Like Reeve’s Superman, Kidder’s Lois is the OG to me. She’s smart and tenacious, but she (a professional writer) can’t spell. She’s a pretty woman, but she walks with an unladylike hunch. She’s a flawed human being, which makes her interesting. She also feels like she really lives in Metropolis, like she’s a city girl.
Let me warn you now: in my opinion no one will portray Lois like Kidder did.
We get the sense that Lois pursues difficult stories because she likes the battle. She’s not writing about crime because the public has a right to know; she’s writing because she has an aggressive streak. She’s a fighter who wants to win with her words.
This Lois is an Eight. Like a Nine Superman, an Eight Lois is a highly predictable storytelling choice. Make her a girlboss (even though Kidder’s portrayal is way before that became a female character trope). This Eight succeeds because of what I mentioned earlier: Lois is flawed. She’s tough but not perfect.
As I look at other Lois portrayals I’ll be very interested to see how many are Eights. I would guess that they’re not, but I’m going through a number of Superman properties with fresh eyes, so we’ll see.
“You’ve got me, but who’s got you?” That’s such an Eight line. Challenging, physical, and humorous.