Clark Kent
From Smallville Wiki
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| Clark Kent | |
|---|---|
| Family | Jonathan Kent (adoptive father, deceased), Martha Kent (adoptive mother), William Clark (adoptive grandfather), Jor-El (birth father, deceased), Lara-El (birth mother, deceased), Kara Kent (cousin), Zor-El (birth uncle, deceased) |
| Occupation | Organic farmer (Kent Farm) |
| Powers and Abilities | Super strength, super speed, invulnerability, healing factor, x-ray vision, heat vision, super hearing, super breath, and super stamina |
| Played By | Tom Welling |
| Status | Unknown (Arctic) |
"So what are you: man or Superman?" - Lana Lang, to Clark Kent, Pilot
Clark Kent is the Last Son of Krypton.
Born as Kal-El on Krypton to Jor-El and Lara-El, he was sent to Earth after his planet was about to be destroyed. Clark's ship crash landed in Smallville, Kansas and he was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Clark knew he was adopted, but did not learn of his true origins until age 14, when he confronted Jonathan about his invulnerability and demanded answers.
Over the years, Clark has developed many native Kryptonian powers that grow stronger each year as he gets older.
After the death of his father, Clark dropped out of Central Kansas A&M. He singlehandedly manages his family's farm, the Kent Farm.
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[edit] Personality
"You feel no pain greater than to see others in agony." – General Zod, to Clark, Vessel
Most of Clark's personality traits are the direct result of his modest farm upbringing. Clark was very close to both of his parents; he was respectful, obedient, and highly valued their approval. Raised with a strong moral background, he does not like invasions of privacy, thinks the bad guys should be punished, and wants things to be fair. Clark is hard-working and usually does not place much value in material possessions.
Two traits of Clark Kent that have been prominent for most of the series have been his positive view on humanity and his self-loathing of not being human. He is idealistic and has the ability
Clark has often expressed a desire to be human or loathing of being an alien, probably because he feels his biology hinders his humanity, despite several people telling him that humanity is more than biology.[1] This self-loathing is probably why Clark internalizes situations; he believes everything is his fault, because of him, or about him. It deeply affects him when his loved ones suffer because of his secret. He feels fully responsible and fails to consider that people who love him would willingly suffer for him.[2] He often feels guilt about things over which he had no control and does not consider himself a hero because he feels he causes most of the trouble.[3] It may also explain part of his constant fear of sharing his secret, assuming that anyone will be repulsed by what he is because that is how he feels himself. Currently, Clark struggles with the realization that he cannot save every person in danger and feels like his heroic deeds are inadequate.
This inferiority complex also extends to how Clark feels about his own race, quick to judge that Kryptonians are evil until he realized that they, like humans, had good and evil people something proven by General Zod, an evil Kryptonian renegade, and his biological father Jor-El, a good man trying to stop Zod's actions on Krypton. Clark has also realized that Kryptonians were capable of love and compassion. Currently, he has made some improvements toward accepting who he is. He is grateful for his abilities and proud of his compassion for humans, seeing it as a strength.[4] 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, after reuniting with Lana Lang in the fall of 2007, he abandoned these plans and declared his intent to attempt to make a "normal" life with her on the farm.[5] It remains to be seen what Clark will plan to do since Lana decided to end their relationship and move away.
Clark can be impulsive; he often acts before thinking things through. Even though his intentions are good, he does things without considering the real-world repercussions first. Unsurprisingly, Clark has a hero complex, often trying to save lives at any and all costs. He has willingly risked his own life to save his loved ones and has, on many occasions, offered the Kents' home to individuals seeking refuge.[6] Clark is also very comfortable around children and enjoys situations in which he gets to be a "big brother" figure.[7]
Additionally, because he closely guards his secret, Clark can sometimes be dishonest. He often makes up lies to explain his sudden presence or absence, or how he has knowledge of mysterious things. Ironically, though, Clark highly values trust in a relationship. He seems slightly less mature than his friends, although this could be the result of his sheltered upbringing. Clark has also been known to whine, mope, or pout, especially about his roller-coaster relationship with Lana Lang.[8] His family and friends have repeatedly told him that he shouldn't bottle up his emotions until they get the best of him.[9]
Clark is afraid of heights despite the fact that he can survive a fall at terminal velocity. He is habitually late, despite super speed. He is good at math, enjoys playing football and basketball, and likes astronomy and journalism.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Main Article: Clark Kent's powers and abilities
"That's why I'm lucky to have parents like you. Every time I woke up and had a new ability, you were always there to help me adjust and this time is no different." – Clark Kent, Arrival
Clark's superhuman abilities are powered by the energy of Earth's yellow sun. His abilities usually appear suddenly and he must learn to control them. They seem to get stronger as Clark gets older.
- Super strength: Clark often uses his super strength to take care of the farm. He lifts farm equipment, plunges fence posts into the ground, and drives nails with his thumb. When Clark is directly exposed to sunlight his strength levels are greatly increased.
- Invulnerability: Clark's invulnerability has also increased with his age. He is immune to human illnesses, explosions of ordinary force as seen in Aqua and bullets bounce off him. Clark is also highly resistant to energy-based attacks. He is currently durable enough to survive a distant nuclear blast and survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and fall to the Earth's surface without damage. (Hidden, Zod)
- Healing Factor: When Clark is wounded, he heals quickly if not instantaneously.
- Super speed: Clark can run at speeds faster than the eye can see, and in between distant cities (Smallville to Metropolis) faster than a word can be spoken, but not as fast as Bart Allen. Clark can also swim at super speed but may not be as fast as Arthur Curry.
- X-ray vision: Clark can see through any solid object except for lead. It may appear as a bluish skeletal image similar to the ones seen on hospital x-rays, or it may be a full color image. Clark appears to have mastered the skeletal images over full color.
