Superman: All 10 Lois Lane actresses ranked from worst to best

9. Amy Adams

Appeared in: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Amy Adams is truly one of the greatest actors of our generation. The fact that someone of her caliber was set to portray Lois Lane in Man of Steel and the DC Extended Universe should have been a much bigger deal than it actually was. Heck, the fact that she once had a minor role on Smallville a decade prior made it feel like the stars were aligning in the right places. Unfortunately, this sensational actress was let down by some pretty mediocre material.

We saw the beginnings of greatness in her performance as Lois in Man of Steel, and that felt right given that this was the beginning of her and Superman’s story. We saw that fierceness, that determination, and that brilliance that Lois Lane is renowned for, as she fought her way to the truth and delivered the stories we’re used to seeing Lois give us.

If we were ranking the DCEU Lois Lane based on just Man of Steel, she would have ranked higher. But subsequent movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League just didn’t know what to do with her and she felt like little more than a damsel in distress. We will say this, though, her chemistry with Henry Cavill’s Superman was off-the-charts, and we just wish we got a second Man of Steel movie to fully explore that, because they were great together.

Adams was better than the material she was given, and that’s a testament to her skills as a performer. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come together or allow her to become the definitive Lois Lane she was more than capable of being.