Every Superman Love Interest, Ranked

Lois Lane was almost right about Clark Kent not being Superman. Her initial intuition upon meeting him – that his mild-mannered, somewhat nerdy personality wasn’t the type that women like her would immediately find attractive – might have held true, if he weren’t the Man of Steel successfully pretending to be anything but superhero material. As Lois would later discover, however, the reality of Clark’s and Superman’s attractiveness lay somewhere in between. Indeed, to Lois’ surprise, Clark proved to be more appealing to women, including herself, than she initially believed, while Superman was less of a ladies’ man than his larger-than-life persona suggested.

While Clark Kent may never rival Bruce Wayne as the most eligible bachelor, over the years, he’s had meaningful romantic relationships that have shaped his growth as a man and a hero. Here are all the romantic interests Clark Kent and Superman have had in comics to date.

12) Superman’s Short But Sweet Relationships That Still May Grow

While Clark Kent/Superman had several romantic interests throughout his life, not all of them were particularly memorable. This is not to say that these relationships lacked meaning or emotional connection. However, it does mean that they did not significantly impact Superman’s development as a person or superhero, did not play an important role in the storyline, or were not effectively developed to the point where their significance to Kent or the plot was substantial. Of course, these relationships could, at some future point develop into something special, but for now, they remain “dormant.”

These romantic relationships include Lisa Lasalle, a crime survivor whom Superman helped in the Superman: Earth One series but who later grows close to Clark Kent. There’s also his cousin Kara Zor-El AKA Supergirl. In Action Comics #289, Superman confesses that he would marry her if Kryptonian law allowed it. There’s also Lola-Lar, whom Superman meets in Superman: The Man of Steel #6 after losing his memory. They share a whirlwind romance that nearly leads to marriage, but it is ultimately prevented by the intervention of Lois Lane. Then there’s Lady Zara a fellow Kryptonian who in Superman in Superman (1939) #168 almost ended up marrying him.

11) Beautiful Dreamer

If there’s one common thread that runs through Clark’s romantic interests, it’s that his partners tend to be mentally or physically strong, or a combination of both. Nowhere is this more evident than with Beautiful Dreamer. A member of the New Gods/Forever People, a race of superpowered individuals from the planet New Genesis who travel to Earth to fight Darkseid, the ruler of their sister world, Apokolips. As her name suggests, Beautiful Dreamer’s powers lie in her psionic ability to manipulate dreams.

In John Byrne’s Superman/Batman: Generations 3 series, Superman travels to New Genesis to consult with Highfather, the leader of the New Gods. However, after being stranded there for over 100 years, he enters into a relationship with Beautiful Dreamer, which ultimately leads to marriage and fatherhood. While this relationship exists in an alternate timeline, the fact that it results in Superman having children is significant. Timelines are always fluid in contemporary comics, so there’s no telling whether this version of Superman could eventually appear in the primary universe.

10) Supergirl

Over the years, the DC Universe has featured several iterations of Supergirl. One of the most memorable is Peter David’s Supergirl, who debuted in the 1996 comic book series of the same name. While David’s Supergirl shared the same Linda Danvers’ name with Kara Zor-El’s alter ego, they were not the same person. Ultimately, when the true Kara Zor-El returned to the timeline, David’s version of the superhero retired her Supergirl identity, though Linda Danvers continued her own journey to protect and save the community.

As mentioned in Action Comics #289, Superman once admitted to having romantic thoughts about his cousin, Supergirl. So, when Davis’s version of Supergirl found herself in an alternate reality where she and Superman were no longer related, it didn’t take long for the Man of Steel to act on those feelings and marry her. This marks a significant departure from the traditional “Clark and Lois” storyline and introduces a dramatic shift in the dynamics of the Superman family.

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9) Sally Selwyn

Superman (1939) #165 presents another instance where Superman loses his memory — this time after encountering a piece of red kryptonite — which leads to an unexpected romantic relationship. Disoriented by sunstroke, after coming into contact with the red kryptonite piece, he stumbles onto the property of Sally Selwyn, the daughter of millionaire rancher Digby Selwyn, where he subsequently faints. As Sally helps him recover, she and Clark grow close, and with no recollection of his past life, Clark embraces the relationship wholeheartedly.