- Heat vision: This power first manifested when Clark was 15 and was initially connected to his sex drive. Clark can also project force with his heat vision.
- Super hearing: When Clark was temporarily blinded, this ability manifested to compensate. Clark can hear indirect whispers and both sides of telephone conversations.
- Super breath: At age 19, Clark was vulnerable in the Phantom Zone and returned to Earth with super strong sneezes. When he got better, he honed the sneezes as super breath.
- Flight: Brainwashed as Kal-El at age 17, Clark could fly in full control of this ability, but at 21 has yet to control it. However, he has had this ability since 14 but cannot consciously use it due to his human fear of heights but has mimicked flying a few times, making super leaps from building to building, onto missiles and off of bridges.
Clark can hear Kryptonian beacons, and is able to mentally interface with Kryptonian artifacts to order them to fly into his hand as Kal-El. He has also had a possibly precognitive dream relating to the arrival of the second ship, though this is not clear.
Main Article: Clark Kent's fighting style
Clark Kent believes strongly in non-lethal combat and has never directly killed anyone using his powers [10]. As a result, he's adopted a fighting style that depends largely on knocking opponents unconscious using his super-strength. He will frequently grab his opponents and throw them through into a wall or object, rendering them unconscious. He also uses a head slap to achieve the same effect. He will sometimes combine these attacks with superspeed, in order to remain anonymous (or to sneak up on his opponents). He does use more force when battling more powerful metahumans or extraterrestrial beings.
[edit] Vulnerabilities
Main article: Clark Kent's vulnerabilities
"We all have our weaknesses, I guess. Except for you, of course." – Chloe Sullivan, Jinx
Clark is vulnerable to kryptonite, radioactive remnants of his home planet, Krypton. The known variations of kryptonite affect him in different ways. Clark can protect himself from kryptonite radiation using lead. Removal of the substance reverses the effects.
- Green kryptonite renders Clark physically weak and painfully ill. He once stated that green kryptonite exposure hurt more than cracked ribs.
- Red kryptonite makes Clark lose his inhibitions and social conscience. The effects strengthen over long periods of exposure. Under the influence of red kryptonite, Clark usually refers to himself as "Kal", short for his birthname, Kal-El.
- Black kryptonite can separate Clark from his Kryptonian persona, Kal-El.
- Silver kryptonite makes Clark dangerously paranoid and suspicious, inducing hallucinations in the process.
- Blue kryptonite comes in the form of jewelry and robs Clark of his powers while it is being worn.
- Kryptonian metal, such as the Starblade, can harm Clark. When stabbed by the blade, Clark received a near-fatal wound; he only recovered when Jonathan Kent healed him through Jor-El.
Although most metahumans received their powers from green kryptonite, Clark's vulnerability or immunity towards each individual seems to vary based on unknown factors. Clark was also vulnerable to the magical abilities of Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and the hypnotic abilities of Simone's gemstone. He is also vulnerable to the powers of various intergalactic creatures from the Phantom Zone and was incapacitated by Black Canary's sonic scream.
[edit] Early Life
Clark was born as Kal-El, the only son of Jor-El and Lara-El, on the planet Krypton and he is the main protagonist in the series. When their planet was about to be destroyed after his uncle Zor-El ignited Krypton's core and also due to General Zod's attempt to conquer its people, Jor-El placed Kal-El in a spaceship, to send him to a good family on the planet Earth where he visited years ago. Though Lara wondered if the people of Earth would accept and love him, Jor-El reassured her that the family he chose would be good to him.
Since Brainiac travelled back in time and altered history, Kal-El was kidnapped by Brainiac before he could be placed on the ship and Brainiac was about to kill him but Kal-El and Kara Kent from the future saved the infant Kal-El and placed him on the ship.
[edit] High School Years
[edit] Freshman Year
"What are you trying to tell me, dad? That I'm from another planet?" - Clark Kent, Pilot
In his freshman year, Clark's closest friends were Pete Ross (since early childhood) and Chloe Sullivan (since eighth grade). The three worked on the high school newspaper, the Smallville Torch, together for Smallville High School. Clark's duties were minimal, such as writing the lunch menu or other small articles. Clark has been in love with Lana Lang for most of his life. Lana lived a mile away and while growing up, Clark used his telescope in his loft to spy on her. However, Lana almost always wore a necklace with a meteor rock charm on it. As a result, Clark could not even come into close physical proximity without being physically affected.
Clark was accidentally hit by Lex Luthor's car, causing them to fall into a river. He was unharmed and swam to the bottom of the river to save Lex from drowning. Lex tried to reward Clark with a new truck, but Jonathan refused it. Frustrated, Clark confessed to Jonathan that he didn't dive in after Lex's car; he was actually hit by it. Jonathan told him how he and Martha found him and a spacecraft, which they hid in the storm cellar. Confused and angry, Clark went to a graveyard to gather his thoughts where he had his first conversation with Lana. He eventually realized her necklace's effect when Lana's boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, saw Clark and Lana talking, then chose Clark to be the traditional Scarecrow.
Whitney put the necklace on Clark and strung him up in a field. Clark was saved from his post by Lex. He then stopped the vengeful metahuman Jeremy Creek, another past Scarecrow, from electrocuting the students of Smallville High.
Because Jonathan and Martha did not want him to inadvertently injure other children, Clark was not allowed in playgroups or to play on sports teams as a child. Against their judgment, he tried out for the football team his freshman year as a starting tailback. However, after stopping Coach Walt Arnold from using his pyrokinetic abilities on others, Clark resigned from the team.
Clark met many metahumans his freshman year: those who used their abilities to keep themselves alive and achieve their vengeful goals, such as Sean Kelvin and Tina Greer, and those that would seem to be cursed with their gifts and use them to help others, such as the blind, precognitive Cassandra Carver, the persuasive hermit Kyle Tippet, and the young telepath Ryan James.
