For ten seasons and an incredible 217 episodes, Smallville entertained audiences, satisfied loyal fans, and delivered plenty of iconic moments. Over the course of those seasons, Tom Welling's Clark Kent was able to come to and learn to control his incredible powers, transforming into the most iconic superhero of all-time.
While Smallville certainly offered a few disappointing and utterly boring storylines over the years, we'd argue that the series as a whole stands as one of the best in the genre and is, in fact, one of the best Superman origin stories DC Comics has to offer. With the news that Arrowverse's "Crisis On Infinite Earths" crossover, we figured it was time to look back at Smallville and discuss some of Clark's most iconic Superman moments.
Saving Lana In The Tornado
While the first season of Smallville did a great job of displaying how powerful Clark was during his childhood, seeing the young Superman go head-to-head against a tornado was a true highlight of the shows early seasons. The first season finale/second season premiere landed with a bang, as Clark abandoned the school dance (and Chloe) in an attempt to save Lana from a tornado. Arriving just in time to see Lana's truck get carried into the twister, Clark heroically speeds into the tornado and manages to protect Lana from any serious harm.
Clark Saves Lois And Catches The Daily Planet Globe
Smallville always did a great job of showing Clark push his powers to the limit, but seeing him defy Lex's expectations by catching the Daily Planet globe in Metropolis and saving Lois' life in Smallville was by far one of his most iconic Superman moments! When one of Lex's clones plants a bomb at the Daily Planet and attempts to burn Lois alive in Smallville, he gives Clark an impossible choice: save Lois or dozens of people in Metropolis. Pushing his speed to the test, however, Clark manages to save Lois from the flames before speeding to Metropolis and catching the Daily Planet orb in front of a large crowd. This is not only one of Clark's most impressive saves, but it also shows the character start to accept his role as a beacon of hope to humanity.
Sacrificing Himself To Defeat Zod
Only a true superhero is willing to sacrifice their own life and everything they have to save others! The ninth season ends in a tragic but outrageously heroic note, as Clark and General Zod finally come to blows. After an epic rooftop fight sequence, Clark allows himself to be stabbed by the blue kryptonite blade, falling from the building and sacrificing himself to save humanity. This allows Zod to be transported to a new world, where he can no longer threaten the human race.
Saving A Little Girl From Doomsday
Smallville consistently delivered great action sequences, but Clark's saves are the moments that have become the most iconic over the years. ittedly, it was awesome watching Clark go up against one of Superman's deadliest villains, but seeing him save a little girl from Doomsday's grasp is easily one of the characters' most heroic moments!
After being split from Davis, Doomsday wreaks havoc on Metropolis and destroys everything in its path. Moments before the creature kills a little girl, however, Clark arrives and carries the child to safety before dealing with Doomsday.
Saving Lex
How could we rank some of Clark's most iconic Superman moments without discussing his very first save on the show? When Lex Luthor loses control of his extremely expensive Porsche and hits Clark, both men are thrown into the water where they both would've died, if not for Clark's incredible powers.
The young Clark heroically tears the car open and retrieves an unconscious Lex, swimming to safety and performing R on his soon-to-be best friend.
Clark Leads The Justice League
Over the years, Smallville introduced more than a few Justice League including The Flash, Aquaman and Green Arrow, but it was incredibly exciting and fulfilling to see Clark fight alongside all of them as an early version of the Justice League. While this was only a nod to the formation of a Justice League in the future, seeing Clark and the other heroes walk side by side as Lex's facility exploded was easily one of the series' most iconic and memorable moments.
The Final Shot
After ten years of build-up, anticipation and an immense amount of hype, Clark Kent finally became Superman in the outrageously satisfying series finale! The final shot of the season, which took place years in the future, showed Clark rush to the Daily Planet roof, where he began to remove his Clark Kent disguise and reveal the iconic red, blue and yellow Superman costume beneath. While this wasn't necessarily a massive action scene or heartbreaking piece of drama, it was incredibly satisfying to watch Clark accept his destiny and become the iconic superhero.
Clark Finally Flies
It's pretty hard to deny that seeing Clark properly fly for the first time was one of Smallville's most thrilling and satisfying moments of all-time! Coming face-to-face with Darkseid (in the form of Lionel Luthor), Clark delivers perhaps his most heroic speech in defense of humanity, saying that hope can be found in even the darkest souls. Scared that Clark will erase his darkness from the world and bring humanity back into the light, Darkseid throws the Kryptonian through the barn and into the sky. In the moments before he crashes back into the earth, Clark looks within himself and finally utilizes his ability to fly.
The Missile
Is there anything more Superman than saving the planet from an impending nuclear attack? This moment quite literally took Smallville into unexplored territory, as it showed Clark save lives on a scale he hadn't before on the show. After being resurrected by Jor-El, Clark returns to Smallville just in time to save the day. Leaping onto a nuclear missile, heroically removing the explosive and throwing it into space is undoubtedly one of Clark's most impressive feats, and it's certainly one of the shows most exciting moments!
Saving Air Force One & The Planet
Batman might be cool, but only Superman can catch a plane with his bare hands and throw an entire planet! After finally suiting up as Superman in the epic series finale, Clark shoots into the sky as Air Force One plummets towards the ground and Apokolips threatens the entire planet. With his cape flowing beautifully behind him, Clark heroically catches the downed aircraft, saving a number of lives including Lois Lane and the President. Clark's heroic antics don't end there, however, as Superman soars to Metropolis and removes Darkseid's darkness from the planet. Flying through Metropolis, Clark restores hope to the human race by quite literally pushing Apokolips away from earth and back into space. As far as introductions go, this one wasn't bad.