Ultimately, Clark asks for her hand in marriage, but before the wedding, one of Sally’s former suitors engineers an accident that sends Clark into a river and eventually out into the ocean where he is saved by Lori Lemaris and cared for until he eventually regains his memories. As for Sally, thinking that her fiancé was killed in an accident, she suffers in silence. This is significant in that it is the only relationship Superman has where both he and his partner have no clue that he is Superman. Indeed, it is about as normal a relationship as he will ever have.

8) Luma Lynai

Aside from Lois, the only other person who suspected that Superman had “girl issues” was his cousin, Supergirl. This realization prompts her to launch a campaign to find him a suitable girlfriend. After some trial and error — and a little help from the Fortress of Solitude’s AI chatbot — Supergirl recommends Luma Lynai, a superhero from the planet Staryl who, interestingly, bears a strong resemblance to Supergirl herself. When Superman and Luma finally meet in Action Comics #289, they hit it off immediately — so much so that he invites her to return to Earth with him.

Unfortunately, just as a red sun is deadly to Superman, this solar system’s yellow sun is fatal to Luma. Despite their desire to stay together, Superman’s commitment to protecting Earth prevents him from relocating to Staryl, leading the two to ultimately part ways. This relationship is significant as it marks the first time Superman is paired with a partner who is truly his equal. Moreover, their separation wasn’t a definitive ending but rather a pause—suggesting that, if the challenges of living and transportation could be resolved, their relationship could resume.

7) Lyla Lerrol

While Superman was originally jettisoned from Krypton moments before its destruction in Superman (1939) #141, after chasing a space alien at incredible speed, he crashes through the time barrier to a time when Krypton still existed. Curious to learn what his world was like, he decides to visit it. However, once there, he realizes that he no longer has his superpowers. Knowing that Krypton has not yet developed space travel technology, he concludes that he will have to live out the rest of his life on Krypton until its eventual destruction. During his time there, he meets the famous Kryptonian film star Lyla Lerrol. The two hit it off, begin dating, and ultimately decide to get married. Indeed, in Superman’s mind, if he is to die, he might as well die happy.

Unfortunately, just before the wedding, an accident on the movie set where Superman was working sends a fake rocket ship—with him inside—into space. Once there, he regains his superpowers. However, instead of returning to Krypton, he decides he is needed more on Earth, once again leaving a love interest to believe he has died. This relationship is significant because Superman and Lyla shared a deep love. Yet after regaining his abilities, Superman chose his duty to Earth over his personal happiness with Lyla. Once again proving Superman’s loyalty to humanity and his deeper love for Lois.

6) Catherine “Cat” Grant

After landing a job at the Daily Planet as its gossip columnist in Adventures of Superman (1987) #424, Cat Grant is immediately smitten with Kent, who is everything her ex-husband Joe Morgan isn’t. Despite the obvious fact that Clark and Lois are a couple at the time, Cat pursues Clark with passion, and her pursuit is successful. They become romantically involved, but the relationship ultimately falters, unable to overcome Clark’s lingering love for Lois. Nevertheless – and to Lois’ chagrin – Cat and Clark remain close, now platonically linked.

If anyone disproves Lois Lane’s playful assertion that Clark Kent is too nerdy to be attractive, it’s Cat Grant. Equally smart, savvy, and direct as Lois, Cat shows her interest in Clark not through teasing but with straightforwardness. Their dynamic suggests to any keen observer that there’s far more to Kent beneath his glasses and suit.

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5) Maxima

While gentleness, humility, kindness, and warmth are often cited as the qualities that attract women to Clark Kent and Superman, for Maxima, these traits pale in comparison to Superman’s raw strength and power. As the queen of the warrior world of Almerac, Maxima sought a mate who could strengthen the royal bloodline and help produce an even more powerful heir. Naturally, when she learned of Superman’s existence in Adventures of Superman #458, she knew he was the one. The only problem was that Superman —though flattered— was not interested. Indeed, the significance of how his rejection reinforces his unwavering commitment to Lois Lane – should not be ignored.

