The original ending would have been "Adam" discovering something aweful that Lionel or maybe Lex did and him having him at the ropes, blinded by rage and about to kill him only for Clark to swoop in and deliver a Breaking Speech explaining why killing is wrong, having Adam accept that he still has a lot to learn and that he must continue his travels and him telling Clark that he is a true hero and a friend. Cue him walking away from the camera while Danny Elfman's Batman score vaguely echoes in the backround.
The most damning evidence of all? His name:
Adam West, The Dark Knight
- This is pretty much Word of God by now. Clark will become Superman and wear the red and blue tights, Lex will be his enemy, and Lois is his one true love. All the iconic components of Superman lore. It's not part of any current Supes continuity but definitely about Superman. A+B = Re-imagining.
- More specifically, Smallville is clearly the Ultimate version of the Richard Donner films.
- due to the nature of a TV drama the best anyone could have hoped for was a 1-3 short episode arc with all the most iconic elements entwined. Considering how things change both on TV and in comics, the so-called "iconic superman story" is a snapshot in time at best.
This would explain why the kryptonite only glows when Clark is near it and, typically, only after he notices it's there. His Kryptonian brainwaves interact with it differently, causing it to release the harmful radiation.
- About the lead into her bloodstream, you have a point...unless you consider that the meteor-infection in Alicia's blood kept the lead from harming her. Of course, the fact that they were willing to test this out on her in the first place to see if it would work...
- From what the barkeep says, it is a reasonable guess that red K also makes him rough and aggressive and the girls end up getting hurt.
- It's also implied that, even with the Red K affecting him, there's enough of "Clark" left (and Clark's hopeless love for Lana) to prevent him from "sealing the deal."
- The scar on Clark's chest started glowing and forced him to take the ring off whenever he came too close to hurting anyone too much. With no inhibitions he could've easily accidentally killed someone during sex.
- In the first episode he encounters Red K, he uses X-ray vision to see through Chloe and Lana's clothes, but that's not a jossing. If Asexual!Clark is anything like a lot of other asexuals, just because he doesn't want to be intimate, doesn't mean he doesn't like to look.
- Considering he was all about banging Alicia under Red K that seemed pretty unlikely.
- His fear of this was the canon reason he didn't get together with Lana more once she learned his secret; all their times together happened when she got powers or he lost his. It's also probably not true in the Smallville canon: in the episode "Relic", we learn that Jor-El met an ancestor of Lana's and they apparently had no trouble making love. Although, it is likely that Jor-El had some way around the "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" problem that he brought from Krypton, since it was still a vibrant interstellar community at the time.
- Jossed: Isobel can use his hair for her "hair of two virgins" spell ingredient.
- Un Jossed: Isobel's "Virgin" requirement refers to the historical meaning of virgin, which simply referred to a lack of marriage rather than a lack of sex.
- Un Un Jossed: Isobel sampled Lois' hair and declared Lois a "Naughty Girl" and for as much as they implied about all of Lois' experience, a wedding would surely have been cited
- Un Jossed: Isobel's "Virgin" requirement refers to the historical meaning of virgin, which simply referred to a lack of marriage rather than a lack of sex.
- Or she is, but on the Literary Agent level - she's hacking herself into the scripts.
- The 1930 equivalent of a computer hacker would be an expert researcher with an eidetic memory and a lot of index cards — somebody like Charles Fort. Maybe he's her uncle and she learned it from him. She would also have some skill at cryptography and lock picking.
- Perhaps Chloe Sullivan was the writer of the fictionalized account, and she wrote herself into the story, which is why the character of Chloe Sullivan does not appear in any of the canon beforehand but plays such a central figure in this fictionalized account of Superman's beginnings.
So, what happens? Jimmy finds the six-year-old letter and gets so down in the dumps about it that he makes out with the Monster of the Week; then Chloe somehow uses the letter to prove her love for Jimmy. Gah. Just dump him, please!
- This is reasonable - placing "Clark and Lois end up married" in a spoiler bracket is like hiding who Luke's father is.
