3:02 PM
Alex
With the final season bringing DC characters out of the woodwork, we take a look at ten years of Smallville's greatest comic book character adaptations.
Under The Mask: Eric Martsolf
Appearance: "Booster"
Make way for Booster Gold! The greeatest superhero you've never heard of! True to his comic incarnation's last letter, Booster arrives in Metropolis (with Skeets in tow, he's the bluetooth-device in his ear) ready to assume the mantle of Earth's greatest hero when Clark Kent isn't rising to the occasion.
Not to mention, Booster's flashy style contrasts with Clark's efforts to create a credibly unassuming disguise for himself, glasses and all! And with the Blue Beetle in town, will Booster save the day, or is it true that nothing gold can stay? Tune in to "Booster" Friday, April 22nd to find out!
Under The Top Hat: Serinda Swan
Appearance: "Hex"
A sexy sorceress in in fishnet stockings, ripped straight from the comics with a penchant for making even the most super of men weak at the knees?
Sign us up.
Serinda Swan's Zatanna went on to make a second appearance, accidentally granting powers to a young boy obsessed with comics, but we wouldn't mind seeing more of her in the upcoming season. Or anywhere.
Under The Mask: Brian Austin Green
Appearance: "Metallo"
Poor Brian Austin Green. He lands his biggest comeback role to date as freedom fighter Derek Reese in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, only to have it snatched away by an unfortunate cancellation.
Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Brian would go on to play the Smallville incarnation of cyborg supervillain Metallo across two episodes, who maintains his basic origin and kryptonite power source, but as of yet lacks the full metal endo-skeleton of his counterpart.
Wait, isn't he married to Megan Fox? F$%k that guy.
The Persuader
Under The Mask: Fraser Aitcheson
Appearance: "Legion"
Guy from the future with an armored face, carrying a giant axe that glows and splits atoms? Why not?!
We'll have him destroy the means to control Braniac, in keeping with his anti-alien sentiments, bing bang boom, Legion of Superheroes arrives to take him down.
Smallville does obscure DC characters in its sleep.
Under The Mask: Pam Grier
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
Perhaps not as heavyset or short-haired as her comic-book counterpart, but Pam Grier's version of Cadmus leader and government agent Amanda Waller (here in charge of "Checkmate" and the Suicide Squad) hits all the right character notes, and will continue to be seen in the tenth season.
And don't forget to check out Angela Bassett's take on Ms. Waller when Green Lantern flies into theaters...
Under The Mask: Tom Welling
Appearance: "Zod"
Many fans bemoaned the idea of introducing some classic Superman villains far too early in young Clark Kent's career, and Bizarro might be their poster-child.
Instead of his usual origins on a Bizarro world or as a failed clone of Superman, here the stranger incarnation of the man of steel began as a Kryptonian wraith who escaped and adopted a sample of Clark's DNA to become a doppleganger, albeit far more eloquent that fans were used to seeing. However, he did retain his trademark rocky, jagged appearance (in direct sunlight), and occasional tendency to mix up his language.
How bizarre.
Under The Mask: Anna Mae Routledge
Appearance: "Injustice"
Though technically Livewire made her first DC appearance in animated form on Superman, the electric evil-doer eventually found her way into the comic books.
Smallville's incarnation took up with the Injustice League in the effort to hunt down Doomsday, until a teammate's betrayal cost her her life. Talk about your buzzkill.
Under The Mask: Odessa Rae
Appearance: "Escape"
While her Silver Banshee costume might look laughable the longer you see it illuminated, Smallville's incarnation of the Gaelic supervillain maintained a high degree of faithfullness to her comic counterpart, right down to her trademark scream.
Her tendency to possess the women in Clark's life and dress them in skimpy outfits? That's just gravy.
Under The Mask: Bradley Stryker
Appearance: "Shield"
With the introduction of the Suicide Squad, it was only a matter of time before gunslinger Deadshot showed his face, or lack-thereof.
