History YMMV / Smallville

** [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]], debuting in season 5 as "Professor Milton Fine", was the [[RoboticPsychopath ruthless AI]] responsible for triggering [[Characters/SmallvilleKryptonians Krypton]]'s destruction, and he didn't prove himself any better after arriving on Earth. Viewing humans as little more than animals, Brainiac made repeated efforts to exterminate the human race, first on behalf of General Zod, and then of his own volition, engineering a deadly plague from the planet's most devastating diseases, releasing a computer virus intended to send the human race back to the technological Stone Age, convincing President Luthor to start a nuclear war in a BadFuture that he himself created, and finally kidnapping Doomsday so that he could turn him into a weapon to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy all life in the universe]]. Along the way he infects Martha Kent with a Kryptonian virus; self-repairs by cannibalizing the trace minerals in a succession of victims; murders his "father", Dax-Ur, by draining his mind of all data; leaves Lana in a coma, unable to move, but [[AndIMustScream experiencing constant agony]]; traps [[Characters/SupergirlTheCharacter Kara]] in the Phantom Zone; and bodyjacks Chloe, intending to kill her afterwards. [[LackOfEmpathy Incapable of empathy]], and dedicated to the annihilation of all organic life, Brainiac was easily the vilest foe that Clark ever faced.
** [[WickedToymaker The Toyman]], real name [[MadBomber Winslow Schott]], is a brilliant, deranged assassin who elaborately sets up bombs placed in unsuspecting locations. [[Recap/SmallvilleS08E14Requiem Putting one on top of]] the ''Daily Planet'', the Toyman threatens to destroy half of Metropolis with it. [[Recap/SmallvilleS09E04Echo To get revenge]] against Oliver Queen for framing him for Lex Luthor's murder, the Toyman captures over a dozen civilians, strapping one to a bomb and placing them in a factory, intending to destroy it and kill them all. Later planting bombs at a shareholders' meeting Oliver is making a speech at to make him confess to killing Lex, the Toyman reveals he plans to blow up the gala whether or not Oliver caves to his demands. Later [[Recap/SmallvilleS10E20Prophecy creating a fake company]] to take control of Metropolis's water supply, the Toyman intends to leave thousands without water unless they give into his demands.

