Fans are already looking forward to the upcoming superhero movie Superman next summer to launch the DCU, because when it comes to superheroes in general, it doesn’t get much more iconic than the Man of Steel. But while Dean Cain’s portrayal of the Man of Steel on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is largely considered one of the best, it wasn’t him who “broke the internet” back before going viral was even a thing. Cain’s co-star Teri Hatcher took that honor when she posed for a photo in nothing but Superman’s red cape, and decades later she’s looking back on that “evocative” moment.
When thinking back to Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher’s ‘90s superhero drama that aired for four seasons on ABC, it wouldn’t be surprising if the image that pops into your head is the infamous one of Hatcher — the slight smile on her face as her sleek black hair falls to her shoulders, the cape with the emblematic “S” draped low around her shoulders to suggest nothing underneath. There’s no getting around it; the pic is hot. Talking to The Guardian, the actress recalled how the image came to be, saying:
I broke the internet when we still had dial-up. I don’t credit myself with being so fabulous. I do remember the photoshoot, which was to promote the TV show. It took all day. I was wearing a white blouse and pencil skirt because Lois is a reporter from the Daily Planet, with the cape wrapped over. It wasn’t until the last take of the day that someone said: ‘Could we try the cape without the blouse?’ I thought: ‘What does that imply? Why would Lois Lane be naked under the cape?’ We only did it as a lark, but the result was evocative. Now I’m so much older, I still feel proud of it.
Isn’t that just how it goes? She spent all day shooting those photos one way, then just before they finished, they tried something different just for funsies, and what do you know? It turned into not just one of the series’ most identifiable images, but allegedly one of the most downloaded images on the internet.
Teri Hatcher said she’s proud of the photo now — as she should be — though it’s interesting to think back to the questions she might have had at the time. Of course she would have known exactly what the iconic image implied and the reason fans would give for Lois Lane being nude underneath Superman’s cape.
Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher had great chemistry on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the idea of a reboot or revival was bandied about several times after the show ended in 1997. The actors both appeared on The CW’s Supergirl, but they had no scenes together. The Desperate Housewives star also threw back to her days at the Daily Planet in 2018, when she delighted fans by showing up to Comic-Con dressed as Lois Lane.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman can be streamed with a Max subscription, and be sure to peek at the upcoming DC movies to keep up with what’s next for Superman, Batman and all your DC favorites.