Working mostly as an expert marksman and henchman of Rick Flag, the Deadshot of Smallville really ran with the whole gunfighter aspect of the character by outfitting himself in full cowboy garb, albeit with his trademark scope. Surprisingly, his comic counterpart has donned western garb now and again as well.
Under The Mask: Dominic Zamprogna
Appearance: "Stiletto"
One of the lesser known DC villains ripe for the adaptation, Smallville's version of mobster Bruno Manheim represented a nefarious club-owner and criminal.
While never identified as having any relation to "Intergang" as in the comics, Bruno at least maintained his trademark nickname, "Ugly."
Under The Mask: Ryan Kennedy
Appearance: "Legion"
You have to wonder. Do they ever adopt real costumes in the Smallville universe, or did the Legion of Superheroes simply choose normal clothing lightly resembling their 31st century outfits to blend in?
Either way, Cosmic Boy, or Rokk Krinn stayed mostly faithful to his comic counterpart during an appearance in Smallville with other Legion members to subdue The Persuader and battle Brainiac.
Under The Mask: Lee Thompson Young
Appearance: "Cyborg"
Fanboys, have faith.
Lee Thompson Young's portrayal of Cyborg in Smallville may lack the external hardware his comic counterpart was known for, but rest assured that the character will eventually adopt the traditional appearance, even if we never see it.
After all, a prosthetics budget only goes so far.
Under The Mask: David Paetkau
Appearance: "Bulletproof"
Another of DC's smaller characters adapted to the screen, Dan Turpin maintained his origins as a police officer in "Bulletproof," and a family man who aides an undercover Clark in tracking down an assasin attempting to murder The Martian Manhunter (as John Jones) and Green Arrow.
Could Turpin become a vessel for Darkseid this season, as in Final Crisis?
Translation: Mia Dearden
Under The Mask: Elise Gatien
Appearance: "Crossfire"
Mostly relegated to side-stories of Oliver-centric episodes, Smallville's version of Speedy, the apprentice to Green Arrow kept true to the comic's female incarnation. Formerly stuck in a life of crime and prostitution, Oliver Queen eventually took her in as his ward and eventual partner.
Unfortunately, Smallville wasn't quite brave enough (or interested) to tackle the most significant aspect of Mia's character, her HIV positive status.
Under the Mask: James Kidnie
Appearance: "Fortune"
Okay, so the Smallville incarnation of Amos Fortune wasn't implied to be a member of the Royal Flush Gang, or a mad scientist as in his comic book counterpart.
But he was bald! And he ran a casino! Casinos have cards! Whatever, it was close enough.
Under The Mask: Jim Shield
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
Like Watchmen before it, any good noir superhero drama opens with the murder of a retired hero, galvanizing a squadron of old and new supers alike to unravel the mystery and face the encroaching evil.
We didn't spend much time with the former Star Spangled Kid, but aside from his origins battling Nazis, he seemed pretty accurate to us.
Under The Mask: Alejandro Juliani
Appearance: "Bulletproof"
While not the first incarnation of a doctor with the surname Hamilton to appear on the series, Alejandro Juliani's portrayal represents the clearest adapation of the longtime Superman ally.
Hamilton has maintained a consistent presence on the show, slightly at odds with the goings-on of super-powered individuals, but like his comic counterpart ultimately on the side of mankind.
Under The Mask: Sharon Taylor
Appearance: "Bloodline"
In actuality, two incarnations of Faora have been seen on Smallville to date. The first, appeared as a Kryptonian wraith, wife to Zod and "mother" to Doomsday, inhabiting the body of Lois Lane to do her bidding.
The second appeared in the ninth season, a clone among others of the original Kandorian army, whose relationship with Zod eventually led to her strangling, and the incredibly depressing moment wherein he listened to her unborn infant's heart stop.
