Lois is the eldest of two children of successful military officer Sam Lane and Ella Lane. Her father, who wanted a son but took two daughters instead, subtly resented her children and treated each of them as if they were members of her own unit in childhood. This included combat training, and Lois had once confirmed that she even taught them to throw knives with their toes. This harsh upbringing made Lois believe she had to fight for her fair share of the world's men.

Lois and her family, whose father is in the military, moved a lot while growing up. When he was fifteen, while her family was living near Metropolis, she approached Perry White of the Daily Planet and asked him for a job. Lois lied and said she was nineteen, but her sister Lucy told Perry the truth. Overhearing some reporters say that anyone with knowledge of Lex Luthor would get on Perry's good side, Lois decided to try the seemingly impossible and sneaked into Luthor's tower after dark and tried to steal some files. However, she is overpowered by Luthor, who rows him and sends him on her way. Perry was so impressed that she agreed to hire him anyway.