What Issues Does Lois Lane Discover Clark Kent's Secret Identity as Superman In?

[SuperCrab]

So, in the Pre-Crisis, Earth 2 Superman and Lois Lane are married. Yet, from reading a few of the first Action Comics from '38, and just general knowledge of the Superman mythos, I know that Lois spent some time being unaware that Clark Kent was really Superman.

The question is, when does each Lois Lane discover (or have it revealed to her) that mild-manner reporter Clark Kent is really Superman? I don't mean "fake" reveals that she forgets at the end of the story arc through some sort of plot device, I mean the ones that stick until the overall continuity changes.

We basically have four Supermen*, so:

1. 1938 Superman/Earth 2 Superman?
2. Pre-Crisis Earth 1 Superman?**
3. Post-Crisis Superman?
4. New52 Superman?

I can already answer the last one:

Lois can be seen putting two and two together in Superman (2011-2016) #40, when a battered Clark walks directly past televisions showing footage of Superman sustaining the same injuries in a battle (Which, by the way, was a tremendous final sequence and cliff-hanger.). Then in Superman (2011-2016) #42, she rips open Clark's shirt to reveal the iconic Superman shirt (Yes, the New52 suit is iconic, get off my back already. I like body armor and high-collars. We all have our own tastes. ).

I guess people can discuss when Lois discovers the truth in other continuities- Elseworlds, TV series, movies, etc., but that's just if people want to go there. My question is about the four main historical in-continuity Supermen from the comics who were also Clark Kent (Well, really I am only asking about the first three- I answered #4 already, since I knew it and thought it should be included in case someone googles this thread trying to find out where they can see each Lois learning the truth).

* For the purposes of this thread, I am assuming Post-Crisis Superman is Rebirth Superman, or at least that Rebirth Superman is half of Post-Crisis Superman, and that when Post-Crisis Lois discovers who Superman really is, it's also Rebirth Lois doing the discovering in a Post-Crisis Pre-Flashpoint comic. If Superman Reborn reveals differently, we can add that to the list, assuming it isn't settled in that same story arc (i.e. "I'm really a different Superman entirely, and here's when Lois Lane discovered I was also Clark Kent in this great flashback!" or "I'm actually now both New52 and Rebirth Superman merged together, so Lois discovered my identity twice- once in Post-Crisis and once in New52!" or whatever).

** Did Pre-Crisis Earth 1 Superman's Lois ever discover that he and Clark Kent were one and the same? Obviously, the first Superman did, because they married, Post-Crisis did, because they also married, and I read the issues where New52 Superman did for myself. I sort of assume that Pre-Crisis Earth 1 Lois found out, but, to be honest, I'm not sure of that.

[_Feely_]

Post-crisis was just a few years before The Death Of, I'm sure. Can't really remember cos I was about ten at the time.

Earth2 was during the 40th anniversary issues. IIRC, there was a mad amnesia story where Clark couldn't think of a lie to fool Lois with and he let the cat out the bag. Think they got married at the end of it too.

[Kuwagaton]

Earth 2 Lois discovers his identity while he is under a spell that makes him unaware, himself. He begins becoming his true self as Clark and they get married. When he is hit by gunfire, she finally figures it out. This happened in Action #484.

Soon after their engagement, post crisis Clark reveals his identity to Lois in Action #662.

Pre-crisis, Earth 1 Lois never finds out in official canon.

[SuperCrab]

Earth 2 Lois discovers his identity while he is under a spell that makes him unaware, himself. He begins becoming his true self as Clark and they get married. When he is hit by gunfire, she finally figures it out. This happened in Action #484.

Soon after their engagement, post crisis Clark reveals his identity to Lois in Action #662.

Pre-crisis, Earth 1 Lois never finds out in official canon.

Thanks!

[Kuwagaton]

No problem. Originally, Lois was supposed to find out during the actual golden age, in the K-Metal from Krypton story. But we can assume the powers that were abandoned the idea. The story was essentially lost to time, although some sites have recreated it from the existing material found. Kudos to Mark Waid for digging it up way back when.

[victorsage]

Golden Age Lois and Clark got together because a villain named "The Wizard" used a spell on Clark that made him forget he was Superman. From that moment on Clark started using his abilities as a reporter to bring down Metropolis major crime families, and brings down some corrupt officials. When people start complaining "Where has Superman gone?" Clark gives a speech about not needing Superman to make the world a better place, and that they need to make the world better on their own with or without Superman.

