '''First appearance''': ''ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber1'' (May 1938)

[[folder:A - M]]
* ActionDressRip: A story has Lois did it with a ''wedding dress'' while [[BloodstainedGlassWindows shooting up a church]] at her undercover wedding to a drug lord. And then storms into the Daily Planet like that to re-accept Clark's marriage proposal. No-one at the Planet [[SeenItAll really notices,]] because Lois [[IntrepidReporter has a certain reputation]] [[WeirdnessMagnet for pulling this kind of crazy shit twice a month]], and [[CityOfAdventure Metropolis is wild and crazy like that.]]

** This "older Lois, younger Clark" trend reached its apex in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, as Creator/AmyAdams (Lois) is a full nine years older than Creator/HenryCavill (Clark)[[note]]However, the in-universe age difference between them is a bit smaller, with supplementary materials stating Lois was born in 1974 while Clark arrived on Eart in 1980.[[/note]]. This is also the case for the Series/{{Arrowverse}} versions to a slightly lesser extent (Creator/ElizabethTulloch is a full six years older than Creator/TylerHoechlin).

* AdultsDressedAsChildren: An ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' story from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, titled "Fairyland Isle", featured ComicBook/LoisLane disguising herself as a little girl, wearing a sailor suit, GirlishPigtails, and [[{{Meganekko}} glasses]]. [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/12/13/i-love-ya-but-youre-strange-is-that-lois-lane-or-a-little-girl-i-cant-tell-the-difference/ Details here.]]

** ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' takes this to the extreme with Injustice!Supes becoming a DarthVaderClone in grief over [[spoiler:The Joker making him accidentally kill a pregnant Lois.]]

* OutdatedName: A classic example. "Lois" was a pretty trendy girls' name during the Golden Age of Comic Books, but has underwent a significant drop in popularity since then. By TheEighties, when it dropped out of the top 1000 names for girls, it was associated more with middle-aged women than twentysomethings. Nowadays, you can't possibly say "Lois" [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit without picturing Superman's girlfriend]].

[[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/SupermanCyborgSuperman Cyborg-Superman]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/DCComicsMongul Mongul]], [[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone Phantom Zone Criminals]] ([[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]])\\

* WeakWilled: During {{UsefulNotes/The Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} she was [[HypnotizeThePrincess frequently hypnotised]]. Oddly this was much more a trait of the Golden Age Lois who was assertive and had a very strong personality than {{UsefulNotes/The Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}'s less feisty version.

''Characters/{{Supergirl}}'' ([[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara Zor-El/Linda Danvers/Supergirl]], [[Characters/SupergirlSupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SupergirlEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/PowerGirl'' | ''Characters/{{Superboy}}'' ([[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent/Kon-El]], [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jonathan "Jon" Samuel Kent]], [[Characters/SuperboySupportingCast Supporting Cast]], [[Characters/SuperboyEnemies Rogues Gallery]]) | ''Characters/LegionOfSuperheroes'' ([[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFounders The Founders]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSilverAge Silver Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesBronzeAge Bronze Age]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesFiveYearsLater Five Years Later]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesPostboot Postboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesThreeboot Threeboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesRetroboot Retroboot]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherHeroes Other Heroes]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesTheFatalFive The Fatal Five]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesLegionOfSupervillains The Legion of Supervillains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesOtherVillains Other Villains]], [[Characters/LegionOfSuperheroesSupportingCharacters Supporting Cast]])-]]]]]

[[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryAToL A-L]] ([[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor]], [[Characters/SupermanBizarro Bizarro]], [[Characters/SupermanBrainiac Vril Dox/Brainiac]], [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]], ComicBook/{{Lobo}}) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ M-Z]] ([[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]) | [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryPhantomZone Phantom Zone Criminals]] ([[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod]])\\