Under The Mask: Sahar Biniaz
Appearance: "Shield"
It's a shame we never actually got to witness beauty queen Biniaz don the iconic mask and mace, instead seen only in flashback as Shayera Hall. But we at least saw the gear on display at the JSA headquarters.
Under The Mask: Nathan Witte
Appearance: "Injustice"
Ah, to be a red-shirt. Neutron's brief appearance on Smallville saw him as a member of Tess Mercer's Injustice League, tasked with finding and eliminating the creature known as Doomsday.
Violence, and bloody mayhem ensued. Like his comic-counterpart or radiation suit, he wouldn't really be missed.
Under The Mask: Jessica Parker Kennedy
Appearance: "Plastique"
Another of the more obscure villains to make an appearance in Smallville, Plastique represented a troubled teen who accepted Tess Mercer's offer to take part in a team of super-powered enforcers, before realizing the eventual betrayal and looking for revenge.
On an interesting note, her comic counterpart (before gaining actual explosive powers), wore a costume made of explosives, which was once vaporized in an effort to subdue and distract her.
More supervillainesses should be disabled by having their clothes incinerated.
Under The Mask: Wesley Macinnes
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
You've got to hand it to the costume designers on this one. Wesley Macinnes as Icicle looks completely laughable, with his whitish-blue pigmentation and elegant faux-hawk, and yet we wouldn't really want to find him in a dark alley either.
Unlike his father, Icicle, or Cameron Mahkent had no need for a freeze gun, his powers being a self-generated phenomenon that killed his mother in childbirth. Icicle took revenge on the Justice Society for their hand in his father's incapacitation, and after his subsequent defeat Amanda Waller showed him the true meaning of the "Suicide" Squad.
Under The Mask: Rutger Hauer / Patrick Bergin
Appearance: "Exile"
Just once we'd like to see Rutger Hauer play the hero. Maybe a nice romantic comedy. With replicants.
He may have lacked his comic book connection to Intergang, but Smallville's incarnation of crime boss Morgan Edge maintained all his shady dealings and sinister edge, no pun intended.
Edge attempted to recruit Clark during his red-kryptonite fueled rampage in Metropolis, until his rivalry with the Luthor family got the better of him and even plastic surgery (and a new actor) couldn't stop a tragic end.
Under The Mask: Aaron Ashmore
Appearance: "Zod"
LIARS!
They wanted us to believe ever since Chloe mentioned interning at the Daily Planet with a boy she remembered as "cute, in a bowtie sort of way" that we were dealing with Jimmy Olsen himself! That through two seasons of Aaron Ashmore taking pictures at the Planet, flirting with Kryptonians and popping pills we were seeing a new side to our favorite photographer!
Whoops, dead. Hey little brother coincidentally named Jimmy! Want a job in 10 years?
Under The Mask: Ryan Harder
Appearance: "Doomsday"
Turns out this was the real Jimmy Olsen. He has a camera. He wears bowties. His brother died.
That's what we know.
Under The Mask: Michael Hogan
Appearance: "Patriot"
Okay, so Michael Hogan might seem a little old and thin for the image we've come to associate with Deathstroke The Terminator, but hey! It's Colonel Tigh of Battlestar Galactica!
Secretly under the influence of Darkseid, Slade returns from his accident in "Patriot" a few steps closer to his comic counterpart, with the trademark eye-patch, a little orange on his black uniform, and some serious swordfighting skills.
Under The Mask: Sebastian Spence
Appearance: "Booster"
The second superhero to bear the name Blue Beetle, Ted Kord indeed appear in "Booster" as the head of Kord industries, frantically trying to recover the Scarab that bonds itself to young Jaime Reyes after his rescue from Booster Gold.
Sure, he doesn't done the costume himself, but fanservice appreciated!
Under The Mask: Chris Gauthier
Appearance: "Requiem"
Why bother adapting the expensive, prosthetics and CG heavy villains of Superman's rogues gallery when all you need is a creepy fat guy with tiny spectacles?
