Skip to main content

dc - How have Superman comics dealt with the Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex problem?


When I was a teen and Superman II came out, when Superman realized he and Lois were in love, he de-supered himself in the Fortress of Solitude so he could be with Lois. Right after he emerged from the crystal cage that drained his powers, the first thing he does is take Lois' hand and escort her to a conveniently placed bed that we had never seen there before. This implies it was necessary for him to lose his powers so he could have sex with Lois.


The problems involved in this situation are well covered in the wonderful essay by Larry Niven, Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.


But I also know that Superman has been in the comics for decades. A friend of mine once said, "Oh, he tells her who he is a lot, but he always makes her forget it again later."


So how have the comic books (since this is Superman's primary medium) handled this? Were there different ways it was handled, or was it always handled the same way? Have they literally kept Superman and Lois from having sex for decades? Or have there been times when they've ended up in bed together? How do they deal with the issues of the Man of Steel having sex with, and not killing, a woman of Kleenex?




Answer



In The Dark Knight Strikes Again Superman has the following exchange with his daughter Lara:



Lara: So what about sex?
Superman: Never with Terrans. They're too fragile.



Peter Sanderson speculates that "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" influenced that.



Apparently having read Larry Niven's "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex," Superman replies, "Never with Terrans. They're fragile." This may be the explanation of why Superman turned from Lois to Wonder Woman.




On the question of Superman having been in the comics for decades, like all comic heroes Superman get retconned occasionally to bring him to the the present time.


Outside the comics:


In Superman: Doomsday Superman and Lois having been in a romantic relationship for awhile. Since Superman clearly retains his powers, it is unclear how this is accomplished because of Lois' fragile human body.


In Smallville Season Seven Lana and Clark are struck by lightning and Lana gains some of Clark's powers for a short time. They take this opportunity to engage in some physical activity that normally wouldn't be afforded them.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Did Gandalf wear his Ring of Power throughout the trilogy?

After Gandalf discovered that Sauron was back and sent Frodo on his quest to Rivendell, did he continue to wear Narya (one of the Three Rings)? It seems like a huge risk to continue to wear it after the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths) started to try and reclaim the One Ring; if they managed to get the ring to Sauron, couldn't he be corrupted by his power? Whatever powers Narya bestows upon him couldn't possibly be worth the huge risk, could it? Answer When Sauron forged the one ring and put it on his finger, the other ring bearers were immediately aware of him and his intentions and removed their own rings. There is no reason why they couldn't merely do so again. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and preceived that he would be master of them, and of all they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," Silmarillion
Post a Comment
Read more