Lana Lang is a key figure in the
Superman mythos, but she doesn’t have the name recognition of
Lois Lane,
Jimmy Olsen, et al. She has appeared in most of the Superman movies, cartoons, etc., but usually in a very minor role, except when the focus is on Superman’s youth in
Smallville.
In the comics, Lana’s role was fantastically embellished beyond just a teenage counterpart to Lois Lane. Lana’s father is the world- traveling
archeologist Professor Lewis Lang and her maternal uncle was the eccentric inventor Dr. Phineas Potter, both of whom provided plenty of opportunities for bizarre adventures. When she wasn’t following her father around the world, she was obsessed with proving that young Smallville resident
Clark Kent was really
Superboy, proving no end of trouble for him.
She also gained super powers herself on several occasions. Her short-lived career as
Gravity Girl began with a belt her father brought back from
Africa. When she rescued a friendly alien, he gave her a “bio-genetic” ring which allowed her to assume the form and powers of any insect, and thus
Insect Queen was born. As Insect Queen, she fought with Superboy’s comrades the
Legion of Super Heroes in the 30th century and became a reserve legionnaire.
As an adult, Lana became a newscaster for WMET-TV in
Metropolis and was Lois’ rival for Clark’s affections. She eventually married
Pete Ross from Smallville.
After the
Crisis on Infinite Earths, almost all of this history was eliminated. Lana became merely Clark Kent’s high school girlfriend. When he left Smallville to travel the world, he brusquely revealed his powers to her and dumped her before he departed.
Lana Lang onscreen:
1961:
Bunny Henning, The Adventures of Superboy.(TV)
1966-1967:
Janet Waldo, The New Adventures of Superman and The Superman/
Aquaman Hour of Adventure (animated)
1978:
Diane Sherry, Superman (film)
1983:
Annette O’Toole,
Superman III (film)
1988-1990:
Stacy Haiduk, Superboy (TV)
1996:
Kelly Schmidt, Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (animated)
1996:
Joely Fisher, Superboy (animated)
2001-present:
Kristin Kreuk,
Smallville (TV)
Cast listing from imdb.com, Silver Age info from http://plaza.powersurfr.com/super_heroes/silverage/superboy/lanalang.htm