- This would make sense if Smallville lined up in any way with the DC Comics. Superman doesn't always end up with Lois in the numerous alt universes, and Smallville is such a gigantic alt universe that it's not funny.
- Still, Clark ending up with Lois isn't exactly unheard of...
- Though the show is obviously an AU, the creators have yet to officially state that; Lois & Clark is one of the basic elements they feel "casual" fans could recognize.
- This would make sense if Smallville lined up in any way with the DC Comics. Superman doesn't always end up with Lois in the numerous alt universes, and Smallville is such a gigantic alt universe that it's not funny.
- Never thought of that, but it works.
- Alternately, the title refers to Superman's true point of origin; given that the series is about how Clark became the man he is, regardless of where he ends up and continues his development, the title "Smallville" is a constant reminder that this Clark started his character development in the small Kansas town he grew up in.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer left The WB for UPN after its fifth season. That fall? A new show premieres on the WB about a teenager who has trouble living life as a normal person when he has to fight all the monsters arising in the small, unassuming town of Smallville. He and his group of pals team up and through The Power of Friendship and a healthy dose of superpowers, they save the day! Smallville IS Buffy, but without Joss Whedon.
- So, wait, I'm confused? Is Smallville in the Whedonverse? Is it an alternate reality version of Buffy? Does that make Luthor Spike?
- Nah, that's Brainiac.
- Brainiac is Spi—oh God.
- So, wait, I'm confused? Is Smallville in the Whedonverse? Is it an alternate reality version of Buffy? Does that make Luthor Spike?
- Interesting but its more likely that it more corresponds to the Charmed WMG Page that those 2 shows are more related/connected.
- To boot due to Clarks weakness to magic while he did fight a lot of frequent Monster of the Week characters if any of them had any real paranormal powers they would have handed clark his ass on a platter
- This theory became slightly more plausible when the current "Jimmy Olsen" got killed for his reckless stupidity and it turns out the one we know of from the comics is his younger brother.
- Nah. They couldn't do it more than once. Besides, Chloe is so far from similar to any version of Lois Lane it's not even funny.
- So is Lois unfortunately, except biographically.
- If you want to get pedantic, she has brown hair, bad spelling, a father named Sam Lane, a sister named Lucy Lane, a (current) job at the Daily Planet, and a (current) interest in both Clark and the Superman analogue, it's hinted she will be the one to name Superman, in an alternate timeline, she writes Clark's story, Clark has a (current) interest in her, she's quite the Deadpan Snarker, she doesn't know Clark's secret, she shows a keen interest in truth and justice, and more than a few within the fanbase consider her the "best" Lois. Other than that, though, I guess she's nothing like Lois.
- Keen interest in truth and justice? Yeah, that was hammered home when she made up Stiletto, or when she had to be coaxed into stories by the promises of fame by Jimmy/Henry and Grant Gabriel, and hey, speaking of Mr. GG, she was definitely all about justice when she found out about that unprofessional office romance going on in her office...oh wait.
- Lois Lane getting in over her head do to some harebrained scheme (like in Stiletto) is hardly unheard of. And Lois on Lois & Clark admitted to having an affair with one of her co-workers as well. (And it's kinda hypocritical to say that being with a co-worker romantically doesn't make her Lois, since every Lois Lane ends being "unprofessional" by dating her co-worker . . . by the name of Clark Kent). Anyway, those things make her more Lois than selling out Clark to a Luthor (Lionel) because she was jealous, or harboring a dangerous alien killer in her basement. Just saying.
- That's a couple counter-examples against her mistrust of the Luthors and her willingness to expose their shadier deeds, as well as a fairly normal career overall. No one's saying Lois is perfect; the actual argument is whether or not Lois acts like Lois (or whether or not Chloe acts like Lois).
- Alternatively, the Lois Lane in the comics is a real-life composite character, a fused person created when Chloe and Lois get smushed together somehow. Hey, stranger things have happened.
- That actually happened with the various versions of Hawkman, and I think at one point, Supergirl.
