Beginning in 2001 and ending in 2011, Smallville chronicled Clark Kent's journey from being an ordinary high school student and spur-of-the-moment hero to Daily Planet journalist and full-time superhero. The series wasn't about Superman as much as it was about the man under the suit -- which is why series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar adopted a "no flights" rule for the hero.
It's been five years since the series concluded, yet Superman hasn't disappeared. The Man of Steel is now guest starring in a shared universe on the small screen. So we thought it was time to see what happened to the heroes of The WB's (later, The CW's) Superman origin story.
Arranged by the number of episodes each actor/actress has appeared in, here's Where Are They Now? The Cast Of Smallville.
15. Terence Stamp (Jor-El)
Long before Terence Stamp graced the small screen as Kal-El's biological father, Jor-El, in Smallville, he famously played one of Superman's perennial enemies, General Zod, in Wanted, amongst countless others -- though he will always be best known as the archvillain General Zod.
As with many actors on Smallville, Stamp appeared sporadically throughout the series between seasons two and ten, voicing the character of Jor-El whenever Clark needed the most help. Since the series ended in 2011, Stamp has taken his career rather slowly, starring in one or two productions a year. His most recent film was Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, in which he starred as Abraham Portman. Next year, he'll be appearing in Gilles Paquet-Brenner's Crooked House and George Mendeluk's Bitter Harvest.
14. Laura Vandervoort (Kara Zor-El)
Nowadays, most people associate there was another small screen Supergirl who came before her: Laura Vandervoort. Vandervoort made her debut as Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, in the seventh season of Smallville and held a main role throughout the season, which then became a recurring role for the rest of the series.
Part of the reason she scarcely returned after the show's seventh season was because she landed a leading role on ABC's White Collar, and Haven, before landing another leading role in Syfy's Bitten.
The series concluded earlier this year after three seasons on the air, and Vandervoort's first gig following the series' conclusion was actresses to guest star on a CW superhero show.
13. Eric Johnson (Whitney Fordman)
Other than Superman villains, Clark Kent had many rivals on Smallville -- and it all began with high school jock and Lana Lang's boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, played by Eric Johnson. He appeared as a main cast member in the series' first season, though his character was eventually written off later that year.
For the next three years, Johnson would appear as a special guest star in a handful of episodes of Smallville and would spend the rest of his time starring in several movies. However, he never left TV acting, and eventually returned Flash Gordon series in 2007.
After the network had canceled the series, Johnson moved on to star on Rookie Blue, as well as Fifty Shades Freed.
12. Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen)
Aaron Ashmore -- whose identical twin brother, Shawn Ashmore, famously played Iceman in the X-Men movies -- took upon the role of photographer Jimmy Olsen in Smallville. He first appeared in the series' sixth season and had a recurring role until he was ultimately killed off in the season eight finale.
Interestingly enough at the character's funeral, it's revealed that Jimmy Olsen's full name is Henry James Olsen, not James Bartholomew Olsen. His camera was then ed down to his younger brother, who many believe to be the real Jimmy Olsen. The role has since been taken up by Mehcad Brooks in The CW's Supergirl, though Mehcad's version goes by the name James instead of the traditional Jimmy.
Since leaving the series in 2009, Ashmore has appeared in several shows, such as Killjoys.
11. Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer)
A late addition to the series, Cassidy Freeman's Tess Mercer appears as the new CEO of LuthorCorp following Lex Luthor's disappearance in the season seven finale. Although her character's arc begins with her attempting to find Lex, she eventually became close friends with Clark and even went as far as to protect his secret identity. Interestingly, it's revealed in the final season that she is actually Lex's half-sister, Lutessa Lena Luthor, a character now played by Katie McGrath on Supergirl.
Following the series' conclusion, Freeman guest starred in a handful of TV shows, until she eventually nabbed the main role as Cady Longmire on A&E's crime drama Longmire in 2012, a role she continues to play to this day. In addition to that, she continues to guest star on other shows, such as NCIS, and Stitchers, and also appeared in the horror film Fender Bender earlier this year on ChillerTV.