He's more direct with Lois, they start dating, Lois forgets about Superman and falls completely in love with Clark. They get married, and on their honeymoon Lois starts wondering about how strong Clark really is, and how he has so much stamina (insert your favorite sex joke here).


One night during their Honeymoon well Clark is sleeping, Lois tries cutting his hair with a pair of scissors and the scissors break. It's then she realize that Clark Kent is Superman. The next day Clark wakes up and Lois cries her eyes out. She tells Clark that she knows he is Superman even if he doesn't, and that they have to get a divorce because she can't have all of Superman to herself, and she can't be a "threat" to Superman by being a weakness to him. She then ask him to know that she will always love him, that she loves the real Clark Kent for who he is inside.

Before she leaves though Clark tells her he will have none of it, and that he loves her. If he really is Superman, then he can be her wife well also being the defender of the oppressed (may sound odd to us that this would be an issue, but in the Silver Age this was basically the excuse to why L&C couldn't get together, and was still the norm on Earth 1). Clark then renews his vows with Lois at his Citadel (Golden Age Superman's Fortress of Solitude) in a Kryptonian stye ceremony, so Lois would understand that she owns all of Clark, and that there wasn't a "real" difference between the two Kent "mask".



After that DC started publishing "Mr. and Mrs. Superman!" stories, set on Earth 2 where the couple fought criminals and galactic threats together in the spirit of the Golden Age stories. For example they were the real security when Bruce Wayne married Selina Kyle.



The marriage is suppose to take place sometime in the 50s, although the stories themselves were published in the Bronze Age. According to Google it happened in 1978 Action Comics Issue #484.

That's not the first time L&C were married by the way. They were married in the daily newspaper strips back in 1949, and stayed married until the mid 50s when the original Superman tv show was underdevelopment. It was then shown that the marriage was "a dream" Clark had been having, despite the fact it lasted years in the strips.

[SuperCrab]

Did Pre-Crisis Earth 1 and Earth 2 Supermen ever discuss that Earth 1 Superman continued to keep his identity secret from Lois and that Earth 2 Superman had married her? Did Earth 2 Superman being married to Lois give Earth 1 Superman any food for thought? I know there were crossovers, so Earth 1 Superman would have known that Earth 2 Superman and Earth 2 Lois Lane were married.

[victorsage]

Did Pre-Crisis Earth 1 and Earth 2 Supermen ever discuss that Earth 1 Superman continued to keep his identity secret from Lois and that Earth 2 Superman had married her? Did Earth 2 Superman being married to Lois give Earth 1 Superman any food for thought? I know there were crossovers, so Earth 1 Superman would have known that Earth 2 Superman and Earth 2 Lois Lane were married.

Multiple times. Earth 2 Clark keeps trying to tell his Earth 1 counterpart not to be afraid of his feelings. He even says he didn't really "become" Superman until he allowed his feelings for Lois to be public, and how important Lois is. Earth 1 Clark worried that Lois will become a pawn, then later when Earth 1 Lex Luthor travels to Earth 2 to cause some trouble it's Earth 2 Lois Lane who beats him up.

[KoriandrJean]

Thanks for posting all these great stories from the !940's and 1950's, showing that Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane can have a normal married life!

It reminds me of the great last seasons of the "Lois and Clark" show, where a married Lois and Clark found themselves fighting the great fight against evil - and becoming even better when they were together!

[Frontier]

Just recently got to read the Earth-2 marriage story and Post-Crisis Clark revealing his identity to Lois in the "Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years" book .

[stephtanner]

Thanks for posting all those scans, victorsage. The heart-to-heart convo between the 2 Supermen was great. Earth 2 Superman was so wise. I think Earth 1 Superman was a big dope for not listening to him.

The way Golden Age Lois found out the truth is my favorite version. In other media, I'd say Lois and Clark TV show and Smallville were really good, too. I haven't watched either show in quite a while, but I believe Lois connects the dots in Lois and Clark by recognizing that Supes caresses her face the same way Clark does, and in Smallville it was by recognizing the same way they kiss. Very romantic stuff. My major gripe about STAS is that Lois never found out. What a missed opportunity.

