I said this in another threat but to me it seems that the Director wanted to have Richard White as Jason's biological father but I think he faced resistance with that idea from tptb and could not state it explicitly in the film so instead they create a question of who that father is by adding elements that cast doubt on who is the father Clark/Superman or Richard. This allows them flexibility in future sequels that would be hard to do if it was stated that Jason is Richard's kid. It seems that they are just covering their bases. But I have no doubt that Singer will try to maintain his vision for the movie if possible.
The thing about this movie is that while we know that Superman and Lois are supposed to be together the characters don't and I think that Lois loves Richard differently but no less strongly than Superman. Love is a complex emotion and I think that her feelings for Superman are based on him as an idea and less on the man. That is not to say that she doesn't love the man he is only that she is love with him as the ideal and . While her love for Richard was much more grounded because she has a clear understanding of who he is and it was something that grew over time, it may not of been magic like when she met Superman and came after Superman left but to me that shows how real it is. I don't think that they will get together anytime soon. Even if Richard dies Superman can't just walk in and take his place he would never do that and depending on how it happens I could see that maybe that Richard's death could be involved with Superman which would make any relationship between Lois and him impossible for sometime because of the feelings of anger that Lois would have if she believed Superman was involved or didn't save Richard. That would also show to Clark/Superman that her feelings for Richard were no less real than those she has for him as Superman and you would also have to consider Jason's feelings for Richard who was and would always be his dad in every way that matters. This is where I can see Singer going but I also think he could have the Child being Richard's or Clark's but I think that dramatically it would be better to have it be Richard's because you wouldn't have to deal with does Jason have powers or not. Once you get into more Super powered people you run the risk of losing the realism that Superman Returns what's to achieve and you also split your narrative which takes the focus away from Superman. Then the child will always be a reminder of the time Superman was gone and for the love that Lois has or had for Richard.
She knows Richard will be their for her and not just that but that he needs her and that is fundamentally different than what she has with Superman because at this point it seems to be love based on the damsel in distress syndrome. While with Superman she really doesn't know anything about him. While you can still love someone even if you don't fully know him that is not really conductive for a healthy relationship since you don't know who this person is as a person. While Clark may notice the similarities between Superman and Richard there are are also many differences. What can Richard give her that Superman cannot? I would say that Richard isn't perfect and has his faults and is vulnerable and he needs her as much as she needs him is very different than the pedestal that Superman is on.
I don't think the onus should be on Richard to leave, its not like Lois doesn't love Richard, I read the book and I never got the feeling that she didn't love him, it may be different but I feel its more real than her love for Superman. So it is more like she has two loves both of them yet for different reasons. I figure until Clark confesses who he is to Lois this relationship will not be able to get traction. In the book she hardly even seems to think about Clark and since he is Superman how does that side of his personality mesh with any relationship between the two of them, While Superman may not lie Clark clearly does.
