- "I've been working for the DOD for a long time. I've seen things you would not believe. Glimpses of other worlds and the leagues of superheroes they have on them. And even though we only have your father on this planet, thank God that we do, because he's the finest of any Earth. So don't go losing hope yet. I sure as hell haven't. Your mother hasn't and I guarantee you, neither has Superman."
- —Sam Lane to Jonathan Kent[src]
General Samuel "Sam" Lane (1961[1] - June 29, 2024) was a military general of the U.S. Army and the director of the Department of Defense. He is also the son of Natalie Lane and an unnamed man, the ex-husband of Ella, the father of Lois Lane and Lucy Lane, and the grandfather of Jonathan Kent and Jordan Kent.
After Sam's wife left him, he neglected raising his daughters, preferring not to get involved in their conflicts. Lucy became a follower of Ally Allston while Lois became a reporter for the Daily Planet, later marrying Clark Kent aka Superman and having two sons. In 2021, Sam with the DOD helped Superman during his battle with a stranger, as well as the invasion of Tal-Rho and Leslie Larr. After Rho's defeat, Sam decided to retire from active duty to spend more time with his family, being succeeded by Mitch Anderson in the DOD. But his vacation didn't last long as he had to return to resolve his daughters' and Jordan's conflicts. After Lex Luthor killed Superman, Sam let Doomsday kill him to save Superman by giving Clark his heart.[1]
Quick Answers
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Biography
Early life
Sam Lane was born in 1961.[1] When he was a cadet, Sam kept Dr. Wiles' husband from getting kicked out of the academy twice.[2] At some point, Sam became a general and married Ella, with whom he had two daughters, Lois, around 1981,[3] and later Lucy.
After his wife left, Sam blamed himself for driving Ella away. For him, it was easier to just to focus on work afterwards; there, he trusted himself but at home, he felt out of his depth.[4] Lois always felt that Sam's first priority was his job.[5]
Sam liked to tell Lucy and Lois that he set two state records in his senior year. At some point, Lucy and Lois snuck out with their father's rum. Later, they came back to base only to find Sam waiting for them and he got annoyed.[6]
During Lucy's involvement with Ally Allston's cult, Sam preferred not to get involved in her and Lois' growing rift and did not read Lois's article on the subject, because Lucy said it wasn't like that for her.[4]
Sam came to know that Lois' love interest, Clark Kent, was Superman. Instead of being against Clark, he believed the world actually needed Superman. Sam attended Lois and Clark's wedding and in 2006, became a grandfather to Jonathan and Jordan Kent.[7]
Morgan Edge's rise
A new enemy
In early 2021, Sam Lane and the army went to a nuclear plant that was about to explode. When he arrived at the site, he asked a worker how long they had before the plant exploded, with her replying that it would only take a few minutes and that radiation would cover the entire Metropolis. Then, using his device, he called Superman to resolve the situation, and it worked.
When Superman landed, they realized that the same thing had already happened to another plant, with Sam noting that the cracks were intentional and that worried him. Sam then asked if Lois was not complaining as Clark spent a lot of time away from home. He also mentioned that he wanted to take Jonathan fishing, and that maybe Clark could convince Jordan to come along. Clark said he was going to make an appointment with Lois and said goodbye to the General.
When Martha Kent passed away, Sam attended her funeral in Smallville. Sam later went to the Kent farm and showed Clark a video that had the Kryptonian language and showed the Stranger, who was in the nuclear power plants.[7]
After learning that Lois, Clark and the children moved to Smallville, Sam comes to Kent farm just as Lois takes the twins with her to the town meeting. Sam berates Clark for revealing his secret identity to Johnathan and Jordan because he fears that it will take a toll on the boys' mental health.
