Premiering in 2001 on The WB, Smallville introduced the young Clark Kent beginning his journey toward becoming the beloved hero Superman. Lasting ten seasons, the show took a deeper look at the Man of Steel's background by following him through high-school and into his early adult life. Along the way, Kent encounters various super-powered individuals who use their abilities for both good and evil. The show also explored the friendship-turned-rilvarly between Clark and Lex Luthor and examined the hero-in-training's alien origin. Comprised of three chapters that encompassed various seasons, episodes were dedicated to showing different trials Clark endured and certain victories he achieved. As new challenges arose and villains emerged, the young Kryptonian found himself relying on both his human friends and assistance from other-worldly entities.
Receiving immense praise by fans and critics alike, including approval from Christopher Reeve himself, Smallville set the record as The WB's "highest-rated series debut." In 2011, the show surpassed Stargate SG-1 to become "the longest-running North American science fiction series." Tom Welling also received praise and won a Teen Choice Award for his genuine portrayal of the character who struggled "between his desires and his obligations" on his path toward becoming a superhero. Starting out as a "freak of the week" series and slowly becoming a show dedicated to the exploration of one of DC's most beloved heroes, Smallville introduced original creations to challenge the young Kryptonian early in his heroic career and important foes from the pages of Superman comic books. In the end, each character brought Clark one step closer to his destiny of becoming the ultimate symbol of hope.
20 MICAHEL HOGAN (SLADE WILSON)
Introduced in Season 10, Slade Wilson is a stern military officer with a questionable history. As a strong supporter of the Vigilante Registration Act, Wilson encourages the use of stricter force to control super-powered individuals, even suggesting lethal measures be taken. His determination to end the metahuman race leads him to build secret bases to imprison and torture those with unique abilities.
Sent to the Phantom Zone by Clark, Wilson's ultimate fate saw him in a coma and left in a military base with little hope of waking up. After his appearance on the show, actor Michael Hogan went on to star in Fargo and 12 Monkeys. He has most recently portrayed Gerard Argent in Teen Wolf and plays Grandpa Kinkle on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
19 MICHAEL SHANKS (HAWKMAN)
Known as Daniel Jackson in various Stargate series, Michael Shanks was introduced in Season 9 of Smallville as Carter Hall /Hawkman. A former ancient Egyptian prince turned leader of the Justice Society of America in the 1970s, Hall met and later married his teammate Shayera who became Hawkgirl. Cursed to witness his lover's passing, Carter is left grief-stricken when Shayera is murdered.
In Season 10, Hawkman faces off against Slade when he snatches Lois and suffers a fatal attack from Wilson's sword. During the battle, an exposed gas line triggers an explosion that sets Hall's wings ablaze and sends Lois hurtling from a broken window. Summoning the last of his strength, Hall sacrifices himself to save Lois and is later buried alongside his late wife.
18 ALLISON SCAGLIOTTI (JAYNA)
As a member of The Wonder Twins, Jayna and her brother Zan are devoted fans of their idol The Blur (Clark's early secret identity). Attempting to follow in his heroic footsteps, the twins use their powers of elemental manipulation and shape-shifting to try to bust bad-guys and end up getting themselves in deep trouble due to their immaturity. After saving Clark and Lois, the twins learn a powerful lesson about what it truly means to be a responsible hero.
Best known as Mindy Crenshaw on Drake and Josh, Scagliotti went on to star in Warehouse 13, The Vampire Diaries, and Stitchers. She's also made appearances on shows like Eureka, Bones, and Switched at Birth.
17 SERINDA SWAN (ZATANNA)
Before playing Medusa in Inhumans, Serinda Swan portrayed another super-heroine on Smallville. As Zatanna Zatara, Swan is the daughter of infamous magician John Zatara. After retrieving her father's spell book, Zatanna goes from mere magician to supernatural spell-caster. Originally having only the ability to grant other people's wishes, she gains more magical powers such as transfiguration, resurrection, teleportation and pyrokinesis.
