Smallville's most important rule - "No Flights, No Tights" - eventually became its biggest problem. It was made clear from the very beginning by the creators of the series that Smallville was strictly about Clark becoming Superman. No matter how long the Superman prequel series lasted, Clark completing his evolution into the Man of Steel before the show's ending was never on the table.
To those behind the series, Tom Welling's character not being Superman primarily meant two things: Clark couldn't fly and he certainly couldn't wear the suit. Smallville created a few minor loopholes with the "no flying" aspect of it's "No Flights, No Tights" policy, but for the most part, it followed these rules religiously. Despite a ten-season run, Smallville stayed true to its original promise and kept Clark from learning how to fly or suiting up as Superman until the final episode of the series. But, it's worth noting that there was a negative side to the show being so adamant about this rule. Here's how this idea, which served as the backbone of the series, became a massive issue for the story.
Smallville Couldn't Justify Clark's Journey Taking Ten Years
Clark staying grounded and not having a superhero identity was understandable for the first half of the series. After all, the show kicked off as a show about a teenage Clark Kent coming to grips with the responsibilities that come with his abilities. But as Clark grew older and more mature, expectations of him steadily changed. In most interpretations of Superman's story, it's after his graduation from high school that Clark embarks down the path of becoming Superman by training with Jor-El. But instead of moving in this direction, Smallville found other things for Clark to do year in and year out.
The longer this went on, the more difficult it became for the series to ignore that Clark's transformation into Superman felt purposively delayed. As his character development stalled, other people in his life would openly acknowledge his lack of progress. In season 6, Justin Hartley's Oliver Queen called him out for spending most of his time on the farm and in season 7, Kristin Kreuk's Lana Lang blamed herself for Clark not leaving home and doing more to help the world.
Clark Not Flying Made No Sense
Similarly, Smallville failed to properly justify Clark's inability to fly throughout all ten seasons. Clark developing his Kryptonian powers was a process that took years, and the way in which it was implemented actually worked well - up to a point. For the first few years of the show's run, Clark developed at least one new power every season. It made sense at the time that his trademark ability would be saved for last so that it could be added as the icing on the cake, but Smallville kept this one at arms-length on the grounds that Clark wasn't "ready" to fly just yet.
What's interesting about that is that his fellow Kryptonians didn't suffer from the same limitations. Smallville's General Zod and the three Kryptonian visitors from the season 5 premiere all immediately grasped flying upon exposure to the yellow sun. Their background as soldiers and mental discipline might be able to make sense of this, but what made this problem significantly more glaring was Supergirl's return in season 10. Kara, who didn't wake from suspended animation and discover her Kryptonian abilities until season 7, was flying before Superman himself could.
Smallville Told Most Of Clark's Superman Story Before The Finale
As Smallville co-creator Alfred Gough once itted, "they were slaves" to the "No Flights, No Tights" rule until the series ended [via form the Justice League. In season 8, he went to work for the Daily Planet, became a superhero, and started his iconic romance with Lois Lane. During these years, he battled numerous villains from Superman's DC Comics rogues' gallery, including Brainiac, Doomsday, General Zod, Bizarro, and of course, Lex Luthor.
By the time Smallville ended, Clark had already experienced a significant portion of Superman's comic story, albeit without actually becoming Superman. When the series started borrowing heavily from key events from Superman's life, it was evident that the show was at a point where he should have already been the Man of Steel. As a result, there was a feeling that it was only Smallville's rules - and no particular narrative reason - that continued to stand in the way of Clark fulfilling his destiny.
