Smallville has a complicated relationship with the wider Superman universe. It simultaneously serves as a prequel showing Clark Kent’s teenage years and a re-imagining of his early years as a superhero. Though Clark does not officially become Superman until the final episode, he’s already a hero. In fact, he faces many of his biggest foes, joins the proto-Justice League, and even falls in love with Lois Lane, all before he dons the cape.
Some characters received complete overhauls, such as Mister Mxyzptlk being a high school student with mind control powers instead of an imp. Others have smaller characteristics shifted, like the Wonder Twins being comically incompetent. Even so, these changes pale in comparison to the most substantial the show made to Clark’s life and timeline. Here are 10 of the biggest changes Smallville made to the Superman lore:
10 Clark Developed All of His Powers Separately
Clark’s Abilities Were Spread Out Across The Seasons
Instead of Smallville having a fully-powered Clark from the get-go, he slowly gained his powers over the course of 10 seasons. Interestingly, his abilities were still the result of Earth’s yellow sun, but the earlier seasons of the show presented them as being tied to puberty. This is easily explained. Neither Clark nor his parents knew his true heritage, so it’s a fair assumption on their part, especially since his heat vision was triggered by his attraction to a teacher.
In season 1, Clark is already strong and super fast, but he also develops X-Ray vision, followed by heat vision in season 2, super hearing in season 3, super breath in season 6, and flight in the series finale. Notably, however, Clark flies in season 4, but this ability is temporary, as Clark was reprogrammed by Jor-El at the time and loses the power upon regaining his original identity.
9 Clark’s Closest Ally Was An Original Character
Chloe Sullivan Sticks With Clark Through Thick And Thin
Chloe Sullivan is the only character other than Clark to retain main role status throughout all 10 seasons of Smallville. She starts off as Clark’s friend with a not-so-secret crush on him, and the two go through a roller coaster of emotions before becoming cemented as each other’s closest platonic relationship. Chloe borrows a lot of traits from Lois Lane. She’s a plucky aspiring journalist whose investigations often push the plot forward, and her not knowing Clark’s secret can lead to conflict in the early seasons.
This tracks because Chloe is actually Lois’ first cousin, thus setting up the latter’s introduction into the show. Once Lois joins Smallville, Chloe is slowly shifted out of the journalist role and more into that of “guy-in the-chair,” as she learns the secret identities of both Clark and Green Arrow/Oliver Queen. She is a fun addition to the show and plays off of Clark’s seriousness well, especially in the later seasons when the crush storyline is dropped.
8 Clark Arrived In A Meteor Shower
Instead of only sending Superman plummeting to Earth, Krypton also sent huge chunks of his home planet to Kansas in Smallville. This change, on the surface, would seem like solely a convenient way to make sure that Clark’s weakness is prevalent in his hometown, but it impacts the series in other major ways, too. Lana Lang’s parents die in the kryptonite meteor shower that brought Clark, which gives him a sense of unearned guilt during their relationship. Additionally, she wears a necklace made from kryptonite, which serves as a physical barrier to their romance early on.
Perhaps a bigger result of the meteor shower is its creation of a bunch of metahumans.These super-powered individuals derived their abilities from kryptonite radiation, earning them the nickname “Meteor Freaks.” Most of the early episodes featured these characters as one-off villains, and while it got repetitive in later seasons, this gave the show a dependable episodic formula.
7 Doomsday Has A “Human” Side
Davis Bloome Had Anger Issues
One of the strange decisions the writers of Smallville made was to incorporate Doomsday–as in the character most known for killing Superman. This iteration of the character was unusual at best. Instead of being a pure monster, Doomsday had a human alter ego, Davis Bloome. The revised origin of Doomsday painted him as the genetically engineered “son” of Zod and Faora, who was attached to Clark’s ship. He’s somewhat like the Hulk in that the monster emerges from the man when he’s angry or in distress.
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Davis is an odd presence on the show; he acts as a romantic obstacle to Chloe and Jimmy Olsen’s relationship. He catches feelings for Chloe, which ultimately culminates in him kidnapping her while in Doomsday form and later killing Jimmy. Doomsday’s inclusion is baffling in execution, but it is an interesting ride.
6 Clark’s Arrival On Earth Was Predestined
Jor-El Chose The Kents To Raise His Son
Smallville took its liberties with the wider Superman mythos, but a unique addition to the canon was the idea that Clark’s arrival on Earth was predestined. Introduced in season 2, the Kawatche Caves contain drawings indicating the arrival of a hero from another world who would clash with a man he once viewed as a brother. Supposedly, a Kryptonian arrived 500 years prior to the series to deliver the prophecy and prepare for Clark’s arrival. These caves would be highly relevant moving forward, driving storylines throughout. In 2024, the Kawatche Caves were integrated into the mainstream DC Comic universe.
Aside from the Kawatche Caves, there’s another instance of Kryptonians visiting Earth before Clark. Jor-El actually came to earth in 1961, where he met and fell in love with Lana Lang’s great aunt, Louise. He also met Hiram Kent, Jonathan Kent’s father and, due to his kindness, decided to send his infant son to Kent Farm upon the fall of Krypton. Clark’s arrival in Smallville was heralded both by the original Kryptonian and Jor-El.