After her time on Smallville, Serinda appeared on Breakout Kings, Chicago Fire, and Graceland. On Inhumans, she plays the wife of Black Bolt and has the ability to manipulate her long hair, effectively using it as a weapon during combat. She is later robbed of this power when her head is shaved by Maximus after she refuses to succumb to his advances.
16 TORI SPELLING (LINDA LAKE)
Tori Spelling has made a name for herself as an actress, author, television personality and mother. Known for roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? and Mystery Girls, the actress has quite a few credits to her name. While on Smallville, she made two brief appearances as Linda Lake, a gossip columnist with the ability to control water.
As a cruel blackmailer hellbent on exposing the truth, Lake sought to reveal Clark's secret identity as The Blur. Showing little remorse when it comes to harming others, she threatens to end Chloe's life when she refuses to publish her demeaning articles. Confined to the criminal ward of Metropolis General, she is smothered by Davis Bloome when his Doomsday persona is triggered.
15 ADRIANNE PALICKI (KARA / LINDSAY HARRISON)
Adrianne Palicki has appeared in numerous television series since her time on Smallville. Her credits include Sam's girlfriend Jessica on Supernatural, Diana Prince in the unaired Wonder Woman TV pilot, Bobbi Morse / Mockingbird on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and most recently Kelly Grayson on The Orville. On the big screen, she's appeared in films like Legion, G.I Joe: Retaliation and John Wick.
On Smallville, she played a victim of the meteor shower named Lindsay Harrison who took on the persona of Clark's Kryptonian cousin Kara after emerging from the Kawatche Caves. Under the belief that she was a member of the same alien race as Clark, she attempted to persuade him to leave Earth to find a new home.
14 LEE THOMPSON YOUNG (VICTOR STONE / CYBORG)
Disney Channel fans from the '90s will recognize Lee Thomson Young from his time on The Famous Jett Jackson. The actor also made brief appearances on South Beach, Scrubs and Rizzoli & Isles before tragically passing away in 2013. While on Smallville, Young appeared as Victor Stone/Cyborg in Season 5.
Undergoing "endoskeletal cybernetic enhancements," Victor Stone was a star football player who suffered a car accident and was rebuilt as part of an experiment by SynTechnics. Among his upgrades included bionic implants that increased his strength and durability and a hidden camera in his eye that allowed him to hack into security files and record or erase his findings. In Season 9, he's recruited by Green Arrow and they begin forming a proto-Justice League.
13 IAN SOMERHALDER (ADAM KNIGHT)
Before playing the blood-sucking baddie Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder played a resurrected teen named Adam Knight on Smallville. Formerly known as Chad Nash, the character passed away from liver disease and was resurrected by Lionel Luthor using the Lazarus Serum. Sent to spy on Clark Kent, Knight became close friends with Lana Lang.
After raising suspicions and being outed by Chloe, Lionel is displeased with Adam's progress and casts him aside. Furious over being rejected, Adam unleashes a wave of destruction and threatens to harm Johnathan Kent and Chloe when Lana refuses to help him on his mission of revenge. Succumbing to the withdrawals from not receiving injections of the serum, Adam perishes after revealing he was Lionel's spy sent to uncover Clark's secret.
12 JENSEN ACKLES (JASON TEAGUE)
Widely recognized as the demon hunter Dean Winchester on Supernatural, Jensen Ackles has also starred in Days of Our Lives, Dark Angel and voiced Jason Todd in the animated movie Batman: Under the Red Hood. While on Smallville, Ackles played Jason Teague, the former assistant coach of the football team who develops a secret romance with Lana Lang.
It's later revealed Jason has been working with his mother to find the Stones of Power, three Kryptonian stones that create the Fortress of Solitude. In their attempt to find the stones, the pair snatch Lex and Lionel Luthor, threaten Lana, and hold Martha and Jonathan Kent hostage. While threatening the Kents in their home, Teague is fatally struck by a meteor during a shower over the farm.
