Sam Lane is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. He is the father of Lucy Lane and

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

and the father-in-law of Clark Kent / Superman.

Denis Arndt Denis Leroy Arndt (February 23, 1939 – March 25, 2025) was an American actor, best known for his starring role as Alex Priest in the play '' Heisenberg'' for which he earned a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. Life and care ...

and

Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (; September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career ...

portrayed the character in the series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'',

Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known professionally as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor. A prominent character actor with over 270 film and television credits, he is known for playing villains and antiheroes, but has ...

in ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'', Glenn Morshower in ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'', and Dylan Walsh in ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and ...

''; and

Joel de la Fuente Joel de la Fuente (born April 21, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained recognition for his role as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in '' Space: Above and Beyond'', and is best known for his roles as Dr. Johann Pryce in '' Hemlock Grove'', Kempei ...

voiced him in the animated series ''

My Adventures with Superman ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South ...

''.

Publication history

Sam Lane, along with his wife Ella was introduced in '' Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #13 (November 1959) as a horse farmer in the town of Pittsdale. He was created by Robert Bernstein and Kurt Schaffenberger.

Fictional character biography

Post-Crisis

Following ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'' he was reinvented as a hard-bitten and outspoken

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, with an awkward relationship with his daughters. It was explained that Lane had wanted his eldest child to be a boy, so had treated Lois as a surrogate son, when he was present at all. This version first appeared in '' The Adventures of Superman'' #424 (January 1987), the first retitled issue of the former ''Superman'' title. He became a more significant character following Lois' engagement to Clark Kent, being highly unimpressed with the mild-mannered reporter despite his obvious commitment to Lois. When

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

becomes

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, he appoints Sam Lane as Secretary of Defense. This leads to Lois, as an investigative journalist trying to prove Luthor is corrupt, opposing her father, especially during the buildup to the Imperiex War. During the war against

Imperiex Imperiex () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He was initially introduced as an adversary to the superhero Superman before becoming a main antagonist for the crossover "Our Worlds at War". Imperiex has made limite ...

, Sam Lane is apparently killed by Imperiex's probes. He is later revealed to have survived and is recruited into Project 7734, where he assists Lex Luthor in a secret operation against

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

and the

Kryptonians Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to ref ...

of Kandor. After

and Lois Lane confront him, Sam commits suicide rather than be made accountable to an international court.

The New 52

In September 2011,

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Sam Lane is re-introduced in the relaunched ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' where he is seen attempting to catch Superman believing him to be a menace. Following the death of US Senator Hume, Sam is chosen as his replacement and becomes a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. In ''Event Leviathan'' (2019), Sam Lane is hospitalized after being injured in an attack by

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

. In the hospital, Sam is attacked by an agent who believes him to be a member of Leviathan.

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

rescues Sam and teleports him away, but he dies soon after without life support.

Other versions

''All-Star Superman''

An alternate universe variant of Sam Lane appears in ''

All-Star Superman ''All-Star Superman'' is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008 (on sale date). The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Qu ...

'' #1. This version temporarily pulled

from prison to work for the U.S. government.

''Flashpoint''

An alternate timeline variant of Sam Lane appears in '' Flashpoint''. This version was in charge of Project: Superman, which involved capturing and studying Kal-El. He attempted to bond with him before Sam pulls an escaped prisoner named Neil Sinclair into the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created b ...

. The pair later emerge on a deserted island, where Sinclair murders Sam.

Earth 2

An alternate universe variant of Sam Lane from Earth 2 appears in the alternate Earth's self-titled series. This version is a member of the World Army who works with Robotman to create Red Tornado before he is killed in a cave-in.

In other media

Television

* Sam Lane appears in '' Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', initially portrayed by

and later by

. This version is a cyberneticist who is divorced from his wife Ellen and has an estranged relationship with his daughter Lois Lane, though he attempts to improve both relationships in later episodes. * Sam Lane appears in the '' Superman: The Animated Series'' episode "Monkey Fun", voiced by Dean Jones. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is involved in the United States space program and originally owned Titano. * Sam Lane appears in ''

'', portrayed by

. After his wife died, this version struggled to raise his estranged daughters,

Lois Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English C ...

and

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

, having modeled his parenting style on his army career and implemented a chain of command that saw him taking charge of Lois, who in turn took charge of Lucy. In the tenth season, Sam is promoted to a four-star general and becomes involved in the Vigilante Registration Act. * Sam Lane appears in the first season of ''

'', portrayed by Glenn Morshower. This version possesses anti-alien views. In pursuit of his goal of exterminating all aliens, he attempts to take over the

Department of Extranormal Operations Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

(DEO) for their resources and approves the creation of the unstable Red Tornado until he is saved by

several times and assists her in stopping her uncle

Non Non, non or NON can refer to: * ''Non'', a negatory word in French, Italian and Latin People *Non (given name) *Non Boonjumnong (born 1982), Thai amateur boxer * Rena Nōnen (born 1993), Japanese actress who uses the stage name "Non" since July ...

from taking over National City. Following this, Sam and the U.S. military take Non's device, the Omegahedron, into their custody and deliver it to

Maxwell Lord Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire (artist), Kevin Magui ...

