4) He Centers Lois Lane In The Superman Story
Lois Lane, often called the First Lady of Comics, premiered in the same issue of Action Comics that Superman did, back in 1938. She has seen Superman through nearly every arc of his development, both in the comics and in most adaptations for film and TV.
However, Lois Lane often finds herself underserved by these narratives. As such, Snyder’s conviction in centering her in this version of the story remedies an all-too-common mistake. This mistake is that Lois is merely the love interest, and does not actively contribute to the thematic arc of a Superman story. People outside the narrative presume that she is a damsel in distress, there for Superman to save and kiss and nothing more.
By giving Lois her own plotline – the very plotline that brings down Lex – Zack Snyder lets us know that she is a force to be reckoned with in her own right. She defeats Luthor not through violent means, but through information – the very commodity he trades in. Beating Luthor at his own game puts her on his level. This, in turn, demonstrates that she is an equal partner to Superman, not just his love interest.
Additionally, Lois Lane embodies what Superman fights for and dies for. Her tenacity, her willingness to chase the truth, and to speak truth to power, and her faith are the best of humanity. She has already “join[ed] him in the sun,” and he is desperately in love with her. When he says that she is his world, he means it both literally and that she represents Earth, this world and species he has come to love.
And that love is worth dying for, as we see in the moments following. Lois Lane is the reason Superman can die for humanity – because she embodies what we can become. Lois is our potential, the Everyman beside the Superman, and in a story like this, we definitely need that Everyman character.