Difficult to deviate from, the Toyman, as portrayed by Watchmen's Chris Gauthier offered (and hopefully continues to) offer an effective and deadly supporting villain for Clark and Oliver to contend with.
Under The Mask: A Dog
Appearance: "Krypto"
Well, if the rights to Batman are all locked up, you might as well adapt a dog.
Though episode title and a "cryptic" suggestion for a nickname clearly paint the canine out to be Smallville's answer to Krypto the Super-Dog, Clark and the family actually settle on "Shelby" as its moniker.
The dog's Luthorcorp-given superpowers were thankfully dismissed just as quickly.
Under The Mask: James Marster
Appearance: "Homecoming"
Making good on Saturn Girl's claims, James Marsters returned to Smallville's tenth season as the upgraded version of Braniac, the more user-friendly Braniac 5, intent on helping put Clark along the path to his destiny.
Sure, he was a little older and less green than we're used to seeing in the comics, but we all remember what happened the last time James Marsters put on ridiculous green makeup.
Under The Mask: Helen Slater
Appearance: "Lara"
In a moment of pure, inspired geek ecstacy, Smallville producers cast Helen Slater, the former star of Supergirl to play Clark's biological mother Lara, having previously assigned former Lana Lang Annette O'Toole to play his adopted.
Lara only saw brief appearances in memory and as a clone, but the brief screentime she shared with Laura Vandervoort's Kara Zor-El set fanboy hearts aflutter for seasons to come.
Under The Mask: Calum Worthy
Appearance: "Legion"
The second 31st century lad owing allegiance to the Legion of Superheroes, Garth Ranzz, a.k.a. Lightning Lad likely spent more time geeking out over Clark during his time in Smallville than foiling any evil-doers, but Garth still did his part to dissuade the Persuader and outsmart Brainac.
Like his counterparts, Garth lacked a uniform, but wore normal garb alluding to his comic book
Translation: "Angel of Vengeance"
Under The Mask: Denise Quinones
Appearance: "Vengeance"
While never explicitly named as the Mexican superhero character (rather "Acrata" being used as the name of an organization her mother worked for), the Angel of Vengeance interned at the Daily Planet and offered Clark some of his first pointers toward balancing a public persona with a vigilante career.
Glasses, phone booths, and more glasses.
Under The Mask: Keri Lynn Pratt
Appearance: "Shield"
Technically, this isn't the first Cat Grant we've seen on Smallville, but the hero-hating, prissy Cat Grant introduced in season ten, a diametric opposition to her more...promiscuous...comic counterpart still shares the same trademark sass, her young son Adam, and a desk at the Daily Planet bugging Clark more than Lois Lane would care to enjoy.
Under The Mask: Christopher Heyerdahl
Appearance: "Lara"
While the Zor-El of the Smallville universe carried far more villanous intentions against Earth and the house of El than his comic book counterpart, Christopher Heyerdahl's performance nonetheless provided an emotionally resonant character paralleling Clark's own struggle to embrace his destinies as human and Kryptonian.
In addition to his time on the series itself, Kara And The Chronicles of Krypton revealed much of Zor-El's backstory.
Under The Mask: Peyton List
Appearance: "Lucy"
Most would recognize Peyton List as Jane Sterling (nee Siegel), kept wife to Roger Sterling on Mad Men or perhaps even from the short-lived FlashForward, Peyton got an earlier start playing the beautiful, yet conflicted sister Lucy Lane, whose troubles with the law keep her mostly out of sight.
She however, along with Michael Ironside as General Sam Lane will be returning for the tenth season. Recent comic stories actually revealed Lucy as the latest incarnation of Superwoman, but we're expecting Smallville to keep things a little more low-key.
Under The Mask: Elena Satine
Appearance: "Patriot"
I assure you, we'll get right on an elegant description of Mera's role as the Queen of Atlantis and wife to Aquaman, as well as how faithfull Smallville's portrayal measures in.
