Interesting part.
“No. In my universe, Lois listened to Clark. That’s weird.Y....I wonder why she won’t listen to you.”
I wonder if this Lois is more jaded or if she
knows Clark and Superman are two different people.
From Herb's response we have tended to focus on Clark as the cause. Perhaps it was
LOIS! If that is the case the tampering Visiting is doing with his extra visits to Lois Lane are making things even worse.
IN Visiting's 'Verse Lois was confused by the feelings she had for two different people. Except they were not two different people. IN this tale they really are two different people.
Part of the mythos with Lois Lane is her suspicions that Clark is Superman. Perhaps in the canon 'Verse Lois listened to Clark because her feeling about Clark went deeper than a professional relationship? At some level she
knew he was both men?
In this 'Verse she is clearly developing a professional relationship with Clark and a personal one with Superman.
You and Lois are so much closer than my Lois and I were at this time.
Are they really closer or do they simply have a better professional relationship?
Also all the little
Superman visits Lois trips in the canon 'Verse left
Clark with warmer deeper feelings for Lois. Surely this affected his behavior as Clark as around Lois.
He got to see another side of Lois and this helped him understand the subtext behind her responses.
This Clark has none of those experiences. In many cases he has no clue Superman was paying her extra attention and when he does have a clue it only pushed them apart.
Canon Clark could be jealous of Superman but it always was himself. In the back of his mind he knew Lois cared and simply wanted her to
also care about Clark.
Worst case scenario he had to admit to being Superman to win Lois.
This AU Clark has a very real rival. And there is no way he can step into being Superman in Lois's eyes. At best he can be seen by Lois as a younger brother to the Superman for whom she has developed feelings.
Something happen in this 'Verse to prevent Lois and Clark coming together to create the future Tempus hated. It seems that Herb's intervention, by bringing Visiting, is only making things worse.
In a long term POV the type of world Tempus described likely wasn't able to stand up to the Khund's invasion so it may all be for the best.
