Source: Action Comics #274 (1961)
Type: Robot
So there's this Silver Age story in which a Superman robot goes above and beyond the call of duty to be a dick to Lois Lane, and it goes a little like this...
Superman comes to her and tells her about his superscientific plan to rid himself of his weakness to kryptonite. Smelling a scoop, she accompanies him to the Fortress of Solitude to bear witness and help. This plan requires both of them to wear metal electrode helmets and think positive thoughts at a chunk of green kryptonite. Well, it doesn't work and the experiment blows up, ridding Superman of his powers permanently. But maybe he can still make lemonade out of those lemons:
That's right! Superman II taught us that a non-super Superman CAN get married. But wait!
Oh nohs! Lois is the girl who left me for a guy with a cooler car! To be fair, Unsuperman is really pathetic, bemoaning his situation and walking around all slumped forward and emo. Lois' plan? To date "other attractive men" to see if she can be lured away from the Man of Sap. For surely, if it's love, she won't kiss others on the first date!
Oops! Do hands count? After a couple of unsuccessful dates (not all with Maharajahs), Lois goes home and discover SHE now has super-powers.
Taking up Superman's slack, she dons the Superwoman costume she got in her own magazine the year before and does all the Supermanly things Superman would normally do. Superman's depression escalates when Lois uses HIS old excuse not to marry him. Her enemies will just put him in constant danger to get to her. He collapses and that's when the REAL Superman shows up (back from space, of course) and all is revealed. Seems like Superman Robot Z decided to prove whether Lois Lane really loved Superman or if she was just in love with the fame and powers. So he invented a way to give her powers temporarily and well, we know how it worked out.
Hahaha. Superman tells her she was right to question the match and that it would never work between an unsuper-person and a super-person, and ooooh, she's so glad he's so understanding. SUCKERED! Don't tell me that robot wasn't programmed for this!
Type: Robot
So there's this Silver Age story in which a Superman robot goes above and beyond the call of duty to be a dick to Lois Lane, and it goes a little like this...Superman comes to her and tells her about his superscientific plan to rid himself of his weakness to kryptonite. Smelling a scoop, she accompanies him to the Fortress of Solitude to bear witness and help. This plan requires both of them to wear metal electrode helmets and think positive thoughts at a chunk of green kryptonite. Well, it doesn't work and the experiment blows up, ridding Superman of his powers permanently. But maybe he can still make lemonade out of those lemons:
That's right! Superman II taught us that a non-super Superman CAN get married. But wait!
Oh nohs! Lois is the girl who left me for a guy with a cooler car! To be fair, Unsuperman is really pathetic, bemoaning his situation and walking around all slumped forward and emo. Lois' plan? To date "other attractive men" to see if she can be lured away from the Man of Sap. For surely, if it's love, she won't kiss others on the first date!
Oops! Do hands count? After a couple of unsuccessful dates (not all with Maharajahs), Lois goes home and discover SHE now has super-powers.
Taking up Superman's slack, she dons the Superwoman costume she got in her own magazine the year before and does all the Supermanly things Superman would normally do. Superman's depression escalates when Lois uses HIS old excuse not to marry him. Her enemies will just put him in constant danger to get to her. He collapses and that's when the REAL Superman shows up (back from space, of course) and all is revealed. Seems like Superman Robot Z decided to prove whether Lois Lane really loved Superman or if she was just in love with the fame and powers. So he invented a way to give her powers temporarily and well, we know how it worked out.
Hahaha. Superman tells her she was right to question the match and that it would never work between an unsuper-person and a super-person, and ooooh, she's so glad he's so understanding. SUCKERED! Don't tell me that robot wasn't programmed for this!
Comments
Maybe it made more sense for other heroes. But since Clark Kent's circle of friends was 100% identical to Superman's circle of friends, it seems unlikely that the secret identity/"I can't marry you" was actually protecting anyone...