Just as soon as we're done looking at her in the bikini.
Under The Mask: Jill Teed
Appearance: "Insurgence"
True to her comic counterpart. Jill Teed's Maggie Sawyer represented a tough, take no prisoners police captain who witnessed several key events over the course of the series.
Maggie witnessed a bullet-proof bank robber taunting police (Clark under the influence of red kryptonite), and later had Lex identify his father's dead body.
Under The Mask: Alaina Huffman
Appearance: "Siren"
God bless the writers of Smallville for realizing that they could earn a host of new fans and even pull some comic book geeks into viewership by adapting a host of supporting DC characters, rather than those strictly related to Superman.
And as long as you're going to have Green Arrow as a regular, why not his comic-book love interest, with a sexy Alaina Huffman and spunky new look to boot? Whereas Dinah Lance typically maintains short brunette hair with a blonde wig on top, Smallville's incarnation keeps her hair mostly short with a brunette wig as a disguise.
Under The Mask: David Gallagher / Alison Scagliotti / A Phone
Appearance: "Idol"
If you're going to adapt some of the more outlandish characters of the DC universe for a television show with a more "realistic" continuity, the Wonder Twins would be a special challenge.
Their hoakey camp, dismissable by being re-imagined as fanboy teenagers, twins Zan and Jayna used their shape-shifting powers to aid the Blur in his quest to clean up the streets of Metropolis, complete with Gleek cell phone.
No, not those gleeks.
Under The Mask: Jason Brandt Bartlett
Appearance: "Booster"
Booster Gold won't be the only superhero showing up in Metropolis in "Booster!" The Smallville take ties together the introduction of Booster Gold with a car accident that sees meek young Jaime Reyes bonded to the Scarab (of Kord Industries), initially unable to control his armor's desctructive rampages.
And as intimidating as the live-action suit seems, Geoff Johns promises that as Jaime gains more control, so will the suit take on a more friendly, comic-like appearance.
Under The Mask: Charlotte Sullivan
Appearance: "Instinct"
We may not be studs of the Clark Kent variety, but most of us hope that somewhere out there a hot red-headed babe traverses the galaxy looking for us, desperate for a mate, as both Smallville and the DC incarnation of Maxima.
In all likelihood, we assume that woman is Christina Hendricks.
Under The Mask: Britt Irvin
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
It might have been a little much to expect a giant robotic suit (S.T.R.I.P.E) to follow around "Absolute Justice"s rendition of Stargirl, but we feel enough attention was paid to her origin, costume and abilities to warrant a slight change, instead associating her with mentor Sylvester Pemberton (The Star Spangled Kid)
One of the few superheroes to survive her encounter with Icicle, Britt went on to make an additional appearance in the ninth finale, possibly returning for the tenth season.
Under The Mask: Kyle Gallner
Appearance: "Run"
Try to stay with us on this one. Young Bart Allen represented the first future Justice Leaguer, and major DC superhero to make a Smallville appearance after Clark himself, later adopting the code-name "Impulse."
The Bart Allen of DC comics did maintain the Impulse persona, eventually moving on to Kid Flash, and finally The Flash himself. And yet Smallville's Bart carried around fake IDs alluding to other flashes Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West? The same Jay Garrick that apparently existed as The Flash of the Justice society?
Under The Mask: Trent Ford
Appearance: "Jinx"
In the earlier seasons of Smallville, some comic characters underwent drastic changes to fit a more "realistic" continuity. In some cases, this worked as an intelligently modern update, while others were recieved as more of a mixed bag.
Enter Mikhail Mxyzptlk, a foreign exchange student with the innate power to influence the actions of others, or "luck" as you would have it.
This made for a decidedly different approach than the classic Superman foe Mr. Mxyzptlk, an imp from the fifth dimension with the ability to warp reality, until saying his name backwards returned him home.
Not that this would have been much better.
