| Lori Lemaris | |
|---|---|
 Lori Lemaris's first appearance inSuperman #129 (May 1959), art byWayne Boring. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman #129 (May 1959) |
| Created by | Bill Finger Wayne Boring |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Mermaid |
| Place of origin | Atlantis |
| Team affiliations | Justice League of Atlantis |
| Supporting character of | Superman Aquaman |
| Abilities | Semi-amphibious physiology allows her to breathe on land for a period of time as well as morph her tail into a pair of human legs. Can swim at high velocities and exhibits strength and durability sufficient to survive the deep sea. Can communicate telepathically with marine life. |
Lori Lemaris is amermaid inDC Comics, and a romantic interest forSuperman.[1] She is from Tritonis, a city in the undersea lost continent ofAtlantis,[2] and first appeared inSuperman #129.[3] She was created byBill Finger andWayne Boring. Lori is one of several Superman characters with thealliterative initials "LL", includingLois Lane,Lex Luthor,Lana Lang,Lyla Lerrol,Luma Lynai, andLucy Lane.
Lori was first introduced in the story "The Girl in Superman's Past" inSuperman #129 (May 1959). While attendingMetropolis University, Clark Kent meets Lori, who is attending as a student and hides her mermaid identity by posing as a wheelchair-using student with a blanket covering her lower body. Clark and Lori soon fall in love with each other, but Clark starts to wonder why Lori cuts their dates short every night to return home at 8 PM. Clark eventually decides to propose marriage to Lori, but Lori tells Clark that she cannot marry him and is returning home. Heartbroken and growing suspicious of why Lori had to return home every night at a preset time, Clark investigates and discovers that Lori is a mermaid after seeing the tank of water in her room. Lori, in turn, reveals that she learned Clark's identity as Superman using her telepathy, but promises to keep her knowledge secret. Lori also states that since the two come from different worlds, they can never marry. After a parting kiss underwater, the two bid farewell to each other.[4]
Lori made various appearances throughout theSilver Age Superman comics before being killed duringCrisis on Infinite Earths.[5]
Lori returns followingJohn Byrne's 1986Man of Steel limited series, which revised Superman's origins. Her post-Crisis incarnation first appeared inSuperman (vol. 2) #12 in December 1987. Her origin and relationship with Clark remained similar to the original, except that in post-Crisis continuity, Clark never operated asSuperboy.[2]
In Lori's appearances in the 1990s, she was magically altered so that she would be human when dry and a mermaid when wet.Lois Lane agrees to let her stay at her apartment during a trip to Metropolis; however, Lori being an old flame of Clark's puts a brief strain on Lois and Clark's relationship, though things are soon straightened out. Lori remains a recurring character through the rest of the 1990s. At one point she is accused of being a black market smuggler of underground artifacts and is confronted byDaily Planet reporterSteve Lombard and a camera crew. To escape, she dives off a bridge and swims away. Not understanding her nature, Lombard and his crew believe Lori to have committed suicide.[6]
In the eighth volume ofAquaman (2025), Lori Lemaris reappears as a mercenary and servant of Dagon.[7][8][9][10]
One of the mermaids hunting Arthur is none other than Lori Lemaris – a one-time romantic partner of Superman. The trio of mermaids kidnaps Arthur to take him to Dagon – something Arion realizes once they've finished forging.
After opening with a flashback/dream sequence, Arthur is rudely awoken by his captor, Lori Lemaris, as the mermaid takes him to her master, Dagon.
In the previous issue, Lori Lemaris and a group of fellow mermaids (remember, all of Atlantis has been stolen away to another dimension, and some time has passed since it happened, so a lot of bad stuff has gone down while they were gone, leading heroic characters like Lori Lemaris to become mercenaries) took Aquaman captive, and are bringing him to Dagon, an old Aquaman villain (who had powers like Mera) that Adams has brought back (after Dagon had just a single appearance many decades ago in an issue of Justice League of America).
I love how Adams included Lori Lemaris, Superman's mermaid girlfriend, to being one of Dagon's enforcers, which is something that literally came from left field, but I'm kinda in love with the idea.
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