* FanPreferredCouple: The fandom was pretty consumed with ShipToShipCombat over who Clark should end up with. It can't really be argued which Clark pairing was the most dominant overall, as [[BrokenBase the base]] was ''highly'' fractured over the issue of who to pair him with (Lana vs. Chloe vs. Lois vs. Alicia, and even some Clark/Tess supporters). At best, it can be argued which ships may have been dominant at different times in the show's history:
** In the ''earliest'' handful of episodes, Clana started out with a majority of support because it was seen as "cute".
** However, as Lana became increasingly unpopular, Chlark (Clark and Chloe) overtook it and continued as the main fan-preferred ship before Lois's arrival, as she was seen as a foil against the widely-reviled Lana. Many fans freely admitted that they were only shipping Chlark as an alternative to Clana and would only ship it until Clark met his destined future with Lois -- they knew full well that both Clana and Chlark were equally DoomedByCanon.
** Once Lois arrived, many fans rallied around her, welcoming her as a harbinger of Clark's destined future as Superman and enjoying her witty lines and Creator/EricaDurance's acting (though many ardent Chloe-supporters still stayed with the Chlark ship). It can be argued that Clois had become the majority pairing by the end, partially helped by Lois's continued development and increasing importance in the story, as well as the fact that Chloe got involved in another popular pairing: Chlollie.
** In later seasons Chloe/Oliver--which became canon thanks to popular fan demand--became a hugely popular ship in the later seasons (enduring even when Ollie himself became a base-breaking character later on). It came to the point where the widespread acclaim for this ship actually overwhelmed the canonical Ollie/Dinah ship that had been ship-teased in Season 7. Even the showrunners got on board, making the Chlollie ship happen onscreen thanks to fan demand. The ship was so well-regarded that in the GrandFinale they leave it vague as to whether Chloe and Ollie are still together, but make it clear that they at least have a child, thus skirting around DC Comics' restrictions while still being supportive of this new ship. At the very least, it's probably the one ship (other than Jonathan/Martha) that doesn't really get hate. Which in and of itself is a [[BrokenBase pretty big accomplishment]] for any ship in the SV fandom.
** Lex/Lana was also popular in the mid-seasons. It had the benefits of being ShipMates with [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]]/Comicbook/{{Lois|Lane}}, Chloe/Jimmy, Lois/Oliver, and Clark/Chloe.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Believe it or not, the deck was stacked against this show before it debuted. When ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' left for UPN, the WB pushed this show to the moon, essentially marketing it as its new flagship program, hoping it would draw young males in just like ''Buffy'' drew in young females. There was also some doubt that a teen drama about Superman would be popular (especially on what was essentially called "the teen idol network"), not to mention it had been four years since ''Lois and Clark'' went off the air. Not only was this show a mega hit right out of the gate, it had the highest rated debut episode in the network's history, and was one of the few shows on the WB (aside from ''Series/{{Angel}}'') to draw a substantial young male audience. Finally, lest there be any concern that there was a fandom rivalry going on between the two, many ''Smallville'' fans have admitted to being ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' fans, and vice versa.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Believe it or not, the deck was stacked against this show before it debuted. When ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' left for UPN, the WB pushed this show to the moon, essentially marketing it as its new flagship program, hoping it would draw young males in just like ''Buffy'' drew in young females. There was also some doubt that a teen drama about Superman would be popular (especially on what was essentially called “the teen idol network), not to mention it had been four years since Lois and Clark went off the air. Not only was this show a mega hit right out of the gate, it had the highest rated debut episode in the networks history, and was one of the few shows on the WB (aside from ''Series/{{Angel}}'') to draw a substantial young male audience. Finally, lest there be any concern that there was a fandom rivalry going on between the two, many ''Smallville'' fans have admitted to being ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' fans, and vice versa.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** After Jimmy's death at the hands of Davis Bloome, the show revealed that "Jimmy" was actually Henry James Olsen, the older brother of the traditional [[ComicBook/JimmyOlsen James Bartholemew Olsen]].
** The AI Jor-El's {{Jerkass}} tendencies, were explained in ''Abandoned'' as the result of Jor-El not programming in any of his emotions.
** The ''Season 11'' comic continuation would pull several.
*** Properly introducing versions of ComicBook/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/WonderWoman, and ComicBook/GreenLantern to the show's universe.
*** Reviving Tess Mercer as the show's incarnation of ComicBook/RedTornado
*** [[WorfHadTheFlu Establishing that Darkseid was nowhere close to his full power when Clark defeated him.]]

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Believe it or not, the deck was stacked against this show before it debuted. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer left for UPN, the WB pushed this show to the moon, essentially marketing it as its new flagship program, hoping it would draw young males in just like Buffy drew in young females. There was also some doubt that a teen drama about Superman would be popular (especially on what was essentially called “the teen idol network), not to mention it had been four years since Lois and Clark went off the air. Not only was this show a mega hit right out of the gate, it had the highest rated debut episode in the networks history, and was one of the few shows on the WB (aside from Angel) to draw a substantial young male audience. Finally, lest there be any concern that there was a fandom rivalry going on between the two, many Smallville fans have admitted to being Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, and vice versa.

** ''The Man of Steel'' was responsible for completely abandoning many Silver Age ideas, most noticeably the Kryptonian lore and technology, in favor of an increased focus on Clark Kent over Kal-El. While ''Smallville'' does place Clark Kent ahead of his other identities, the show is responsible for reminding viewers of the significance of Krypton and Clark's biological parents as well as creating a rich mythology around his alien origins. As a result many who watched this show expect Superman to have a roughly equal focus on his human and alien origins.

** The idea of Lex having been friends with Clark, or at least Superman, before becoming a supervillain originated from the Silver Age ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' comics before being [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] in ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel''. The show's reimagining of idea meant for many people this became an iconic part of their relationship, and the idea was reintroduced to the comics with things like ''ComicBook/SupermanBirthright'' and ''ComicBook/SupermanSecretOrigin''.