5 Clark Meets A Zod Clone Before Zod Escapes The Phantom Zone
Another Superman Foe Arrived Early In His Timeline
The Smallville version of Zod is a younger clone of the General Zod DC fans know and love to hate. Formally introduced in Season 9, he was created to preserve Zod in the event that Krypton is destroyed. This Zod is interesting; he doesn’t remember his crimes against his home planet because his clone only remembers life up until the moment the original DNA was harvested. In addition to Zod, other Kandorian clones were released upon Doomsday’s defeat the prior season, including Faora.
Zod showing up before Clark becomes Superman is yet another example of Smallville jumping the gun. However, both the Doomsday and Zod setups end with the potential for a more comic-accurate sequel once Clark accepts the moniker. Doomsday is trapped beneath the Earth’s surface, while Clone Zod is sent to the Phantom Zone where he merges with the real General Zod.
4 Lionel Luthor Is Lex Luthor’s Father
Lex’s Father Becomes A Much Larger Presence In Smallville
Smallville put a greater emphasis on Clark and Lex’s lives prior to becoming the hero and villain they were destined to be. As a result, Lex’s family received more screen time than in previous shows and comics. Jules Luthor received the biggest facelift, becoming Lionel Luthor, a ruthless business magnate. LexCorp was renamed Luthor Corp and became a family company rather than one Lex built from the ground up. Interestingly, Lionel’s backstory shares some similarities with Lex’s in some comics; both of them killed their parents for the insurance money and built their empires on fraud.
Moreover, Lionel was such an iconic presence that he’s now canon in a fair amount of DC media. For example, he appears in “Flashpoint” and “Forever Evil,” before having a larger role in DC’s Rebirth relaunch. His popularity is largely tied to the performance of John Glover, who made Lionel a fan favorite due to the gravitas he brought to Smallville.
3 There Are Two Jimmy Olsens
Smallville Featured A Huge Character Death Followed By An Even Bigger Retcon
Smallville threw audiences for a loop when it debuted Jimmy Olsen in season 6. The bumbling yet well-meaning photographer is typically portrayed as significantly younger than Lois and Clark. Smallville’s Jimmy is the same age as the main characters, having interned at the Daily Planet with Chloe during their sophomore years. Throughout his time on the show, he’s mostly a supporting character. His biggest storylines involve romances with Kara Kent/Supergirl and Chloe, the latter of whom he marries in season 8.
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Unfortunately, he is killed off later that season, after Davis becomes jealous of his marriage. Killing off Jimmy Olsen was a wild choice, and the writers would later backtrack. The final season revealed that the Jimmy we knew was “Henry James Olsen,” and the counterpart to comic Jimmy is the former’s younger brother, who looks identical to him. It’s a bizarre twist, but the Smallville team likely wanted to reset the status quo to resemble traditional Superman media.
2 Clark Kent And Lex Luthor Were Best Friends
Their Relationship Was Destined To End In Tragedy
Smallville’s most defining trait is the relationship between Clark and Lex. By delving into their bond, the series amped up the emotional tension whenever Lex made a morally dubious decision or Clark struggled to hide his powers. The dramatic irony was that audiences knew and understood the characters’ destinies, while they were clueless, just looking for connection. The longer the series ran, the more strained their relationship became, and by the time Lex existed in season 7, they were full-blown enemies.
It’s tragic. Between their fathers’ shared animosity, Clark’s secret, and Lex’s lust for power, the duo never stood a chance. Regardless, they were further driven apart by a shared romantic interest in Lana. Smallville makes the most of this dynamic. Clark and Lex have strong chemistry onscreen, playing friendly, estranged, and contemptuous equally well.
1 Lois Knew Clark Was Superman From The Start
Superman, Lois, And Clark Didn’t Have A Big Love Triangle
Smallville took its time unveiling Clark’s secret to Lois. Despite debuting in season 4, she didn’t deduce his identity until the season 9 finale. Moreover, Clark only confessed to her in season 10, episode 5, “Isis.” While Lois’ time reporting on The Blur echoes her fascination with Superman in most DC media, Smallville overall bucks tradition by instead letting her in on the secret. This means that the show also doesn’t do the whole Superman-Clark-Lois love triangle, which typically shows Lois having a romantic interest in Superman and not Clark.
Because Smallville already had Lois and Clark in a committed relationship, it only makes sense that his powers would be revealed to her. If nothing else, their relationship wouldn’t have ended the series on a high note if they still had lingering secrets. Smallville made the right call by allowing Lois to know Clark’s identity before he became Superman.
Smallville is a Superhero television series based on the Superman Comic Book series created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This television release was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The premise revolves around a young Clark Kent as he arrives on Earth and attempts to live his life while simultaneously keeping his friends, family, and those around him safe thanks to his superpowers.
- Cast
- Sam Jones III , Annette O’Toole , Jensen Ackles , Eric Johnson , Erica Durance , Cassidy Freeman , Michael Rosenbaum , Laura Vandervoort , John Schneider , Kristin Kreuk , Sam Witwer , Aaron Ashmore , Allison Mack , John Glover , Justin Hartley , Tom Welling , Callum Blue
- Release Date
- October 16, 2001
- Seasons
- 10
- Number of Episodes
- 217
