Clark Kent - Smallville

By the end of his first year, Clark's powers had steadily increased. After being caught in an exploding truck, he commented that he barely felt the heat of the explosion and that the debris didn't even hurt him.

After facing personal difficulties, Whitney put aside her differences with Clark and asked him to take care of Lana after he enlisted in the Marines. Clark sometimes considered the possibility of a romantic relationship with Chloe, but feared losing her as a friend and still held onto the hope that he and Lana were destined to be together. When Chloe was kidnapped, Clark saved her and, faced with the possibility of losing her forever, decided to take her to the spring dance. They almost kissed, but news of the tornadoes in Smallville interrupted the night they were going to spend together, and he left her to rescue Lana.

In retaliation for Whitney's actions, Clark used his super strength to damage and pile up his (Whitney's) truck and those of his fellow athletes, much to the quarterback's dismay. Against his parents' wishes, Clark tried out for the football team in his freshman year of high school as a starting running back. However, after preventing coach Walt Arnold from using his pyrokinesis on other players, Clark quit the team. During his first year at college, Clark met many metahumans: those who used their abilities to stay alive and achieve their vengeful goals, such as Sean Kelvin and Tina Greer, and those who seemed cursed with their gifts and used them to help others, such as the blind and precognitive Cassandra Carver, the persuasive hermit Kyle Tippet, and the young telepath Ryan James. When Clark saved the life of a classmate, Eric Summers, a depressed and abused man, he temporarily lost his powers. Eric had wandered off the geology class field trip and, holding a meteoric rock, was about to jump off a bridge. While Clark tried to pull him to safety, the two were struck by lightning, and Clark's abilities transferred to Eric. Clark commented that his chores on the farm took two hours instead of five minutes, but that it was worth it to be able to play basketball with his classmates. He also considered the possibility that, if he regained his powers, he might no longer need to keep them a secret, since everyone accepted Eric. However, Eric attacked Clark, throwing him against a car and injuring his ribs. When Eric continued acting psychotically violently, Clark regained his powers, realizing that, unlike him, Eric didn't have a family to support him and help him cope with the responsibility that came with powers.

Clark finally realized the effect of meteoric rock When Lana's boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, saw Clark and Lana talking, he chose Clark to be the traditional Scarecrow, weakening him with Lana's necklace. Whitney hung him in a field, but Clark was saved by Lex. He then stopped the vengeful metahuman Jeremy Creek, another Scarecrow from the past, from electrocuting the students of Smallville High School.

Because Jonathan and Martha didn't want him to unintentionally hurt other children, Clark wasn't allowed to join playgroups or play on sports teams as a child. His father also once mentioned that he was never allowed to play baseball with other children. In fact, in an attempt to protect Pete from a bully, he even threw the other boy through a door. Clark developed super speed around the age of six. [47] Jonathan and Martha taught Clark that his abilities were "gifts," but also that he should never tell anyone about them. By the age of 14, he already knew he was adopted, but he began to seriously question his strange powers and confronted his parents, demanding explanations. In his freshman year, Clark's closest friends were Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. The three of them worked on the school newspaper, the Smallville Torch Clark's duties were minimal, such as writing the lunch menu and other short articles. Clark was accidentally hit by Lex Luthor's car, causing both of them to fall into a river. He emerged unscathed and swam to the bottom of the river to save Lex from drowning. Although Clark told Lex that the car didn't hit him, but rather that he saw his car fall and jumped into the water to save him, Lex always suspected something was up. Lex tried to reward Clark with a new pickup truck, but Jonathan refused. Frustrated, Clark confessed to Jonathan that he hadn't dived after Lex's car: in fact, he was hit by it. Jonathan recounted how he and Martha found it, along with a spaceship, which they hid in the storm shelter. Confused and angry, Clark went to a cemetery to reflect, where he had his first conversation with his longtime crush, Lana Lang.

Kal-El arrived on Earth during the meteor shower that struck the community of Smallville, Kansas, on October 7, 1989. He was sent from Krypton as a baby, but due to the distance from Earth, Kal-El appeared to be between two and three years old when his spacecraft crashed. Jonathan and Martha Kent found him in Miller's Field: unable to have children, the Kents adopted the young orphan and raised him as their son. Because he owed a favor to Lionel Luthor, Jonathan allowed him to present falsified documents that formalized the adoption. They arbitrarily chose the birth date of May 3, 1987 [44] for their new son and named him Clark [45], Martha's maiden name. Clark befriended Pete Ross, the son of another farmer, in childhood. He was also school friends with Greg Arkin and Abigail Fine. [46] Clark was in love with Lana Lang for most of his life. Lana lived a mile away, and growing up, Clark used his telescope in the attic to spy on her. However, Lana almost always wore a necklace with a meteorite pendant. As a result, Clark couldn't get physically close to her without being affected, but he never understood why. Clark met Chloe Sullivan in eighth grade, and along with Pete Ross, the three formed an inseparable trio. Clark was considerably stronger than other children from an early age. Martha noticed his strength the day she brought him home. He even cracked the kitchen table in half and occasionally made holes in the walls during fits of rage. Once, as a baby, he lifted a 227-kilogram bed frame.

