If there’s anything fans love about comics it’s debating the biggest questions surrounding their favorite heroes: What would happen if Galactus ate Darkseid’s planet Apokolips? Can Spider-Man enjoy a horror movie with his spider-sense? And if you cut off Wolverine’s head, would he regrow a new body, or would his body regrow a new head? But the biggest question we’ve all wondered about, of course, is how Superman’s sexual partners withstand a night with him.
Sure, we know Lois and Clark Kent have been getting it on for years, so clearly he can play it safe. But it may surprise you to learn that Ms. Lane is hardly the only woman to hit the sack with Superman and live to tell the tale. In fact, for the so-called “Big Blue Boy Scout,” Superman has had more sex partners than you’d expect, from high school sweethearts to fellow Justice Leaguers and even sexy cosmic tyrants. Ever wonder who got handled by Superman and how they got out alive? Wonder no more, because this is a list of people who slept with Superman — and survived.
Lois Lane
Forever Superman’s one true love, Lois Lane has been married to Superman for decades — in the comics, on TV, at the movies, and in just about every medium the characters have appeared. And Lois must be one heck of a lover and partner, because in just about every reality they are getting busy. But unlike so many other women that Superman has spent the night with, Lois Lane has no powers and thus, you might imagine she’d never survive a roll in the hay with him.
While super-villains like Darkseid have survived repeated poundings from the Man of Steel, so has Lois. Although there have been many strange things about Superman and Lois’ relationship, the fact that she wakes up each morning without a scratch says that Clark can be a tender lover who keeps his partners safe in the sack. Not only that, but they’re a genetic match too: Lois has provided Supes with children through natural means, proof that his bodily fluids don’t kill. There was also a very unsubtle moment some years back when she apparently praised his privates with a “steel” euphemism.
Regardless of any danger, though, the really amazing thing is that she’s been able to carry his children without them destroying her from inside her womb … oh wait, they did: She was murdered by her own fetus in an alternate timeline (which remains one of the most terrible things Superman has ever done).
Lana Lang
Lois Lane may be Superman’s wife, but it was Lana Lang who was Clark Kent’s first real relationship with an Earth girl. So whenever Hollywood wants to explore Superman’s early days they usually show him involved with Lang, who met Clark growing up in Smallville. Because they were teenagers when they were together, their sexual involvement was typically implied rather than shown, but it was more explicit in the long-running “Smallville” TV series.
In hindsight, it’s remarkable that Clark didn’t kill her by mistake in bed; he was just getting used to his powers when they were together, and often couldn’t control them. Either way, Clark wasn’t the only Superman Lana hooked up with. In the comics, Lana was also involved with replacement Superman John Henry Irons, aka Steel, and the two eventually married. Because Irons was a mere mortal, she probably had a lot less to worry about when getting down and dirty — unless, that is, they preferred costumed roleplay, because Steel’s massive power hammer could do some real damage.
Wonder Woman
Out of DC’s entire pantheon, Wonder Woman might be the only superhero that, at least on paper, makes an ideal sexual partner for Superman. For starters, she’s a hero whose powers make her Kal-El’s equal; also, her immortal status means he won’t out-age her, and they’ve had a close personal relationship for decades. She’s a popular choice among fans who’d rather Clark have hanky panky with a hero, and DC seems to have listened because the pair been making whoopie for years in the comics.
Often openly flirtatious — especially back in the Golden and Silver Age, but even after his marriage to Lois Lane — Superman and Wonder Woman are most clearly sexually involved in Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight” universe and Kurt Busiek’s “Kingdom Come.” In both stories, Superman fathers children with Princess Diana, so we know she can handle a night with him (not everyone around them can, though, as their literally earth-shaking sex inadvertently kills countless civilians in one of the most disturbing moments in DC history).
Unlike his love life with the likes of Lois and Lana, Wonder Woman’s powers also mean Clark can probably show off his super stamina for many hours — or even days — on end. Hopefully, nobody interrupts them with an intergalactic emergency.
Cat Grant
First appearing in “The Adventures of Superman“ #424 in the late ’80s, Cat Grant was introduced as the resident gossip columnist for the Daily Planet. Having recently been rebooted post-Crisis, Superman wasn’t yet in a relationship with Lois, so it wasn’t all that odd that Grant was constantly flirting with her coworker Clark Kent. Openly attracted to the superhero-in-disguise, Grant wasn’t shy about making her interest known, pursuing him pretty aggressively. On at least one occasion we can safely say that she did get “Clarkie’s” pants off (even if she didn’t know he was Superman).
It happened in an issue penned by John Byrne, when Lois drops by Clark’s apartment. To Lois’ surprise and embarrassment, it’s not Clark but Cat who answers the door — in her underwear (or at least something skimpy enough to resemble underwear). To make things more obvious, she notes that Clark is in the shower, and after Lois leaves, we see Clark getting dressed in front of Grant, a pretty obvious sign they got it on and the shower was to wash up after super sex.