When Clark saved the life of a classmate, depressed and abused Eric Summers, he temporarily lost his powers. Eric wandered away from their geology class field trip and, holding a meteor rock, was about to jump off of a bridge. As Clark tried to pull Eric to safety, the two were struck by lightning and Clark's abilities were transferred to Eric. Clark remarked that his farm chores took two hours instead of five minutes, but it was worth it to be able to play pick-up basketball with his classmates. He also considered the possibility that if he were to get his abilities back, he might not have to keep them a secret because everyone accepted Eric. However, Eric then attacked Clark by throwing him against a car, injuring his ribs. When Eric continued to act psychotically violent, Clark reclaimed his abilities because he realized that, unlike Clark, Eric did not have a supportive family to help him manage the responsibility that came with the powers.
By the end of his freshman year, Clark's powers had steadily increased. After being caught in an exploding truck, he remarked that he barely felt the heat from explosion and the debris did not even bruise him.
After personal struggles, Whitney set his differences with Clark aside and asked him to look after Lana after he enlisted in the Marines.
Clark sometimes considered the possibility of a romantic relationship with Chloe, but was worried that it would mean losing her as a friend and still held hope that he and Lana were meant to be together. When Chloe was kidnapped, Clark saved her, and faced with the possibility that he could have lost her forever, he decided to take her to the Spring Formal. They almost kissed, but the news of tornadoes in Smallville interrupted their evening together and he left her to rescue Lana.
[edit] Sophomore Year
"I have got all these questions, and I can't leave them in the storm cellar anymore. Why did my parents put me in that ship? What was so bad they had to send me away?" – Clark Kent, Rosetta
Clark developed heat vision the first day of his sophomore year. Triggered by hormones connected to his sex drive, he has since learned to control his new gift. Clark was briefly jailed as a suspected arsonist after Desirée Atkins claimed he had set fire to her car. He started a fire in the holding cell and when Sheriff Ethan opened the cell door, he escaped, only to later receive a lecture from the sheriff and cleared of all charges once Desirée was arrested for the attempted murder of her husband, Lex.
Defying his parents, Clark revealed his origins and powers to Pete when Pete found Clark's ship in a cornfield and asked Clark to help him move it. At first, Pete was angry with Clark for not trusting him and stopped speaking to him. However, Pete was kidnapped by Dr. Steven Hamilton, who threatened to kill him unless he revealed Clark's secret. Clark came to Pete's rescue and the two worked together to escape Dr. Hamilton. Understanding the responsibility and danger of knowing Clark's secret, Pete forgave Clark for keeping it from him.
Clark bought a class ring that had red meteor rock in it, discovering the drug-like effects it has on him. He became rebellious and somewhat dangerous for the first time. Pete and Jonathan had to work together to overpower Clark and destroy the ring.
Clark met his adoptive maternal grandfather, William Clark, for the first time and was determined to end the strife between William and Jonathan. He was dismayed to learn that his parents became estranged from William when he was adopted, because they didn't think they could trust William with Clark's secret.
Clark discovered the Kawatche Caves, where he met Kyla Willowbrook, a Granville High School student doing research in them. Clark and Kyla had an instant connection and grew very close. For the first time in his life, he felt like everything fit and like they were destined to be together. The caves contained a series of elaborate drawings and symbols, along with a depression in the wall shaped exactly like his key and, according to Kyla, depicted the legend of Naman, which Clark believed contained clues to his origins. After Kyla's death, Clark convinced Lex to preserve the caves. Lex hired Dr. Frederick Walden to do research on the caves and their strange markings, while giving Clark unlimited access to the caves. However, in Lex and Lionel's endless battle for LuthorCorp, Lex lost control and Lionel took over their exploration.
Clark decided to ask Lana out on a date and she accepted. However, he had to break their date because Pete and Chloe got infected with a parasite from the cave, which caused wild and impulsive behavior. Pete slipped a piece of red meteor rock into Clark's shirt and Clark joined in on the fun. Not realizing that her friends were under undue influences, Lana got upset with Clark and their relationship stalled yet again. Clark saved Pete and Chloe, but it meant having to lie to Lana about his own behavior.
When Martha and Clark were exposed to meteor-rock-bearing spores in the storm cellar, they became deathly ill. Martha was admitted to the hospital (where her pregnancy was revealed), but Jonathan kept Clark at home to avoid risk of Clark's alien physiology being discovered. Chloe came to visit Clark, and while he was sleeping, confessed her true feelings in the form of a letter. However, Chloe left in tears when Clark called for Lana in his sleep. Jonathan placed the key in the spaceship, causing the craft to unleash a burst of energy that restored Clark and Martha to good health.
Clark began to have dreams of putting the key in the hole in the cave wall and decided to do it, against his parents' wishes. When he did, he learned how to read the alien language and translated it for his parents. Beyond his control, Clark burned the symbol for "hope" into the side of the barn with his heat vision. Dr. Virgil Swann saw the symbol in a newspaper and contacted Clark. Dr. Swann translated a message which had been sent 13 years ago: "This is Kal-El of Krypton. Our infant son, our last hope. Please protect him and deliver him from evil. We will be with you, Kal-El, for all the days of your life." Clark learned that his home planet was called Krypton and all the meteor rocks are also from Krypton.
After returning, Clark and Jonathan opened the ship for the first time and Clark translated the message from his Kryptonian biological father: "On this third planet from this star Sol, you will be a god among men. They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength, my son. That is where your greatness lies." Clark was horrified at the idea that he was sent to conquer and rule Earth.
