Before Superman & Lois, the CW chronicled Clark Kent's early life in the long-running superhero series Smallville, which aired for a staggering 217 episodes. Over ten seasons, audiences watched a young Clark (Tom Welling) develop his numerous powers as he takes the first steps into becoming the legendary hero he was always meant to be.

While early seasons followed a "monster-of-the-week" type format, later seasons featured longer story arcs and brought its core cast of characters, including Lois Lane (Erica Durance), Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) from the rural fields of Smallville to the bustling city of Metropolis. Despite its cheesiness, Smallville gave audiences a fun glimpse into the world of superheroes before coming to an end in 2011.

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As Smallville grew, so did the cast. Characters like the Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary and Kara Zor-El frequently popped up to assist Clark in his adventures. Long-time members of the central cast Lana and Lex departed the series, with Lex seemingly dying in an explosion and Lana becoming permanently infected with Kryptonite. Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) filled the vacancy left by her brother Lex, and Smallville finally moved away from the Clark/Lana pairing and explored the romantic relationship between Clark and Lois (with plenty of pitstops on the way). By the time the tenth and final season rolled around, Smallville faced the monumental task of tying up a decade of storylines and finally featuring Clark taking up the reigns as the Man of Steel, as throughout the series, he was known simply as the Blur and was hesitant to reveal himself to the world.

lana, clark, lex

In the final two-part episode, Clark and Lois are getting ready to tie the knot, though Lois is worried about hindering Clark's destiny. Clark struggles to move on from the past when the fearsome warlord Darkseid descends to Earth and unleashes his apocalyptic fury. As the planet Apokolips looms over Earth's atmosphere, each character confronts their destiny. Clark faces his old enemy Lex -- brought back thanks to a deal between an alternate version of his father Lionel and Darkseid -- and promises to always be there to stop him. Tess also confronts Lex and uses a toxin to wipe his mind after he fatally stabs her. Lois is able to buy more time for the heroes before the humans launch nuclear weapons, and Clark faces Darkseid for his most challenging fight.

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However, Clark isn't alone, and the disembodied voice of his father, Jor-El, grants him visions of the ten years leading up to this moment. Everything Clark's faced has been in preparation for this final trial. Emboldened by the countless lives he's saved and the threats he's vanquished, Clark finally harnesses the ability to fly and retrieves the suit designed for him by his adopted mother, Martha (Annette O'Toole), from the Fortress of Solitude. In a moment that was teased for a decade, Clark takes to the skies and pushes Apokolips back into space, sparing Earth of Darkseid's wrath and cementing his legacy as the Man of Steel.

Smallville's final shot promises Clark's adventures as Superman are only beginning, and he's called into action to defuse a bomb. As he runs into danger, Clark rips open his shirt, revealing the classic and iconic Superman suit beneath. That's all viewers got to see of Tom Welling's Clark finally settling into his famed role of Earth's most powerful defender. However, the series was always about the journey Clark took to become Superman. While the show sometimes struggled to find its footing, Smallville gave audiences a thrilling look into the comic book origins of the world's most famous hero.

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