Superman and Lois Lane Are Taking A Break

Superman's marriage to Lois Lane is on the rocks, as the intrepid reporter has decided to take time away from both her career and her marriage to focus on writing a book.

This is the outcome fans have been expecting, and some dreading, since Lois and Jonathan Kent, her son with Superman, left Earth at the start of The Man of Steel amid speculation by other members of the Daily Planet staff that she had abandoned Clark.

As The Man of Steel wound down, the "fate" of Lois Lane and Jonathan Kent was finally revealed: Jon, wanting to explore the universe and learn more about his Kryptonian heritage, insisted to his parents that he was going to join Jor-El, his paternal grandfather, on an exploration of the cosmos. Superman objected, but Jon was insistent, and eventually Lois interceded to say that she, too, would leave and supervise their son's adventure in space.

"There's a big thing that happens in Man of Steel with Mr. Oz -- with Jor-El, and the entire House of El, Superman's family," Bendis recently told ComicBook.com. "There is a shift I think people can see coming on some level, but I know for a fact that those who are fearing that these characters are going to go fly off into some other book or something and not be part of this is incorrect, but I can only prove that in the months ahead."

When Bendis came onto the Superman titles and The Man of Steel immediately sent Jon and Lois off-panel, some fans were worried or frustrated that Superman's marriage -- which had just been restored in 2016 after five years of a younger, single New 52 Superman -- would be in danger. Bendis and editorial have repeatedly said that it is not.

In today's Action Comics #1004, Lois tells her husband that she needs to continue being alone to work, free of the distractions of being a wife or mother.

Lois and Clark both say that they aren't breaking up and and that they will figure out how to navigate their new status quo, but for the time being, the storytelling impact seems to be basically the same as if they broke up.

She left Jon with Jor-El, telling Clark that their son "came alive" in space and that being off-world with his grandfather brought out the best in him.

During his spotlight panel at New York Comic Con, Bendis promised that he had plans for Jonathan Kent in an as-yet-undisclosed upcoming project. Later this year, Bendis will relaunch Young Justice, featuring the original lineup of Conner Kent, Tim Drake, and Bart Allen in their roles as Superboy, Robin, and Impulse. Given that Super-Sons was cancelled around the same time Bendis took over the Superman titles and has come back as a maxi-series with a tenuous link to current continuity, it seems likely that Jon will stay off the board until that upcoming project comes to fruition.