Highlights
- Clark Kent’s secret identity is both the best and worst kept secret on Smallville.
- Many main characters eventually learn about Clark’s powers and secret identity.
- Knowing Clark’s secret often comes with unintended consequences for the characters who find out.
One of the driving mysteries of Smallville was Clark Kent’s secret powers and alien identity. There were those who knew and were sworn to secrecy. Then, there were those who knew or wanted to know, and it didn’t end well for them. Those unfortunate characters were largely minor and one-off characters in the series. Among the main characters, however, the knowledge of Clark’s secret and the potential strain on their relationship from knowing made the reveal either heartwarming or heartbreaking.
Clark Kent’s kryptonian identity is both the best and worst kept secret on Smallville. Even before the iconic glasses schtick, Clark was hardly subtle about keeping up his fragile human persona when faced with having to save a life. Running away at the speed of sound was his form of damage control to keep his identity and powers a secret. But those close to Clark eventually caught onto the Red-Blue Blur’s trail in DCU‘s Smallville.
Who Finds Out About Clark Kent In Smallville?
Most of the main characters learn that Clark Kent has superpowers or is the Red-Blue Blur over the course of the series. The first to learn of this secret was Clark’s best friend, Pete Ross. In season 2, Pete stumbled upon Clark’s ship that carried him to Earth as a child. In an effort to dissuade Pete from telling people about the ship, Clark reveals his secret to his friend. Then, the ever inquisitive Chloe Sullivan learned about Clark’s secret in a more drawn-out fashion.
Clark’s season 4 metahuman girlfriend, Alicia Baker, was the obsessive and jealous type. She was the first love interest to not only know about Clark’s powers, but also have powers of her own. After being hurt by Clark, she forced him to unknowingly use his powers in front of Chloe.
At first, Chloe believed that Clark was like the other metahumans who received powers from being infected by the kryptonite meteor. She would later realize the alien truth after following Clark to the Fortress of Solitude, where she nearly freezes to death. Clark couldn’t lie his way out of this one, so in Smallville season 5, episode 1, he told Chloe the truth that she had suspected for some time. Among Clark’s closest childhood friends, Lana Lang would be the last to learn of his secret in season 6.
How Clark Kent’s Closest Friend Learned His Secret
Clark wanted to tell his closest friends, especially Lana, about his true identity for a long time. But the risks that it posed to him, his family, and the people who knew his secret were too great to overlook. He also feared being rejected or bullied by those he cared for most. In Lana’s case, Clark’s entry into Earth’s atmosphere was followed by a meteor shower that claimed the lives of Lana’s parents. Telling her his secret, he believed, could ruin their relationship if she were to blame him for their deaths. But Lana, like Chloe, suspected there was something more to Clark for a long time after he saved her life from a tornado during their freshman year of high school.
On the day that Lana is threatened into marrying Lex Luthor to protect Clark from Lionel, Clark debates whether he should tell Lana the truth about him to stop her. In one of Chloe’s most unforgettable slams regarding Clark’s vulnerability, she tells him:
Clark, you don’t hesitate to run into a burning building or jump in front of a bullet because nothing can penetrate that iron flesh of yours. But the one time saving Lana means putting your heart on the line, the Man of Steel is nowhere to be found.
This twist-heavy episode puts Lana in the similar position Clark has been in: both are now trying to protect the ones they love while carrying the burden of their secrets alone.
Many others would learn Clark’s secret, including Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen, Lionel Luthor, Tess Mercer, and other metahumans. Unfortunately, learning Clark’s secret also often comes with unintended consequences for some characters.
What Happens To The People Who Know Clark Kent’s Secret?
Many characters would make their exit from the series shortly after learning about Clark’s identity and powers. Pete, Lana, and Lex, for instance, end up leaving Smallville shortly after their revelations. Though, Pete and Lex did return to Smallville later on. Lana’s departure was the most emotionally devastating for Clark, which may allude to why he altered time to prevent Lois Lane from learning the truth. But, Lois later remembers and becomes the last in the series to learn the truth about her beloved Smallville.
Chloe, however, became one of Clark’s greatest allies, and endeavored to help him become a better hero. She kept his secret even when her life was threatened several times. After she lost her ex-husband, Jimmy Olsen, to Doomsday, Chloe remained loyal to Clark even though he refused to go back in time to save Jimmy. Although their relationship took a brief downturn, Chloe’s loyalty can be summed up in one line of hers:
Loose lips sink ships. And god knows I’ve sunk my share of flotillas.
The fate of others, however, has been changed in different ways. Lionel Luthor, for example, became Jor-El’s oracle after discovering Clark’s powers. Lex, on the other hand, had a few instances of either having his memories altered or erased after coming to discover the truth about Smallville‘s Clark Kent. By the end of the series, this occurs again when Tess injects a toxin to take away Lex’s memories right before he murders her.
Learning Clark’s secret isn’t as difficult as it should be in Smallville. But keeping Clark’s secret and being able to stick around added to the dramatic conflict of whether Clark should reveal the truth. Knowing that it ultimately ruined his relationship with his best friend, Pete, validated Clark’s concerns about whether to confide in people like Lana or Lois. Not every character had a passion for the bizarre and inexplicable, like Chloe, to prove themselves capable of safeguarding Clark’s truth in DCU‘s Smallville. And if Clark never gave them the chance, he’d never know who he could truly trust.
Leave a Reply