In his second brush with the law, Clark served 40 hours of community service for a misdemeanor battery charge brought against him after he attacked Andy Arthur, a college frat boy attempting to assault Lana. Andy brought a million-dollar lawsuit against the Kents. Clark later found out that Andy was faking his injuries and he talked Lana into using her newfound karate skills to make Andy drop the lawsuit.
Because he was helping Lana, Clark forgot to write an article for the Torch and he and Chloe got in a fight about it. He subsequently quit the newspaper. Lana decided to give Clark another chance and made him a birthday cake; they shared their first kiss. However, this time, knowing how Chloe felt about Clark, the next day, it was Lana who put a hold on their relationship again, because she was concerned that it would ruin all three of their friendships. Clark convinced her that it was worth the risk and Lana was persuaded, but only if Clark promised to tell Chloe. With the commotion surrounding Dr. Walden and the ship, Clark was unable to before Chloe figured it out herself. Chloe confronted Clark and broke off their friendship completely.
On Clark's birthday, the ship began broadcasting the message "The day is coming," which only Clark and Dr. Walden could hear. Clark found Dr. Walden at his barn with the key and with a powerful ability to project energy. Later, Jor-El called to him through the ship, saying that it was time to leave Smallville forever for him to fulfill his destiny. When Clark defiantly resisted, Jor-El burned the sign of his ancestors on Clark's chest as a warning of any future disobedience. Thinking the only way to escape his biological father's grip was to destroy the ship, Clark stole Lionel's kryptonite key with Pete's help and put in the ship. The pulse from the exploding ship rolled Jonathan and Martha's truck, causing her to miscarry the baby. Feeling immense guilt and sorrow, Clark stole a red kryptonite class ring from Chloe's desk at the Torch, took his father's motorcycle, and ran away to Metropolis under the influence of red kryptonite.
[edit] Junior Year
"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
Three months later, still under the influence of red kryptonite and living in Metropolis, Clark went under the alias of "Kal." He got involved with a crime lord, Morgan Edge, who hired him to break into LuthorCorp. Jonathan made a deal with Jor-El to help bring Clark back home to Smallville by promising to release Clark to Jor-El when it came time to fulfill his destiny. Jonathan temporarily received Kryptonian powers and battled Clark, ultimately leading to Clark's homecoming. However, Edge tracked him down and demanded that he return Lionel's package (which contained a vial of Clark's blood). Edge learned of Clark's weakness to kryptonite and nearly sold him to Lionel, but Clark escaped. What happened to the money he stole or how he covered it up is unknown; Clark simply said he tipped off the police about the money's whereabouts.
Clark was shot in the hand and shoulder by a kryptonite bullet made by Van McNulty, who believed Clark to be a metahuman. With Clark passed out on the kitchen floor, Jonathan and Martha saved him by extracting the bullet from Clark's shoulder using a knife and pliers.
The Conroys moved to Smallville and into Lana's old house. While studying in his loft, Clark fell into a deep sleep and his dreams were penetrated with cries for help from Sarah Conroy, who was being kept in a drug-induced coma by her uncle and legal guardian, Nicholas. His parents were unable to wake him for over a day. Upon waking, Clark and Lana investigated the situation, but were thwarted by Nicholas. Sarah managed to keep a hold on Clark and he dozed off again while driving, wrecking the family truck. In their shared dreams, Clark was able to save Sarah from Nicholas and wake them both up by encouraging her to face her uncle.
Clark learned that Earth's sun was the source of his powers when a solar flare caused them to go into overdrive or fail completely. During this time, he met the drunk Perry White. Perry witnessed Clark's powers, but since he was perpetually drunk, nobody believed him. Under the effects of the solar flare, Clark became vulnerable and Perry was convinced that everything he saw from Clark was probably a drunken hallucination.
In an attempt to save Lex's life, Clark revealed his powers to Lex by taking the hit of a car. However, Lionel had Lex's mind erased of the past seven weeks, and Clark's secret remained safe.
While trying to prevent a robbery, Clark tried to use his heat vision on the metahuman thief Nathan Dean, but the heat blast was reflected off of a Kryptonite gem, which blinded him temporarily. While blind, Clark gained the use and control of his super-hearing. He learned of Chloe's deal with Lionel and they did not speak to each other for a time. They came to a tentative agreement that Chloe might not understand everything about him, but he would tell her when he was ready. When Clark and Lana were hypnotized into trying to kill Chloe, Clark felt guilty, so he forgave Chloe for making a bad decision in a moment of weakness and their friendship was repaired.
Clark discovered one of his classmates, Alicia Baker, was a metahuman with the power to teleport anywhere she wanted. The two were forced to reveal their powers to each other while in a crashing elevator. Their shared secrets brought them together and they began dating. However, Alicia became completely obsessed with Clark, inserting herself into every aspect of his life. She attempted to kill Lana so she could have Clark all to herself, but Clark saved Lana just in time.
When Lionel tried to extract information about Clark from Dr. Swann, Clark accused Swann betraying him. He learned that Jor-El was waiting for Jonathan to fulfill his end of the bargain they made to bring Clark from Metropolis.
Under the guise of concern for his son, Lionel asked Clark to intervene when Lex began using an experimental treatment at the Summerholt Institute to recover lost memories, which involved submersion in a tank filled with a liquid kryptonite solution. When Clark went to rescue Lex, he was weakened by the solution, allowing Dr. Lawrence Garner to overpower him and place him inside the tank. Clark went into seizures as he recovered his earliest memory of his birth parents. He almost died, but Lex arrived just in time to save him.
Clark was stabbed in the stomach by Jeremiah Holdsclaw with the Starblade, an ancient Kawatche artifact apparently made of kryptonian metal. He almost bled to death, but Jor-El healed him through Jonathan and Clark survived. Clark also learned that either Lex or Lionel would be his ultimate enemy.