- I think the producers deliberately fanned suspicions to generate fan interest.
- Considering how the creators of the show laughed openly at the theory on the Season 6 DVD, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orWWiXThpIc) I don't think they were above stringing people along that it might happen, though they knew it never would. Just like they would continue to string along some 'shippers as well.
- Besides those details, she's not like Lucy in personality. Lois was very Lucy-like, but is becoming more Lois-like as Chloe because slightly less Lois-like and more Oracle-like. Smallville really has no idea what it's doing.
- Jossed by the the death of Jimmy as well as Jimmy not being the real Jimmy but his older brother instead.
- Clark certainly doesn't abuse red kryptonite; he has used it voluntarily exactly once in his life. And, especially from Season 8 onward, he's very protective of others' safety (if not necessarily their property). And there's not actually anything obsessive about him.
- He used it as a drug, for many months, to excuse his bad behavior and rebel against his parents, and found it almost impossible to stop. That's the very definition of substance abuse. As for not obsessive— have you seen the first season? He watches Lana through a telescope every night.
- The first season is, of course, the first season, and not the ninth season, where he's grown as a character to the point where he does, indeed, just want to protect people (not, as noted, their property), and he doesn't have a substance abuse problem. The period the above refers to happens once, he gets over it, and has never used again.
- He used it as a drug, for many months, to excuse his bad behavior and rebel against his parents, and found it almost impossible to stop. That's the very definition of substance abuse. As for not obsessive— have you seen the first season? He watches Lana through a telescope every night.
- Confirmed, kinda: This is what would happen if he was raised by Lionel Luthor, as shown in the episode "Luthor".
- Very Jossed.
- Jossed in "Progeny" when we find out that her mother was never really insane. Chloe knows full well what Davis is and is uses that knowledge to protect Clark.
- If for some other reason she ends up in an asylum it will likely be everyone's favourite nut house in Gotham City Arkham Asylum.
- A definite possibility as Dr. Fate (who is a basket case when not wearing his helmet) predicted Chloe was walking the same path as he.
- Oddly, in season ten, the helmet tells Chloe she would sacrifice her sanity if she put on the helmet, which she did, but she came out fine. I think.
- Lex being in a younger cloned body is (for different reasons) actually canon in some versions of the comic book mythos, so it's certainly possible.
- And as of the series finale, this theory is officially CONFIRMED. The theory came true, due to a little help from Darkseid and alternate universe Lionel.
- Alternate theory: Bruce Wayne is still traveling the world in his training for his war against crime. As for why we never heard Wayne Industries is perhaps its being renovated, or was closed down until Bruce becomes of legal age to gain it.
- Maybe its called something else and Bruce will later rename it Wayne Industries. Or maybe Luthor Corp bought it.
- Or Wayne Industries isn't currently in direct competition with Luthor Corp yet, and won't have cause to come up until Bruce gets back from his soul-searching/training and retools the company.
- Actually, this troper distinctly remembers in one of the middish seasons, Lex was on the phone with someone and called them Bruce. It was a blink and you'll miss it sort of thing and she always assumed he was talking to Bruce Wayne. As for Bruce not showing up, it's not entirely inconceivable. Early on (and sometimes even today) Bruce was very good at making everyone assume Batman was an urban legend. And in his Bruce Wayne persona, while a ditsy playboy, he is conscientious about who he associates with business wise. He probably would refuse to deal with Luthor Corp. He probably wouldn't leave Gotham much either unless he had to, gotta take care of his city after all.
- In a season 10 episode, Chloe mentions a "billionaire playboy with a belt full of gadgets" as another hero that she is helping. So we can probably joss this theory
- Jossed. Batman made his first appearance in the Smallville Season 11 Comics.
- I think it's just a visual effect simulating his focusing on the sound. Not that before the white fade you hear a very fain version of the same sounds. His Super Hearing is always active but there's hundred of sounds in the background noise. Then he hears something he want's to focus on and he blocks out everything else to pick out that one sound.
