Lois Lane Knows Superman Can Never Actually Die (And Shes Right)

Superman always risks it all when saving the world or fighting terrible foes from beyond the stars, but Lois Lane knows what many comic book readers have known for decades now: Superman cannot die. In Action Comics 1030, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Daniel Sampere and colors by Adriand Lucas, Lois and Superman share a moment in the face of Clark Kent's uncertain future. Clark doesn't want Lois to be nervous - and fortunately, she isn't.

Superman is in trouble at the beginning of Action Comics 1030. After running through a training program overseen by Batman, it's clear that Superman's speed and strength are not at their usual power level. Batman and the Atom disagree on the prognosis (Batman, as always, has a prepare-for-the-worst outlook), but there's no denying that Superman is weaker than before. After Superman swears his friends to secrecy, Clark flies to Lois, studying Kryptonian history in the Fortress of Solitude.

Lois is fully aware of Clark's steady de-powering. Still, despite Batman's figures, she isn't worried, and Clark notices. "Smallville," she begins. "If I actually thought you were going to die, I'd never be okay again. But I've been here so, so many times. Even actual death didn't kill you. Whatever's going on with your powers, you'll beat it like you beat everything else. You're the only constant in any universe." Lois and Clark embrace, culminating in a kiss. As one of the perennial love interests in comics, Lois Lane has seen Superman at his strongest and weakest. After  Superman and Lois's shared history together, it's no wonder she's less worried than Clark; she's seen him get up from much, much worse situations.

Lois isn't kidding when she mentions she's been through this before. Superman has faced death time and time again, but in this case, Lois is most likely referring to the famous Death of Superman storyline of 1992, which remains the very first time that Superman has canonically died. He returned after a year (he was placed into an extended state of hibernation), but the shock was real, for both Lois and readers. But perhaps there is another reason why Lois believes Superman cannot die: Superman has been observed to survive until the very heat death of the universe, as seen in Immortal Wonder Woman #2. However, just because Clark cannot die doesn't mean the two will stay together - Superman is constantly captured, imprisoned by higher beings, and memorably during the events of Future State, trapped on Warworld and forced to fight in gladiatorial combat.

Jonathan Kent's story, related to Damian Wayne in the same issue, may prove ominous for Lois and Clark: he mentions a rumor concerning a Kryptonian ship that took his father away before his death - just before the recorded history of Superman abruptly ends. Indeed, Superman hears an ancient Kryptonian prayer coming from one of the vessels at the end of the issue. While it's true that Superman does not die easy, it's possible that in the future, distance can separate Lois Lane and Clark Kent when death could not.