** Creator/EricaDurance as Lois Lane: She's either best Lois ever and perfectly captures the [[BunnyEarsLawyer eccentric]], never-say-die career woman and ActionGirl of the comics who was not only a better love interest but also a better written romantic pair for Clark, or she's Lois InNameOnly: a ditzy, HardDrinkingPartyGirl.

** The Kents are also hit with this in Season 3's ''Asylum'', where they tell Clark that he can't free Lex from Bellreeve because they can't risk him revealing Clark's secret or using it for his own ends. Even ignoring the fact that this is still pretty early in Lex's character arc and he is still Clark's friend, Clark found proof that Lionel was working with Morgan Edge to drive Lex crazy using drugs which is not brought up in the episode. If it is assumed Clark told them this offscreen, that means they were willing to let an innocent man be falsely imprisoned.

** The fast, catchy use of "Funny Little Feeling" during the foreplay between Alicia and Red-K Clark in ''Unsafe."

** In the episode “Dominion” Zod compares himself and Clark to Cain and Abel, asking which one Clark is. Guess who Creator/TomWelling ends up playing in ''Series/{{Lucifer}}''

** The AI Jor-El's jerkass tendencies, were explained in ''Abandoned'' as the result of Jor-El not programming in any of his emotions.
** The ''Season 11'' comics, would establish Darkseid as not being at his full power when Clark defeated him.

** Season 9. A solid season that makes up for the problems of "Doomsday," has the characters actually being forced to deal with the consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder and find their way back from it, and introduces much more of the DC Comics canon (like the JSA and Checkmate), or a season that got too dark, depending on who you ask.

** TalkativeLoon RealityWarper Dr. Fate is one of the show's most beloved superheroes despite only getting one appearance.

** Dax-Ur is a surviving Kryptonian who is played by an actor from Creator/RichardDonner Superman film series and has a fascinating BackStory of being TheAtoner and GoingNative after arriving on Earth. He only gets a couple of scenes in a single episode.

** Despite getting a time travel ring from the Legion of Superheroes, Clark never visits them in the future, even though doing so could have shown how they were progressing after a promising introduction and allowed for a cool futuristic setting and VillainOfTheWeek.* TooCoolToLive: Doctor Fate and Hawkman are short-lived but immensely impressive.

* TooCoolToLive: Doctor Fate and Hawkman are short-lived but immensely impressive.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Three episodes feature "Freak of the Week" characters being cured of their kryptonite psychosis by having their powers removed or suppressed and then trying to live normal lives. The mechanics behind these cures, how they affect Clark's fights with metahuman villains, and how former villains re-adapt to society could have been interesting plot lines, but barely anything is done with them. Two of the cured metahumans (Alicia Baker and Sasha Woodman) are quickly written out of the show and the doctors behind their two cures are ultimately antagonistic one-shot characters whose accomplishments don't get much more than a HandWave. The third, Greg Arkin, gets no explanation for his cure whatsoever and no real plot relevance.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Very little was done with Pete Ross's hatred of the Luthors for stealing his family's business. The show could have gotten some very interesting conflict from having Clark have to deal with two friends whose families had such bad blood between them. In fact, Pete's family members barely appear on the show.
* TooCoolToLive: Doctor Fate and Hawkman.

* JerkassWoobie: Lex, Lionel, and Tess have all qualified on both counts. Must be a Luthor family trait along with being {{Magnificent Bastard}}s. Lex is a perfect example. This version of his character goes out of its way to make his backstory and motives sympathetic while also showing how depraved, cruel, petty, and narcissistic Lex can be.