- After Dr Fate dies in Absolute Justice, it's said that the Helmet of Nabu is waiting for the new Dr Fate, and, upon meeting her, Dr Fate tells her "you walk the same path I do".
- Since he can't see his own path, wouldn't that mean that he can't see Chloe's path either? While I believe she might be, it could also mean she has no path, or a path that will end shortly.
- The new preview for Season 10 has Chloe holding Fate's helmet and at one point saying "Goodbye, Clark."
- Well, as of the end of Season 10, nothing has become of it. Maybe Season 11's comics will go this way.
- Since he can't see his own path, wouldn't that mean that he can't see Chloe's path either? While I believe she might be, it could also mean she has no path, or a path that will end shortly.
[[WMG: Clark can turn stuff into Explodiumnote One of Clark's powers is to turn stuff into Explodium (though he doesn't know it). That's why he can throw an ordinary screw-driver at a gas canister, and make it explode.
When Tess was dying from severe injuries sustained by Zod a old woman No doubt Granny Goodness enters the room Tess was staying in then Tess would be brought back to life thanks to Granny Goodness. By Season 10 Tess will appear fine but we could see signs of her being brainwashed and crazy due to Granny Goodness's manipulation. Also expect a power upgrade.
- One can reasonably assume that Granny Goodness will likely do the same thing to Oliver, since he was shown being captured by unknown creatures which were probably Darkseid's parademons. This especially makes sense when one remembers that Tess and Oliver are joint owners of Luthor Corp, which in the Smallville universe is a major defense contractor to the US government. If Granny can successfully brainwash them, she could use them to sabotage the military's and Amanda Waller's defense plans. Remember, the fact that Waller kept hinting that she knows about "the coming apocalypse" implies that she and the upper echelons of the United States government have at least partial knowledge that Darkseid is planning an invasion, and would likely be attempting to make preparations to defend Earth. Thus, Granny Goodness would want to brainwash Tess and Oliver to help sabotage these efforts.
- Plus, Oliver is the Green Arrow, leader of the Justice League. A brainwashed Oliver would also be able to sabotage the Justice League's efforts to defend Earth.
- The episode Abandoned revealed that Tess was a Female Fury when she was little, but escaped and blocked out the incident from her mind.
- This didn't happen in Season 10, so maybe Season 11's comics will go this way.
- and the Big Bad came to earth using the Portal that transported the Kandorians.
Smallville deconstructs the Earth human vs alien monsters theme by making one of the heroes the alien and making their foes into Human monsters instead of aliens.
- Nah.
- I so support this!
- Not so much when it is Lionel. An evil version. Who is dead already anyway.
- Darkseid came out of the portal as the Kandorians went into it.
However, at some point, Darkseid becomes to distrust Lionel when Granny Goodness received a vision that Lionel will be on the side of good. When Lionel heard of this, he was appalled that he would become "weak" like everyone else. However, he's more shocked when he finds out he will be murdered by his son Lex who will surpass him. He assures Darkseid it would not happen and does everything to prevent that. Though, this led to a chain of events which led to what happened as we've seen throughout the entire series until his death.
- Nope. Finale.
- If Earth-2 Lionel is there, Lex will die happy defying his father by showing him Lex is nothing like his father after all. Lionel becomes furious at his son's "weakness". As he dies, Lex sees an image of his mother, so happy to see his redeemed son.
- The Lex clone maybe.
- The young Lex clone will age quickly until he returns to his current age. He'll claim he's been held hostage.
- Or Lex's spirit takes over his clone's body.
- Lex takes back control of LuthorCorp, and renames it after his first company, LexCorp.
- Lex forgets he was ever in the Fortress.
- Confirmed. Thanks, Tess. Just when he seemed to be trying, in his own villainous way, to actually do some good.
- Tess pretty much saved Clark by erasing his secret from Lex. Along with his entire memories of Smallville, including his former friendship with Clark. Lex did say they were destined to be enemies.
- The New Gods will appear and help the Justice League in defeating Darkseid.
