Virgil Swann
From Smallville Wiki
| |
| Dr. Virgil Swann | |
|---|---|
| Family | Patricia Swann (daughter, deceased) |
| Occupation | Mathematician, physicist, engineer (Swann Communications), astronomer (New York Planetarium) |
| Played By | Christopher Reeve |
| Status | Deceased (Sacred) |
| Appeared In | Rosetta, Legacy, Veritas |
"Only through communication will we live in peace." - Virgil Swann, Rosetta
Dr. Virgil Swann was a brilliant and wealthy scientist dedicated to communicating with other planets, and a founding member of the Veritas Society.
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[edit] Early Life
Dr. Swann's work focused on astronomy and satellite communication. In 1965, he met with Genevieve Teague to help her decipher her strange, recurring dreams. Dr. Swann also shared with Genevieve a theory that meteors can hold transmissions as well as his intention to record and translate the "messages from the stars." [1]
By 1977, Dr. Swann was considered a top astronomer and pioneer in the field of satellite communication, but around the time of the first meteor shower that struck Smallville, he donated his millions and became a recluse, devoting his life to studying life on other planets. Specifically, his largest body of study was the planet Krypton.
A Manhattan-based astronomer, Dr. Swann dedicated a good portion of his life to studying the skies and searching for life beyond Earth. In 1978, he was chosen as Time Magazine's Man of the Year for 1977.[2]
A pioneer in the field of global communications, Dr. Swann used his SWANNSTAR satellites to explore extraterrestrial communication. He donated a major portion of his company's profits toward the U.S. space program, and in return was given unprecedented access to extraterrestrial findings.
Dr. Swann was a quadriplegic, depending on a series of breathing and mobility devices to stay alive and move around. He once had a relationship with Dr. Bridgette Crosby[3], and had one daughter, Patricia Swann, whose mother has not been revealed.
In 1989, Dr. Swann intercepted a transmission sent from Krypton before its explosion, and it was only after many years of work that he was able to pinpoint exactly what and who had accompanied that transmission. For years, he had tried to decipher the message, and found out that it contained a mathematical key, which allowed him to translate it as: "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, all the days of your life."
Dr. Swann kept a journal containing Kryptonian symbols along with his own notes about the Veritas Society and the Traveler. It was later revealed that Dr. Swann left the journal to his daughter, Patricia.
[edit] Veritas Society
Based on his belief that one could receive messages from outer space, Dr. Swann formed a theory that a "Traveler" was coming to Earth, and founded a secret society for powerful families called Veritas to study and wait for the Traveler. The group included Lionel Luthor, Edward and Genevieve Teague, Robert and Laura Queen, and Bridgette Crosby. They had meetings in Swann's mansion in 1987 in which they discussed the purpose of the group and their intended role in the Traveler's life.
Some members believed in protecting the Traveler, while others were concerned with controlling him and possibly defending Earth against him. Apparently Dr. Swann's point of view was cautious but open-minded; he seemed to believe that the messages pointed to a threat or invasion, but upon actually meeting the Traveler himself, he decided to protect him and his secret.[4]
By the time Dr. Swann translated the Kryptonian message, it can be presumed that Veritas had disbanded, because Dr. Swann claimed to Clark Kent that he did not reveal the message to any of the other members. However, Lionel eventually learned the Traveler's name was "Kal-El" and realized that Kal-El, the Traveler, and Clark were one and the same.
[edit] Season Two
"You won't find the answers by looking at the stars. It's a journey you'll have to take by looking inside yourself. You must write your own destiny, Kal-El." - Virgil Swann, to Clark Kent, Rosetta
In 2003, Dr. Swann saw coverage in the Smallville Torch of a mysterious symbol burned into a barn of a Kansas farm belonging to Jonathan and Martha Kent. He recognized it as a Kryptonian symbol, then discovered that the Kents had an adopted child. Dr. Swann contacted Clark Kent by tracking down the photographer, Chloe Sullivan, then through a series of e-mails and instant messages, he persuaded the boy to visit his Manhattan observatory.
When Clark came to see him, Dr. Swann revealed to Clark the truth behind his origins. He played the message he had intercepted and explained that the planet Krypton was no longer visible in the night sky, and shared with Clark his speculation that Krypton had been destroyed. Although Clark was reluctant to learn more about his alien origins, Dr. Swann told him that he would protect his secret.
[edit] Season Three
"I'm a scientist. I find curiosity to be a most admirable trait." - Virgil Swann, Legacy
A year later, Dr. Swann received a visit from Lionel Luthor, who offered conservancy of the Kawatche Caves in exchange for a translation of the symbols. He lied and told Lionel that he could not translate the symbols. Lionel explained about Clark's octagonal disc, and asked Dr. Swann to speak with Clark on his behalf. Dr. Swann refused, but knew that Lionel was dying. When Lionel admitted that he was willing to accept any risk to place the key in the lock, Dr. Swann agreed to an arrangement.
When Clark learned of Dr. Swann's involvement with Lionel and confronted him, Dr. Swann expressed his disappointment with Clark's behavior since informing him of his Kryptonian origins, and claimed to be working in Clark's best interests. He was also able to divulge a new message that originated not from space, but from Earth: "I am waiting." When Lionel took the disc to the Kawatche Caves, it inexplicably merged into the cave wall and was somehow obtained by Dr. Swann.
[edit] Season Four
Nearly three months later, Dr. Swann sent Dr. Bridgette Crosby to Smallville to help Martha Kent free Clark from his Kryptonian alter-ego, Kal-El.
Before his death a few months later, Dr. Swann returned the key to Clark along with a letter advising him to seek out his Kryptonian birth father Jor-El and telling him that he must create his own destiny.
[edit] Season Seven
It is revealed that Dr. Swann formed Veritas, a secret group that wanted to protect the Traveler. It is revealed that Lionel, wanting the Traveler for himself, poisoned Dr. Swann and killed the other Veritas members (except for Genevieve Teague, who was killed by a possessed Lana Lang, and Edward Teague, who went into hiding).
[edit] Justice and Doom
Dr. Swann apparently was also connected to the Martian Manhunter, who used Swann Communications to build himself a large orbital satellite for him to use as a base.[5]
[edit] Notes
- Virgil Swann's address is V.S. Room 434, 939 Walnut 54th Street, New York, New York. His email address is V_swann@thedigitalwave.com.[6]
- It has not been revealed when or how Dr. Swann became wheelchair-bound. When he met Genevieve Teague in Paris in 1965, he was healthy, but was in his wheelchair by 1989.[7]
- In reality, Egyptian president Anwar Sedat was Time Magazine's 1978 Man of the Year.
- Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Dr. Swann is significant because Reeve portrayed Superman in Superman: The Movie and its sequels.
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ↑ http://osck.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/diaries-p04.jpg
- ↑ Chloe Sullivan states this in Rosetta
- ↑ Dr. Crosby states this in Crusade
- ↑ http://ezrasmall.com/images/lvl3.jpg
- ↑ Justice and Doom, Volume 1.
- ↑ Both addresses are visible in Rosetta.
- ↑ Genevieve's diary page states that he was walking, but Lex Luthor saw him in his wheelchair as a child, as seen in a flashback taking place in 1989 in Veritas.