10. Sam Jones III (Pete Ross)
Before Clark had the help of the Watchtower and the future Justice League , he had Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross, his two closest friends. Ross, played by Sam Jones III, was a prominent character during the first three seasons, though he was eventually written off in order to protect Clark's identity. Although he left after the third season, Jones returned for a single episode in the series' seventh season, when he gained elastic abilities after being exposed to Kryptonite.
Following his departure from Smallville, Jones starred in a handful of TV shows, including The Practice, 7th Heaven, and The Defenders) in 2010. And after a six-year hiatus, Jones reprised his Blue Mountain State role for the movie Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland earlier this year.
9. Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen)
Fans will fondly Justin Hartley as Smallville's billionaire Oliver Queen, but before he became the Star City-based superhero, Hartley was once tapped to bring Aquaman to life on the small screen. Although the would-be Green Arrow on their Superman series.
Hartley can be credited with popularizing the Green Arrow with modern television audiences, for one year after Smallville concluded, The CW launched Hartley starring in the leading role, though, the network opted to cast someone else -- Stephen Amell, who many people now associate with the emerald-hooded vigilante.
Shortly after Smallville ended, Hartley proceeded to guest star in several TV shows, such as Castle, and Heart of Dixie, before landing a recurring role on Emily Owens, M.D., Revenge, and Mistresses. However, he made a full-fledged return to television when he became a series regular on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. He can now be seen in a leading role on NBC's new hit series, This Is Us.
8. John Schneider (Jonathan Kent)
One of the most recognizable actors on this list is undoubtedly John Schneider, whose prolific career extends to both acting and singing. Younger audiences may know Schneider as being Clark's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, who was killed in the series' 100th episode from a heart attack (on the night of his election as to the United States Senate, no less). However, older audiences may know Schneider best as Bo Duke from CBS' iconic TV series The Dukes of Hazzard from the '70s and '80s.
Even though he was killed off, Schneider appeared a handful of times throughout the rest of Smallville's run, including at Clark's wedding in the series finale. Since leaving Smallville, Schneider has appeared on a multitude of shows and movies -- including 90210, Desperate Housewives, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and more -- though he now has a main role playing James Cryer on the OWN soap opera, The Haves and the Have Nots.
7. Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent)
Like Terence Stamp, Annette O'Toole had a role in the original Superman movie series, famously starring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. In Richard Lester's Superman III, O'Toole appears as Clark's former teenage love interest from his hometown, Lana Lang. Interestingly, almost two decades after O'Toole played Clark Kent's former love-interest, she returned to the world of Superman by playing Kal-El's adoptive mother, Martha Kent, on Smallville.
O'Toole is one of the few people to have appeared throughout Smallville's entire run, though her character took some time off in the later seasons only to return in the final season. Her absence was justified by her character becoming a United States Senator, a job that required her to relocate to Washington, D.C.
Although she largely remained out of the spotlight following Smallville's conclusion, O'Toole landed a recurring role on the second season of AMC's Grey's Anatomy, The Finder, and 11.22.63. Her next project is starring as Doug's Mom in David Wain's biography, A Futile & Stupid Gesture, in 2017.
6. Erica Durance (Lois Lane)
Virtually every superhero out there has that one primary love interest -- Spider-Man has Mary Jane Watson, Barry Allen has Iris West, and Superman has Lois Lane, award-winning journalist for The Daily Planet. Erica Durance made her debut as Lane in the series' fourth season, in which she had a prominent recurring role. She was made a series regular for the remaining duration of the show beginning with the fifth season.
Unlike most of the other actors on this list, Durance remained devoted to television acting after Smallville concluded. She has since ed her former the Canadian TV series, Saving Hope, where she stars as Dr. Alex Reid. In fact, she is credited with being a producer on the show and even made her directorial debut earlier this year by helming one of the series' episodes.
Despite starring in numerous movies and TV shows throughout her career, Durance will forever be best known for her work as Lois Lane.