[Last Son of Krypton]

Post Crisis: AC #662 (1990)

[Frontier]

Thanks for posting all those scans, victorsage. The heart-to-heart convo between the 2 Supermen was great. Earth 2 Superman was so wise. I think Earth 1 Superman was a big dope for not listening to him.

The way Golden Age Lois found out the truth is my favorite version. In other media, I'd say Lois and Clark TV show and Smallville were really good, too. I haven't watched either show in quite a while, but I believe Lois connects the dots in Lois and Clark by recognizing that Supes caresses her face the same way Clark does, and in Smallville it was by recognizing the same way they kiss. Very romantic stuff. My major gripe about STAS is that Lois never found out. What a missed opportunity.

I actually think there was a DC mandate for JLU that they couldn't show Lois knowing Clark was Superman, which presumably would've come out during their picnic date in "Question Authority."

[Nelliebly]

I love these scans! Thank you so much for sharing them! I would like to show a little love for my favorite reveal from Smallville. I still get chills watching it. There are a few things that are amazing about this to me. For background, on Smallville, Clark Kent started to save people in secret in Metropolis and was eventually coined the "Blur" (because of his speed and because at the time he was hiding his face.)

After many years of friendship and fighting attraction to each other, Lois and Clark wound up working next to each other at the Daily Planet. Once they were working in the same place, the sparks between them that they had fought for years started to become harder and harder to deny. (Seriously, imo, Smallville had the hottest Lois and Clark ever when it came to just pure simmering attraction that just bubbled under the surface until it exploded. It was so so satisfying to watch.) However, the Triangle For 2 still played out in a genius way. As Lois and Clark fought their attraction to each other at work, Clark found that he took solace in speaking to Lois as "The Blur" over the phone. Lois, in turn, found herself drawn to the selfless hero who was saving the city and longed to devote herself to helping him and doing good for the city with him. However, Lois made it clear that it was Clark Kent that she loved and the "Blur" that she admired. Still with me??? LOL In the meantime, Clark, as the Blur, found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with Lois because when he called her as the Blur she opened up to him in ways that she hid from him when he was Clark Kent. It was seriously the most brilliant way to ever establish the Triangle for 2 because it didn't throw either of them under the bus and they were both deeply sympathetic. Clark was trying to protect Lois and in THIS story it made complete sense why because literally everyone around him who had learned his secret had been hurt in some way and he didn't want that to happen to her. Lois, for her part, was intensely in love with Clark but he was openly pushing her away sometimes as Clark and more open with her as the Blur. So they were both intensely sympathetic and no one was the "bad guy" in this triangle.

Anyway, finally, in the Season 9 finale, Clark thought he was going to have to leave Earth forever to save both humans and the Krytonians. But, before he went to go sacrifice himself (in what turned out to be one of the BEST fights ever with General Zod in media) and die for humanity...he kissed Lois as the Blur. And she knew from his kiss that it was Clark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmAamxmX4s

Of course, Lois didn't tell Clark that she knew right away. She waited for him to tell HER when he was ready in what became one of the best and greatest "secret reveals" in all of Superman media. His speech is incredible and is so "Superman" in that he tells her point blank that he KNOWS that they are risking everything for love but that love is worth that risk because fear cannot decide his life anymore. Her reaction to the reveal "what took you so long?" after she literally jumps on top of him is incredible. If you have never seen this....do yourself a favor a watch it. Also worth noting that Lois is the first and only person in the 10 year series that Clark ever willingly told without being forced to reveal himself. She waited for him to open up....and he did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCqcyuWvH10

[Nelliebly]

Here is the moment from "Lois and Clark." Also very emotional and moving. Lois is willing to die to save Clark's parents. Before she closes her eyes, Lois tells Superman that "if anything happens...tell Clark that I love him." Superman tells Lois that Clark knows....but he will tell him. Are you crying yet????

Superman is so moved by her bravery that he reaches out to stroke her face...the same way that Clark has earlier.

Lois opens her eyes and all becomes clear. She keeps it to herself though.....for a bit.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtLyauT3I0


Lois almost dies trying to save Clark's parents and they survive because of her bravery. Clark is so overcome with love for her that he stuns her with a proposal. To which she asks the famous question: "Who's asking? Clark? Or Superman?"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R7mQ8cvuFBw

Supercrab, I know this isn't what you asked for but I hope you enjoy these videos nonetheless!