10 Times Lois Lane Has Had Superpowers in Comics (And Some Are Wild) 

With James Gunn’s Superman flying into theaters in just a few months, the spotlight has been shining just a little bit brighter on some of the other characters in the Man of Steel’s world lately — including Lois Lane. Played by Rachel Brosnahan in the upcoming film, Lois has been a key figure in Superman’s story from the very beginning. The intrepid reporter (and love of Superman’s life) made her first appearance in Action Comics #1 right alongside the iconic hero. But while Lois is so strongly associated with Superman, she’s so much more. Over the years, Lois has herself had super powers — and we’re not talking about her current experience in comics. Over the years, across the pages of various comics, Lois has gotten a wide range of powers from some pretty wild sources and while some of them are exhilarating and surprising, some are just downright weird.

As we think of Lois Lane and what she has brought to Superman comics over the years, we’re taking a look back on some moments where Lois astounded us with her powers. From wacky serums to dream and what-if scenarios, there are multiple times when Superman isn’t the only one with all the powers to behold. These ten examples of times when Lois Lane has superpowers will remind you of just that and maybe give you a new appreciation for the Daily Planet’s best reporter. 

Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #22 

Have you ever wanted X-ray glasses so that you could take a peek into what’s really going on? Well, this is exactly what happens to Lois Lane in Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #22, when Lois’s sunglasses are broken and her replacement is a pair of X-ray glasses. She soon discovers that Clark Kent is Superman when she takes a peek under his suit (yes, really) where she discovers that he is wearing a Superman costume. Surprisingly, Clark isn’t that freaked out. All Clark has to say of this is a curious, “Why are you staring at me?” 

Lois hopes to have him reveal his powers without her doing all the talking, so she plants a fake bomb in his desk but eventually reveals that it isn’t real. In the meantime, Clark is shot by a criminal and deflects the bullets, so Lois gets her answer even though Clark tries to come up with an excuse for why this happens. In the end, the X-ray glasses are ruined, and Lois loses her ability to see under Clark’s clothes whenever she pleases. Oh, and his secret identity remains intact for many years to come.

Action Comics #60 

In a dream scenario that gives us an intimate look into a could-have-been reality where Lois is a hero, we gain a better understanding of her loyalty to Superman. In Action Comics #60, Lois dreams that she receives a blood transfusion from Superman after she is hit by a truck. This gives her special abilities much like Superman’s, including strength and flight. She is able to fight crime her way, including saving Clark from a mugging and from a criminal scientist named Dr. Skowl. When she wakes up, she may just be a little disappointed to discover that it was a surgeon who saved her life, and not Superman himself. While the idea of Lois getting powers in a dream might seem a little strange, it’s not the last time this will happen.

Superman #125 

We start to see a pattern here because just as in Action Comics #60, Superman #125 also involves Lois being injured and entering into a dream sequence where she has powers. At this point, it’s safe to say that this girl is just an accident magnet as well as a magnet for weird dreams.

The comic starts off with Superman arriving at the Metropolis Science Fair, where he discovers that Lois Lane fell off of a ledge and is in need of medical assistance for a head injury. She then falls into a dream where she believes she has superpowers as a superhero that goes by the name Power Girl (no connection to the Power Girl we will see in comics later on). She has adventures fighting crime with Power-Man, who is none other than Clark Kent. Eventually, Lois wakes up from her dream after Clark accidentally exposes his identity to everybody. 

Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #23 

Sometimes, it’s not gadgets or dreams that gives Lois her powers, but science. In Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #23, Lois takes a serum that turns her into Elastic Lass so that she can assist others with various tasks, and then use her final feat to fight a terrorist (Raphael Byron) who goes by The Wrecker. She proves that Byron was exploding statues in City Park out of jealousy because the park wouldn’t feature his scuptures. In this issue, Lane shows an incredibly caring side as she shows off her newfound flexibility to some orphans at the Midvale Orphanage. Overall, it’s a kind of wacky story, but one that shows off just how much truth and justice means to Lois, reminding us why she’s such a perfect complement to Superman.

Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #47 

This issue of Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane is actually a what-if scenario. Lois Lane takes a gander at what her life would be like if she was in Superman’s shoes instead of him. His computer shows Lois that she would be a Kryptonian known as “Krypton Girl” and Clark would be trying to figure out her secret identity.

[RELATED: Absolute Superman Has Redefined Krypton and Kal-El’s Parents for a New Generation of Fans] 

Apparently, Lois is none too happy with this alternate universe. She expresses on the cover of the comic to Clark, “I’ll make sure you never pester me again… I’ll project you into the Phantom Zone forever!” It’s a story (and cover) that reminds us that Lois is pretty much all of us. After all, don’t we all sometimes get so irritated with our partners that we wish we could project them into the Phantom Zone?

Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #28 

Lois Lane never suspects that she will adopt superpowers in this issue but that’s exactly what happens when she plays guinea pig to a mystery man’s weapon. Promising that his weapon will turn you either good or evil, Lois becomes Leopard Lady, a supervillain. As a villain, Lois kidnaps her own sister and devises and evil plan to rob the Daily Planet. 

Near the end of this immensely weird issue, Leopard Lady marries Lex Luthor and the two try to throw it in Superman’s face. However, it is revealed to the reader that Leopard Lady was never Lois to begin with and that she was instead trapped inside Luthor’s basement this entire time. Really, this issue has it all: Lois going evil, Lex Luthor being, well, evil, and a heck of a plot twist. It’s a lot of fun.

All Star Superman #3 

Lois Lane is gifted a special present for her birthday from Superman in this issue of All Star Superman – a potion that will allow her to experience his same powers for 24 hours. Fighting crime side-by-side in a way we’ve never seen before, the two fight a lizard monster and show it who’s boss. As the story develops, we are met with two time-travelers, Atlas and Samson, who challenge Superman in an attempt to win over Lois. Atlas gives a necklace to Lois as a way to win her affections but she doesn’t know that it belongs to Ultra Sphinx. He shows up to get his necklace back and Superman saves the day and his love’s life. 

In a real “awww” moment, Superman and Lois share a romantic kiss after flying to the moon together. There’s nothing especially weird or exciting about this chapter in Lois’s power story; it’s just a really sweet and romantic little story and we love our favorite comic couple getting to have those.

Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #27

Appearances mean everything to Lois Lane in issue #27 of Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, where Lois resembles someone out of the Coneheads film. This outlandish tale starts when Lois becomes a volunteer for a brain bank and accidentally consumes all of the knowledge at the bank. Her super-brain grows incredibly large, even making her lose her hair, and she commits herself to keeping it a secret from everyone instead of putting the knowledge to good use.

Things get even weirder still when supervillain Bizarro runs into Lois and pretty much instantly falls in love with her due to her huge brain. He even wants to marry her. That is, until the next day, when Lois’s brain goes back to normal human size due to the effects of the brain bank wearing off.  

JLA: Earth 2

This graphic novel is a bit different in the way that it focuses on the Justice League and their evil counterparts of an antimatter universe, the Crime Syndicate of America. One of these crime syndicates is Superwoman, who is actually Lois Lane married to Ultraman, Superman’s evil counterpart. Though Lois is not entirely the focus of this story, it does show Lois in an all-new way that we’ve never experienced her character previously. Seeing Lois as a genuine villain is completely unexpected, though there is still some comfort in knowing that Superman and Lois are a thing even in an evil universe.

Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy #1 

This last comic issue showcasing Lois Lane with superpowers has to be the most fascinating one yet: her role fighting the Third Reich as Wonder Woman set in WWII times. In this alternate timeline, the Third Reich never lost the war and chaos has taken over. Lois becomes the new Wonder Woman equipped with crime-fighting powers so that she can actively help Superman fight Nazis. Admittedly, this story is a weird one. There are some unusual turns — the story sees Superman turned into an evil centaur (no, really), and Superman, Lois (as Wonder Woman), and Lana Lang all end up living together happily ever after in Superman’s fortress on the moon (yes, really, again) — but the idea of Lois taking on Nazis is pretty great.

Which version of Lois Lane with superpowers do you think reigns supreme? Tell us in the comments below!