This week, DC Comics announced that Superman and Wonder Woman will officially become a couple in an upcoming issue of Justice League. Apparently, the universe-wide reboot of the “New 52” erased the feelings Clark Kent had for Lois Lane, giving the Man of Steel feet of clay for a certain Amazon Princess.
Well, this fanboy doesn’t like it. For over the last 70 years, writers have been able to keep the Lois and Clark dynamic a cornerstone to the characters’ development. Their relationship was strong enough to inspire a campy prime-time television show, the very show that launched the careers of Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain! With that kind of influence over pop culture, why mess with a good thing?
Fortunately for you, dear reader, this isn’t an aimless rant. I have three powerful points that prove why Superman and Wonder should stay Super Friends and nothing more. To wit:
1. Superman and Wonder Woman just aren’t compatible. Clark grew up on a farm in Kansas; Diana grew up on an island of Amazon Warriors. Now, before you spout off an opposites attract theory, I’m not saying they’re opposites at all. Despite these distinct origins, both heroes were raised to use their gifts responsibly, for the betterment of mankind. So, with these different backgrounds dividing them, yet their unspoken commitment to heroism binding them, what exactly would they talk about? At the end of the day, Superman and Wonder Woman share the interest of helping people, but Clark and Diana wouldn’t hang out in the same circles. It’s an identity crisis waiting to happen.
2. Superman’s and Wonder Woman’s love lives are most interesting when they’re attracted to normal human beings. Let’s face it: Kryptonite isn’t Superman’s greatest weakness. Lois Lane is. Her vulnerability, coupled with her propensity for getting into trouble, keeps Supes on his toes and makes his adventures that much more harrowing and entertaining to read. Now, when Parasite kidnaps Superman’s girlfriend, she’ll kick his butt and escape before Clark even finds a phone booth. Where’s the fun in that?
3. Their relationship is a conflict of interest for the Justice League. I’ve always looked at the Justice League as a Board of Directors for the global safety. It’s a volunteer position that sets and models a higher standard for the organization it oversees — in this case, Earth. If Superman and Wonder Woman are dating, how can the rest of the League trust their impartiality on matters of new membership or multiple-earth crisis? What standard does it set for mankind, when Superman and Wonder Woman model a behavior that condones putting your significant other in danger, over and over again? Even if they have developed feelings for each other, their respective senses of responsibility would overpower the urge to take things any further than infatuation.
Despite these arguments, I’m not opposed to the mere exploration of Superman and Wonder Woman’s romance. DC touts their flirtation in Justice League during the “New 52,” but their potential has been a persistent part of their interaction. I remember an incident some years ago when Wonder Woman offered herself to Superman while they were trapped in a vacuum of time; what an interesting dilemma for the Man of Steel! Yet, he held out for Lois, and his determination was worth it. See, just as I insist that Lois Lane is Superman’s greatest weakness, his love for her is also one of his greatest strengths, right up there with flight and ice breath. The years Clark waited for Lois to fall for him, not just Superman, and his eagerness to be with her despite the heartbreak that comes with her perpetual vulnerability makes him a hero anyone can understand.
Hey, DC Comics: You say comics aren’t for kids anymore, but Superman and Wonder Woman together “at last” is the wish fulfillment of any dweeb longing to be the high school quarterback hooking up with the head cheerleader. It’s prom, and it’s fleeting. Clark Kent and Lois Lane together “at last” is a timeless romance that speaks to the rewarding risks of falling in love. That’s life, and that’s worth it.
Seventy years strong proves which one we’d rather read about. Which one would you rather write about?
I will try to represent the Dweebs of the world to the best
of my ability.
1) You missed an important point
when reviewing their compatibility. They
both often feel alone in the world.
Where they are compatible is that their god like power is a separation from
them and human beings (even most other superheroes). That is what would bind them. It would be like saying that a huge megastar actor
or actress would be better off with a person not in the spotlight, but that
relationship is destined to fail because your partner could not understand
you. Could Lois lane ever understand
what it is like to face off against super villains, fly into space, or feel the
pressure of defending a planet from menaces.
Could Steve Trevor know what it means to be immortal, to wield mystical
abilities, or to interact with alien and powerful beings as their equal. NO!
these are the very things that define Superman and Wonder Woman and
fairly logical connection of the two is based on the compatibility of their
shared role in the world.
2)
When parasite gets his
butt kicked by Superman’s girlfriend, the fun will be in watching Superman’s
girlfriend kick his butt. Just because Lois
needs often needs help does not mean that aspect of Superman’s heroism. In fact
Lois is usually in some form of trouble that Superman is very easily equipped
to handle. If you have seen him catch
one falling airplane, you have seen them all.
But what about a situation where Ares and Hera gang up on Wonder Woman. She now has a godlike partner who she can
depend on to help her. What could Steve
Trevor do in that situation other than watch helplessly? There are many situations in which Superman
and Wonder Woman are themselves are in need of help so that maintains the “fun in
that.”
3)
It is a conflict of interest …which can make the stories all the
richer. Think about it…having to choose
between your love and your duty. It
would cause friction within the group and that could be a good thing for spicing
up the stories sometimes. Maybe one or
both would leave the group. The point is
it could explore the issue of loyalty in an interesting way. I think that DC should have done a better job
of setting up what I think is an obvious relationship by showing through the
relationships with Lois Lane and Steve Trevor that both hero’s no matter how
much they may want are NOT normal humans.
Therefore those relationships should have been set up to fail. It did with Steve Trevor but they could have
used Lois Lane to set the record straight that with responsibility and power comes
an acceptance of reality and that reality is Lois and Steve are not the equals
of Superman and Wonder Woman and therefore could never really be an ideal “human”
relationship.
1) Of course, he’s “compatible” with Lois after all they are both reporters.
2) So, because Superman would be with a woman who no longer fits the role of damsel in distress is a bad thing? It is sad that you think so little of the character.
3) Of course, Lois Lane, the reporter, writing an article about Superman her love interest is “not” a conflict of interest.
Great counter-points, everyone! Thanks for commenting — and the only point I’d like to counter in turn is my thinking little of Superman’s character. On the contrary, since his relationship is on the meta-level now, I’d hate to see Clark Kent get lost in the mix, and it’s that duality that makes Supes the greatest hero of all. He was really the first to adopt a MEEK secret identity, which ironically betrays a strength of WILL, and with one less element tying Supes to life on the ground, I hope we don’t lose what makes him so great. When you think about romance in comics, only Superman and Spider-man have REALLY tried to have longterm relationships outside of the superhero community, and that’s what makes them human — and for me, at least, fun to read.
Superman and Wonder Woman are good together, though I think they will eventually have Superman returned to Lois eventually.
It isnt Lois “vulnerability” that keeps Superman around, its her wit and out spoken personality that keeps him on his toes. She has the ability to lift up or crush the Man of Steel without lifting a finger.
LOis is already IN a relationship with a man named Jonathon Carrol, so would you rather have Clark just pine away at her from afar like in Superman Returns?
I totally agree, I don’t really understand why people like the couple this much. I feel that DC is just making bad decisions latley, killing off harley quinn, making another superman movie will a different actor cause he’s gay, waiting for the wonderwoman movie, and not letting batwoman get married + more weird things. Personally Harley Quinn is my fav char, but I rather her die, no wonderwoman movie at all, and making more bad movies for aslong as possible than for DC to put Superman and Wonderwoman together. Maybe the comic gods will listen and kill off the “Superman/Wonderwoman” comic series+their romantic relationship.