If anyone asked you to name the most difficult role to write in the Superman canon, you'd more than likely respond Lois Lane, as opposed to any other role in the series. The balance between having the intrepid reporter act as a comparatively helpless love interest, as well as an independent and brave career woman, is a hard one to strike. Yet when it comes to the material being written for Amy Adams' portrayal in the DC Cinematic Universe, no one is more critical than Margot Kidder herself.
Kidder too some time to speak with the good folks at HeyUGuys, and during their conversation the topic of the modern Lois Lane came up quite organically. And it's a good thing too, because the actor's words about how the character is being treated today should be taken as a wake-up call to those who write her in all future endeavors. Margot Kidder's opinion on Lois Lane in the current DC Universe is, basically, the following:
They took one of the best American actresses' around, Amy Adams, and didn't give her anything to do! I mean, how stupid is that? They made her what used to be the girlfriend, which kind of ended in the 60s with women's rights.
While Man of Steel was at least somewhat kinder in its portrayal of the expert reporter, who just happens to also be Superman / Clark Kent's love interest, the sum total of Lois' role in the Zack Snyder variant is basically to be a weakness for Superman, and that's pretty much it. She still gets some choice moments here and there, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the woman who starts the film with a quip about winning a dick measuring contest finds herself back to stock dialogue about "the first kiss" once the film has concluded.
Of course, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice does the character of Lois Lane even fewer favors, and serves as further reason as to why Warner Bros and DC are having problems with producing films that their fans can truly get behind. Yet if you go back to the Richard Donner incarnation of the character, when Margot Kidder was still playing Lois Lane, there's a very similar sort of drop between 1978's Superman: The Movie and 1980's Superman II. But even with Lois going from independent reporter to a victim of Superman's powers, all thanks to him erasing one crucial moment from her mind, Kidder's portrayal still did something richer with the role than is being done now.
This is, of course, not any fault of Amy Adams'. As even Margot Kidder herself suggests, Adams is an actor whose professionalism and talent help elevate the material she's given. So while the material may be weaker than normal, it's no fault of the Academy Award nominated actor playing the role. Thankfully, while Lois Lane's future appearances in the DC Cinematic Universe aren't guaranteed to improve upon her station in the sandbox that Warner Bros and DC Comics are playing in, there's no shortage of strong material for Amy Adams to jump on board of.
We'll be seeing Adams next in Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, which is due in theaters on November 11th, and looks infinitely stronger than both current Superman films combined.