. * Sam Lane appears in ''

'', portrayed by Dylan Walsh. This version is a member of the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

(DOD) who is aware of

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

's identity as Superman and often works with him despite their stiff and impersonal relationship. Throughout the first season, Sam works with Superman to stop Tal-Rho before retiring from active duty. In the second season, Sam assists Superman when he starts having visions due to an "invasive cosmological event", attempts to help his daughters

and Lucy Lane reconnect, and secretly trains Superman's son Jordan Kent in better utilizing his powers. In the third season, Sam returns to the DOD and gives Jordan a suit and his father's goggles to protect his identity. In the fourth season, Sam sacrifices himself to save Superman after the latter was killed by

Doomsday Doomsday may refer to: * Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions. * Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...

. ** Additionally, Sam's

Bizarro World The Bizarro World (also known as Htrae, which is "Earth" spelled backwards) is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in the early 1960s, Htrae is a cube-shaped planet, home to Bizarro and compani ...

counterpart appears in the second season episode "Bizarros in a Bizarro World", also portrayed by Walsh. This version is the head of his version of the DOD until Ally Allston's

Bizarro Bizarro () is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy (comic bo ...

counterpart takes over, leading Bizarro Sam to join a resistance movement against her. * Sam Lane appears in ''

'', voiced by

. This version is a Korean-American founding member and co-leader of

Task Force X The following is a list of fictional government agency, government agencies, comic book organizations that have been published by DC Comics and their imprints. A Agency The Agency is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books pu ...

alongside

Amanda Waller Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len We ...

. Twenty-two years prior, he and Waller survived "Zero Day", during which a Kryptonian invasion force led by an armored warrior they dubbed "Nemesis Omega" killed their military comrades. Following this, they repurposed leftover Kryptonian technology and founded Task Force X to prevent threats of similar magnitude. However, his unwillingness to endanger civilians puts him at odds with Waller. Throughout the first season, he initially leads a manhunt against Superman, who he believes to be "Nemesis Omega". However, after capturing and interrogating him, Lane begins to doubt Superman's involvement with "Zero Day", for which Waller demotes him on

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

and the U.S. government's behalf. During the second season, Sam goes into hiding to protect his loved ones before eventually resurfacing to help Superman thwart Brainiac's invasion of Metropolis.

Film

* Sam Lane appears in ''

'', portrayed by

Kirk Alyn Kirk Alyn (born John Feggo Jr.; October 8, 1910 – March 14, 1999) was an American actor, best known for being the first actor to play the DC Comics character Superman in live-action for the 1948 movie serial ''Superman'' and its 1950 sequel '' ...

. * Sam Lane appears in ''

'', voiced by an uncredited

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...

. * The ''Flashpoint'' incarnation of Sam Lane appears in '' Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'', voiced by

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an American-British actor, director and screenwriter. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for ...

. * Sam Lane appears in '' Justice League: Throne of Atlantis'', voiced by Jay K. Johnson. * Sam Lane appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom'', voiced by

James Arnold Taylor James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice and television actor. He is known for voicing Ratchet in the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final Fantasy X'', Shuyin ...

. This version is mistrusting towards extraterrestrial life. * Sam Lane appears in '' Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants'', voiced by

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible'', ...

Miscellaneous

An alternate universe variant of Sam Lane appears in the '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters'' prequel comic. This version was a war physician who died amidst a battle that

was involved in.

Reception

Chad Derdowski of Mania.com felt that Sam Lane would have been a formidable villain to use for a

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with ''Dawn of the Dead (2004 film), Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead (1978 film), of the same name ...

Superman film, stating that "Lane would provide a little more dramatic oomph for the film, driving a wedge between the

relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane Superman and Lois Lane are a fictional couple. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, both characters, including Superman's alter ego Clark Kent, first appeared in DC Comics ''Action Comics 1, Action Comics #1'' (June 1938 ...

and turning the whole thing into a family affair."

References

External links

Sam Lane
at DC Wikia {{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Sam Characters created by Robert Bernstein Comics characters introduced in 1959 DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics military personnel Fictional generals Fictional military strategists Fictional United States secretaries of defense Fictional United States senators