Many major events happened as Clark finished his junior year. Lana announced that she was moving to Paris and Clark decided to reveal his secret to her to make her stay. But when Pete was beaten up by one of Lionel's lackeys, Clark changed his mind because he did not want to put Lana in danger. Clark said goodbye to his longtime friend when Pete's parents got divorced and Pete decided to move to Wichita with his mother. Lionel told Clark about Lex's secret room, which contained the evidence of Lex investigating his secrets. Clark declared that since Lex had not stopped researching him, their friendship was over. However, he kept his promise to testify against Lionel.
Clark also met "Kara", a beautiful girl who claimed to be from Krypton. Kara enticed him to fulfill his destiny and recreate Krypton with her and also revealed the deal made between Jonathan and Jor-El. Still reeling from all the recent goodbyes and revelations, Clark decided to go with Kara. As Clark prepared to leave with Kara, Jonathan arrived with proof that Kara was being used by Jor-El to lure Clark to him. When Clark refused to go into a portal in the cave wall, Jor-El dissipated Kara and hit Jonathan with a bolt of energy, threatening to kill him if Clark refused him again. Despite Jonathan's pleas, Clark entered the light and disappeared.
[edit] Senior Year
"I am Kal-El of Krypton. It is time to fulfill my destiny." – Clark Kent, Crusade
Three months later, Clark reappeared in Smallville in a cornfield as Kal-El with no recollection of his life as Clark Kent. He was found by Lois Lane, who took him to the hospital, where Martha came and took him back to the Kent Farm, hoping that Clark would return to normal. Kal-El insisted that it was his destiny to collect the Kryptonian Stones of Power, and was summoned by the first one: the Crystal of Fire, which was recovered by Lex in Egypt. He flew away, took the stone from Lex, and put it in an altar in the Kawatche Caves. Martha contacted Dr. Virgil Swann to help free Clark from Kal-El and Dr. Swann sent his associate, Bridgette Crosby. Crosby gave Martha a piece of black kryptonite and Martha used it to separate Clark from Kal-El; Clark then used the black kryptonite to eliminate Kal-El. Back to normal, Clark began to help Lois investigate Chloe's murder. They discovered that Chloe was indeed alive and saved her from a metahuman assassin.
During his senior year, Clark again went against his parents' wishes and joined the football team, becoming the star quarterback in his rookie year. Unsurprisingly, he successfully took the team to an undefeated season and a state championship. Clark won a football scholarship from Metropolis University, but turned it down when he realized that he would be under too much scrutiny to conceal his powers.
Clark befriended Bart Allen, a boy that also had super-speed and used it to pickpocket and steal. He helped Bart realize that he should not use his powers to commit crimes or hurt others. Clark learned that Lex had a manuscript with a hidden map to another Stone of Power. Bart stole the map to sell it, putting both of their lives in danger. However, Clark's influence made Bart decide to give it back; he saved Clark and left Smallville, promising to try to live a more moral life.
Lionel Luthor obtained the Stone of Water and used it to switch bodies with Lex until Clark intervened; Clark and Lionel ended up switching bodies instead. Lionel discovered Clark's powers and began to wreak havoc on Clark's friends and family. In Lionel's body, Clark caused a riot in prison to enable him to return to his own body.
Even though he was preparing for a visit from a representative from Princeton University, Lois convinced Clark to throw a birthday party for Chloe in his barn. The party got raucous and out of hand when Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and her companions attended, possessing the bodies of Lana, Chloe, and Lois. They stripped Clark of his powers when he tried to stop him; he received them back when he touched the Crystal of Fire. When Clark destroyed Isobel's spell book with his heat vision, the girls returned to normal.
Alicia Baker returned to Smallville and she and Clark rekindled their relationship. However, in an effort to convince him to run away with her, she gave Clark a red kryptonite necklace and the two ran away to Las Vegas to get married. On their wedding night, Alicia released Clark from the effects of the red kryptonite. His reasonable thinking restored, Clark was very angry at her for "drugging" him and broke up with her. Alicia apologized profusely and was even shot trying to protect his secret, so they later got back together. When Alicia was framed for attacking Lana and Jason Teague, then killed by another metahuman, Clark was brokenhearted and guilty. Also, unbeknownst to him, Alicia exposed Clark's powers to Chloe.
Much to Clark's extreme annoyance, when Lois got kicked out of Metropolis University, she asked if she could stay with the Kents until she got back on her feet. Clark offered her his room and slept on the living room couch for the rest of the school year. He did his farm chores at odd hours to avoid being caught by Lois. Clark also adopted a dog that Lois hit with her car, Shelby.
Before Dr. Swann died, he sent Clark one last letter and also gave him back his key. Clark placed it in the cave altar and established communication with Jor-El once again. Jor-El urged him to fulfill his destiny and collect the Stones of Power. Clark and Lana followed Jason and Lex to China to obtain the Crystal of Air. However, following another encounter with Isobel, Clark lost possession of the stone.
As his senior year drew to a close, Clark had many strange things happen to him; he got possessed by Dawn Stiles during his senior prom, lost his memory, and he and Lana found a rapidly-aging child left abandoned in a field.
Clark decided to attend Central Kansas A&M University so that he could commute while continuing to live at home and help his parents with the farm. The day he graduated from high school, Clark had a precognitive nightmare of something terrible happening in Smallville. Immediately after Clark accepted his diploma, the coming of another meteor shower was announced. Clark once again sought guidance from his Kryptonian birth father and Jor-El told him that he must reunite the Stones of Power immediately.
As the meteors began to bombard Smallville, Clark managed to find the other two Stones of Power and reunited them to form the Crystal of Knowledge. After grabbing the crystal, he was teleported to the Arctic where he threw the crystal into a blanket of snow and created the Fortress of Solitude.