- The Jor-El computer will imprison Clark to stop him from facing Darkseid. Clark breaks free. But the computer will form a body (becoming the series' version of the Eradicator) and fight Clark. It tells Clark he's not a hero, he's as weak as humanity and the real Jor-El. It says Clark is a failure as Jor-El and he'll lose Lois, Clark becomes angry and has enough with the Jor-El computer, and then destroys it for good.
- Kara fights Darkseid, but ends up getting killed. In her last breath, she tells Clark its up to him now. Before a commercial, we see a shot of Clark screaming and crying while holding her dead cousin's body.
- Lana returns. She no longer has kryptonite radiation. She hopes she and Clark can be together again. However, Clark tells her its too late now, he's marrying Lois. Lana is understandably upset. We'll see her talking to her parents' grave, and tells them she feels more alone than ever.
- Near the end of the final episode, we see Chloe in the crowd cheering for the Justice League. Then, she walks away and disappears...
- Jossed: Chloe is out of hiding.
- The Justice Society joins the League in battle against Darkseid.
- A mention of Pete Ross going into politics. He'll work for or with Martha Kent.
- One of the last scenes is Ollie telling Clark about this "eccentric guy" in Gotham that seemed quite interested in the League...and hands him a Wayne Enterprises business card.
- Clark leaves his farm home, and Smallville, for good.
- Confirmed. I think.
- Actually, Martha urges Clark to change his mind about selling the farm. They never make it clear what happens after that, but the sentiments expressed within the episode seemed to be leaning towards the idea of Clark keeping the farm. Remember, Connor is going to attend Smallville High, so he's probably going to be living there, while Clark will pop in to check up on him, and Martha will fly back from Washington when she can
- Confirmed. I think.
- Perry White becomes editor-in-chief.
- Confirmed, took place within seven years of Clark thwarting Apokolips.
- Ollie and Dinah Lance become a couple.
- Open end.
- Clark will use an ancient Kryptonian sword to vanquish Darkseid.
- Regarding a guess I just added, there is mention of evil Brainiac still being out there. Assuming that he hasn't reappeared in show, we are shown a shot of Lex silouheted in the distance or some such, to establish that he too is back.
- Darkseid is gonna possess Lionel Luthor, who's more than willing.
- Confirmed. Yay. Although he is already dead...
- The clone of Lex and Clark will become the guardian of Smallville, Superboy, in honor of his "father" and the last scene will be him flying over Smallville as a tribute to the pilot.
- Jossed. Unless it happened offscreen.
- The last scene will show the league returning to the Watchtower after saving the earth from Darkseid. They'll find that someone has broken in, at which point the lights turn on, revealing a man in an expensive suit who looks like he's had a rough life. He'll say:Strange Man: "So, this is the Justice League? Well, we need to talk. My name is Bruce W...(cut to black, roll credits)"
- Which will allow them to use Bruce Wayne and not have it violate copyright.
- Followed by a "coming soon Gothem Season 1"
- Jossed. Would've been awesome, though. What kind of stupid problem do they have that stopped him from appearing AT ALL, anyway?
- Which will allow them to use Bruce Wayne and not have it violate copyright.
- I thought of one: Lex returns from the dead, but forgets he was in the Fortress and that Clark is an alien. In Superman Returns, Lex seems to have deva ju upon finding the Fortress (again). But this would be season ten, of course; then again, Smallville follows a "similar" pattern to the movies.
- Confirmed — Lex did indeed return from death and had his memories erased.
In the event I'm right, any money on who backstabs who first? A lot of people seem to expect Alexander to kill Lionel as part of his journey to becoming Lex, but I could almost see it working better with Lionel killing Alexander, only to be slain by the real Lex (who, if they can't get Rosenbaum back, could remain offscreen).
- Earth-2 Lionel will be disgusted that his other counterpart became good. And if he gets killed by Lex or Alexander, he dies happy knowing his son has become the man he wanted him to be.
- As of "Beacon" Lionel has tried to create this alliance, but was betrayed by Alexander almost immediately. Both of them survived it though.
