Lois Lane, long known as the Daily Planet’s star reporter and Superman’s stalwart partner, just stepped into an entirely new role: Superwoman. In the recently released Superwoman Special one-shot, DC finally gives us the full breakdown of how Lois gained Kryptonian powers, tying up lingering threads from the Absolute Power event. It’s personal, intense, and filled with heartfelt moments and major revelations. Here’s everything that went down, told with clarity, emotion, and a focus on Lois’s transformation.
A Writer’s Block and a Secret Burden
The story begins with Lois Lane sitting at her desk, struggling to write—ironically, about herself. Despite being the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet, the weight of becoming Superwoman has her creatively paralyzed. When Jimmy Olsen walks in and checks on her, it becomes clear she’s overwhelmed. Soon after, Kara (Supergirl) and Lana (Superwoman) stop by to invite her for a night out. While she declines, they jokingly ask if she wants to fight crime with them. Lois smirks—and just like that, we flash into a heroic double-page spread of the trio in action.
Later, they’re in Paris drinking Lois’s favorite coffee. As they sit atop the Eiffel Tower, Kara brings up Lois yelling in her office. Thanks to super-hearing, they heard everything. Lois confesses she’s conflicted. She never wanted to be the story—only to tell it. Now, with superpowers and an overwhelming sense of responsibility, she feels lost. Her creative block is rooted in identity confusion: if she can’t be the reporter, who is she?
Kara and Lana suggest she talk through her origin with them, just like she would pitch a story to Perry White. Lois agrees—and begins recounting how it all started.
The Fallout of Absolute Power
Lois flashes back to the events of Absolute Power, where Amanda Waller stole all metahuman powers using her super Amazo robots. While Superman and others stormed Waller’s base on Gamorra, Lois was back at the Planet, trying to retake control of the media Waller had manipulated. At a critical moment, Lois donned experimental LexCorp armor to assist Superman. As she flew to join the battle, the armor—still connected to Waller’s network—malfunctioned the moment the Amazos were destroyed.
The suit short-circuited, Lois blacked out, and fell from the sky.
When she awoke, the armor was gone, and she was back in her street clothes—on top of the Daily Planet. Confused and disoriented, she saw Jimmy Olsen and Silver Banshee (his new girlfriend) sharing a private moment. Lois, still unsure what had happened, left without revealing her reappearance—or how she got there.
Discovering Her Powers
In the present, Lois explains that Clark (Superman) theorized the armor had a failsafe that teleported her back to Metropolis. But before they could investigate further, he was pulled into the Phantom Zone. Left without answers, Lois returned to the Daily Planet and discovered something strange: while searching for a lost pen, she accidentally lifted a heavy couch over her head.
Something had changed.
She turned to Supercorp for help, specifically Mercy Graves. While Kara and Lana are surprised she trusted Mercy, Lois defends the choice—Mercy had risked her life during Waller’s attack to help civilians. Mercy ran tests and confirmed that Lois had powers, theorizing that her armor was still connected to the Amazo system at the time of the power redistribution. Lex’s armor, combined with the explosion of Amazos, may have accidentally funneled superpowers into Lois.
Lena Luthor added that Lois’s cells were supercharged, but it was unclear if she’d retain solar radiation the way Kryptonians do. Mercy advised her to avoid using the powers until they knew more—but of course, Lois didn’t listen.
A Hero Emerges
Not long after, Lois saved the chief of police from a gunfight. Bullets bounced off her. She stopped the criminals with ease. That moment confirmed her invulnerability. In the present, she shows Kara and Lana the bullet she keeps as a reminder: this life is dangerous.
Later, she waited to tell Clark her secret. When he returned home, she playfully revealed it—ripping open her shirt Superman-style to show the S-shield and flying in front of their balcony. Clark was stunned. “I have questions,” he said, as they embraced.
Together, they flew to the Justice League Watchtower, where Mr. Terrific, Ray Palmer (The Atom), and Ryan Choi confirmed that Lois had powers identical to Superman’s. But unlike others who temporarily borrowed powers before, Lois’s case was different. Hers might be temporary—or not. The big question: should she use these powers and risk burning them out?
For Lois, the answer was clear. She couldn’t stand on the sidelines. She needed to help.
Training With Superman
Lois trained under Superman himself, learning to use her powers—strength, flight, x-ray vision, frost breath. Eventually, she joined the Super-Family in battle, even fighting Brimstone alongside her son, Jon Kent. Jon, amazed, asked how long she’d had powers. Lois simply replied, “Still new,” as she punched Brimstone in the face.
The Real Reason Behind Writer’s Block
Back in the present, Kara tells Lois that her writer’s block comes from denying how much she enjoys having powers. Lois admits she feels guilty. She never asked for them, yet she loves being Superwoman. Kara and Lana welcome her to the club and fly off. Inspired, Lois returns to her office and types up her story at super speed, finally ready to own who she’s become.
Just as she finishes, she hears a cry for help—and races off into the night.
The Shocking Epilogue
But the story doesn’t end there.
In a chilling epilogue, Lena Luthor confronts Mercy, revealing they recovered Lois’s armor—and what they found changes everything. The armor, originally built by Lex, wasn’t just experimental—it was designed for space travel and was reaching out to deep space.
Why?
Because it was trying to connect with someone.
That someone turns out to be General Zod.
Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi discuss how powers were redistributed after the Amazos were destroyed. Superman-level powers are rare and carefully accounted for—and everyone with those powers still has them. Except now… Lois has them too. So whose powers did she get?
The final panel reveals General Zod, emerging from a mysterious spacecraft, as the chilling question is posed: “What happens when they find out she took them?”
Also Read: A Tale of Trust, Trauma, and Twists – Hush Part 2 (Batman #159)
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