Superman’s Greatest Threat Isn’t Lex Luthor (It’s Actually Someone Much Closer)

As one of DC’s most powerful heroes, Superman has no shortage of threats to face. Be they Earth-based villains like Lex Luthor or even larger, cosmic threats like Mongul or even Darkseid, there are plenty of foes to keep the Man of Steel busy and to put the hero at varying levels of risk every day. Yet, when it comes to the biggest threat Superman faces, while most would consider someone like Luthor or any of the larger aliens or gods he faces off with in his efforts to protect not just Metropolis but the world to be the real danger, there’s actually a threat that is much closer to the hero than anyone might realize.

While Lois Lane has been Superman’s greatest ally and even his anchor for decades, the truth is she also represents his greatest threat. While the fearless and talented Daily Planet reporter is Superman’s great love and the pair have been the gold standard for healthy relationships in comics forever and it is hard to imagine any world in which Lois would cause Superman harm, she is also the one character in all of DC that has the power to do real damage. It gives her the potential to be extremely dangerous to Superman — though just because she’s got the potential to be a threat doesn’t mean she ever will be.

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No One Is Closer to Superman Than Lois Lane

When it comes to people who really know Superman, there is arguably no one closer to the hero than Lois Lane. As his wife, she knows not only the hero but the man beneath the cape. She knows all of his insecurities, the emotional toll and pressure he faces in his dual life man and superhero. She knows the things that matter to him, she knows his deepest secrets. Lois is his greatest confidant and his most trusted ally. Given the nature of their relationship, it’s exactly how it should be, but it also gives Lois an incredible amount of power.

Because Lois does know everything about Superman, if she were to ever break bad, it could be devastating for the Man of Steel. Because she knows his identity — and because she’s a trusted journalist — Lois could easily expose him and while that may not necessarily be as damaging as one might imagine, that same power of information has another side to its coin. Lois, because she’s a trusted source of information, has the ability to shape the narrative around Superman. If she wanted, she could easily use misinformation or her pen as propaganda to turn the public against the hero, corrupting how he is perceived and creating a whole host of issues. If the public no longer trusts Superman, he can’t operate the way he needs to. Lois’ power of information control is particularly challenging because she also knows bigger secrets than just his identity. She secrets about Krypton, his powers, mistakes he’s made, and perhaps decisions he’s made that could be catastrophic if anyone were to ever find out. Her ability and position to expose him makes her a major threat.

Her closeness to superman also has another facet to why she’s a threat, though. Even if Lois were to never go rogue and try to expose or directly hurt Superman, it’s no secret that Lois is someone important to the Man of Steel — and it’s also no secret Lois is human. Hurting Lois is a surefire way to put pressure on Superman, but if you really think about it, that goes deeper. Because Superman loves Lois and because Lois is always in some sort of danger, even if only hypothetical, because of her proximity to him, there has to be some element of the hero that is always prioritizing her safety and well-being. That means that he could very well find himself in a situation where he has to make a choice to protect her that could have catastrophic outcomes, outcomes that either could put him in a situation to actually be harmed or worse: make a mistake that causes others to be harmed instead.

Lois Lane is Superman’s Reason For Being Better (And That Can Be A Problem)

It also isn’t Lois being close to Superman that makes her a potential threat. It’s the influence she has over him as well. It has long been established that Lois pushes Superman to be better and generally, that’s a good thing. But this is where the idea of “threat” is more than just the idea of someone doing deliberate harm. Because Lois is very much Superman’s compass and he works to be better because of and for her, Lois has the ability to exert critical influence on what “better” looks like. If she were to challenge him in the right ways, she could in theory cause him to have to face uncomfortable truths about his own ideals and choices. It’s something that could easily destabilize him more than any villain ever could — and given how powerful Superman is, that could be a huge issue.

The reality is that while Superman has his villains and his antagonists, the real threat is Lois Lane. That doesn’t mean she’s a problem or even someone who is destined to cause harm. If anything, the idea that Lois is a threat actually makes the character and her relationship to Superman that much more interesting. There’s a lot to be said about the vulnerabilities one welcomes and accepts, those that they choose to live with because they are worth it. It’s probably not lost on Superman in the slightest that Lois has the potential to hurt him the most. But it says something, both about Lois as a person and how much she means to Superman that she’s worth the risk. It’s part of what makes their relationship so interesting and as much a symbol of hope as the S on the hero’s chest is.

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