Superman and Lois Lane are an iconic couple… However, Superman and Wonder Woman have also been paired together at times.
In the latest instalment of our “Great Debate” feature, we ask the question…
Should Superman be with Wonder Woman instead of Lois?
Yes
For roughly forty years, the idea of Superman having a relationship with Wonder Woman has been explored in the comics. In the post-Crisis era, Superman had a slight interest in Diana prior to properly meeting her and embarking on their first mission together. More recently, the two had been paired in the New 52 and even had their own comic series briefly. I was a fan of the pairing, and wish it would be explored more often. In certain regards, Wondy is a better match for Superman than Lois.
For starters, Diana has a significantly longer lifespan than Lois. As an Amazonian, she can live for a small eternity, which means that Superman — who ages much slower than a normal human — won’t have to deal with outliving his significant other. With Lois, he’s got a finite amount of time to be with her. By being with Diana, he won’t have to deal with outliving another person he loves. He’s already going to outlive his friends and family. Does he have to outlive his love, too?
Further, Diana knows the struggle of being a superhero. She is aware of the struggle between keeping a personal life and being a public servant. This is something that Lois could never know as a reporter. Sure, she is also placing herself into dangerous situations in the name of truth and justice, but she could never truly understand what Clark goes through. Diana and Clark both know the weight that comes with being a superhero. They would understand each other on a completely different level.
Something that always bothered me about Clark choosing Lois is that, for a long time, Lois was oftentimes cruel to Clark. She would walk all over him, then turn around and get goo-goo eyes for Superman — the exact same guy, just in spandex and a cape. Diana always respected Clark under either identity. Why would Clark choose someone who was dismissive and rude to him until he put on the cape? Having Clark pick Lois makes him look like he’s got no self-respect.
Another reason Clark and Diana make a better pair is that they don’t have to worry as much that the other will be killed. Of course, there are ways to kill Diana and Clark, but it’s infinitely easier to kill off Steve Trevor or Lois. Not that Lois is incapable of handling herself, but having to constantly keep an ear out for Lois must be very taxing. Suppose he doesn’t hear her and then she suffers a horrible fate? Or he’s too late and a villain kills her to get time him, forcing him to turn evil? By having a super powered significant other, those things become less likely to happen.
While Lois and Clark are indeed a good match, it ultimately just makes more sense for Superman to pair up with Wonder Woman. They would understand each other on a different level, and the intimacy that comes with really knowing a person romantically could prove beneficial when teaming up on a mission. They would have similar lifespans, so they wouldn’t have to be say goodbye after forty years. Finally, they know that each other could handle themselves in a precarious situation. They already have a close friendship. A romantic relationship would be a good next step.
No
Wonder Woman is a God. She’s powerful. Strong. Can sometimes fly (I haven’t checked lately). Very beautiful. And is one of the greatest super heroes of all time. So of course she and Superman should be together. It seems so obvious. Of course they would have to truly care about each other. Get along. Have similar interests. Make each other laugh. Cry on each other’s shoulder, etc, etc, etc. Okay, not all of those things go hand in hand when you’re in a relationship and to be honest Clark and Diana do have some of those things in common. They certainly care about one another. They were even in a very serious relationship during the New 52. But just because they have the same power set and god-like abilities does not mean they are compatible. It takes more than power and strength to make a relationship.
Superman and Clark have been involved with Lois Lane on and off for nearly eighty five years. Lois would rebuke any advances that Clark passed her way because she thought he was weak. Superman on the other hand made her swoon (yeah I know that may be a bit sexist but I am talking about the Golden Age here). But for all of that, during the Golden Age Superman/Clark still had strong feelings for her. The Silver Age came along and Lois and Clark’s relationship was more defined. Oh she still didn’t imagine any kind of romantic relationship with him but they were more friends than in the past. And Lois had her own comic book title claiming her as “Superman’s Girlfriend” even though Superman was pretty rotten to her. But we, as readers, new that at some point they were meant to be. Bronze Age Superman and Lois were in a fairly close relationship that lasted more or less until the Crisis. We were still getting that hint that they should always be a couple. Now comes the nineties. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Fiancés. Marriage.
Now, I ask no matter what people may have thought about Lois and Clark’s relationship where was Wonder Woman? There were times in Superman’s history were he didn’t even know Diana. It was the Silver Age and her joining the Justice League of America that brought her back into the fold. And even then she had a relationship with Steve Trevor. But some fans still think because Clark and Diana are god-like beings so they should be the ones in a relationship. While they flirted with each other, even kissed during Byrne’s run, there was nothing there but friendship. In Kingdom Come, after Superman gave up being a hero partially because Lois died, he and Diana realized their love for one another and became a true couple. Of course that was Elseworlds so it doesn’t count. Is it Elseworlds? Of course it is. Maybe. Depends on who you ask. And of course in the New 52 after the Clark/Lois relationship was wiped out they were together. For five years. And to a certain point it did work. But that was for the first time in nearly 75 years.
I’ve been chronicling all this to point out that other than a power fantasy and a few years of togetherness Diana and Clark were never meant to be together. Lois is Clark’s true love. Even before the nineties the chemistry with Lois was always there. While she treated him poorly at times, we knew deep down she cared very much for him. And of course Lois’ love for Superman, despite him being very tricky and even a jerk at times, was eventually reciprocated.
Just because physically there’s a compatibility does not a relationship make. Clark and Diana can discuss there war scars and fly to the moon but when Clark is with Lois the two of them shine as bright as the moonlight.
Many thanks to our Great Debaters – Mario Bennese and Marc Lax.
Absolutely Lois. A major factor in Superman’s personality is he thinks of himself as human while being most definitely not. A man who can fly needs a strong woman who can keep him grounded. He’s the most physically powerful person on the planet yet Lois is not in awe of him, still calling him “Smallville” like she did when she first met Clark. By contrast, a relationship with Wonder Woman would be fundamentally as Superman, not as Clark. Sure, the pairing would present an interesting contrast – Diana is an outsider in a different way from Kal-El. But the irony… Read more »