- This is definitely the explanation. There are actually a lot of potential copies of the unaltered Brainiac that could still be around. In Season 8, Sebastian the Memory-Absorbing Freak of the Week is forced to download Brainiac into his skull and went into cardiac arrest. If the doctors managed to save him from that, it's implied that he would be comatose anyway...an empty vessel that a potential copy of Brainiac inside his head could use as a new body. Also, speaking of comas, remember when Brainiac put Lana in that creepy pseudo-coma for several months? Who's to say he didn't leave a copy of himself buried in her subconscious, as he was confirmed to have done with Chloe? This copy of Brainiac could simply be lying dormant for reasons known only to him, and at some point will take over Lana's body the same way he took over Chloe's...and with Lana's Kryptonite-infused body, he'd be a terrifying threat, and this would be a good catalyst for Emil to finally come up with a way to cure Lana's body of the kryptonite/Prometheus suit and return her to her canon form. And speaking of Lana, during Season 7, didn't she keep a vial of Brainiac's material at the Isis Clinic? If this sample is still around (and presumably transferred to storage at the Watchtower), then if the vial is ever accidentally broken, Brainiac could emerge from it and wreak havoc at Watchtower before uploading himself onto the Internet and into another computer...The possibilities are numerous.
- Lionel will be proud of Lex, finally becoming the man he wants him to be.
- Confirmed. Although Darkseid is the one that finishes him off, Tess is the one who lands the fatal blow on Lionel.
- Possible, since Kara has gone to the future for a while.
- As much as we want to turn Lana into an ape, nope.
- Confirmed: This troper knew it! Though he has yet to gain the Kryptonian name, but he does become Clark's cousin "Conner Kent".
- Damn close. Only wrong on how the memories go.
Clark and the gang will first meet them while paying their respect for the Hawks. After a misunderstanding, they get to know each other.
Carter has met the two sometime between the JSA's disbandment and their reformation. They were space cops from the planet Thanagar to capture a dangerous criminal (most likely Byth). After that they decide to stay on Earth and disguise themselves as a married human couple. Katar renames himself "Carter Hall, Jr.", Carter's cousin. Carter also trains them in human art of war.
It turns out that Thanagar has visited Earth even longer than Krypton, mostly in Egypt. They were worshiped as gods and their "mystical" Nth metal gave Khufu and Chay-Are the gift of "eternal love" (which is reincarnation).
They also came to help defeat Darkseid, who nearly destroyed Thanagar. But the Thanagarians have used Nth metal to draw him away. The Thanagarians call him Onimar Synn.
Green Arrow will take a great dislike on Katar for trying to "replace Hawkman".
Shayera Hol will discover she's pregnant (the child is Carter reincarnated). And becomes friends with Zatanna, after being intrigued by her magic.
In one heartwarming scene, the Hawks take Clark to outer space, to where Krypton once was.
- Same initials and everything...I like it!
- And the scarecrow symbolism. Genius.
- It could be Highfather, as a reward for defeating Darkseid.
- Nope. Thankfully they did no such thing. Clark will just have to manage for himself.
- Evidence #1: the countless times Clark has been around people without glasses. This is especially evident in the last episode, during his attempted wedding.
- Evidence 2: the existence, in universe, of a comic book telling the origin of Superman, where Clark's likeness is depicted.
- Evidence 3: All of the people, many of them not very NICE, who already know it such as Toyman, Slade Wilson, and all of the VRA soldiers (at least the higher ranking ones).
- Doesn't seem to stop him from keeping the disguise up, though...
- The person reading that comic was Chloe. To her son. My guess is she knocked that up on the computer just for him.
- Doesn't seem to stop him from keeping the disguise up, though...
- No, this troper believes he's a version of Connor Hawke.
- He gives off a serious Jason White vibe. If he is actually Clark's son there would be a very interesting parallel...
- Assuming they did the deed in Fortune, she didn't remember it and had a rather ambiguous time frame.
- The Smallville Season 11 comic book confirms he's Oliver's kid.
