Superman is now on HBO Max, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve already streamed it (maybe even more than once). That’s after I saw it numerous times in the theater. If you haven’t noticed, Superman is a movie that rewards rewatches. There’s just so much to unpack, and I’m still catching new things every time I watch it.
One scene that has stuck out to me with every viewing is the interview scene in Lois’s apartment. It just tells us so much about who Superman and Lois are as characters and does a lot of worldbuilding for this new DC Universe. It’s a nine-minute sequence of two people having a conversation in a fairly dark apartment. There is no superhero action or fantastical set pieces, yet it’s one of the most fascinating and important moments of the film.
If you’ve seen the movie, then you already know how it plays out, but indulge me for a bit while I walk you through it, because I have some observations.
We begin with Lois walking into her apartment to find Clark making her a surprise anniversary dinner. Lois questions what he’s doing there, which paints us a picture of how they both view their relationship. They’re not one of those couples where one partner can drop by the other partner’s house unannounced without anyone raising an eyebrow. However, Clark sees it differently. Right away, this tells us that they’re not entirely in sync in how they view their relationship, which is fair because they’ve only been together for three months.
It's backed up by Clark’s next statement, when he tells her he’s made her favorite meal, breakfast for dinner. Lois replies that Clark is the one who loves breakfast for dinner, while she’s strictly a “breakfast for breakfast” person. It’s a small miscommunication, but in some ways, it foreshadows how the rest of the night will go.
The two then share a passionate kiss, which is interrupted by talks of ethics in journalism. Clark keeps leaning in, trying to continue the kiss, while Lois keeps interrupting to talk about the ethics of Clark interviewing himself as Superman. This is classic Lois Lane. When she’s in journalism mode, she is like a runaway train that you can’t stop.
By the way, I don’t know if this was intentional on James Gunn’s part, but when Clark agrees to let Lois interview him as Superman, the camera focuses on two pieces of bread being placed into the toaster. I’m probably reaching here, but could this be a subliminal way of telling us that Clark is toast?
Once the interview offer is out there, Lois can’t wait. The anniversary dinner is virtually forgotten, and once again, we see that Clark and Lois aren’t in sync. He playfully calls her “Cronkite” and believes he’ll get special treatment, but Lois doesn’t see this as a game.
I don’t envy James Gunn here, because this was probably one of the trickiest parts of the script to write. It would be easy to make this a black and white issue where one character is right and the other character is wrong, but real life doesn’t always work that way. Instead, the interview is filled with nuance, and both Clark and Lois have good points.
One of the things I love about this sequence is the way it gets to the heart of Lois’s relationship with Superman over the years. She’s the one who grounds him, who gets him to see the bigger picture. Lois is the one who holds him accountable, and the one who asks him the hard questions. This scene absolutely understands their relationship.
Does Lois go too far and get too aggressive with her questions? I honestly can’t say. You can’t tell Superman to ignore lives in danger, and you can’t tell Lois to give anything less than 100 percent when it comes to journalism. These are dealbreakers for both of them, and those ideals collide here.
“People were going to die!” Clark emotionally responds at one point, getting to the core of who Superman is. The question of ethics and political ramifications doesn’t matter to him if lives are on the line. Superman saves people above all else.
We get ten seconds of silence after Clark’s emotional response (yes, I timed it), and I would give almost anything to know what was going through Lois’s head at that moment. Was she worried she had gone too far?
Ultimately, Clark gets uncomfortable with Lois’s line of questioning and says he’s leaving. “This is what you do every time you’re faced with conflict,” Lois responds. “You get mad, you pout, and then you pretend that nothing is wrong.” It tells us that this isn’t their first argument.
As Clark leaves, Lois says, “I told you I wasn’t good at relationships.” She doesn’t blame him for walking out, but she blames herself for letting her journalistic instincts get in the way of what was supposed to be a romantic night.
I was hoping that Clark would step away from the door and comfort her. Instead, he leaves. This broke my heart. I can’t imagine Clark doing this in the comics or the recently concluded Superman & Lois TV series. Then I realized, that’s the point. Those versions of Clark had been with Lois for years. They had grown and matured as a couple together.
Superman’s Lois and Clark are new at their relationship and are still trying to find the right balance. That’s one of the things that make their romance feel so real. Clark leaving was a real moment. Lois’s insecurity was a real moment. It’s also one of the things that makes their passionate kiss during the film’s finale so emotionally satisfying.
During an interview with Josh Horowitz, James Gunn called this scene the biggest risk he took in the movie. Mr. Gunn, not only did the risk pay off, but I believe it was the most important scene of the entire film. It gets right to the heart of who Superman and Lois are, without them ever leaving that apartment.
Superman, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, is now streaming on HBO Max.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