In Adventures of Superman Annual #3, in an alternate reality, rather than demanding that Superman “bend a knee” and marry her, Maxima takes a kinder, more gentle approach. It’s one that ultimately leads him to fall in love with her. As she originally expected, the two make an exceptional couple, both in terms of combat ability and personality. Indeed, as she suspects, any children they bear could embody the universe’s ultimate hero. Their relationship is an intriguing “what if” exploration has the potential if the powers that be choose to pursue it, to create imaginative ripples in mainstream continuity.

4) Lori Lemaris

It’s clear that once Clark met Lois, she held the central place in his heart — unless his memory failed him or he was placed in situations where he believed he’d never see her again. However, there were women in his life before he even knew Lois Lane existed, and one of them was Lori Lemaris — a mermaid who had enrolled at the same university as Clark and concealed her true nature by using a wheelchair to hide her lower half.

As recounted in Superman (1939) #129, Clark met Lori after helping her with a wheelchair malfunction and eventually began dating her. They got along so well that he ultimately asked for her hand in marriage. However, after Clark discovered the truth about her identity and her need to spend extensive periods in water, it became clear to both of them that it would be too difficult to remain together. This was significant because Lori, who had the ability to read minds, knew Clark was Superman, yet wasn’t deterred by the discovery or tempted to use it for her own benefit – she loved him for who he was.

3) Wonder Woman

While there always seemed to be a hint of attraction between Superman and Wonder Woman during their years as teammates in the Justice League, both remained committed to their respective partners — Lois Lane and Steve Trevor. However, after the DC Universe was rebooted with the New 52, both Superman and Wonder Woman were suddenly unattached. As is often the case in real life, unattached colleagues working long hours together in high-stress environments can naturally grow closer. The deep mutual understanding they shared — as two of the most powerful heroes in the universe — became increasingly difficult to ignore. This all came to a head in Justice League (2012) #12 when they openly expressed their feelings for each other.

Superman and Wonder Woman are the very definition of a “power couple.” In all of comic-dom, no duo is as legendary as these two. When it comes to Superman, Wonder Woman was the only romantic interest who could truly grasp his role as a living god — the joys and burdens that came with it. At the same time, she understood the quirks of his need to conceal his power and live among humans in a modest form. With her, he never carried the burden of needing to protect his partner from danger. Indeed, their relationship was perhaps the most perfect of Superman’s romantic prospects — if only it had lasted.

2) Lois Lane

While it wasn’t love at first sight, Clark admired Lois’s boldness and, especially, her fearlessness despite lacking superpowers from the moment they met. As a superpowered individual himself, he was particularly impressed by her willingness to jump into action without any special abilities — in Clark’s eyes, this made her truly fearless – which was extremely attractive to someone so powerful. Their close working relationship and frequent collaborations then allowed that admiration to evolve into a deeper love. Lois, on the other hand, wasn’t initially interested in Clark; his timidity was a complete turn-off. Instead, her attention was drawn to Superman — the tall, dark, and handsome hero who was afraid of nothing.

As they worked together, Lois realized that Clark was more than the awkward nerd she initially thought he was – he was a kind and caring friend. Over time, her feelings evolved, and while she still admired Superman, she developed strong feelings for Clark as well. When she discovered they were the same, she found herself with the ultimate love interest. Given their journey together – from colleagues to friends, to partners, and later parents – it’s clear just how pivotal this relationship is to Superman’s life. Among comic book narratives, the love story of Lois and Clark is truly one of the greatest of all time.

1) Lana Lang

Before anyone else, there was always Lana Lang — Clark’s next-door neighbor in Smallville, Kansas, who transitioned from childhood best friend to first crush to first girlfriend. Lana embodies the ideal of the “girl next door.” Most of their early experiences, whether going to school or getting into mischief, were shared together. Although she would eventually discover that he had superpowers — the only one outside of his foster parents to do so—she always liked him, regardless of his special abilities.

While Clark and Lois ultimately end up together, there’s still something to be said about Clark’s first love, Lana Lang. Not only was she his formative experience with love — helping him shape and develop his expectations and understanding of relationships; it was also an emotional connection that he could never entirely replicate, not even with Lois. Indeed, there’s likely an element in his relationship with Lois that stems from a desire to recapture those initial feelings he experienced with Lana. As his first love, Lana will always hold a special place in Clark’s heart and memories.