The Stranger who had sabotaged the nuclear power plants appeared in the military facility that Sam was in and started attacking the soldiers, so Sam called Superman to stop him. Sam ordered everyone to leave the facility and the Stranger invaded, asking Sam to stop protecting Superman. Then he gives Sam an object with the symbol of the House of El and says that where he comes from, Sam doesn't trust Kal-El and knows what he's capable of. He asks for Sam's help to stop him before Clark arrives and defeats the Stranger, which ends up being revealed as just armor. Sam then tells Clark what happened and shows the object. He says the Stranger was there after kryptonite, making Clark angry. Sam explains he had kryptonite so that no one could use it against Superman. In his office, Sam looks at the object and realizes that the word "Hell" is in it.[8]
Project 7734
Days later, Sam goes to the twins' football game and realizes that Jordan has powers. Annoyed, he has an argument with Lois and Clark. He tells Clark that Killgrave has escaped from prison and then tells the children not to catch his father while he is Superman. After arresting Killgrave, the children tell Lois and Clark what happened, making them angry and going to get some satisfaction from Sam. Later, Sam called Rosetti to find out about Project 7734.[9]
A metahuman named Tag Harris attacked Jordan after the game, and Sam finds him on security cameras in Metropolis and warns Superman. When the DOD appears to try to arrest Tag, Superman tries to calm them down but is hit with Kryptonite ammunition. After Superman recovers and Tag is arrested, the hero questions Sam about using weapons against a child and kryptonite against him. Later, Sam goes to Kent Farm and warns the Kent family that Tag has been sent to a school for children with special powers.[10]
When John Henry Irons was apprehended by Superman, he was interrogated to find answers on his secretive background. General Lane then informed Superman that he'd use Lieutenant Jason Trask to torture Irons for information if he couldn't force him to talk. When Sam learned that Rosetti was accessing Project 7734, he tried to convince the returning Superman to let his men apprehend Rosetti. When John Irons was prepared to kill Superman, Lois and Sam come in and Lois making him give it up and he is arrested again. Later, Superman is recovering with Sam, who reveals to Clark that Project 7734 is for some Kryptonian threat. Clark reminds him that trust goes both ways, and gets some information about Rosetti.[2]
The Eradication
When Jordan gets sick and can barely breathe, Clark, Lois and Sam conclude that Project 7734 is still affecting Superman and now is affecting Jordan second-hand. Clark takes Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude to save his life from the synthetic Kryptonite poisoning and Lois asks Sam to leave their lives for good. When Emily Phan and Jasper Townes attacked Kent Farm, Sam tried to stop them with Kryptonite gas and give Lois and Jon enough time to escape. When the individuals left, Kent Farm was closed and surrounded by soldiers from Lane to protect his family. He and Lois provisionally reconciled, with Sam apologizing for not being a good enough father for her.[5]
Sam and the DOD used Sequoia as a temporary base of operation when they occupied Smallville in their quest to stop the plans of Morgan Edge. Superman and the DOD captured Dabney Donovan (Edge's scientist) so he could fix the Eradicator, but he said that the only one who would be able to do that would be its creator; Lara Lor-Van. After Lana Lang overhears a conversation between Sam Lane and Superman, she applied to be Lara's host until she fixed the device. When fixed, Superman told Sam he had a plan, he brought all the Subjects to Smallville to use their heat vision to disable the object and it worked, during which Sam Lane made all the officers leave the DOD base.[11]
After Superman was possessed by Zod, Sam asked A.R.G.U.S weapons that could disable his powers. At the Kent Farm, Sam and John Irons think Clark is gone and they need to kill him while there is still time, and Lois disagrees and thinks he'll be fine. When Lois leaves, Sam asks if John still has his gear. At the DOD base, John Diggle went in Lyla Michaels's place, and after talking to Lois, Diggle is furious that Sam deceived him and Lyla concerning what the tech was for and questions him. He's additionally not excited that Sam was holding onto somebody from one more Earth without unveiling it. Eventually, with the help of John Irons and Lois Lane, Superman returned to normal and managed to capture Tal-Rho, and imprisoned him in a cell that disables his powers. Sam later tells Clark and Lois that Leslie Larr is as yet in the breeze, however they're giving a valiant effort to discover her.[12]
In his base, Sam says he needs to take the all the Kryptonite and sink them to the lower part of the sea. He guarantees Clark that he, Lois, and the kids will be protected, but Clark says they still need kryptonite in case something happens again. Later, Sam calls Lois to say he's stressed over Clark.[13]
When the citizens of Smallville wondered what the DOD was still doing in the city and began to protest, Sam decides to make a statement, but Tal-Rho runs away with Leslie Larr (who Superman and John had arrested) and he had to leave, leaving the populace furious. Sam and his soldiers remained in Smallville in case he returned. Sam tried calling Jon and Jordan, telling them to come home, but they ignored the call. Sam tracked them to the Cushing house and drove them away. On the way Edge attacked the car, and caused it to crash. Sam was injured and nearly unconscious and gave Jonathan his Kryptonite gun, instructing him on how to shoot Edge. However, Edge was quick and dodged the bullet, kidnapping Jordan.[14]
The Cushings show up to help Sam and Jon with their injuries. At night, the citizens protest the DOD and Sam tries to calm them down. Meanwhile, Tal-Rho has returned to Smallville and turned six of Sam's best soldiers into Kryptonian members of the Defense Council. Sam and his troops evacuate Smallville while Superman and John Irons fight Edge and the Council, and eventually they won.[15]
Changing his priorities
The Inverse World
After Morgan Edge's defeat, Sam attended the Cushing house party and admitted to John Irons that he had given enough to the world and decided it was time to retire from active duty to spend more time with his family.[15] Later, Lieutenant General Mitch Anderson succeeded Lane in the DOD.[16] Sam's vacation didn't last long as he had to return to resolve his daughters and Jordan's conflicts.[4][17]
Eventually, Sam convinced Lucy to go to the Kent Farm and make amends with Lois. They were initially hostile, but Lucy was happy to be reunited with her nephews, and ended up staying all day. In the evening, they went to watch Jonathan's football game. Sam went out to get popcorn and ended up talking to Mayor George Dean. When he returned, Lucy had already left after arguing with Lois.[6]
Lois' cancer
After an argument with Jonathan, Jordan went fishing with Sam, who later showed Jordan photos of a fire incident where his hair stood out, claiming that he needed to cut his hair, but Jordan refused and left Sam after he put into question his responsibility as a hero. The next day, both Sam and Jordan apologized to each other, with Sam deciding to not cut Jordan's hair but instead give him a protective suit he had his team make and also gave Jordan his father's pilot goggles to wear with the suit on his future missions.[3]
Death of Superman
Kidnapped by Lex Luthor
Rescued by Lois and Jordan
Death
On June 29, 2024, Sam realizes that Superman's life is in grave danger and the only way to save him is through a heart transplant. He discovers that through a combination of Earth and Kryptonian technology, his own heart could work as a temporary measure to revive Superman. Since finding a compatible heart for Superman, given his unique physiology, seems impossible, he originally tried to find a donor, but was shot by Jones. In that moment, he used the last serum containing Superman's blood and injected it into his body.
