THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Superman is the romcom we’ve been searching for all year; perfectly balanced action and romance to the satisfaction of all viewers.
Superman: Legacy, like the others before, is a reboot of the Superman film series; though these beloved characters have been known to us for decades, each iteration provides a different feel through the storytelling, plot, and the actors’ chemistry. The romance between Clark and Lois has long been a staple of Superman media, and David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan are recent additions to this tradition.
When asked about his casting decisions, Director James Gunn said about David and Rachel: “They auditioned together…I wasn’t just casting Lois and Clark, I was casting Clois. I needed to believe that this was a guy, that a woman this intelligent would actually fall in love with. And the sexual chemistry that they have is so palpable.”
Once you see the pair together onscreen, it’s immediately obvious why these two work so well and why Gunn chose them for the roles.
David is easily able to switch between three personas: one of the bumbling, charismatic Clark Kent that the world sees, the cape-donning Superman with his heart on his sleeve, and then the real Clark who can take off the proverbial mask around the people who know his identity and be vulnerable, mainly with Lois.
What makes Clois work?
David and Rachel can play off of one another’s chemistry so well that it feels incredibly authentic to watch. He’s the most powerful man in the world, a man of steel, and yet this headstrong, cynical, skeptical woman can bring him to his knees and make him feel deeply.
The twelve-minute talking scene, which James Gunn refers to as his biggest risk in the movie, had a major payoff and lent so much to not only establishing but endorsing the chemistry between Clark and Lois. We are teased with the aforementioned sexual chemistry, and we are shown just how well Clark and Lois can keep their relationship private at work, and just how romantically compatible they are at home. It’s domestic fluff, and Clois fans will forever be grateful for its inclusion.
Long-time fans of Rachel’s will know the ease with which she can handle fast-paced dialogue and quips, given her run on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The scene takes a dramatic turn once Lois offers to interview Clark as Superman, to which he hesitantly agrees. The two initially banter and then argue over the ethics of Superman’s actions with regard to his intervention between the conflict of Boravia and Jarhanpur. The fight comes to a head when Clark announces his intention to leave, and Lois mutters, “I knew this would never work”, which annoys Clark, who eventually leaves.
The film is not only an exploration of Superman’s ability or the limits (or the lack thereof) of Lex Luthor’s disdain, but the depth of the love between Clark and Lois.
In the scene where Lois blurts to Mr. Terrific that she was planning to break up with Clark, we all called her bluff on that one. You don’t enlist the help of the Justice Gang, risk being arrested by the US government, enter a pocket universe, fly a spaceship to help Clark/Superman recover from injuries, and work tirelessly to bring Lex Luthor to a halt just for a guy you’re “seeing”.
Her fear of intimacy is understandable due to her ultimate focus on her career and due in part to the length of time for which she and Clark have been dating. And though he confesses his love for her before turning himself in in the hopes of finding Krypto (swoon!), she is hesitant and reserved. On his return, however, she asks ‘Superman’ for an interview where they kiss and she also confesses her love.
Maybe their love is the real punk rock.
It’s safe to say we’d love to see more of David and Rachel playing these characters, and with the recently confirmed Superman sequel, our hopes are higher than ever.