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 .