Under The Mask: Erica Durance
Appearance: "Isis"
Interestingly, Isis was more than just a horrible TV superhero. Once a DC comics character, Isis gained new life in the 2000's by being positioned as a companion to Black Adam.
Not only does Isis inhabit Smallville's Lois to resurrect her husband Osiris, the museum's caretaker shares a name with Isis' mortal form in the comics and keeps the dagger of Black Adam on display!
Under The Mask: Lucas Grabeel
Appearance: "Scion"
In a shocking twist for the series (although maybe not, if you're familiar with the comics), that psychotic rapidly-aging Lex Luthor clone we've been dreading turns out to share genetic parentage with Clark, turning him into the Smallville incarnation of Superboy!
And after all that frick-a-frack thinking he was the next Lex Luthor Well, maybe after Rosenbaum announced his return the pressure was off.
Under The Mask: Brendan Fletcher
Appearance: "Injustice"
While several characters over the course of Smallville's history bore abilities resembling Parasite's, the character didn't truly make a real appearance until "Injustice," as the most nefarious member of Tess Mercer's personal squadron of meteor freaks.
He predictably lacked the grotesque exterior of his comic-counterpart, but the use of his powers would emit a purple apparition paying homage to his true appearance.
Under The Mask: Ken Lawson
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
Hmm, after murdering an older member of a retired superhero team, a supervillain next preys on a well-worn, somewhat mentally unstable superhero in a fedora and trenchcoat.
Sounds familiar...
Wesley Dodds' brief appearance as The Sandman provided Clark with the clues he needed to track down the remaining members of the JSA, leaving the door open for the Sandman's comic successors to don the mantle
Under The Mask: Ted Whittall
Appearance: "Lazarus"
Actually the name of several different characters in the DC comics-verse, Rick Flag maintains his role as orange-clad leader of the Suicide Squad, leading his assassins after any who would see Smallville's Vigilante Registration Act put into effect.
Under The Mask: Lindsay Hartley (hey kids, it's Justin's wife!)
Appearance: "Abandoned"
Not all of the classic comic furies managed to make it into the Smallville Granny Goodness' elite squad, but at the very least Mad Harriet and Lashina seemed to be present.
Both appear to be ordinary humans trained by Granny, Harriet (no mention of the Mad) donning a Freddy Kruger glove laced with Kryptonite while the un-named Lashina chokes Tess with one of her whips.
Under The Mask: Steve Byer
Appearance: "Abandoned"
Far more handsome and charming than his ghastly comic New Gods counterpart, Desaad works as one of Darkseid's minions by spreading darkness and tempting the souls of his followers with a series of fetish clubs.
At the moment committed to Belle Reve, Desaad still has an outside man bearing the Omega mark on his skull: Oliver Queen.
Under The Mask: Steph Song
Appearance: "Roulette"
In one of the more straight-forward adaptations, Steph Song's portrayal of Victoria Sinclair, AKA Roulette remained mostly faithful to the comics, save for a slight alteration of her first name.
Amoral? Check. Penchant for gambling? Check. Skimpy dress with a sexy body-length dragon tattoo? Check, and we'd be happy to check.
And no, it has nothing to do with that other movie.
Under The Mask: Michael Ironside
Appearance: "Gone"
While Michael Ironside may have briefly joined the cast of Smallville as General Sam Lane, Lois' military father, most fans were too busy geeking out that the voice of Darkseid showed up on yet another Superman franchise.
With Ironside set to return in the final season, could this fan's dream potentially come to fruition?
Under The Mask: Alan Ritchson
Appearance: "Aqua"
Another major DC Superhero granted more humble origins in his Smallville adaptation, Arthur Curry (here played by American Idol contestant Alan Ritchson) hasn't quite discovered his Atlantean origins, instead being re-imagined as a marine biology student and expert swimmer with a unique set of aquatic powers.