- She starts a relationship with someone else after he left and is very iffy about the relationship status.
- Assuming they did the deed in Fortune, she didn't remember it and had a rather ambiguous time frame.
- The creators simply eradicated her presence in favour of Lois, which lead to a couple of small discontinuities, but I'm not complaining. Anyway, she is back in the season 11 comics, Valkyrie.
- Might explain why he was so hard to clone when other clones seemed easy to create.
- Tim Westcott becomes a Well-Intentioned Extremist villain.
- Emily Dinsmore. Mentioned above. She goes from killing people she believes are evil to actually liking murdering people for pleasure. She becomes the Smallville version of Scorch. She develops a hatred of Clark/Superman for "stealing" Lana.
- William McBride becomes Clark/Superman's own Hugo Strange. He becomes obsessed with killing Clark because he blames him for Alicia Baker's death.
- Eric Summers still desires Clark's powers. He wants to take them again, or somehow gain his own powers. He may even team-up with a scientist who'll create a potion which will give him (temporary) powers, similar to the early story "Reign of the Super-Man". Or create a supersuit not unlike the comics' Lucy Lane's Superwoman suit.
- Ben Meyers (from "Action") would become Professor Zoom.
- Like another WMG above, Jonathan Creek would become Scarecrow.
- Dr. Hudson (the phantom from "Labyrinth") would become Doctor Destiny.
- Justin Gaines (from "Crush") becomes Green Arrow's enemy, because he still has feelings for Chloe.
- There is a work-in-progress (but not dead) Fan Fic somewhere that had Clark making her pregnant after she broke up with Jimmy and would explain why Chloe could no longer repress Doomsday because what it is created to destroy is growing inside her.
The Golden Age of Comic Books: Season one to three. Superman being the one dominant hero, relatively limited powers (he's still weak enough that bullets can slow him down even if they can't kill him in the first season or two) but using them in manners that could have been lethal, minor villians with simple motives, and Clark learning important life lessons.
The Silver Age of Comic Books: Season four. Much more "out there" stories helped by the introduction of magic into the canon, and a greater willingness of the writers to just embrace all the humorous possibilities afforded to them by the inherent wildness of a world where sci-fi and magic coexist. Introduction of The Flash and the Fortress of Solitude (which was first seen during the Silver Age).
The Bronze Age of Comic Books: Season five to seven. Dealing with more serious topics (although the Very Special Episode for teenage sexuality is in season four, the one for drugs, Void, is in season five), introduction of the more hard-boiled, street-level vigilante Green Arrow/Oliver Queen, a greater willingness to explore more horror-based elements thanks to the Phantom Zone criminals and their powers. Also contains the pivotal parts of the last steps of Protagonist Journey to Villain and Moral Event Horizon, both excellently handled, of Lex Luthor.
The Dark Age of Comic Books: Season eight to nine. A Darker and Edgier tone and a bold willingness of the writers to have Clark and company have to deal with greater moral dilemmas and harder choices than in previous seasons, and the show is now mature enough that it's unafraid to fully embrace debates, in-universe and out, about its' characters actions: Lex attempts to nuke Metropolis and Oliver assassinates him to prevent him from following through, Chloe becomes Darker and Edgier and after experiencing a Trauma Conga Line becomes convinced that Orwellian methods are the only way to protect Metropolis, etc., and the JLA members are forced into some tough dilemmas, and have to re-examine their positions. Clark adopts a grittier costume. Doomsday shows up as well. Also had Devilicus lampshade that lethal enforcers were big in the nineties. All in all, the show went through a lot of growth, and the writers were much more willing to take risks during these seasons than ever before.
The Modern Age of Comic Books: Season ten. Reconstruction of The Cape / Ideal Hero, Kingdom Come-style. The characters, having gone through lots of growth—especially in the last few seasons—come full circle and embrace their classic identities, but often with an innovative twist. Clark going back to a more classic red-and-blue outfit with the "S" symbol. Lois and Clark being a couple, and Lois (now in on "The Secret") helping Clark protect his identity and more actively helping him with his missions. Lots of ShoutOuts and tributes to the past (the class reunion episode, all the tons of fan-demanded cameos of older characters, etc.) The symbolic defeat of Darkseid. "Always hold on to Smallville".
