Superheroes
9 Best Superman & Lois Lane Onscreen Performances, Ranked
[Warning: The below contains minor spoilers for Superman (2025).]
James Gunn‘s Superman has officially landed in theaters, and we have thoughts. We’ll spare you from the majority and cut straight to the most important one: The romance is everything. We’ve seen our fair share of Lois Lanes and Clark Kents over the years, but David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan‘s “Clois” is top tier.
But where do they fall in comparison to all of the others? We couldn’t help but use the release of the new movie as an excuse to rank every onscreen Superman and Lois performance we’ve watched. (FYI: We didn’t include the Adventures of Superman show from the ’50s simply because there’s nowhere to stream it.)
We’re sure that your favorite is likely dependent on whichever pairing you grew up watching, but we tried to be as objective as possible, using the actors’ chemistry, their romantic storylines, and more to determine their spots. Keep reading and tell us if you agree with our order in the comments!
Superman, In Theaters Now
9. Superman Returns
Superman and Lois’ relationship in Superman Returns is unlike any other. The 2006 film picks up with Lois (Kate Bosworth) having moved on from Clark (Brandon Routh) entirely, after he left Earth without saying goodbye. She’s engaged to someone else and has a child (though we eventually find out Clark is the father).
Clark and Lois’ relationship is bitter in this movie. It’s understandable considering the context, but it doesn’t make us root for them. While the writing is mostly to blame, the actors also just don’t have that much chemistry. Their spot on the list mostly comes down to Lois being miscast.
8. Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series doesn’t really offer anything fresh or unexpected in terms of its romance, not counting the fact that Lois (Dana Delany) first falls for Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy). She ends things when she finds out he’s Batman.
On the flip side, Lois is drawn to Superman (Tim Daly) and his power, rather than Clark himself. Lois never finds out they’re the same person in the show, so they’re definitely one one of the weaker versions of the couple.
7. Man of Steel
Man of Steel offers a very different take on Superman, and the relationship between Lois (Amy Adams) and Clark (Henry Cavill) stands apart from other iterations, too.
The eventual couple don’t meet each other while working for The Daily Planet. Instead, she knows Clark has powers from the get-go, tracking him back to Smallville and becoming his confidant. She’s not starstruck by Superman, unlike some other versions of her character. It does make their relationship seem a bit more genuine, which we enjoyed.
But the darker tone of the movie means that we don’t get many lighter moments between Lois and Clark, so they don’t really feel like Lois and Clark. Granted, there’s only so much ground a movie can cover without becoming too long, so we get it. Still, we would’ve like to see more of them as an established couple and how they interact without the weight of the world on their shoulders.
6. Superman (1978)
There’s a reason the 1978 movie is widely considered a beloved classic. Its take on Lois (Margot Kidder) and Clark (Christopher Reeve) is the blueprint, but it also makes Lois a bit more infatuated with Superman from the beginning than we’d prefer. The movie also plays into the damsel-in-distress trope a bit too much, but it makes sense for the time. She never discovers Clark’s identity either, which undermines their connection.
However, we would be remiss not to acknowledge that the chemistry between Reeve and Kidder is undeniable. They play the silly moments and romantic ones with ease. We just wish they shared more screentime. All of that considered, we put them a bit lower on the list. We do have to give props for its dramatic and swoonworthy ending: Superman rewinds time to bring Lois back to life.
5. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was the first interpretation to really hone in on the romance, hence the title. We see it all over the course of four seasons, which gives their relationship more time to grow than most movie versions. Granted, we do wish Lois (Teri Hatcher) found out about Clark’s (Dean Cain) superhero persona a bit earlier — it happens in Season 3. She also is interested in Superman before she falls for Clark, which isn’t our favorite approach. However, she does develop genuine feelings for Clark after a slow burn, which we suppose is all that matters.
The actors embody their characters extremely well, and they have a really fun energy together. Both of them give as good as they get, since Clark isn’t quite as awkward as other versions. The show itself feels like a (good) corny rom-com in many ways more than a superhero story.
In the end, the positives outweigh the negatives, putting this version of the couple in the middle of our ranking.
4. Superman (2025)
We don’t have many critiques about the latest rendition of Lois and Clark — other than that we wished we saw more of them than we did.
Gunn picks up with Lois and Clark not only already being a couple — they’re three months into dating — but Lois also already knows her boyfriend is Superman. We don’t know when exactly she learned that information, but it doesn’t necessarily matter because it’s obvious she isn’t at all starstruck by Superman. In fact, she isn’t afraid to call him out and ask hard questions.
Another one of our favorite parts is that Lois isn’t completely sold on being with Clark. She has doubts, though he’s totally in love with her. This unique take gives their relationship a level of realism and genuineness right off the bat. Strong chemistry between the two leads helps matters.
And also, we love how Lois is the one doing the saving at one point in the movie. No damsel in distress here! Seriously, the only reason they aren’t ranked higher is that TV shows simply have more time to let Lois and Clark’s connection develop. We’re excited to see more of them in the new DC Universe.
3. My Adventures with Superman
My Adventures with Superman takes much cuter approach to Lois (Alice Lee) and Clark’s (Jack Quaid) relationship. They’re modern young adults in the show, meeting as interns at The Daily Planet.
Similar to Man of Steel, Lois figures out Clark’s alter ego quickly, allowing them to form a real connection. Before she’s in on secret, Lois and Clark are attracted to each other, which also makes their eventual love for each other seem more genuine. There’s also the banter we’ve come to know and love from most Clarks and Loises, but this version of the pair in particular has an endearing, bubbly energy that many others don’t. That’s largely due to Quaid and Lee’s stellar voice acting.
Even if their romance moves a bit quickly, My Adventures with Superman has already created one of our favorite portrayals of the couple.
2. Smallville
Smallville‘s Clois (Tom Welling and Erica Durance) has it all: a solid friendship, a will-they-won’t-they dynamic, dating. And finally, they walk down the aisle at the end of the series. From the moment they meet in Smallville — Clark’s a senior in high school — their relationship evolves so naturally. Not to mention, their dynamic later on is also much hotter than the other versions we’ve seen onscreen.
The show did a good job at balancing the light-hearted side of Clois — the banter! — with the emotional scenes. Our main critique is that they sure do take their time to put their characters together. Though, to be fair, some of their best moments take place before they get together.
There’s Lana (Kristin Kreuk) of it all, too. The show dragged out Lana’s relationship with Clark longer than it should’ve. Fans shouldn’t have to question whether or not Lois is Clark’s second choice, which is the only reason why Smallville‘s take on the dynamic duo isn’t in the top spot.
1. Superman & Lois
Superman & Lois shows the couple at a different point in their lives, raising two teenage sons, and we appreciate the newness. Aside from some flashbacks, it skips over Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois’ (Elizabeth Tulloch) origin story, and sees them move back to Smallville after Clark’s mom dies. Lois plays just as major of a role as Clark, who struggles to balance fatherhood with saving the world.
They’re more down-to-earth, and we appreciate seeing a quieter, less fiery side of the power couple. Don’t get us wrong, though: The show also puts them in intense situations. We see them have difficult conversations, but they never doubt their bond. This Lois and Clark have a natural chemistry that makes us believe the characters have been together for a long time. They have each others’ backs through it all and are a real team, which makes this iteration our favorite.