Interestingly, Aquaman's inclusion in Smallville ultimately led to a pilot focused on the superhero, then played by Justin Hartley. While the pilot never got picked up, Justin went on to snag the role of Green Arrow.
Under The Mask: Alexz Johnson
Appearance: "Legion"
The third, and final member of the 31st century Legion of Superheroes to appear to Clark during his battle against The Persuader, aiding in the removal of Braniac's programming from Chloe Sullivan.
We may not see Imra Ardeen again, but we'll get a taste of her handiwork making the remnants of Braniac "a little friendlier."
Under The Mask: Tom Welling
Appearance: "Luthor"
There are actually several DC characters across the multiverse to bear the name Ultraman, but Smallville takes a simpler approach by visiting a parallel world where Clark was raised by Lex Luthor, thus becoming a murdering tyrant of his own universe who adopts the name Ultraman, and would return to menace our Clark Kent once more.
Under The Mask: Christine Willie
Appearance: "Salvation"
Fans went wild when a mysterious, knitting hooded figure entered the deceased Tess' room for nefarious purposes in ninth season finale "Salvation," which season ten revealed to indeed be the famous Granny Goodness!
A servant of Darkseid, Granny Goodness may lack her usual muscular form, but still kept her stable of female furies beneath the Orphanage she ran and corrupted waiting for her master.
Under The Mask: Michael Shanks
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
The most prominent of the Justice Society members to appear during "Absolute Justice," Carter Hall maintained most, if not all of his comic book counterpart's powers and traits, including his love for then-deceased re-incarnated Shayera. The man of hawk will return for at least two episodes in the final season.
What's that you say? We'll be seeing Shayera as well, potentially as Hawkgirl?
Under The Mask: James Marsters
Appearance: "Arrival"
While Smallville may have lost viewership sometime after its sixth season due to waning interest and fan backlash against cheap incarnations of beloved characters, few objected to James Marsters' portrayal of Brainiac.
The character paid tribute to his comic origins as a man with a less alien origin, Braniac entered the series as Professor Milton Fine and over time evolved into a modern update of the classic Superman nemesis, even if fanboys cry over the lack of an alien form.
Translation: Davis Bloome
Under The Horns: Sam Witwer / Dario Delacio
Appearance: "Plastique"
While on paper the idea of turning Superman's most brutal, mindless and intimidating opponent into a meek pretty-boy paramedic might seem ludicrous, the concept worked better than expected and drew a fair amount of attention and fan interest back to Smallville.
Rather than the simple Kryptonian monster destined to kill Superman, Sam Witwer's portrayal of a forgotten son of Zod tortured with a murderous hulking beast inside put a new, yet familiar and effective spin on the legendary brute. Keeping the beast mostly in shadow also helped to keep the effects budget down.
Under The Mask: Michael Daingerfield
Appearance: "Supergirl"
Smallville tweaked Glorious Godfrey's origin a bit by changing from a New God sent to Earth in disguise to speak out against superheroes, to a human radio host corrupted by Darkseid into the same purpose.
Still, his decidely creepy behavior and eventual inhabiting of darkness make the character more than the equivalent of his Apokoliptic counterpart. No clue what happened to that bitchin' hair, though.
Under The Mask: Brent Strait
Appearance: "Absolute Justice"
By the time Smallville's TV movie "Absolute Justice" rolled around, the writers had gone for broke and come to the conclusion that fans would accept the presence of actual costumed superheroes ripped straight from the comics, particularly if their origins were treated with care.
The Kent Nelson incarnation of Dr. Fate made a distinct impression as a tortured and faded hero who returns to help the new generation, ultimately sacrificing his life to restore the Martian Manhunter's powers and leave the door open for future incarnations of the good doctor.
Under The Mask: Callum Blue
Appearance: "Solitude"
Like Jor-El before him, Zod has taken on a variety of presences across ten seasons of Smallville. Initially a menacing figure whose disciples did his bidding, Zod eventually escaped his fate as a wraith of the Phantom Zone, briefly inhabiting Lex Luthor's body in an effort to remake Earth as a new Krypton.