Another ordinary human, Grant got lucky in more ways than one by surviving a night with the steeliest hero in the city. Oddly enough, even after seeing him without glasses (or clothes), she still never put it together that he was also Superman — something she clearly got wrong about Clark Kent.
Big Barda
Hailing from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World comics, Big Barda is a cosmic hero who might be the next best lover for Superman after Wonder Woman. The only problem is that Barda is married to fellow Fourth Worlder Scott Free — aka Mr. Miracle. So how the heck did the two sleep together? Well, it happened as part of one of the strangest stories in Superman history: The one where Superman was brainwashed into making pornos. Not a joke.
It’s a rather complicated story, occurring in “Action Comics” #593, by the same John Byrne that got Supes bumping uglies with Cat Grant. But it boils down to this: A minion of Darkseid named Sleez mind-controls Barda into making sexually explicit movies (Byrne doesn’t even try to hide how far into the gutter his mind can go with this one, with the villain “Sleez” living in the sewer).
Eventually, Superman comes under Sleez’s influence too, of course. And while we don’t see the sex tape they make together, Superman and Barda both acknowledge at the end of the issue that they rode the F-train… probably more than once. Thankfully, Barda is as tough as they come, and probably had no trouble taking on Superman repeatedly.
Supergirl
When it comes to big name superheroes who’ve spent a lively night with Superman, none can match the strangeness of Supergirl (who has a seriously insane history). Yes, Supergirl, the hero who is famously Kal-El’s cousin — except that the Supergirl who shook the sheets with Superman wasn’t Kara Zor-El, but Linda Danvers, a new version introduced in the ’90s by writer Peter David.
This version of the character travels into the past of another Earth and becomes the official Supergirl there. While on Earth-One in the past, Danvers develops feelings for that world’s Kal-El, and as it turns out, Superman shares her affection — even though he thinks she’s his cousin. He does admit to knowing that she isn’t really his world’s Supergirl, but it’s all a bit odd. Though we don’t actually see the pair have sex, they do fall in love, get married, and have a child.
Of course, even stranger is that during the Silver Age, Superman and Supergirl — the cousin versions of the characters — openly expressed romantic interest in each other more than once. Supergirl even tried to marry him. Maybe the 1964 Elvis tune “Kissin’ Cousins” was based on these super-powered relatives.
Lola-La
It takes a lot for Superman to break his vows to Lois, and in at least one case it took total memory loss. The year was 1991, and while Superman and Lois weren’t yet married they were in a monogamous relationship at this point. But Clark didn’t know about any of that after he got lost on an island full of dinosaurs and primitive cave-dwelling humans with no memory of who he was.
On this island, Superman meets Lola-La, a tempting cavewoman whose father leads their tribe. Seeking to take him as a mate, Lola-La draws the ire of her father, who squares off with an amnesiac Superman in a contest of strength. After proving himself the strongest, Superman is taken back to a quiet cave where Lola-La gives him a serious straddling. Sure, Superman says they should stop before things go any further, but the story abruptly cuts to some time later when the pair are leaving the cave hand in hand.
Not necessarily the strangest sexual pairing for Superman, it’s still a scary one to ponder. Because when you think about it, a Superman with no identity — but still possessing all his powers — could have easily squished Lola-La like a bug. She must have been a top.
Lori Lemaris
Superman has slept with many different kinds of people — ordinary women, superheroes, and several aliens. But the strangest partner on his “doin’ it” dance card has to be Lori Lemaris … an honest-to-goodness mermaid. We’d say the ’50s were the weirdest time for comics, but the ’90s had him getting nookie from a Neanderthal.
The sexploits happen off-panel in “Superman” #129, when in a flashback story to Clark Kent’s days at Metropolis University he meets Lemaris, a fellow student. We may not see them hook up, but this is a kid’s comic after all — and that’s the kind of thing probably best left unseen. It turns out that Lemaris is actually a mermaid playing human, and the two wind up in a pretty serious romance. Plus Lemaris isn’t just a mermaid, but a telepathic mermaid, and she knows Clark is Superman. When she reveals the truth about her biology, knowing she eventually has to lose her legs and return to the sea, she breaks young Clark’s super heart.
Lyla Lerrol
So does every lover in Superman’s little black book have the initials “L.L.”? Makes you wonder if Lex Luthor ever slept with him. Well, Supes may not have boinked his arch-nemesis, but he did do the nasty with Lyla Lerrol, an “L.L.” whose name is definitely not a typo. But her weird name makes a little more sense because she’s Kryptonian, and unlike Linda Danvers she’s not related to Superman, nor pretending to be.
This time the kinky Kryptonian in question is actually from the past on Krypton, where Superman finds himself in “Superman” #141″ after accidentally flying too fast (really). Stuck on Krypton not long before it explodes, Superman shacks up with the beautiful Lyla Lerrol, a famous actor who is making a science fiction movie called “The Space Explorers” (also really). Superman even jokes that her initials must be “L.L.” and compares her favorably to Lois Lane and Lori Lemaris.