In a quiet, somber moment, Sam bids farewell to his family, leaving a message for Lois, telling her he loves her and that he hopes she'll understand his choice. After being fatally injured by Doomsday, Sam goes through with the procedure with the help of John Irons and Lara's A.I., transferring his heart to Superman and sacrificing himself in the process.[1]
Legacy
Sam was avenged when Doomsday let himself be disintegrated by the Sun and Superman defeated Lex Luthor, who ordered Doomsday to kill him.[18]
Personality
Sam is very open-minded: even though his job was to protect America, he also understood Superman's job is to protect all humans, regardless of their country of origin. As such, he never pushed Superman to rescue an enemy vessel and deliver it to America to secure, something his successor Mitch Anderson failed to understand. As a result, he had a great working relationship with Superman, having few, if any problems over the course of 20 years.
He is also very wise: when Sam found out Clark and Lois were going to be married, he warned them that the day would come where Clark would have to choose between his duties as Superman and his family. When that day came, Sam didn't hold it against Clark or Lois for choosing their family over Clark's duties, but did remind them of his warning, respected their wishes and left it at that.
Sam enjoys going fishing with his grandson Jonathan.
Sam was an absentee father who put his duties over his own family, which lead to his relationship being strained with Lois since her childhood. He was also somewhat controlling when he saw Jordan display above average physical abilities emphasized the Kent family needs to keep their head down to avoid drawing suspicions to Clark. He also tried to tell the boys not to be too burdensome on Clark since he is Superman, which led to more fallout between him and his family.
After meeting with John Henry Irons, Sam began to think what would happen if Superman turned against the earth and he developed a project called 7734 (a name he got from Irons that when put upside down spells "hell") as a contingency in case such an event occurred. He did express regret that 7734 weapons ended up being used against Superman and acknowledged that he had lost his son-in-law's trust, and would have to work to regain it. After seeing Superman fight for humanity over his own kind and seeing how the kryponite affected Jordan, Sam decided to dismantle 7734; he would dispose of most of the kryponite but keep enough to keep Tal-Rho and Leslie Larr under lock and keep so there won't be enough to supply an army who would kill Clark.
Abilities
- Expert hand to hand combatant: During Sam's time in the military, he was well trained in hand-to-hand combat.
- Expert marksman: During Sam's time in the military, he was trained in the use of firearms.
Equipment
- ELT: Sam uses an object similar to a signal watch to call Superman when he wants help.[7]
- Kryptonite gas: Sam used kryptonite gas to stop Emily Phan and a man when they invaded the Kent Farm.[5]
Appearances
Superman & Lois
Gallery
Promotional images
Superman & Lois
Season 1
Season 2
Trivia
- Sam has watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, which he erroneously calls the "pirates in the island movies". He still likes the first movie the best.[6]
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, General Sam Lane is an antagonist to Superman, father of Lois Lane and Lucy Lane and husband of Ella Lane. He is a great military leader and believes that people with as much power as Superman prove an ongoing threat to humanity stemming from his natural distrust. A true patriot, he is willing to cross many lines and even go to his death in the defense of his country. This includes working alongside Lex Luthor on several occasions. There is irony in that his daughter is married to Clark Kent, secretly his greatest enemy. Although he appeared to die fighting Imperiex during Our Worlds at War, New Krypton showed that he had faked his own death. Later he committed suicide during the War of the Supermen, though he was later reintroduced following the New 52 reboot. He was also the leader of Project 7734. He debuted in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #13 (November, 1959).
- Originally, he was introduced as a horse farmer from the town of Pittsdale, before later being reinvented as a U.S. army general.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Always My Hero"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Holding the Wrench"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Too Close to Home"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "The Thing in the Mines"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Loyal Subjekts"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Tried and True"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Pilot"
- ↑ "Heritage"
- ↑ "Haywire"
- ↑ "Broken Trust"
- ↑ "O Mother, Where Art Thou?"
- ↑ "Through the Valley of Death"
- ↑ "Fail Safe"
- ↑ "The Eradicator"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Last Sons of Krypton"
- ↑ "What Lies Beneath"
- ↑ "The Inverse Method"
- ↑ "It Went By So Fast"
| Other versions of Sam Lane | ||||
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| To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Sam Lane. | ||||
| New multiverse | ||||
| Earth: TUD25 • Inverse World | ||||
| Original multiverse | ||||
| Earth: 38 • TUD22 | ||||
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