Destiny
From Smallville Wiki
Destiny refers to the concept of life as a predetermined sequence of events. It is a major theme in Smallville.
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[edit] Clark Kent's destiny
"One of the most important things that my adoptive parents taught me is that we shape our own destiny." -Clark Kent to Kara Kent, Lara
Clark Kent's parents personify Clark's struggle between destiny as an unchangeable fate and an individual choice.
- Clark's biological father Jor-El believed in the concept of destiny as fate. While on earth during his youth he refused to remain with the woman he loved because he had to return home to fulfill his destiny. He despaired that he could not change it (Relic). Lara-El also believed in destiny. She visited the Kent Farm in 1986 without arousing any suspicion, so that the Kents could raise her unborn baby Kal-El, as it was "destined" from Jor-El (Lara, Blue).
- Clark's adoptive father Jonathan Kent rejected the concept of destiny as fate, and encouraged Clark to choose his own future. So strongly does he believe in this principle that he risked his own life to restore his son's freedom (Exile).
Clark hasn't decided if he believes in fate. Sometimes he insists on making his own choices and other times he despairs that he has no choice, (Extinction').
Clark has yet saved hundreds or even thousands of lives and sometimes he has obviously altered personal fate, as seen in the episode Hereafter. However, Jor-El has recently remarked that even Clark cannot alter destiny (Solitude).
Clark has begun to realize that the circumstances surrounding his destiny affect a greater circle than his small hometown. He seemed torn on exactly when he will continue his Kryptonian training, but had clearly decided to embark on it in the near future. However, since reuniting with Lana Lang in the fall of 2007, he has abandoned these plans and declared his intent to attempt to make a "normal" life with her on the farm. In the episode Action, when Clark walked away from the red cape and followed Lana into the house as him rejecting his destiny as Superman. About a year later Clark finally realized that he hade been holding onto a life on his hometown that hasn't existed for years. He decided to "get middle of the action" and joined the Daily Planet's staff as a reporter.
Clark struggles with his destiny, as he decides what to do with his powers:
- Hide his powers and use them largely to help his family and friends
- Use his powers to help humanity and save lives
- Use his powers to rule Earth
[edit] Hide his powers
"Professor Willowbrook thinks that I'm Naman. Jor-El wants me to be some sort of Kryptonian warrior. I just want to be Clark Kent." - Clark Kent, Talisman
Clark largely hides his powers from people outside of his immediate circle, using them mostly to help his family and friends. He is willing to reveal his powers to save a life, but so far that has yet to reveal his powers and abilities to the world at large.
Clark has yet to come up with the idea of a secret identity that can use his powers without fear of being exposed.
[edit] Help humanity
"More than once, I've touched people, and I've seen such pain and despair. But then you appeared and the pain was gone. I think that's your destiny: to help people, to save them from fear and darkness." - Cassandra Carver, to Clark Kent, Hourglass
Clark has yet to embrace his true destiny: to use his powers to help humanity as Superman. However many people try to convince him to embrace it. The Kawatche try to convince Clark that he is the Naman and that it is his destiny to protect the world. Ben Meyers, an obsessed Warrior Angel fan who believed that if he killed Lana, Clark will embrace his destiny as a hero and save the world.
This destiny was foreshadowed in his conversation with Oliver Queen. Oliver told Clark that using his abilities to help his family is honorable, but he can't wait for people to ask him for help. Oliver suggested that Clark use his powers to help anybody who needs it, and says Clark can contact him when he is ready to do so.
Kyla Willowbrook of the Kawatche tribe told Clark that Naman was destined to protect the entire earth (Skinwalker). Several members of the Kawatche people believe that Clark is destined to become Naman.
Jor-El wanted to help prepare Clark to save Earth from the coming of Brainiac and General Zod (Vessel).
[edit] Rule Earth
The message in Clark's ship suggested that Clark's Kryptonian destiny was to rule Earth:
On this third planet from this star Sol, you'll be a god among men. They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength, my son. That is where your greatness lies.
This is also what Zor-El suggested to him when he came to Earth through the blue crystal.
Clark rejected this destiny, and often struggled against what he felt was Jor-El's efforts to push him to embrace his destiny as a tyrant. Eventually it emerged that Jor-El actually wanted to help prepare Clark to save Earth from the coming of Brainiac and Zod.
