For 10 years, Smallville teased audiences with the notion that Tom Welling‘s Clark Kent would eventually become Superman. Though the show didn’t originally intend for us to see him as the genuine Man of Steel, that was eventually where the show was heading as it went into Season 10. But according to Welling, there’s a very specific reason that Clark was able to embrace his identity as a true-blue superhero, and that’s due to the love of Erica Durance‘s Lois Lane. Smallville makes a compelling case for why Superman always needs Lois, and how she makes him a better hero than he would’ve been on his own.
Tom Welling Believes That Lois Lane Is Essential To Clark Becoming Superman
At a Smallville fan event shared by users on Reddit, Tom Welling shared some of his own thoughts on why Clark needed Lois in the show’s final seasons. While he notes that Clark’s relationship with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) was appropriate for their teen years, he adds that Lois introduced a different level of maturity that helped propel Clark toward his destiny as Superman. “I think Lois became a great match for what Clark needed to bring him into the next level,” Welling explained. “That’s, hopefully, what relationships can do—is inspire you to be a better version of yourself.” Part of the reason that it took a decade for Clark Kent to step into his destiny as Superman on Smallville isn’t just because Clark struggled with his powers or his desire to live a normal life. In many ways, Clark’s pursuit of Lana was a childish one, which often bordered on obsession more than anything else. To put it more frankly, Lana held Clark back from devoting his life to the protection of others.
So often, Clark would drop everything for Lana without a second thought about the consequences that would bring. Nowhere is that better on display than in Season 5’s “Reckoning” (the show’s 100th episode), where he literally convinces Jor-El (Terence Stamp) to let him turn back time to save her. Only this causes the death of his own father, Jonathan Kent (John Schneider), instead. It isn’t until the end of Season 7 that Clark is confronted with the harsh fact that Lana stood in his way of being the hero he was meant to be.
Without her in his life, Clark spends much of Season 8 taking new steps toward heroism, spending more time in Metropolis, working at the Daily Planet, and becoming Superman. He even devotes more of his energy to his training with Jor-El in Season 9, donning an all-black appearance that Welling famously despised. But part of the reason that this jump from journalist to superhero works so well is because, while his love of Lana was a boyish one, Clark’s romance with Lois Lane only pushed him to be better, ultimately pushing him to be a hero. Without her, he may have never fully embraced the dual identity as Superman and Clark Kent.
Lois Lane Was Always the Better Match For ‘Smallville’s Clark Kent
While Clark and Lois had been friends since she was introduced in Season 4, it was Lois’ support of Clark’s heroic activities (completely unaware that Clark and the Blur were one and the same) that helped convince him to press forward as a hero. More than that, their romance bloomed the moment Lana left, and understandably so, as Clark and Lois always pushed each other to be better and were there for the other during their darkest moments. By Season 9, Lois’ support of the Blur and her love for Clark were evident, leading to his inevitable revelation of his secret in Season 10. But while the show’s 100th episode proved that Clark and Lana could never work (even if she knew his secret), the 200th episode does the exact opposite. It’s in “Homecoming” — one of Smallville‘s very best episodes — that Clark recognizes how important Lois is to his destiny when he visits the future, seeing that the 2017 version of Lois is not only in full support of his heroic activities, but is also willing to do everything she can to keep his secret.
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In fact, it’s in Lois’ reaction to Clark revealing the truth (having already discovered it for herself) that we see the biggest difference between Lois and Lana. While Lana often chastised Clark for his secrets (even while keeping her own), Lois allowed him to keep them, trusting that when the time was right, he would tell her. After doing so, Lois helped pull Clark out of his personal darkness and continued to support him in his journey towards becoming the Man of Steel (it’s no wonder that 2013’s Man of Steel would go about their story similarly). Even when he could not fly, even when the world had turned on him, even as he doubted himself, Lois stuck by his side and urged him to be the beacon of hope that she knew he could be. Having known each other as frenemies, friends, and now lovers, Clark and Lois’ romantic arc is a lot more dynamic, intentional, and natural than anything we saw with Clark and Lana. More than that, it allows both characters to shine brightly as both individuals and as a couple. Just as Lois is encouraging Clark to continue in his superheroics, Clark is constantly spurring Lois on to being an even better journalist. It goes both ways.
‘Smallville’ Allowed Clark and Lois To Develop Romantically Over Time
When we compare Clark and Lois’ first meeting in Season 4’s “Crusade” to where they end up in the “Finale” (or the post-series “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, if you consider that canon), it’s clear that these two have stepped into their respective destinies over the years. Even more apparent is that they have grown and changed because of each other, becoming stronger, more self-assured, and more effective as a team than they ever were on their own. Superman and Lois Lane is a tale as old as time, and their love story stretches back to the pages of Action Comics #1 in 1938, where the two first met on the streets of Metropolis. While Smallville reinterprets the traditional Superman mythos, it has expertly reinforced the idea that Clark Kent and Lois Lane are simply meant to be, and that together they can truly accomplish the impossible.
Smallville
- Release Date
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2001 – 2011
- Network
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The WB, The CW
- Directors
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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