[edit] College Years
[edit] CKU, Year One
"My name is Clark. I'll always believe in my friends and my family." - Clark Kent, Splinter
Clark entered the Fortress of Solitude, where Jor-El told him that he had to stay and prepare to save Earth from a great evil from Krypton. He began his training, but unbeknownst to him, Chloe was also transported to the Arctic with him. Unable to withstand the sub-zero temperatures, she collapsed inside the Fortress. Clark interrupted his training and Jor-El initially forbade him to leave, but relented. However, Clark was warned that he must return to the Fortress before sunset or there would be dire consequences.
Clark took Chloe to a hospital in the Yukon. There, she admitted that she discovered his powers months ago and Clark told her that he was, in fact, from another planet. Clark returned to Smallville and banished the Disciples of Zod to the Phantom Zone. When Lana was injured, he chose to take her to the hospital and did not return to the Fortress. Jor-El took Clark's powers, making him practically human.
Initially, Clark was not sorry to see them go. With no secrets between them anymore, Clark and Lana finally began a normal relationship. When three metahuman criminals from Belle Reve escaped and held Lana, Jonathan, and Martha hostage, Clark and Chloe were able to stop them without his abilities. When he discovered that Lex was responsible for their escape, Clark ended their friendship. Shortly after, Clark and Lana made love for the first time in Lana's apartment.
Sometime later, Clark was shot by Gabriel Duncan, who hatched a plan to redirect a nuclear missile to hit Smallville and kill all metahumans. Clark died, but Jor-El, temporarily possessing Lionel Luthor, resurrected him as the Kryptonian he really is. However, Jor-El warned Clark that life-force of someone he loves will have to be traded for his own. Clark protested, saying he would rather die himself, but Jor-El informed him that Clark had already made the choice when he disobeyed him. Bitterly disappointed and apprehensive about Jor-El's prediction, Clark returned to Smallville, dismantled the missile in space, and saved the town.
Clark befriended his World History professor, Milton Fine. When Clark was infected with silver kryptonite, Fine revealed himself to be a Kryptonian and cured him. He later claimed that he was sent to watch over him and see that Clark walks the path of a true Kryptonian. However, when Fine infected Martha with a Kryptonian disease, Clark learned that Fine was actually the Brain InterActive Construct, a Kryptonian artificial intelligence that had, in fact, manufactured the silver kryptonite and was using Clark in a plot to release General Zod from the Phantom Zone.
With his abilities restored, Clark abstained from having sex with Lana. When she confronted him about it, Lana knew Clark was being less than truthful and the issue continued to drive a wedge between them. Clark admitted to Chloe that he wasn't sure what would happen and did not want to risk hurting Lana. Eventually, he realized that that he would lose Lana due to his secrecy, so he decided to take Chloe's advice.
Clark showed Lana the Fortress of Solitude, told her of his true origins, and proposed to her, which she later accepted. At Jonathan's election victory party, Lana was summoned away to the Luthor Mansion by Lex, who drunkenly asked about Clark's secret, and Jonathan was summoned away by Lionel. While driving back, Lana was chased by Lex and she was killed when a school bus collided with her car. Clark arrived too late to save her and having stopped at the accident site to comfort Clark, Jonathan never arrived to meet Lionel.
Devastated, Clark tearfully begged Jor-El to bring Lana back to life and Jor-El sent him back in time to the moment before he told her everything. Instead, Clark was forced to lie about why he invited her over. However, Lana saw through his excuse and told him that she wanted a break from their relationship. The second time, Clark was able to prevent the accident and save Lana, but Jonathan successfully made it to his meeting with Lionel. When Clark and Martha returned home, they saw Jonathan wandering around the farm. Having just beaten up Lionel, Jonathan collapsed to the ground and died in Clark's arms. Clark confessed to Martha that Jonathan died because he tried to prevent Lana's death.
Later, Clark told his mother that he "sort-of dropped out" of college to help with the farm. He also befriended a mysterious vigilante in Metropolis, Andrea Rojas. Andrea helped Clark find a thief who stole his father's watch from his mother and his experience with her helped Clark cope with his father's passing.
Clark met the seductive Simone who used a mystical amulet to hypnotize him to be her boyfriend. Under her control, he demonstrated his abilities to her and was about to engage in an intimate moment with Simone until Lana caught them. Simone was revealed to be sent by Lex to gain information on Clark. Instead, she told Clark to kill Lex. Chloe was able to stop him just in time with a chunk of kryptonite. During the confrontation, Simone's amulet was broken and Clark regained his senses. Realizing that all he seemed to bring to Lana was pain, Clark told Lana that he was no longer in love with her and they broke up for good.
Clark searched for Milton Fine in Honduras. When he returned to Smallville, he learned that Lana had become addicted to a kryptonite-based drug that allows a person to die for a brief period of time and communicate with their deceased loved ones. While trying to save Lana, Clark was injected with the drug and died. In the afterlife, he had a conversation with Jonathan in which he learned that Lionel knew his secret. When Clark returned to life, he began to watch Lionel closely.
Clark and Martha briefly took in a little girl, Maddie Van Horn. Maddie had been mute ever since her birth mother's death and Clark was able to get her to open up to him and start talking again. Clark helped Maddie gain control of her powers and reunited her with her grandmother.
Clark was forced to confirm what Lionel already knew when Lionel and Martha were kidnapped by a vindictive former LuthorCorp employee. In order to save his mother's life, he had to reveal his powers to Lionel. Clark later confronted Lionel, most likely to gauge exactly what he would do with his newfound information. Lionel maintained that he cared too much about Martha to expose Clark, but Clark did not believe him.