Eventually, Clark and Lyla “discover the wonders of love.” Of course, on Krypton neither have powers, so there’s never any risk of physical injury unless one of them is into impact play. But the creepiest thing is that he knows she’s about to die, with Krypton’s destruction imminent.
Lashina and the Female Furies
Moving from comics to cartoons, it’s rare that we get much sex in “Superman: The Animated Series” but it is implied pretty strongly at times. As it happens, Lois isn’t the only woman Superman is involved with on the show, as Clark has a wild time on Apokolips in the epic two-part episode “Legacy,” one of the best episodes of the series.
Once again, Superman finds himself in bed with another woman due to brainwashing, as he’s mind-controlled by the forces of Darkseid into becoming one of his minions. But not only is he the right-hand man of Darkseid, this evil version of Superman also appears to be a sex toy for the Female Furies — including Lashina, Stompa, and Mad Harriet. We even get a scene where the evil Superman and Lashina are enjoying a morning in bed together, and she even refers to him bluntly as “lover.”
As denizens of Apokolips, the Female Furies can hold their own against Superman physically. But in a four-on-one situation, we might have to worry about Superman this time.
Maxima
A hard-bodied hero with a square jaw, strong morals, and a good relationship with his mother? It’s remarkable that more women aren’t throwing themselves at both Clark Kent and Superman. Well, a few have, and Maxima is one of them. It all went down in “Action Comics” #651, in the same alternate timeline where Lois Lane is killed by a kick from her unborn baby. Yeah, it starts weird and gets weirder.
Mourning Lois’ death, Superman escapes to space, where he runs into Maxima. An interstellar warrior despot who needs a genetically compatible mate to produce a suitable heir, Maxima is determined to get boned by Superman. After a trial by combat and some psychological manipulation, she seems to get just that: we see them kiss, then we cut to later that night as Superman looks out from her balcony while putting on his cape — the universal cue that they’ve just finished the horizontal mambo.
Interestingly, Maxima’s entire story in “Action Comics” #651 is about how Superman has never found love with a woman on his own power level. Maxima convinces him she’s more his speed than a mere human, and even Superman admits that he’s always had to “hold back” with Lois. Watch out, Maxima — you might want to establish a safe word.
Beautiful Dreamer
Boy, those Fourth World women really do have Superman’s number, don’t they? First Big Barda, then the Female Furies. But they aren’t the only ones to get Superman into bed. Because there’s also the awkwardly named Beautiful Dreamer, a New God who doesn’t sleep with Superman in the here and now, but in the far-flung future of the 23rd century.
Dreamer and Superman get together in the John Byrne-penned “Superman and Batman: Generations 3,” a series that takes a real-world approach by showing how the characters might exist if they aged along with the rest of us. In one issue we meet Superman in the 23rd century: Lois is long gone, and Dreamer is his wife. As a New God, she shouldn’t have any fear that Superman’s foot fetish might result in a broken ankle, and as an immortals, they have as much time as they need to explore every position imaginable. Of course, it also means that things in the bedroom will inevitably get stale, given a few centuries.
Jay Nakamura
In recent years the title of Superman was taken by Clark’s son Jon Kent, who after adventuring as Superboy took his father’s moniker while his dad was off in space. Even as a young man, Jon has to accept that he is a potential danger to those closest to him — in other words, the people who share his bed. But he finds love in Jay Nakamura, a young journalist, social activist, and secret superhero.
Jon and Jay meet on the campus of Metropolis College, where Jon is forced to reveal his secret identity in order to stop a school shooter. Not long after, Jay inadvertently reveals his own superhuman status to Jon, and before long the two are a couple. As a pair of powered individuals, they probably don’t need to worry too much about surviving a night together, though Jay may want to be careful not to upset his boyfriend’s dad.
Sadly, the danger of Jon and Jay’s relationship has surfaced in our very real world, from angry conservatives who can’t accept the existence of gay and bisexual people. Several creators and DC staff had to be given police protection after threats were made against them. Nevertheless, Jon and Jay’s love story earned DC Comics a GLAAD Award in 2023.
Miss Martian
Moving on to another Superboy, we have the case of Conner Kent, a clone of the original Superman. Conner is the version of the character most commonly depicted outside the comics, and he’s had quite a few sexual partners who have lived to brag about it. Most notable is his relationship with Miss Martian, which plays a major role in the animated series “Young Justice.”
Throughout the series, they go from friends to more-than-friends. And even though they’re teens whose sex lives aren’t depicted in the show, it’s clear thay they’re getting it on behind the scenes. They do wind up married, after all. Both are super-powered, so neither has to worry much about getting seriously injured while knocking superhero boots — though Conner should probably keep things from getting too hot considering the Martians’ aversion to fire.
Miss Martian didn’t just survive sex with Superboy, she thrived: So popular did their pairing prove in animation that DC Comics imported the idea into the comics, where they’d never been involved previously.