15 Years Later, Smallville Is Back Again At DC

2 hours ago 8

Published Jun 21, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Smallville comes back in a key way through another Superman release at DC, and it is perfect for the Man of Steel. Many actors have played Superman in live-action. However, few have had the same impact on the DC hero's mythos and the general audience as Tom Welling's Clark Kent in Smallville. The Superman prequel is one of DC's best live-action TV shows.

Smallville went on for 10 seasons, chronicling different eras of Clark's life in his journey to becoming Superman. Fans got to watch as Clark discovered his powers, lost important people, took his first steps as a superhero under another identity, and eventually donned the iconic red and blue Superman suit in the Smallville series finale. What a journey that was.

Ever since Smallville came to an end in 2011, fans have been asking for Welling to come back as the Man of Steel. That briefly happened in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, where Clark was revealed to have given up his powers. While Welling and Smallville are not back in 2026, a new DC release repeats one of the show's core elements.

Metropolis · Daily Planet Edition Superman
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Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?

AThanagar BKrypton CApokolips DOa

✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.

Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?

ADiana Prince BLana Lang CLois Lane DCat Grant

✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.

Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?

AKryptonite BVibranium CNth Metal DRed Sun Ore

✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.

In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?

AHenry Cavill BBrandon Routh CTom Welling DChristopher Reeve

✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.

Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?

ABrainiac BLex Luthor CDarkseid DDoomsday

✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.

After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?

AGotham City BMetropolis CSmallville, Kansas DCoast City

✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.

As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?

ADaily Planet BDaily Bugle CMetropolis Star DGotham Gazette

✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.

This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?

ABizarro BParasite CMetallo DGeneral Zod

✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).

✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.

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David Corenswet's Superman in James Gunn's DC Universe might find inspiration in Welling's Clark Kent — Smallville was Corenswet's Superman adaptation growing up — it is My Adventures with Superman that brings back a core Smallville element. The Boys' Jack Quaid voices Clark in the animated series, with new My Adventures with Superman season 3 episodes airing weekly.

My Adventures With Superman Season 3 Pulls A Smallville

Superman held by kryptonite whips from a villain in My Adventures with Superman season 3

With each episode of the animated series, more and more villains with kryptonite enhancements emerge. In My Adventures with Superman season 3, episode 2, the Man of Steel is told by one of them that the villains are using kryptonite because it has just been lying around after the failed Zero Day, with kryptonian robots just leaving it all on Earth. While this plot is not exactly like that of Smallville's early seasons, both Superman series play with the same idea that Clark fights what would be small-time criminals but with kryptonite enhancements.

In My Adventures with Superman season 3 and other seasons of the animated DC series, those villains use advanced weaponry and armor powered by kryptonite. Smallville had a more simple take on the concept. When exposed to the kryptonite that came to Earth in the same meteor shower that brought Kal-El to the planet, Smallville's villains would develop powers, allowing them to kill people and wreak havoc, with Welling's Clark Kent having to step in to deal with them. As such, My Adventures with Superman is essentially pulling a Smallville.

Why DC's Returning Superman Series Repeating Smallville's Kryptonite Use Is Exciting

By repeating what Smallville did more than a decade ago, My Adventures with Superman season 3 creates a sense of danger from all sides, as every small-time villain can get a kryptonite boost, which ends up making things more dangerous for Quaid's Superman. After all, kryptonite is the Man of Steel's biggest weakness. Any long-form Superman series, like Smallville and the animated DC show, has to wrestle with the difficulties that come with a main hero who is nearly unbeatable. By enhancing villains with the element that makes Superman weak, he can't easily win fights.

While not all Superman adaptations can follow what Smallville did, My Adventures with Superman is the perfect DC release to repeat the live-action series' use of kryptonite. After all, the animated series is mainly a slice of life tale about a young adult Clark Kent who is working through life with his best friends, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and is finding his footing as Superman. As such, having him fight smaller villains powered by kryptonite tracks, whereas David Corenswet's Superman doing that in the DCU might be something that gets complaints. My Adventures with Superman does well with its Smallville inspiration.

Smallville

8/10

Release Date 2001 - 2011

Showrunner Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer

Directors Mike Rohl, Jeannot Szwarc, Glen Winter, Terrence O'Hara, Whitney Ransick, Mairzee Almas, Paul Shapiro, Rick Rosenthal, David Carson, James L. Conway, Chris Long, Michael Katleman, Morgan Beggs, Allison Mack, David Barrett, Marita Grabiak, Michael W. Watkins, Philip Sgriccia, Rick Wallace, Thomas J. Wright, Todd Slavkin, Brad Turner, Charles Beeson, Craig Zisk

Writers Steven S. DeKnight, Holly Henderson, Don Whitehead, Caroline Dries, Mark Verheiden, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Philip Levens, Jordan Hawley, Kenneth Biller, Michael Green, Drew Z. Greenberg, Geoff Johns, John Chisholm, Drew Landis, Julia Swift, Doris Egan, Tracy Bellomo, Garrett Lerner, Greg Walker, Russel Friend, Shintaro Shimosawa, Tim Schlattmann, todd helbing