Clark saved the life of a stranger, Graham Garrett, who vowed to repay Clark for his kindness. Unfortunately, Graham was a hit man with the ability to make himself invisible and he decided to kill Lex as a way to repay Clark. When he went to the Luthor Mansion to warn Lex, Clark saw Lex and Lana kissing. Symbolically, the telescope he used to admire Lana from afar broke on the same day she came to tell him that she and Lex were in a relationship.
On his birthday, Clark saw his father's ghost, who told him that he had to kill Lionel. Clark and Chloe discovered that Lionel had meetings scheduled about "The Weapon." Thinking that Lionel planned to use him as a weapon, Clark called Lionel to the barn and started to beat him up. Lionel tried to explain his presence that night, but Clark was too emotional to listen. When Jonathan appeared again, Lionel convinced Clark that the image was not his father, but a Brainiac duplicate. Knowing his father would not want him to become a murderer, Clark attacked the impostor. Lionel went into a trance and vaporized the Brainiac copy. Lionel showed him an entire closet filled with papers covered in Kryptonian symbols that he wrote. Chloe and Clark translated the symbols as "Zod is coming."
When Lex was kidnapped by Brainiac and given Kryptonian powers, Jor-El explained to Clark that Zod was responsible for Krypton's destruction and that his mind and spirit required a host body to inhabit on Earth. In order to prevent Zod's release, Clark must destroy Zod's chosen vessel: Lex. He was given a Kryptonian dagger to do so. When Fine approached Clark, he refused to release Zod. Fine then released a computer virus which spread rapidly to every major city on Earth. With Metropolis in chaos, Clark went to get Chloe, but she urged him to go without her and stop Zod. Saying she might never see him again, Chloe gave him a passionate kiss. Clark confronted Zod in Lex's body, but he was overpowered and thrown into the Phantom Zone.
[edit] Season Six
"For the first time, I'm ready to stop running from who I really am, from my destiny." - Clark Kent, Fallout
While in the Phantom Zone, Clark found himself powerless and surrounded by deadly beings imprisoned by Jor-El. He met Raya, a Kryptonian who was one of Jor-El's assistants. Raya helped Clark escape just in time to save Martha and Lionel. Clark confronted General Zod and, after a brutal fight, used the Crystal of El to separate Zod from Lex and send him back to the Phantom Zone.
After the Dark Thursday disaster, Clark began to rebuild what Zod had destroyed, working all night several nights in a row. He started feeling tired and sick and sneezed so powerfully, it blew the barn door off of its hinges and into the sky. With the sneeze, Clark developed a new power: super-breath. He used his newly-acquired power to save Lex and Lana from a burning lab.
Clark discovered that the Green Arrow was actually Oliver Queen. He revealed his powers to Oliver and prevented Lois and Chloe from discovering the Green Arrow's true identity. With Chloe's help, Clark learned that there were more "Zoners" in other parts of the world and that Raya escaped the Phantom Zone as well. He battled Gloria and Aldar. Raya found Clark and told him that he had to complete his training with Jor-El to save Earth from extinction. Together, they fought Baern, but during the battle, Baern killed Raya. After defeating Baern, Clark decided that he would begin his training after sending all of the escaped Zoners back to the Phantom Zone.
On Thanksgiving, due to Jonathan's absence and Raya's recent death, Clark told his mother that he wasn't feeling very thankful, but Martha insisted on inviting their closest friends for dinner. He also discovered that Oliver was taking a drug to speed up healing, but also caused erratic behavior and aggression. Clark unsuccessfully pleaded with Oliver to stop and ended up having to use the drug to save Lex. Oliver was suitably chastised and joined the Kents for Thanksgiving dinner, along with Lionel, Chloe, and Lois.
Clark found Javier Ramirez seeking refuge in his barn after running away from the McNally Farm. Empathizing with Javier's situation, he convinced Martha to let him locate Javier's mother and help them stay in the country.
Clark learned from Chloe that Lana may still be in love with him. Overly excited, he rushed over to the Luthor Mansion to see her, but was confronted by Lex.
A Zoner, Dr. Hudson, attacked Clark and caused him to believe he was a mental patient with no superpowers. Clark was able to break free from his delusion with the help of the Martian Manhunter, the mysterious entity who had saved him from Aldar.
After Lois tried on lipstick made with red kryptonite, she became infatuated with Clark. Lois kissed him, causing Kal to emerge. Kal and Lois crashed Lex and Lana's engagement dinner and Kal kidnapped Lana and tried
Due to her engagement to Lex, Lana (and by extension, Clark) became the focus of paparazzi. Clark avoided using his powers on the farm because he always felt like he was being watched. Lana hid from a potential stalker at the Kent Farm and Clark learned that Lana had been investigating him for months. However, he still saved her.
Tobias Rice revealed that Chloe was, in fact, meteor-infected and Chloe was abducted, but returned as Clark and Jimmy Olsen frantically searched for her. Chloe made Clark X-ray her and when he located a GPS tracking device inside her, she forced him to burn it out of her. Later, Clark promised to help Chloe control her powers if she ever develops any.
When the day of Lex and Lana's wedding arrived, Clark decided to tell Lana his secret. However, unbeknownst to him, Lana had already witnessed his powers earlier that day. She promised to meet him at his barn where Clark intended to propose. However, Lionel blackmailed Lana into going through with the wedding and Clark was heartbroken as he watched Lex and Lana exchange vows.
Chloe enlisted Clark's help when she discovered her mother, Moira Sullivan, was being held captive. However, under mind-control, she incapacitated Clark with green kryptonite and tried to leave town, but Lex apprehended her to use her as leverage against her mother. Chloe almost shot Lex, but Clark was able to recover and speed into the confrontation. He saved Lex and took Moira to safety. While Chloe was making arrangements for her mother, Moira began to slip back into her catatonic state, so Clark told her all about Chloe and her accomplishments. Chloe confessed to Clark that Lex had threatened her and Clark vowed to fight against him.