When Clark had to read an essay at school in front of the whole class, parents, and teachers, he was very scared, but Jonathan convinced him to believe in himself and what he had written, and gave him three key phrases to get it right: "Find your center, defend your convictions, and say what you think."

Red Kryptonite: Red Kryptonite affects Clark's mental state, removing his inhibitions and social conscience. The effects intensify with prolonged exposure. Unlike the green variant, Red Kryptonite does not weaken or physically affect him in any way, allowing him to maintain full use of his powers and abilities. Under the influence of Red Kryptonite, Clark usually refers to himself as "Kal," an abbreviation of his birth name, Kal-El.

Despite his near invulnerability to harm, Clark can still be injured in various ways.

Kryptonite: He is vulnerable to kryptonite, radioactive remnants of his home planet, Krypton. Known variations of kryptonite affect him in different ways. Like Kryptonians, kryptonite is affected by Earth's yellow sun, which gives these rocks abilities that greatly influence them. Clark can protect himself from kryptonite radiation using lead. Removing the substance reverses the effects. Green Kryptonite: Green Kryptonite is one of his greatest weaknesses. It weakens Clark physically and makes him mentally unstable: the effects weaken him the longer he is exposed to the radiation. Sometimes, and depending on the circumstance, he manages to use his powers even when exposed to Kryptonite. (Tremor, Fever, Shattered, Resurrection Crisis, Fragment and Abandoned) He once stated that exposure to Green Kryptonite hurts more than broken ribs. While powerless, after being thrown against a car windshield, his ribs fractured, and he declared, "I'd rather this than meteorite rocks any day of the week," confirming a statement he had made earlier. As Clark aged and grew stronger, he seems to have developed some resistance or tolerance to Green Kryptonite, though he is still vulnerable to its effects. Lead: Clark cannot see through lead or lead-coated objects with his X-ray vision.

X-Ray Vision: Clark can see through any type of matter, except lead, simply by concentrating. The image can appear as a skeleton, similar to hospital X-rays, or as a colored image. Initially, he seemed to dominate the skeletal images at the expense of the colored ones. Recently, however, he has mastered both aspects of this ability. Superhuman Vision: Clark's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum, in addition to allowing extensive control over selective perception and focus. This comprehensive ability includes the following: Heat Vision: Clark's eyes can emit concentrated red beams of heat, an ability initially triggered by his level of sexual arousal. Over time and with training, he learned to control and develop his heat vision. Clark can use this ability in various ways: a direct heat beam (to melt/weld/cut objects), a beam of pure temperature (to heat but not destroy objects), a burst of solar energy (non-lethal for attacking enemies), and explosions (to detonate objects, similar to a grenade). He has completely mastered this ability. Superhuman Hearing: Clark can hear indirect whispers, frequencies, tones, and other sound volumes at great distances. As an adult, Clark can multitask and use his super hearing, as well as move at super speed and hear conversations while moving. Clark's super hearing can pick up sounds randomly (like someone in danger) or he can focus on a specific sound.

Normally, Clark's physical capabilities are no greater than those of an average human of his physical condition. However, when his body is energized by yellow sunlight, he acquires various superpowers. These powers have evolved and strengthened over the years. As a Kryptonian, his cellular matrix stores solar energy for later use, like a battery, and his abilities often arise suddenly, requiring him to learn how to control them. Clark is considered the most powerful being on Earth and one of the most powerful in the entire universe.

Superhuman Stamina: Clark can run, exercise, or participate in strenuous activities for days on end without tiring; he never sweats unless exposed to green kryptonite (except in episode 2 of season 2, when he sweats due to the temperature or from seeing Desirée Atkins).

