When plans to reboot the Superman franchise were announced by Warner Bros., questions were raised about who would get cast in the iconic parts of Clark Kent/Superman and his onscreen love interest, Lois Lane. When relatively unknown British actor Henry Cavill and Oscar nominee Amy Adams were announced, people began to instantly compare them to duos from the previous two Superman franchises. This chatter was hardly fair, since nobody had seen Cavill and Adams in action yet. Now that "Man of Steel" is out, a fair comparison can be made.
The original "Superman," released in 1978, starred Christopher Reeve in the lead role as Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent, while Margot Kidder took on the role of newspaper reporter Lois Lane. The two would go on to star together in "Superman II," "Superman III," and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace." This couple easily has the most scenes to compare to the other two duos, which each only have one film together so far. However, since Warner Bros. has already given the green light to a "Man of Steel" sequel, Cavill and Adams could eventually get as much screen time together as Reeve and Kidder.
Reeve and Kidder shared a fun chemistry together from the minute Kidder's Lois meets Clark, who is harboring the big secret that he is actually Superman. They work together in the newsroom to try and break stories, with the more conservative and cautious Kent working as a great foil for the more excitable Lane, who will do most anything to get a big scoop, even when it puts her in harm's way. Their chemistry doesn't become romantic until after the first time Clark has to become Superman to save Lois. She doesn't know that Clark and Superman are one and the same, so the romantic connection only comes into play when he goes into superhero mode. When he is still meek newspaper worker Clark, their platonic chemistry is still in play.
The dual chemistry displayed by Reeve and Kidder is a far cry from what Superman and Lois have in "Superman Returns," a 2006 sequel/reboot from director Bryan Singer, because the plot keeps the two separated for quite a bit of the movie. Superman (Brandon Routh) has been gone for five years because he has been traveling to an area where astronauts thought they might have found some of the remains of Krypton. After a fruitless search, he returns to Metropolis to find that Lois (Kate Bosworth) has given birth to a son by her fiancé Richard White (James Marsden), whose Uncle Perry runs the "Daily Planet." The two don't have much time together in comparison to Reeve and Kidder, but when they do share the screen, their affection for each other is obvious.
In " Man of Steel," Cavill and Adams play a slightly different version of Clark/Superman and Lois. Metropolis and the newsroom where the pair got to know each other so well in the original "Superman" is gone in favor of a story in which the pair actually meet in the Fortress of Solitude, the place where Superman can communicate with his dead father Jor-El (Russell Crowe). At first, their chemistry is more the result of mutual curiosity and respect than of romance. As the film progresses, they begin to form a bond that eventually manifests itself into potential love. By the end of the film, Lois, who is much tougher and more strong-willed than the previous versions of the character, comforts Superman in his time of need. She is clearly a romantic interest and a caretaker while still being a strong career woman. These two are a modern-day power couple whose personalities have been updated from the comic books just enough to make them believable in today's world.
In the end, comparing all three couples is really about personal taste. While some may prefer the Reeve-Kidder combo for nostalgic reasons, others might prefer the short-lived Routh-Bosworth combo because "Superman Returns" is a bit further along in their storyline. Others still might like the updated version that the Cavill-Adams duo play. Regardless, fans of Superman will have much more material to compare Cavill and Adams to the other two after "Man of Steel 2" is released. Though rumors persist that the film could be released as early as 2014, Warner Bros. has not made that official yet. No matter when it's released, fans can likely look forward to a deeper look into Superman and Lois, who already knows his big secret.