11 AARON ASHMORE (JIMMY OLSEN)
Not to be confused with his younger twin brother Shawn who played Iceman in the X-Men film franchise, older brother Aaron is known for his appearances on Veronica Mars, Lost Girl, and Killjoys. In Season 6 of Smallville, he was introduced as Henry James "Jimmy" Olsen, an eager photographer working for the Daily Planet.
Though kind-hearted and easy-going, it's slowly revealed that Jimmy has a tendency to be distrusting and easily jealous. Due to his uncertainty how to process his conflicting feelings, he often lashed out at Chloe throughout their relationship because of her close friendship with Clark and fierce protection of his alien origin. In Season 9, Jimmy becomes the victim of Davis / Doomsday's rage and passes away in Chloe's arms.
10 SAM WITWER (DAVIS BLOOME / DOOMSDAY)
Sam Witwer has played a number of bad guys over the years, including Aidan Waite on Syfy's Being Human, Mr. Hyde on Once Upon a Time, and Agent Liberty on Supergirl. He has also voiced Emperor Palpatine and Darth Maul in various Star Wars spin-offs. While on Smallville, Witwer played a watered-down version of the normally monstrous Doomsday.
Under the human guise of mild-mannered paramedic Davis Bloome, his charismatic nature hid a deeply buried anger toward the human race. To subdue this darker side of his personality, Bloome relied on anti-psychotic medication to lessen his violent outbursts but eventually grew immune to its effects. After being separated from the Doomsday entity, Bloome still retained his murderous impulses and ends up a victim of his own destructive urges.
9 JOE MORTON (STEVEN HAMILTON)
Referred to as "The Meteor Freak of Smallville," Joe Morton's character Steven Hamilton is obsessed with the meteor rocks that came down during the shower in 1989 and is throughly convinced aliens have invaded Earth. During an experiment with meteor fragments and plant cells, Hamilton creates the Nicodemus flower that releases a person's inner urges.
After appearing on Smallville, Morton went on to star on Law & Order, The Good Wife, and plays Elijah "Rowan" Pope on Scandal. He has also appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League as Silas Stone, Victor's father. Desperate to bring his son back from the brink of death, Silas activates the Mother Box which fuses with Victor, turning him into Cyborg.
8 AMY ADAMS (JODI MELVILLE)
Before she got the role as Superman's lady love Lois Lane in Man of Steel, Amy Adams played a minor role on Smallville. As Jodi Melville, the awkward teen relies on a strict diet of vegetable shakes to shed her unwanted pounds. Failing to realize her greens were contaminated by the meteor shower, Jodi suffers a dramatic weight loss but is left with an unrelenting hunger for fat.
During a fight with Clark in a greenhouse where he's weakened by exposure to Kryptonite, Jodi catches a glimpse of her reflection in broken mirror shards and realizes her desire to be thin has driven her to become a monster. Seeing the error of her ways, she breaks open the gas pipes, triggering a fiery explosion.
7 JAMES MARSTERS (MILTON FINE / BRAINIAC)
Well known as the emotionally-complex Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James Marsters has made numerous television appearances over the years including Torchwood, Supernatural, Witches of East End and most recently Runaways. He has also voiced various characters such as Lex Luthor in Superman / Doomsday, Captain Argyus in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Mr. Fantastic on The Super Hero Squad Show.
On Smallville, Marsters played the sinister Brainiac in Season 5 and under the human guise of Dr. Milton Fine, preyed upon Clark's distrust of Lex Luthor to grow closer to him. Filling Clark's mind with lies about his Kryptonian heritage and humanity's cruelty, Fine attempts to use Clark as a means to destroy Jor-El's legacy by releasing Zod from the Phantom Zone.
6 PAM GRIER (AMANDA WALLER)
The character of Amanda Waller has gone through multiple incarnations but has remained as ruthless as ever. After various animated appearances. the character has since made her live-action presence known by being played by actresses such as Cynthia Addai Robinson (Arrow), Angela Bassett (Green Lantern), and Viola Davis (Suicide Squad). In Season 9 of Smallville, Waller made her debut in the form of Pam Grier.