The mainstream Lana Lang shares many more traits with Chloe Sullivan compared to Smallville's version of Lana. They are both green-eyed Caucasians (although Lana has red hair and Chloe is blonde; Kristin Kreuk has brown hair and eyes, as well as being part Chinese and part Dutch), have a crush on Clark Kent, dated, fell apart in good terms and remained friends into adulthood (and the relationship is a lot more lighthearted than Smallville's wangst-packed Lana who left as a God-Mode Sue, which didn't happen to the mainstream version) and early secret keepers. Pete Ross, who married Lana Lang in the comics, also had an unrequited crush on Chloe and next to none interaction with Smallville Lana.
On the other hand, she did many things Clark's parents did for him in the mainstream continuity, like encouraging him to adopt a Secret Identity. The producers may have correctly guessed that having a nerdy female childhood best friend doing it would appeal to the younger audience better than having his parents lecturing him.
- The Lack Of Care Theory™ would also explain some of the craziness that is Fortune, in which Oliver and Chloe are supposed to be married when Oliver is with Lois on a railway in the middle of nowhere while Chloe and Clark are, to quote Chloe, "dressed like the topping of a wedding cake" and woke up in the same room but with Clark on the bed and Chloe in the closet (I've got the feeling that there are some Exact Words and/or Loophole Abuse involved...). That, and the possible perfect future in Lexmas, are the producer's way of saying "that is the closest we could get, sorry that Clark has to end up with Lois".
- Uh no, if you listen to interviews, it's pretty clear the writers were very excited about showing Clark and Lois grow into their classical roles from the comics and movies as crusading reporters and lovers. They clearly were not "sorry" about it. The writers gave Chloe a happy ending of her own with Oliver, and were clearly pleased about it.
- The Lack Of Care Theory™ would also explain some of the craziness that is Fortune, in which Oliver and Chloe are supposed to be married when Oliver is with Lois on a railway in the middle of nowhere while Chloe and Clark are, to quote Chloe, "dressed like the topping of a wedding cake" and woke up in the same room but with Clark on the bed and Chloe in the closet (I've got the feeling that there are some Exact Words and/or Loophole Abuse involved...). That, and the possible perfect future in Lexmas, are the producer's way of saying "that is the closest we could get, sorry that Clark has to end up with Lois".
- Speak for yourself, this troper thought the last few seasons were the best. That being said, perhaps the Clana plot of the earlier seasons was Mxy's doing...
While Chloe had moved on from Jimmy/Henry James's death. She wanted to honor him in some way and so with Ollie's permission, she named him Henry. Since that naming him 'James' might make things confusing with Younger James Olsen running around.
Well, the main characters have put so much money into the institution over the years, that it'd be sort of fitting if there's a Kent Wing or Lana Lang Room at the medical center. Bonus points if each character usually ends up making their (near-weekly) hospital visit in the room named after them.
Given that each of the main characters is a Weirdness Magnet and they sustain more attacks and injuries over the course of the show than the average person ever does, it's possible that they got some UnclePennybags-style help:
From Seasons One through Four, Lex is paying everyone's medical bills, since he spends much of these years trying to buy Clark's friendship (along with trying buy the friendships of Clark's other friends).
In Season Five, after Lex is exposed sending murderous mutants after the Kents and thus destroying the friendship between himself and Clark, Lionel eagerly swoops in with the checkbook to pay everyone's bills in a desperate attempt to impress Martha with his generosity.
From Season Six onwards, Oliver Queen is bankrolling everyone's medical expenses, probably being joined in this Uncle Pennybags role by Tess during the final season.
... Superboy-Prime. It would explain all the whining he goes through.
The Clark that came out of the hole with Doomsday wasn’t the original Clark but in actuality the Eradicator due to how much of a jerkass he was to Chloe after Jimmy’s death.