Superhuman Leap: Clark can combine his super strength and dexterity to perform high-precision super leaps. The first time Clark jumped a great distance, he demonstrated a lot of hesitation. Since then, he has shown increasing confidence and control over his super leaps. His "super leaps," until then, were a substitute for flying, as Clark had not yet learned to fly completely. Clark was able to jump higher as he aged. Clark uses his super leap to rescue Chloe after Zatanna's counter-spell throws her off the roof. (Warrior) Later, he leaps onto a rooftop after saving Lois. (Riddler) Clark uses his super leap to jump from a taxi and catch the Daily Planet globe in mid-air, although it could be argued that he also flew a little. (Lazarus) Superhuman Speed: Clark can move and react at superhuman speeds that far exceed the speed of sound, both on land and underwater. Through his accelerated vision, Clark perceives the entire Earth in slow motion. He is one of the fastest beings alive, surpassed only by speedsters like Impulse. In his adolescence, Clark could already run and move extremely fast, frequently seen using this ability to rescue people in dangerous situations. Even as a child, as demonstrated in the episode "Transfer," Clark could move quickly, even faster than children his age and even adults, although he already showed signs of enhanced speed from a young age. Initially, Clark could move around Smallville in minutes, and his movements were perceptible to his family and friends, but not to those unaware of his abilities. Later, with the refinement of this ability and years of practice, he became too fast to be followed or detected, and not even machines could register his movements.

Superhuman Strength: Clark's primary physical ability is his vast superhuman strength. Direct exposure to or contact with the rays emitted by Earth's yellow sun further amplifies his strength. During his adolescence, Clark was extremely strong and, as such, was frequently seen using his strength to help on the Kent farm, driving fence posts into the ground, hammering nails with his thumb, lifting tractors and other heavy machinery for his father, Jonathan. Also during this period, he used this ability to stop rogue metahumans and save people in Smallville, Kansas. Apparently, he was aware of this power since the Kents found him in the field and occasionally broke tables and walls with his fists as a child, until his parents taught him never to use his powers so violently. Clark was able to send Bizarro into Earth's upper atmosphere with just one punch: at the time, he was strengthened by direct exposure to sunlight. Clark was able to easily catch a monorail train and carefully place it on the ground. Clark was able to rip the door off a limousine with ease. After tearing the door off its hinges, Clark threw it aside with tremendous force. While attempting to rescue Lois Lane, Clark grabbed the Daily Planet globe in mid-air and still managed to glide higher, without losing momentum or speed, even though the globe weighed over a ton. Clark was able to block and parry numerous attacks from Oliver effortlessly, even while under Darkseid's control. He was able to pierce Lionel-2's chest while Lionel was possessed and enhanced by Darkseid without difficulty. Later, he managed to save Lois and several government agents from a plane crash by lifting it back into the correct position. Finally, he was able to lift a planet the size of Saturn and take it into the upper atmosphere and back into space without showing any sign of strain.

Two characteristics of Clark Kent that stood out throughout the series were his positive and optimistic view of humanity, as well as his self-loathing and self-pity for not being human. Clark firmly believes that feelings like compassion are inherent to the human race and considers humans, in general, to be noble beings. He frequently expresses a desire to be human and disdain for his alien heritage, likely because he feels his biology limits his humanity, despite several people telling him that humanity is more than biology. [24] Clark has also often been told that he has a hero complex and that he frequently performs good and altruistic acts without thinking of himself. Clark can be sarcastic with others, as he was with Lois when they first met.

This self-loathing likely explains why Clark internalizes situations and believes that everything is his fault or revolves around him in some way. He is deeply affected when his loved ones suffer because of it.

your secret because he doesn't believe that the people who love him would willingly suffer for him and instead blames himself for any problems that happen to them, regardless of whether or not he is responsible. [25] He considers knowing his secret a burden to bear that puts the keeper of the secret in danger. [26] He often feels guilty about things he had no control over and, because of this, doesn't consider himself a hero. [27] This may also explain part of his constant fear of sharing his secret, assuming he won't be accepted for who he is because he doesn't feel comfortable with himself. [28] Clark also struggles with the fact that he can't save everyone in danger and, as such, feels that his heroic acts are inadequate. Clark possesses two remarkable characteristics that he inherited directly from his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara: his father's independent spirit and his mother's unwavering courage and compassionate heart. (Abandoned)

Clark is an idealist and has the ability to always find the good in people, which manifests in a tendency to trust others excessively.

Physically, Clark is about 6'3" (1.90 m) tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular build, making him taller than other tall, muscular men like Oliver Queen. This build, along with his wavy dark brown hair, perfectly fits the description of "tall, dark, and handsome." He also wore bangs in the early seasons. In later seasons, his hair was styled with gel. Sometimes, in the rain, his bangs would be visible. He has the traditional deep blue eyes of the House of El, and many other Kryptonians say he has "his father's eyes." In fact, Clark looks very much like his father, Jor-El, when he was on Earth during his youth. As a result of his good looks (and sometimes solely because of them), Clark is frequently the object of sexual desire for most women he comes into contact with. [21] Even women who have admitted to being in love with Clark are known to physically objectify him. [22] Despite this attention, Clark is generally oblivious to his attractiveness and has never seemed to have much vanity or concern about his appearance (except on occasions when he was afraid of standing out or looking foolish). In seasons 1 through 8, Clark frequently wore a red jacket and a blue t-shirt, or vice versa.