Character development Clark Kent (Smallville)

1 character development

1.1 storyline progression
1.2 characterization
1.3 relationships
1.4 costume

character development
storyline progression

early in series, clark still learning how handle life, learning control powers , find best solution everyone. main priority fit in friends @ school , average guy. initially, clark s biggest problem fact not share secret cared about. according welling, burdened lot of responsibility. hasn t been able choose whether or not has these abilities. responsibility has been thrust on him, , has deal it. there have got times when goes home , thinks himself, ‘why me? wishes go away , normal. s part of character dilemma makes him interesting play. welling noted show not clark saving day, more how using powers ... alienate[s] him others . welling reasoned end of season three, clark had decided leaving smallville , going jor-el save lot of pain in long run. welling described why clark gave in jor-el @ end of season three:

if can t fight them, might join them [...] choosing lesser of 2 evils go jor-el. think combination of 2 things sum up. lot of times in life, point go, can t fight anymore. there s nothing can it, better out of bed , go work! , in sense, s clark had do. somehow had try face was causing him pain—and else pain—and maybe reasoned causing else little bit of pain, save them lot of pain in long run.

a significant moment in character s story came when clark decided play football in season four, providing conflict between him , father. writer darren swimmer refers moment ... callback [hothead] ... in season one. him, when clark defies jonathan , joins team anyway, signified moment jonathan decided can trust clark not hurt anyone. writer todd slavkin viewed clark emerging father s shadow. 2 more significant moments came during following season. first, clark lost powers when failed return jor-el finish training; leaving him human , vulnerable. according welling, ... [clark] learned little bit more s human, physically. emotionally, s pretty close trying understand that. added more weight abilities once got them back, , made him realize responsibilities has. second moment came in show s 100th episode, death of clark s adoptive father. decision kill jonathan made clark step destiny, allowing clark boy become clark man, explained gough. in order needed mentor die, no 1 buffer him world longer. welling saw series 100th episode chance character evolve , grow. john schneider saw same catalyst clark s evolution. according schneider, jonathan s death inspired clark make move toward eventual destiny. jonathan provided such example of sacrifice leaves void in clark. fill void clark have become superman. schneider s contention had jonathan not been man was, when time came world needed superman, clark have been unable take on persona, because not realize world needed him.

writer holly harold noted introduction of green arrow (justin hartley) allowed clark mature more in sixth season. clark able see how others achieved same goals, used alternative routes perhaps crossed moral lines. taught clark start thinking things opponents perspectives. ultimately, in season 6 clark learned human side allowed him become hero needed be, summed writer turi meyer ... soon-to-be man of steel . each season, clark gained insight how not misuse abilities kryptonite-mutated villains used them crime. in later seasons, clark saw how used abilities might still have questionable actions, arthur curry (alan ritchson) , andrea rojas (denise quiñones), though clark did them take high road. episodes reiterated effect clark s parents had on how used abilities. clark learned cannot alone, though chose not join oliver s team of superheroes @ end of episode justice . meyer, season 6 showed clark still struggling accept destiny, did take steps toward day put on cape , become superman.

characterization

the idea gough , millar came show s version of clark kent strip him down ... bare essence ... , discovering reasons why clark became superman. in smallville, clark fallible, gough explains:

the thing ve tried portray...is clark doesn t make right decisions, , not making right decisions, brings further consequences on himself. whether s running away jor-el @ end of season two, or choosing humanity on sort of kryptonian mission, decisions him in more trouble, , cause more people suffer, or in jonathan kent s case, die.

welling agreed gough s opinion of clark s fallibility, stating mistakes clark made showed humanity.

above: imagery used in pilot episode, clark strung scarecrow pole, drew comparisons jesus christ , crucifixion.

below: scene in season 9 finale brought criticism 9 years of christ-like comparisons started become less subtle , more overt.

even though clark make wrong choices, season 5 s aqua helped illustrate concept clark ... core . episode showed how protective on someone, when person annoyed him. in case, trying warn lois arthur curry may not have been man believed him be. concept echoed seattle times julia waterhous, noted clark, despite flaws, put others before himself. welling s fellow actors had own insights character. kristin kreuk saw clark kindred spirit sad, lonely, endearing; whereas john schneider classified clark special needs child.

just comic book counterpart, smallville s clark kent symbolic representation of jesus christ. established on, pilot episode contained moment when clark crucified on scarecrow post during high school hazing. pittsburgh post-gazette s rob owen noted christ-like imagery of scene, stating, wonder clark gets tied there since superman, too, sent save ? echoing owen, judge byun identified same symbolism: superman is, in way, secular pop culture stand-in jesus christ, messiah figure our generation. series makes theme explicit in pilot episode, in clark symbolically crucified in cornfield. striking bit of symbolism becomes central preoccupation of series; clark savior sacrifices greater of humanity, , smallville shows how comes accept , embrace role.