While his plans were thwarted, it was of interest to note that Zod's wraith-like appearance bore resemblance to actor Terrence Stamp, in his iconic portrayal.
Zod would re-surface again as a clone and main antagonist of the ninth season, ultimately banished to another plane along with his fellow Kandorians.
Under The Mask: Michael McKean
Appearance: "Perry"
Smallville wasn't entirely about Clark's journey to become the legendary comic figure. Other supporting characters like Perry White would appear, needing a few steps of their own to reach their true destiny.
Such was the case with Michael McKean's Perry White, who first put in his appearance as a disgraced alcoholic reporter obsessed with discovering Clark's secret, re-appearing in the final seasons with his act together, and well on his way to becoming Chief Editor of the Daily Planet
Under The Mask: Computers?
Appearance: "Lazarus"
We've seen very little of Darkseid's true physical form in season ten, with only brief glimpses at the end of "Lazarus" and "Scion," but beyond a markedly increased theatrical presence, the lord of Apokolips maintains his core aspects.
Not to mention, his posession of Glorious Godfrey more than assuaged the need for the verbose, manipulative Darkseid of the comics. There's no telling if the big guy will truly show his face by the series finale, but it's safe to assume he'll have a hand in Lex Luthor's resurrection and Michael Rosenbaum's return to the series.
Translation: Kara Zor-El
Under The Mask: Laura Vandervoort
Appearance: "Bizarro"
There must not be much of a human quality to Laura Vandervoort in real life, having earned enough attention playing the super-powered extra-terrestrial cousin of Clark Kent before graduating to become the extra-terrestrial love interest of V.
Then again, one look at her picture confirms her as a heavenly body.
Be sure to catch Kara showing Clark the ropes of costumed heroism in the aptly titled "Supergirl" in October!
Under The Mask: Phil Morris
Appearance: "Static"
One of the few DC superheroes to have an adult presence on Smallville, the Martian Manhunter remained mostly faithful to his comic incarnation, from his odd penchant for Oreos to his disdain for fire.
Phil Morris' Manhunter stays mostly in the guise of Detective John Jones during his time in Metropolis watching over young Clark, but "Absolute Justice" provided the first real glimpse of his true Martian form, complete with a blue overcoat, green shirt and red cross-section holsters standing in for his famous costume.
Under The Mask: Justin Hartley
Appearance: "Sneeze"
The second longest running DC character adapted for Smallville (Lex gets excluded for the list for being present from the beginning), Justin Hartley's portrayal of Oliver Queen, young CEO and night-time vigilante, represented the real beginning of the costumed movement of superheroes to grace the streets of Metropolis.
Oliver will also provide our first hook of season ten, as Chloe races to uncover his fate from the attack of "those who aren't Kandorian." Soon as he grows that soulful goatee, the fans will be all set.
Under The Crest: Terrence Stamp / Julian Sands
Appearance: "Calling"
First he was a recording in a ship. Then he was Terrence Stamp in a cave. Then he was Terrence Stamp in a bigger cave. Then he was Tom Welling in the '50s. Then he was a blonde clone. Then he was dead.
Marlon Brando wouldn't have put up with this sh*t.
Under The Mask: Erica Durance
Appearance: "Crusade"
The queen of queens. The longest running DC adaptation of the Smallville universe, and still the champion. In what was originally hailed as a cameo arriving too soon in the Man of Steel's journey, Erica Durance brought such chemistry to the role that six seasons later, the character remains as fresh and unique as ever, one of the most iconic takes on the Daily Planet journalist yet.
Even though Smallville's Lois spends half the time dressed in skimpy outfits, being denied answers or getting knocked out to protect secrets.
Having just discovered Clark's identity as the Blur, we can't wait to see what pivotal role Erica will play in Superman's first steps during season ten.
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