** A number of characters have tried to force Clark/The Blur out of hiding and into the spotlight of the public eye. Since the series as a whole was building to Clark eventually coming out as Superman, the arguments for Clark staying hidden became less credible over time. The evil reporter from Season 2 who tried to forcibly expose Clark's secret argued that the public had a right to know about a powerful alien living in their backyard, which makes sense from a purely ethical standpoint of journalist ethics (as well as the aforementioned fact that the public would eventually find out about him), even if Clark does indeed have a right to a private life. There was also the corrupt DA from Season 9 who wanted The Blur to show his face and answer for a series of screwups that were blamed on him that were really the fault of the ComicBook/WonderTwins trying to impersonate their favorite hero; his corruption was revealed last-minute as a means to give the Wonder Twins a heroic gesture and kill any debate on whether or not the Blur should have to reveal himself to clear his name.

** ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, debuting in season 5 as "Professor Milton Fine", was the [[RoboticPsychopath ruthless AI]] responsible for triggering Krypton's destruction, and he didn't prove himself any better after arriving on Earth. Viewing humans as little more than animals, Brainiac made repeated efforts to exterminate the human race, first on behalf of General Zod, and then of his own volition, engineering a deadly plague from the planet's most devastating diseases, releasing a computer virus intended to send the human race back to the technological Stone Age, convincing President Luthor to start a nuclear war in a BadFuture that he himself created, and finally kidnapping Doomsday so that he could turn him into a weapon to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy all life in the universe]]. Along the way he infects Martha Kent with a Kryptonian virus; self-repairs by cannibalizing the trace minerals in a succession of victims; murders his "father", Dax-Ur, by draining his mind of all data; leaves Lana in a coma, unable to move, but [[AndIMustScream experiencing constant agony]]; traps [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] in the Phantom Zone; and [[GrandTheftMe bodyjacks]] Chloe, intending to kill her afterwards. [[LackOfEmpathy Incapable of empathy]], and dedicated to the annihilation of all organic life, Brainiac was easily the vilest foe that Clark ever faced.

** Season 10: [[CardCarryingVillain Desaad]] is one of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s CoDragons from [[Characters/SmallvilleApokiliptians Apokolips]], and unnerves even his fellow dragons, Granny Goodness and Gordon Godfrey. Operating a chain of BDSM-themed nightclubs, Desaad uses them as a front to corrupt the minds of his clientele, making them susceptible to a mass MindRape by Darkseid. Anyone who cannot be corrupted is gruesomely murdered, as Desaad uses his telekinetic powers to induce hemorrhaging and implode their internal organs, leading to an agonizing death from internal bleeding. Having disposed of several FBI agents who were investigating him, Desaad kidnaps Chloe and subjects her to an extended mind rape, attempting to turn her into one of Darkseid's minions. When she proves resistant, Desaad tries to kill her, tries to kill Clark when the latter intervenes to save her, and then turns Oliver Queen/Green Arrow into a minion of Darkseid after provoking the archer into brutally beating him. Incarcerated under Belle Reve, Desaad breaks out, gives the now mind-controlled Oliver a Gold K ring, and tries to force him to depower Clark, so that the future Superman can be slain and the end of the world ushered in.

* {{Moe}}: Probably Chloe's main reason for being beloved by a lot of fans. Allison Mack was a VERY good actress, and a combination of this, BunnyEarsLawyer and BreakTheCutie led to her being endearing to a lot of viewers.

* FoeYay:

** Tess (sensing a pattern here?) and Clark. While Clark never reciprocated, Tess had a definite VillainousCrush on him. It's probably safe to say that Tess is ''Smallville'''s reigning Queen of FoeYay.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment:
** The show often zips through the process of locating lost people by handwaving it with a mention of government databases. In RealLife this may actually be ''worse'' by now.
---> '''Chloe''': Thanks to homeland security, being on a college campus is akin to wearing an electronic bracelet.
** Inevitably, Allison Mack's NXIVM sex trafficking scandal would render some elements creepy.
*** In "Hothead", Clark makes a remark that he is joining a legitimate club rather than a cult. NXIVM turned out to be a sex cult. For extra creepiness, "Hothead" deals with a coach who runs his football team very similarly to a cult.

%% Note that not every scene with Chloe that becomes creepy to you after Allison Mack's scandal qualifies. It had to come from something already dramatic.