The Ending Of Smallville Explained

It's been over a decade since "Smallville" ended its epic run on The WB-turned-CW, and there's no denying that the series still holds weight after all these years. What started as a teen drama with superpowers soon became a young adult science fiction series, only to fully commit to its superhero roots by the end. As Clark Kent (Tom Welling) grew, so did "Smallville," and it was all for the best. The actor who played Superman the longest — 218 episodes is a lot of hours as the Man of Steel — Welling is still considered one of the most memorable to ever don the "S."

No doubt, the "Smallville" series finale had a lot to live up to, and for the most part, it did. The long-anticipated return of Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor was genuinely exciting, since the Clark/Lex dynamic was an important pillar during the early years of "Smallville." That, combined with other returns, the resolution of character arcs, and Clark's last steps to becoming Superman, made this a superhero tale for the ages. With so much to revisit and explore, let's dive into the ending of "Smallville."

Darkseid's ultimate plan is to claim Clark as his own. Thankfully, Clark is no longer in danger of falling to the dark side. Earlier in Season 10, Clark almost succumbed to Darkseid's influence but was saved by his cousin Kara Zor-El (Laura Vandervoort). Realizing that he needed to let go of his past in order to prevent Darkseid from having a foothold in his life, he began a healthy grieving process, dealing with the loss of his adopted father Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) back in episode 100. Sadly, what started as a good thing soon became unhealthy.

Starting their new life, Clark and Lois Lane (Erica Durance) decide to sell the Kent Farm and move to Metropolis to be closer to the action. Clark thinks he has to leave Smallville in order to fulfill his destiny, and while that's sort of true, selling his family's homestead isn't the answer either. Nevertheless, Clark eventually overcomes his guilt about Jonathan's death, keeping Darkseid from warping his soul.

Elsewhere, a mirror-universe version of Lionel Luthor (John Glover) kidnaps Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) — the biological daughter of his regular-universe counterpart — to use her organs to resurrect Lex Luthor. For those who don't remember, Lex was killed by Oliver two seasons prior. But when Clark was on the brink of death earlier in the 10th season, he briefly saw Lex's spirit, which refused to pass into the afterlife. Thankfully, Tess proves more resilient than Lionel's other victims and escapes, but not before mortally wounding Lionel. 

As the older Luthor lies at death's door, he makes a pact with Darkseid, giving the darkness his soul in exchange for Lex's life. As Darkseid possesses Lionel's corpse, he resurrects Lex, who remembers everything about his past, including uncovering Clark's Kryptonian heritage. 

Over the course of her time on the show, Tess has slowly overcome her family history and trauma, proving that just having Luthor blood doesn't mean you're destined for evil. Like her biological father before her, Tess is redeemed by aiding Clark and his friends in their adventures and continues to do so with her dying breaths. But more on that later.

While searching for Tess, Clark finds himself at the recently burned-out Luthor Mansion. And who does Clark find there but the first Luthor he ever met: his former best friend Lex. Newly restored to life, Lex dances around Clark like a wolf in sheep's clothing before admitting that the world needs him to become the hero he was always meant to be. Before his death, Lex saw himself as this story's hero. He erroneously believed that saving the world meant killing Kal-El. But now, at the end of "Smallville," Lex has made peace with the fact that he is the villain of the story. 

"We have a destiny together, Clark," Lex tells his former friend. "Only on different sides." Nothing could be truer, and though their story hasn't been written quite yet, their rivalry would soon become the stuff of legends. In a way, Lex's speech inspires Clark to be that "light that inspires the world out of darkness," further reinforcing the destiny chosen for him. Though "Smallville" began with Clark saving Lex's life, the Boy Scout mourns the fact that he couldn't save his friend's soul. With nothing left to say, Clark leaves; the battle between Superman and Lex Luthor is just beginning.

There's one more superpower Clark must unlock before Superman can truly appear. Generally, Clark learns a new superpower almost every season. While most Kryptonians are instantly granted powers under Earth's yellow sun (including flight), our hero always saw himself as a human being. Even after he learned of his alien origins, Clark struggled to see himself as anything but human, and that mental block kept him from using all his natural abilities for years. Of course, Jor-El might have had something to do with it too. 

After Darkseid sends Clark spiraling, our hero catches himself in the air, completing his final trial, and flies straight through his adversary, defeating the darkness. But though Darkseid is gone, Apokalips remains. Clark returns to the Fortress for aid from Jor-El, who finally expresses pride in Kal-El and deems his training over. In a powerful moment, Jor-El and Jonathan's ghost present Clark with the Superman uniform that Martha had made for him. Honoring his Kryptonian family crest and his adoptive country's colors, Clark's dual heritage is merged into one, and after years of the "no flights, no tights" rule on "Smallville," Clark embraces both.

After Lois sneaks aboard Air Force One to beg the President not to nuke Apokalips (the fallout would kill millions), the engines fail and the plane falls. Guess who saves the day? Not only does Superman save Lois and the President, but he then moves Apokalips out of orbit, breaking Darkseid's hold on the people of Earth and inspiring them to fight back. "People want to believe in something greater," Clark tells Darkseid before defeating the alien tyrant. "And it may be easier to hate, but it's stronger to love." 

It took Clark years of wrestling through both to learn that lesson and, now having learned it, he reveals himself as Superman so that others may too. Throughout "Smallville," Clark has always kept his cards close to his chest, and while he still holds fast to his secret identity, his superhero identity is now his primary source of inspiration and hope. From now on, Clark Kent is just a bespeckled reporter for the Daily Planet; it's the Man of Tomorrow, Superman, who inspires others to be better. Yes, Superman saves the day, but even that isn't the end.

Years after the "Smallville" finale, the series has gone down as one of the greatest superhero shows of all time. Many, including cast member John Schneider, have even considered it one of the most memorable television projects ever produced by Warner Bros. But what did the stars have to say about the finale? Well for starters, Tom Welling loved it. "The idea is that Clark becomes Superman and he's out there, and we know he's out there, but we can't go with him," Welling noted to EW. "That was what we strove for, and I think we hit it."

After being absent from the show for years, series star and now-podcaster Michael Rosenbaum was happy to have returned as Lex Luthor. "I'm glad I came back, the fans were glad I came back and you know, I think it was a good ending," he told CinemaBlend. But not every star was thrilled with how their "Smallville" story ended. One-time Supergirl Laura Vandervoort noted her disappointment about Kara's ending in the penultimate episode, failing to even get a passing mention in the finale. "She just sort of flew off and we never saw her again," Vandervoort said at a "Smallville" cast reunion in 2020 (via Syfy). "I didn't have any proper goodbyes."

With the introduction on "Smallville" of various DC Comics characters into live-action, the Superman prequel blazed the trail for the budding future of superhero television. After the character's breakout success, the CW developed a Green Arrow-centered series that eventually became "Arrow," rebooting him entirely and sparking a brand-new DC Universe. Series like "The Flash," "Supergirl," "Legends of Tomorrow," "Black Lightning," and "Batwoman" found success on the small screen, culminating in nearly 700 episodes of television between these six shows. 

Additionally, Warner Bros. developed the Batman prequel series "Gotham," which took plenty of nods from the "Smallville" playbook, and superhero shows began appearing everywhere. Even the Man of Steel made his way back to the CW via "Superman and Lois" in 2021. Additionally, shows like "Titans," "Doom Patrol," "Peacemaker," and the short-lived Superman prequel "Krypton" continued to bring the DC Universe to life, and we have "Smallville" to thank for that.