Pete Ross

From Smallville Wiki

Pete Ross was Clark Kent's childhood best friend.

Pete is the son of Abigail Ross, a district judge in Smallville, and Bill Ross, the owner of the Ross Creamed Corn. He is the youngest of several older brothers. His father, Bill Ross, encountered Lionel Luthor the day of the meteor shower in 1989. Lionel wanted to buy his creamed-corn business. After the shower, Jonathan Kent owed Lionel a favor, and convinced Bill Ross to sell the business to Lionel, a business move that both Jonathan and Bill regretted. As a result, Pete harbors deep resentment and disdain for all of the Luthors, Lex included, and does not believe they can be trusted. Despite Jonathan's role in the deal, Pete befriended Clark Kent in early childhood. When Pete was bullied, Clark came to his defense. Clark and Pete often camped outside in their backyards. He was also good childhood friends with Greg Arkin. He met Chloe Sullivan in eighth grade and harbored a crush on her for years before telling her.

As children, Pete told his secrets to Clark. However Clark did not share his secret with Pete until they were fifteen years old. Even after he told Pete his secret, Clark rarely talked about his struggles with Jor-El and his Kryptonian destiny. Pete often encouraged Clark to pursue Lana Lang.

Contents 1 Personality 2 Season One 3 Season Two 4 Season Three 5 Season Seven 6 Trivia 7 In the Comics 8 See Also

[edit] Personality

Pete is the youngest of five children. His older brothers were all sports stars at Smallville High, and his sister was valedictorian. He often felt that he could never measure up, so he never tried, choosing instead to shield himself with a quick wit and a contagious smile. Pete is very outgoing and unlike Clark, enjoys being the center of attention. He seems usually confident with girls, but only reluctantly told Chloe that he had fallen in love with her. When trusted with Clark's secret, Pete proved to be a fiercely loyal and trustworthy friend. He enjoys football, racing, dirt bikes, photography and DJing.

[edit] Season One

I know my strengths. I'm more the power behind the throne, the guy behind the guy. The one who makes it all happen. - Pete Ross, Drone

Pete worked on the Smallville Torch newspaper with Clark and Chloe. He and Clark joined the football team together to avoid becoming the scarecrow. Pete and Clark were rope climbing in gym class one day when Clark's x-ray vision suddenly kicked in. The sight of Pete's skin-less form startled Clark so much that he let go of the rope and fell several feet. Freshman year, Pete went on more of Clark's adventures, facing various metahumans and normal criminals. Clark saved him from Jodi Melville. On a field trip to the LuthorCorp plant, Pete along with Chloe was held hostage by Earl Jenkins; in the end, Clark saved both Pete and Chloe. Clark also saved Pete from the Nicodemus flower. Under the influence of the flower, he came close to shooting Lex. Pete nominated Clark for class president, but he didn't win. The highlight of his year might have been his date with Erica Fox to the the spring formal.

[edit] Season Two

Our whole life you were the one person I could tell anything to, and I always did, all my secrets. But you? Everything you ever told me was a lie!.. Clark, you don't get it do you? I don't care if you're from the moon. You never trusted me. What kind of friendship is that? - Pete Ross, Duplicity

When Pete stopped at the scene of an accident, he discovered Clark's spaceship. Against his parents' wishes, Clark felt that he had no choice but to tell Pete the truth about his origins. Pete was furious at Clark for not telling him sooner. He was soon abducted by Dr. Hamilton and tortured, but he proved himself courageous and fiercely loyal. Clark saved him and he realized how dangerous the secret was and why Clark kept it from him as long as he could.

Pete proved an invaluable ally to the Kent Family when Clark was accidentally exposed to Red kryptonite for the first time. No one understood Clark's erratic behavior, but Pete figured it out using Chloe's research regarding their class rings and his own knowledge of Clark's origins. Pete helped Jonathan overpower Clark and destroy the ring. Pete helped Clark move the ship when the feds quarantined the farm. He also served as a decoy when Jonathan and Clark recovered the key and transported the ship to the hospital where it restored Martha and Clark's health. He helped Clark again when Clark decided to steal Lionel's kryptonite key. He provided a diversion by finally angrily confronting Lionel about taking his family's business while Clark zoomed in at super speed and snatched the key.

When Pete was infected by an alien parasite, he was compelled to do reckless things. When Clark tried to convince Pete to go to the hospital, he used green kryptonite to stop him and threatened to expose his secret. He also used a red kryptonite to compel Clark to join in on the fun. Clark eventually saved him, and Pete expressed regret for manipulating Clark the way that he did.

[edit] Season Three

You think it's easy keeping a lid on your secret? I've got to think about it every time we're around other people to make sure I don't slip. I've got to remember to say 'meteor rock' instead of 'kryptonite'. And I always got to cover your unexplained exits. - Pete Ross, Asylum

Pete assisted Clark when he was temporarily blinded. Nathan Dean kidnapped Pete to blackmail his mother, Judge Abigail Ross, while Clark was helpless to interfere. Clark managed to find Pete before Nathan Dean tried to kill him. Clark didn't mind when Pete told everybody his own version of the events, detailing his "heroics."