this extended end of season nine, clark sacrificed own life in finale, in order send general zod , rest of kandorians own world. in doing so, clark fell off building ... in full crucifixion pose, driving home point sacrificing himself of planet . point, cinefantastique s tom powers suggested these images , metaphorical emphasis through dialogue exchanges came across heavy-handed devout individual might have found them offensive.

in addition religious allusions, crew used color schemes , camera movements create own themes characters. since show told clark s point of view, particular visual elements utilized illustrate particular characteristic. when safe @ home colors used illustrate environment warm , gentle, earth tone, while camera movement gentle well. when clark keeping secret, there no danger around, lighting more neutral, greater camera movement. when there danger, lighting became colder more grays , blues, , camera shifted handheld, allowing more extreme angles.

relationships

clark s relationships other characters evolved on course of show. clark s relationship lex luthor symbolic, 2 shared yin , yang type of relationship. in pilot, clark first saved lex drowning after car accident; @ end of episode, lex saved clark when strung in cornfield , immobilized kryptonite. relationship lex tested lack of honesty, lana first 6 seasons; same said lex s dishonesty clark. both characters wanted honest each other, knew not, inhibited friendship.

his relationship lana lang 1 of smallville s central relationships. when clark , lana met in cemetery, clark realized had found understood him, talk to, though not in strong way have liked. although clark felt close lana, fear ... kick him out of life ... if learned secret — came in meteor shower killed parents — strong enough keep him becoming close wished. lack of honesty caused issues between them. judge byun wondered how clark kent have room in heart lois lane later in life, had bounced , forth between lana , chloe in first season.

with lana s boyfriend gone season two, door opened clark, welling stated understood why producers continued keep clark , lana apart, after whitney s departure: there s cliché television shows main love interest fail once together. after briefly being @ beginning of fifth season, clark s upbringing not enough him cope loss of lana lex toward end of season five. welling admits clark had learned let lana make own choices , not stand in way, problem relationship lex lex dangerous individual , put lana s safety in jeopardy. apart that, clark had learned walk lonely road of hero. inability cope lana moving on lex carried on season six. season time writers put clark through emotional wringer when had lana accept lex s marriage proposal. writer kelly souders, presented clark s worst fear: woman loved marrying worst enemy.

apart lana, clark had growing relationship lois. season 5 saw melting of ice between 2 characters, continued butt heads. executive producer darren swimmer believed audience start see growing attraction between two, , fact both there other in time of need. erica durance believed lois in season five, because of self-imposed walls, laughed off notion had romantic interest in clark, if notion true. in season six, durance described relationship between lois , clark neither character wanted put official label on. instead, durance believed that, point in series, clark , lois satisfied identifying brother , sister friendship label, rather trying discover how each feels. season eight, durance noted lois starting accept idea may in love clark more had been else in life. relationship lois included in tv guide s list of best tv couples of time.

costume

in season nine, clark began wearing black costume while fighting crime in metropolis.

for of series, clark did not wear sort of costume when in superhero persona. seasons 1 through eight, clark typically dressed in either red, yellow , blue (the traditional colors of superman costume), or in all-american colors of red, white, , blue. included primary usage of either blue t-shirt underneath red jacket, or red t-shirt worn under blue jacket. in season nine, producers decided design actual costume clark wear while patrolling streets of metropolis. abandoning theme of red, blue, , yellow, producers chose keep costume black, save silver superman s shield painted on front. instead of traditional cape, clark s red jacket traded black trenchcoat. drew comparison character of neo matrix film series. compared black suit superman wore after being resurrected, following death @ hands of doomsday in comic books.

in season ten premiere, audience got first glimpse of traditional superman costume, left clark martha in season 9 finale. although suit briefly seen through reflection in clark s eyes in season 9 finale, suit appeared in season ten premiere different design. producers, working alongside warner bros. , dc comics, procured costume worn brandon routh in superman returns, team chose on christopher reeve suit of 1980s. dc comics offered suit worn reeve, peterson explained ... didn t quite fit our world. according producer kelly souders, well, process group effort. worked dc, , have alicia louis, lot of stuff @ studio, , instrumental. took quite bit costume. there s lot of sign-offs, warner bros. , dc , working make happen. peterson stated costume plays more prominent role in final season, last scene of smallville ending clark wearing it. before then, clark began wearing new costume in season ten episode shield . here, clark replaced black trenchoat red leather jacket, , s shield embossed onto chest of jacket.