When Lex was trapped in a series of underground tunnels, Lionel pleaded with Clark to rescue him. However, the tunnels were laced with kryptonite and Clark injured his arm and grew weaker from the exposure. He located Lex, and they simultaneously
Clark's mother accepted a position in the US Senate and moved to Washington, D.C. that May. She assured Clark that he did not have to stay behind and take care of the farm, but he maintained that the farm was the only home he'd ever had and it was his duty. He later met Lana in the loft. Lana told Clark she was leaving Lex and Smallville. Clark wanted to protect her, but Lana insisted that she needed to leave. He then told her the truth about himself. After an intense kiss, Lana told Clark that she had to stay away to protect him from Lionel. Clark later went to Lionel to confront him, but was stopped by the Martian Manhunter. Lionel and the Martian Manhunter explained that Lex was hunting the last phantom, Bizarro. Chloe helped Clark track Bizarro down and he told her that he told Lana the truth. He went to report his findings to Lionel, but Lionel regretfully had to tell him that Lana had died from a car bomb while trying to leave town. An emotional Clark went to find Lex, but they were confronted by Bizarro. After Bizarro took some of his DNA, he took on Clark's form and they fought each other. With their combined strength, Clark was thrown out of the Reeves Dam with Bizarro flying after him.
[edit] Season Seven
"All these prophecies about the Traveler. I just hope I can live up to what everyone thinks I'm supposed to be." - Clark Kent, Traveler
Bizarro chased Clark into the forest and informed him that he had all of Clark's memories and intended to kill him and live his life. Clark knocked Bizarro away while he saved a fisherman and his son from the approaching torrent, then returned to find Lionel but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found Lois and the unconscious Chloe and took them to the hospital.
Clark beat Bizarro with the Martian Manhunter's help by punching him towards the Sun out of the Reeve's Dam. He later admitted to Chloe that he was angry enough to kill Lex. Clark then decided to start his training, because Lana's death showed him that the people he loves will not be around forever, and told Lois he was leaving Smallville. Together they found a ship but were both knocked away from it by its owner, a Kryptonian girl. Clark located her and she stated she was searching for Kal-El. Clark took her the farm and she revealed herself to be Kara, daughter of Jor-El's brother Zor-El. They realized that they were cousins and Clark had to inform Kara that Krypton had been destroyed. She told him that they still had to find her ship to stop its devastating self-destruct mechanism. Clark taught Kara how to user her super-hearing to find it; Kara absorbed the explosion and the ship disappeared. He let Kara stay with him at the farm, but went to ask Jor-El about her. Jor-El told him that Kara could have a hidden agenda and that his training begins with watching over her.
Clark took Kara to the Sweet Corn Festival where he noticed her interest in Jimmy Olsen. He tried to teach her how to control her heat vision, but Kara declared that she would learn on her own. They discovered a Kryptonian artifact in a time capsule. Clark went to investigate but was incapacitated by two metahuman beauty queens, who blasted meteor rocks at him. Kara rescued Clark and defeated them.
Clark was shocked to be approached by Lana, who was still alive. Lana explained that she faked her death to get out of her marriage with Lex and Clark offered her refuge, and they rekindled their relationship. However, he also learned from the Martian Manhunter that Kara and her family were enemies of his and Jor-El. The Martian Manhunter warned Clark not to trust Kara and to locate her missing crystal. Kara got upset that Clark didn't trust her and disappeared for weeks. While searching for the crystal, Clark learned that Chloe had decided to undergo a radical cure for her meteor-rock infection. He tried to talk her out of it, but then learned that the doctor involved, Curtis Knox, was actually killing his patients. Clark rescued her and turned Knox over to the Martian Manhunter. Clark saved the life of famous actress Rachel Davenport, but was forced to consider that his destiny might be more important than the life on the farm with Lana. Clark located Kara and rescued her from Agent Carter, who had given her a treatment designed to recall her memories of Krypton. Clark learned that his birth mother Lara-El had visited his home before his birth. He found a photograph of her, and also found Kara's crystal and hid it from her. Through reliving Kara's memories, Clark learned that his mother's DNA was encased in the crystal and shared this information with Lana.
Trying to reconnect with Lana, Clark arranged a romantic afternoon, but they were struck by lightning and his powers were incompletely transferred to her. Lana was amazed and excited by her now endless possibilities. She convinced him to try out super-powered lovemaking, but even afterward, Clark went to Lionel for advice on how to restore Lana to normal as soon as possible. When Lana used the powers to hurt Lois and Lex, Clark was forced to realize that she was not the same person she used to be. He discovered Lana's Isis Foundation and learned that she had been spying on Lex and kidnapped Lionel. He found Lana as she was assaulting Lex and reversed the transfer. Clark confronted Lana on her actions, but said he felt that her change was the result of his never trusting her. Lana was unapologetic and declared that she made her own decisions.
Clark began to hear a voice calling out to him from the blue crystal, claiming to belong to his birth mother and urging him to take it to the Fortress. Once Clark did this, (despite Jor-El's warnings), replications of both Lara and his uncle Zor-El were formed. Clark took Lara to safety but Zor-El's evil nature was quickly revealed. Lara gave Clark his father's Victory ring containing blue kryptonite, inadvertently stripping Clark of his powers. Zor-El was then able to kidnap Lara to the Fortress and announce his plans to cause an eclipse that would wipe out the human population. He and Chloe were unable to get the ring off, so he went to confront Zor-El powerless. He subdued Zor-El with green kryptonite. Lara explained that Zor-El would only be stopped with the destruction of the blue crystal, which restored Clark's powers, but also destroyed both replicants and Kara disappeared. Clark asked Jor-El about Kara's whereabouts, but Jor-El replied that his defiance would not go unpunished.