As the intimidating head of Checkmate-- a secret agency dedicated to having metahumans under the U.S Government's complete control-- Grier embodied Waller's cruel desire for others to bow to her authority. In her early acting career, Gier starred in a series of blaxploitation films during the 1970s, including Black Mama White Mama and Foxy Brown.
5 HELEN SLATER (LARA-EL)
Famous for playing Kara Zor-El in the 1984 film Supergirl, Helen Slater later went on to portray Clark's biological mother Lara-El on Smallville. As a compassionate and devoted mother, Lara-El entrusted the Kents with the safety of her son after Krypton was destroyed. The character makes brief appearances in the form of long-lost memories and flashbacks in Season 3 and was momentarily brought back to life in Season 7.
Slater currently stars as Eliza Danvers on Supergirl. As the adoptive mother of Kara, she is fiercely protective of her daughter when it comes to revealing her powers to a world with harsh views toward aliens.
4 LYNDA CARTER (MOIRA SULLIVAN)
Well-known for portraying Wonder Woman in the 1970s and recently appearing as President Olivia Marsden on Supergirl, actress Lynda Carter played Chloe's metahuman mother Moira on Smallville. Having the ability to control those infected by the meteor shower, Moira can influence the actions of others by giving them a main objective to focus on.
After accidentally causing her young daughter harm, Moira had herself committed to a mental faculty to protect Chloe. In Season 6, Chloe reunites with her mother and learns that Moira has been controlling her and in Season 8, LuthorCorp is discovered to have saved vials of Moira's spinal fluid to turn into super-soldier injections which are later used on Chloe and Oliver Queen.
3 CARRIE FISHER (PAULINE KAHN)
From a galaxy far-far away, Princess Leia herself Carrie Fisher starred on Smallville in Season 5. As the Editor-In-Cheif of the Daily Planet, Fisher played Pauline Kahn who maintained a fierce independence and blunt nature when it came to running the well-respected newspaper. Despite her harsh exterior, Kahn showed a hint of compassion when Chloe demonstrated her unrelenting determination to become an intern.
As a member of the Star Wars alum, Fisher has starred in five of the franchise's films and various television spin-offs and specials. Much to the dismay of fans around the world, Fisher sadly passed away in December 2016. To this day, her legacy as a strong female icon--defiant and unapologetic--continues to live on long after her return to the stars.
2 DEAN CAIN (CURTIS KNOX)
After playing the Man of Steel in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Dean Cain starred in Smallville as Doctor Curtis Knox in Season 7. An immortal obsessed with bringing back his late wife by harvesting body parts from those infected by the meteor shower, Knox was shown to have survived through the centuries having battled with Mayans, fought in the Crusades, and killed as Jack the Ripper in the 1800s.
His attempt to harvest Chloe's heart is thwarted by Clark and during their struggle, Knox accidentally damages part of the equipment meant to keep his wife alive. After his wife suffers a fatal reaction from being stripped of her life-support, Knox openly weeps for his loss, showing a more emotional side of the thought-to-be apathetic inhuman.
1 CHRISTOPHER REEVE (VIRGIL SWANN)
No Superman origin story could be complete without including the hero himself, Christopher Reeve. After playing the character in four films, Reeve made a guest appearance in Season 2 of Smallville as Doctor Virgil Swann. Having a brilliant intellect, Swann researched ways of communicating with other planets and was deeply devoted to uncovering the mysteries of Clark's home planet Krypton.
Based on an intercepted transmission from Krypton concerning "Kal-El", Swann formed The Veritas Society dedicated to studying the true intentions of this foreign "Traveler" and developed a close friendship with Clark after learning his secret identity as this mysterious figure. Before passing away in Season 4, Swann gives Clark a letter urging him to seek out his birth father Jor-El and begin his journey toward his ultimate destiny.