Smallville Made One of the Wildest Changes to Superman's Powers

  • Smallville redefined Superman by focusing on Clark Kent’s journey without flights or tights until the series finale.
  • Clark Kent’s heat vision debuted in an embarrassing scenario with a biology teacher, showcasing the series’ unique take on his powers.
  • Smallville explored Clark’s progression in strength, speed, and invulnerability, delaying his ability to fly until becoming Superman.

The TV series Smallville was the main representation of Superman outside the comics for almost an entire generation, even if the character was never seen in costume. Focusing on the younger years of Clark Kent, the series was a premiere show for both The WB and its later incarnation, The CW. Nevertheless, it made several changes from the comic books, including how the Last Son of Krypton’s powers worked.

Clark Kent notably didn’t fly in the series, lacking this full ability until the last episode of Smallville. He also first used his heat vision for a far more intimate reason, which became a problem for him as the series continued. This signified the series’ central premise and how this future Man of Steel was so much more grounded than previous takes.

Smallville Made Heat Vision a Lot Hotter

smallville made one of the wildest changes to superman's powers

Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin & Elizabeth Tulloch stand close together.

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Clark Kent’s heat vision is first used in “Heat,” the second episode of the second season of Smallville. The ability first shows up as Clark, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross attend biology class. The particular class focuses on Sex Ed, with the teenagers being wrangled by a new teacher that day. Said teacher is Ms. Desirée Atkins (played by Krista Allen), who has the power to control men with pheromones due to exposure to a Kryptonite meteor. Unfortunately for the class, this has a rather embarrassing effect on the Boy of Steel, who’s one of many students who are immediately smitten with the attractive young teacher.

Due to the nature of the class’ educational video, Ms. Atkins’ powers and her own aesthetic allure, Clark becomes hot, especially in his forehead and surrounding area. As a result, beams emit from his eyes that connect with the screen that the video was showing on, making it catch on fire. The class is unaware of what happened, but Clark knows that he accidentally caused this. Likewise, given how heat vision waves spurt from his eyes, it’s clear what the biological analogy is for the young man. After school, he informs his parents about what happened, with the incident both embarrassing and terrifying him.

Later in the episode, his Kryptonian growing pains only continue. He talks to Lana about Lex Luthor’s sudden change of behavior, with Lex (under her pheromone control) having married Ms. Atkins. Lana notes his sudden passion and wonders if she and Clark will ever be the same, though the growing romantic tension has a more than dramatic effect on him. Feeling hot again, Clark unleashes a wave of heat vision inside the building, with the result being stronger than the small version he emitted beforehand.

Heat Vision Throughout Smallville

smallville made one of the wildest changes to superman's powers

Laura Vandervoort as Smallville’s Supergirl

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Heat Vision is one of Superman’s main powers from the comic books, officially debuting in the Silver Age of Comics. In fact, for most of his original publishing history, the Golden Age version of Superman completely lacked the ability. It was initially described as “applied heat” and a sort of extension of his x-ray vision. It was simply one of many incredible abilities used by Kryptonians when under a yellow sun, with villainous Kryptonians such as General Zod also possessing the power. Martian Manhunter has a similar power called “Martian vision,” whereas Bizarro (a failed clone of Superman) has a reversed version called “ice vision” that instead chills things.

In the case of Superboy (another clone who combined Superman’s DNA with Lex Luthor’s), he initially didn’t have heat vision and imitated Superman’s powers through “tactile telekinesis.” Even after his normal Kryptonian abilities developed, he didn’t use heat vision until many years later. In the comics, the power has nothing to do with sexual arousal, and this concept was mostly exclusive to Smallville. A notable exception was Superman: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, which actually brought many elements of the Silver Age and the Richard Donner Superman movies back into continuity.

There, a young Clark Kent was shown to first use heat vision after being accidentally aroused by Lana Lang while in high school. In an episode of Smallville where Lana briefly gained Clark’s powers, she had no problem using heat vision or any of his other abilities. Likewise, heat vision was a power that was specifically mastered by Zod and his followers in the series. Though it was initially portrayed as guided wind with a fiery effect, heat vision was later shown as more traditional red lasers.

Smallville Made Superman’s Powers Into a Journey

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smallville made one of the wildest changes to superman's powers

Lana Lang, Clark Kent, and Lex Luthor from the TV series Smallville.

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The general premise of Smallville was “no flights, no tights,” with the idea being to focus on Clark Kent until right before he takes on the mantle of Superman. To this end, it meant that, in his teens and young adulthood, Clark didn’t have the full array of his usual powers from the comic books. He starts out in the series being physically much stronger than a human, but he doesn’t reach his peak until the series finale. By this point, pushing back entire planets such as Darkseid’s home Apokolips was a feat that he could accomplish — a far cry from merely breaking tables as a toddler.

A similar progression was given to his superhuman speed, as he merely moved a lot faster than humans in the first season. By the series’ second season, however, his running was fast enough to create an aura around him, and things only got faster from there. Another impressive power that took some development was Clark’s superhuman invulnerability. This power allowed him to shrug off attacks that might easily kill humans or at least have only minimal pain from other injuries. For instance, Tyler Randall was a human from the first season of Smallville who, due to Kryptonite exposure, had the power to kill people that he touched.

Clark experiences pain when he’s touched by Randall, but he doesn’t die from it. By the series’ end, however, he’s completely invulnerable to mortal attacks, with only incredibly powerful metahumans such as Aquaman and aliens being able to match his durability and be able to damage him without the aid of kryptonite. Most importantly, his ability to fly was something that the series drew out to the end. For the most part, this was due to both budgetary constraints and the “no flights, no tights” rule.

At the same time, by not having Clark fly until he was officially Superman, it cemented that he had finally become the hero that fans knew and loved. This made Smallville into a continuous story that truly delved into the psychology of Clark Kent and Superman. Thus, those who watched the show had a more relatable take on Superman compared to previous movies and cartoons. For all the show’s flaws, this made Smallville into a standout series that breathed new life into the Man of Steel for a generation of viewers.

smallville made one of the wildest changes to superman's powers

Smallville official poster

Smallville

Growing up in the small town of Smallville, Kansas, Clark Kent harbors a secret. Sent to Earth from the planet Krypton as a baby, he possesses superhuman abilities that he must keep hidden. Under the guidance of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark learns to control his powers and use them for good. As he navigates the challenges of high school, friendships, and first love, he also faces threats from meteor-infected individuals and otherworldly villains. Along the way, Clark encounters familiar characters from the Superman mythos, like Lex Luthor and Lana Lang, while grappling with his true identity and destiny to become the iconic superhero, Superman.

Release DateOctober 16, 2001CastSam Jones III, Allison Mack, Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, Erica Durance, Tom Welling, Kristin KreukMain GenresuperheroesGenresDramaRatingTV-PGSeasons10StudioWarner Bros. TelevisionCreator Alfred Gough & Miles MillarMain CharactersClark Kent / Superman: The main protagonist of the series, a young man who is secretly an alien from the planet Krypton.Lana Lang: Clark’s childhood friend and love interest.Lex Luthor: Clark’s best friend turned enemy, who eventually becomes Superman’s arch-nemesis.Chloe Sullivan: Clark’s close friend and confidante, who later discovers his secret identity.Pete Ross: Clark’s best friend in the early seasons.Lionel Luthor: Lex’s father, a powerful and ruthless businessman.Martha Kent: Clark’s adoptive mother, a kind and compassionate woman.Jonathan Kent: Clark’s adoptive father, a wise and supportive manWritersJeph Loeb, Alfred Gough, Miles MillarNumber of Episodes217NetworkThe WB

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