Superman, explained · Allies and friends

Lois Lane.

The reporter who got the story first.

Lois Lane debuted alongside Superman in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. She had her own comic, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, for 137 issues (1958–74), married Clark in Superman: The Wedding Album (1996), and their son Jon was born in 2015. She has become Superwoman several times, starting in 1943.

Read in depth All allies and friends

Updated 6 November 2026 · 6 sources

Get the highlights.

First seen

Action Comics #1.

1938

In depth

The full story.

Lois Lane is as old as Superman himself. She was there on page one in 1938, and she’s been the Daily Planet’s best reporter, Superman’s great love and, now and then, a superhero in her own right.

Lois Lane in the comics

Date	Moment	Confidence
June 1938	Debuts with Superman in Action Comics #1; her surname comes in #2	Confirmed
1938 onwards	Reporter at the Daily Star, the original name of the Daily Planet	Confirmed
1942	Superman #17: the first story where she suspects Clark is Superman	Confirmed
May 1943	Action Comics #60: the first Superwoman Lois story	Confirmed
1957	Headlines two issues of Showcase	Likely
April 1958 – October 1974	Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane, 137 issues	Confirmed
June 1978	Action Comics #484 shows the Earth-Two Superman and Lois married	Confirmed
1986	Lois Lane, a two-issue series by Mindy Newell and Gray Morrow	Likely
1990–91	Clark proposes, then tells her he’s Superman	Likely
December 1996	Superman: The Wedding Album: Lois and Clark marry	Confirmed
July 2015	Convergence: Superman #2: their son Jon is born	Confirmed
August 2016	Superwoman #1: the New 52 Lois gains powers	Confirmed
July 2019 – July 2020	Lois Lane, 12 issues by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins	Confirmed
2024	Superwoman again, in Superman (vol. 6) #19	Likely

Where her name came from

Siegel and Shuster named her after the actress Lola Lane, and the character drew on Glenda Farrell’s Torchy Blane films. (Confirmed)

The Pulitzer Prize reporter

Comics often describe Lois as a Pulitzer Prize winner, but no story names the article that won it. It’s background, not a plot. (Likely)

Lois and Clark: from suspicion to marriage

Lois first suspects that Clark is Superman in 1942. In the post-1986 comics, Clark finally proposes and tells her the truth in 1990–91 (Likely; the issue numbers come from fan sources). They marry in Superman: The Wedding Album (cover-dated December 1996), in the same week as the TV wedding in Lois & Clark. Their son, Jon Kent, arrives in 2015. See the Superman family tree.

Lois as Superwoman

Story	Year	How she gets powers	Confidence
Action Comics #60	1943	Not checked	Confirmed (issue)
Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane	1958–74	Several one-off tales	Likely
All-Star Superman #3	2005	Superman’s serum, for one day: her birthday	Likely
Superwoman #1	2016	Energy released when the New 52 Superman dies	Confirmed
Superman (vol. 6) #19	2024	Not checked	Likely

Lois on screen

Ten actresses have played Lois in live action, from Noel Neill in 1948 and Lesley Ann Warren in a 1975 TV special to Rachel Brosnahan in Superman (2025) and Man of Tomorrow (2027). Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, Erica Durance and Amy Adams are among the best known, and Dana Delany voiced her in Superman: The Animated Series. Every one is in our guide to Lois Lane on screen.

Read Lois’s own stories

Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins’s Lois Lane (2019–20) shows her at work as a journalist, and Newell and Morrow’s Lois Lane (1986) was ahead of its time, according to DC. For where she fits among Superman’s friends, see Superman’s friends and allies.

Era by era.

The same Superman, rewritten for every generation.

Golden Age (1938–1956)

A star reporter at the Daily Star, later the Daily Planet. She first suspects Clark is Superman in Superman #17 (1942) and is first Superwoman in Action Comics #60 (1943).

Silver Age (1956–1986)

Her own comic, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, runs for 137 issues (April 1958 to October 1974). The Earth-Two Lois and Superman are shown married in Action Comics #484 (1978).

Post-Crisis (1986–2011)

Clark proposes and reveals his secret (1990–91), and they marry in Superman: The Wedding Album (December 1996). Jon is born in Convergence: Superman #2 (2015).

New 52 and Rebirth (2011–)

The New 52 Lois becomes Superwoman in Superwoman #1 (2016). Greg Rucka's 12-issue Lois Lane (2019–20) celebrates her as a journalist.

DCU (2025–)

Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois in Superman (2025) and Man of Tomorrow (2027).

Questions.

When did Lois Lane first appear?

Lois Lane first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the same comic as Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Her surname was first given in the next issue. Her name came from the actress Lola Lane, and the character was inspired by Glenda Farrell's Torchy Blane films.

Did Lois Lane win a Pulitzer?

Yes, in the comics: she's often described as a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. But no story names the article that won it. It's part of her background rather than a plot.

When did Lois find out Clark was Superman?

She first suspects it in Superman #17 (1942). In the post-1986 comics, Clark proposes in 1990 and reveals the truth soon after, in Action Comics #662 (1991), according to fan sources.

Has Lois Lane had superpowers?

Yes, several times. She's first Superwoman in Action Comics #60 (May 1943). In All-Star Superman she has powers for a day, and in Superwoman #1 (2016) the New 52 Lois gains powers along with Lana Lang. She became Superwoman again in 2024.

Who is Superman's wife?

Lois Lane, the Daily Planet's star reporter. She debuted alongside him in Action Comics #1 (1938). They married in the main comics in Superman: The Wedding Album (December 1996), the same season as the Lois & Clark TV wedding. They now have a son, Jon.