[edit] Lex Luthor's destiny
"I've always been fighting my destiny, trying to avoid becoming my father. But we all have certain genes that, no matter how much we want to change, dominate us." - Lex Luthor, Exodus, Season 2
Lex Luthor is continually fighting with and then embracing his destiny of becoming a ruthless billionaire and politician.
Like Clark's, Lex's parents also personify his struggle with destiny:
- Lionel Luthor raised Lex to be tyrannical and ruthless, and to embrace his fate as as a powerful and evil man. When Lex shows signs of compassion or weakness, Lionel moves quickly to crush those sentiments.
- Lillian Luthor represents an alternative path, if he can choose to walk away from his destiny as a ruthless businessman and politician. Both times Lex met his mother were during near death experiences (Lexmas, Void), and in both cases, she talked to Lex about an alternative life of happiness that could be his, if he walked away from his father and LuthorCorp.
Lex struggles to choose between the two visions his parents have for his destiny:
[edit] Rule Earth
Lex's destined fate is to rule the planet Earth, by accumulating vast amounts of business wealth and political power. Unlike Clark, Lex is drawn to the idea of ruling Earth. To do so, he is willing to sacrifice any number of friends or even human life.Lex think he should destroy 'terrorists' such as Green Arrow or Clark Kent.
In Season 1, the metahuman Cassandra Carver used her powers to see into Lex's future. She saw a vision of Lex in a brilliant white suit in the oval office of the White House. Then he was in a field of sunflowers. When he bent down to smell one of the flowers, it died. Then all the flowers died. A field of dry human bones replaced the flowers. Lex seem pleased. Lex held out his arms as it began to rain red blood.In the final years (Season 6-7) of Lex and Clark's association, Lex finally and decisively turned to darkness. Currently he abuses his company's assets and resources to fund questionable and most likely illegal scientific research on cloning and alien intelligence. He also recently purchased Metropolis' main newspaper, the Daily Planet and named himself CEO. He has already use his authority to kill stories, fire reporters, and monitor employee's computer usage. In an alternate universe, Lex was President of the United States. He and Milton Fine (Brainiac) were planning on destroying half the world in order to reshape it with his new order using a missile strike.Lex recently killed Lionel Luthor fully accepting his destiny and his inner child which represents his good side. Lex and Clark salvaging their friendship was ended when Lex, having been manipulated by Brainiac, used the Kryptonian control device to track down the Fortress of Solitude, where he confronted Clark and finally learned his secret. Believing that Clark- the 'Traveler' whose coming had been foretold by the Veritas Society- had to be destroyed in order to save the world, he inserted the device into the Fortress, somehow bringing Clark to his knees as the crystals of the Fortress began to fall apart around them.
[edit] Be Happy
Lillian believes that Lex can choose to turn away from his fate as a ruthless tycoon, and find happiness.
Lex desperately wants to be happy, but believes that happiness is fleeting without money and power, which he believes will give him control over potentially painful events. He has sought power through the widely varying fields of business, politics, and science. In the pursuit of money and power, Lex has walked away the two greatest sources of happiness in his life: his friendship with Clark Kent and his marriage to Lana Lang.
[edit] Clark and Lex's shared destiny
"I know. But if one person could do all that, he'd be a formidable enemy. He could conquer the world. He could become a tyrant if no one kept him in check. So I've been thinking...anybody who'd be willing to fight him would have to be pretty brave. Clark, did it ever occur to you that the hero of the story...is Sageeth?" - Lex Luthor, Talisman, Season 3
In the episode Talisman, it is said that Sageeth is like a brother to Naman, but one day, he will turn against Naman; together, they will be the balance between good and evil.
If Naman is Clark, Sageeth is either Lex or Lionel. A mythical blade known as the Starblade was supposed to shine a light on the true Sageeth so Naman could identify and destroy his greatest enemy. If Sageeth ever touched it, the blade would disintegrate. When Lionel and his son, Lex Luthor, tried to grab the Starblade at the same time, the Starblade disintegrated. This left the identity of Sageeth unknown between these two Luthors.
Two clues suggest that Sageeth is likely Lex Luthor. First, Sageeth was once like a brother to Naman; this mirrors Lex and Clark's friendship during Seasons 1 and 2. Second, Lionel Luthor was purged of his acquisitive drive and ambitions by the Stone of Water in Season 4, while Lex has plunged increasingly into darkness.
Given both of these developments and their comic book destiny, is increasingly likely that it is Lex who is destined to become Sageeth: the enemy of Naman, the destined defender of humanity. Lex recently fulfilled his destiny to become Naman's enemy.