When Chloe was exposed to a kryptonite-based airborne agent, she gained the ability to make anybody tell her the truth, and subsequently went around Smallville, abusing the power. Clark tried to keep Pete physically away from Chloe to prevent him from accidentally telling Clark's secret. However, the three are eventually cornered in an elevator, but instead of telling Clark's secret, Pete blurted out one of his own. He finally told Chloe that he'd been in love with her for a long time, shocking both Chloe and Clark. He was extremely embarrassed and hurt over Chloe's actions, making her realize that she needed to be cured.

When Clark asked why he never told Chloe before, Pete reluctantly admitted that he knew he never had a chance, because he knew Chloe was in love with Clark, and he just couldn't compare. When Pete began street racing, he earned the nickname, Pete "The Boss" Ross. However, when his sponsor asked him to purposely blow a street race, and Pete did not comply, the sponsor threatened and blackmailed him for thousands of dollars. Out of fear and desperation, Pete asked Clark to steal money for him. Furious that Pete would put him in that position, Clark had to figure out a way to save Pete and still protect his secret, without having to resort to theft. Clark was so angry with Pete, the two did not speak for several weeks.

Pete's parents got divorced at the end of his junior year. Rather than deal with the turmoil at home, he began spending the night at the Torch office. Chloe caught him, and he eventually confessed what he was dealing with. When Frank Loder began investigating Clark, he targeted Pete, and beat him up. Lex arrived to save him just in time. Pete decided that he could no longer stay in Smallville without either being killed or revealing Clark's secret, and moved to Wichita with his mother.

[edit] Season Seven

Pete returned to Smallville as a roadie with the band OneRepublic. He used kryptonite-laced chewing gum to grant him the ability of elasticity - the power to stretch and contort his body in bizarre ways. After using this to save Kara from a falling speaker at the OneRepublic concert, he headed to the Kent Farm and reunited with Clark; however, he found it difficult to adjust to the fact that Chloe, Lana, and Lionel were all keepers of Clark's secret.

Seeming almost embittered, Pete then expressed his feelings about keeping Clark’s secret and what it had cost him. He demonstrated his new power and told Clark that he was going to be a hero. However, a hesitant Clark tried to convince Pete that using kryptonite was dangerous. In response, Pete angrily declared that if Clark tried to stop him, he would reveal the truth about him and his alien heritage.

Pete then went to visit Chloe at the Daily Planet and proudly told her about his powers, having arranged an interview with Jimmy. His vendetta against Lex was renewed when he learned that Lex was watching Chloe's computer, and he infected that system with a virus. Lex caught him, though, and blackmailed him into stealing Kara's Kryptonian bracelet from Lionel's vault.

Clark learned of Pete's intentions and sped to Lionel's office, but Pete felled him with kryptonite and returned to Smallville with a determination to kill Lex. He ambushed the younger Luthor, but Lex's bodyguard overpowered him and his ability faded as the gum dropped from his mouth. Pete was tortured as Lex tried to force the location of the bracelet from him, only for Clark to incapacitate both Lex and the guard and rescue Pete.

Pete realized that that he was not meant to be superhuman and decided to search for another way to express the hero within him. Wishing Clark and Chloe well, he returned to his travels.

[edit] Trivia

• Pete drives a blue 1964 Ford Falcon convertible in Season 2.
• Pete handpicked the songs for "The Talon Mix."
• Pete served as Chloe's cameraman for her investigative reports, called The Chloe Chronicles.
• As evidenced by Clark's yearbook signage, Pete made plans to hang out with Clark the summer after they graduated from high school.
• Pete has been mentioned twice since leaving the show, in Mortal and Lockdown.
• According to the online Torch article (vol 54, issue 99) written by Smallville High alum Chloe Sullivan in May 2007, Pete went on to play football at Topeka High and led his team to the state semifinals. Topeka High was one game away from playing Smallville High, when they were defeated. Pete is currently in college and keeps in touch with Chloe.
• Pete temporarily gained the power of elasticity when chewing kryptonite-laced gum in Hero.
• According the Smallville Visual Guide, Pete's siblings are named Mike, Sam, Mark, and Kathy.
• Pete's attraction to Chloe in the show is similar to his attraction to Lana in the comic books.

[edit] In the Comics

Main article: Wikipedia:Pete Ross

In the Silver Age comics, Pete Ross knew that Clark Kent was Superboy, but Superboy didn't tell him, and Superboy didn't know that Pete knew his secret. Pete used his knowledge to help Superboy in any way that he could, such as making excuses for his untimely exits. Because of this sort of help, the Legion of Superheroes made him an honorary member. Their childhood friendship continued into adulthood.

The Post-Crisis Pete Ross had no knowledge of Clark's powers, but was one of his closest friends during their childhood. He married Lana Lang, and they had a son named Clark. Lex Luthor and Pete Ross were elected President and Vice President. When Lex was removed from office, Pete served briefly as President before resigning. He was kidnapped by Ruin, while Ruin pretended to be Pete. Superman saved Pete from Ruin. Pete and Lana were divorced, and Pete moved back to Smallville to raise their son alone.

[edit] See Also

• Ross - Information about the rest of Pete's family.
• Pete and Chloe - Details on Pete's relationship with Chloe Sullivan.
• Clark and Pete - Details on his and Clark's longtime friendship.
• Pete Ross' near-death experiences