Smallville is one of DC’s most successful comic book shows running from 2001 to 2010 with 10 seasons in the bag, and fans missing the show terribly. Tom Welling starred as a teenage Clark Kent alongside Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor and Erica Durance as Lois Lane.
In the earlier days of the show, the plot largely surrounded Clark finding and coming to terms with his new abilities, whereas the latter seasons were more concerned with Clark becoming the hero he was destined to be. Some fans may not know that there was an unaired pilot that had very few differences from the pilot that graced fans’ screens 19 years ago, but in both, there will definitely be things that viewers might not have noticed upon their first or even second viewing.
Clark’s Breath
In the scene where Clark is tied to the Scarecrow post in Riley Field and weakened with Kryptonite. When Clark exhales, his breath can be seen on camera. This was due to it being such a cold night when this scene was shot. Welling was applauded by the crew for his will to shoot the scene.
The shooting schedule was incredibly tight with director David Nutter only been given just over two weeks to shoot the entire pilot, so there were not a lot of opportunities to reschedule for a warmer evening.
Superman ‘S’
In the first act of the pilot, fans witness the meteor shower that brought Clark to Earth. As the meteors decimate the town, the inhabitants are scrambling for their survival. In one of the shots, the camera pans over to a young Lana Lang but before she appears on the screen, there is a small helicopter ride on the street. For a brief moment, it appears as though the front of the helicopter has the Superman S symbol on the front of it.
This could be a coincidence in the way the lighting and the shot was placed but there is no denying it looks like the classic hero symbol. Smallville has been riddled with other easter egg references to Superman even in the early days.
Friedrich Nietzsche
In the pilot fans are also introduced to Clark’s initial love interest Lana Lang who is wearing a Kryptonite necklace. As Clark walks towards Lana at school he trips and falls as a result of being weakened by the meteor rock.
Clark drops his books which Lana helps him pick up. One of the books references Freidrich Nietzsche who originally introduced the idea of Ubermensche, which translates to ‘The Superman’.
Canadian Money
Two of Clark’s best friends, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross, were two of the first people to know Clark’s secret about his true heritage. On their way to school, Chloe and Pete seemingly bet that Clark would miss the bus, and Chloe hands Pete his winnings after Clark does indeed miss it.
Eagle eye fans may have noticed this already but one of the notes that Chloe hands Pete is a Canadian Dollar Bill. This is a nod to the fact that a large part of the show was filmed in Vancouver, Canada.
Martha Kent
This piece of trivia is something that fans may have simply forgotten, but in the original unaired pilot, actress Cynthia Ettinger was cast as Martha Kent. However, in the aired version Annette O’Toole was given the role and remained in it until the show’s finale, giving fans one of DC’s best television moms.
The unaired pilot can be seen on the season 1 DVD set in 2003. Annette O’Toole’s scenes were simply edited in place of Cynthia’s and this version was shown to the public.
Queen Industries
In the opening scene of the pilot, the very first shot shows Lionel Luthor and his son Lex in the Helicopter where Lionel is reading a newspaper. On the front cover of the newspaper, the headline mentions Queen Industries.
Avid fans of Smallville, Arrow, or the general DC universe will know this, but for those who maybe didn’t make it to season six, this was a nod to Oliver Queen. The character was played by Justin Hartley on Smallville and Stephen Amell in Arrow, who suits up as the Green Arrow, another DC hero, sparking the debate over who played the Emerald Archer better.
The Flash
Kyle Gallner first appeared as Bart Allen/Impulse in season four of Smallville in the episode ‘Run’ where he saved Jonathan Kent’s life and simultaneously stole his wallet. However, there were references to the Flash long before Gallner’s appearance.
In the pilot, Clark is reading an article on his computer with the title ‘Record-Breaking Teen Becomes Fastest Man Alive’, with the latter phrase being synonymous with the DC hero The Flash. The show’s producer’s probably had an idea of introducing The Flash at some point in the show but when making a pilot there is no certainty of the show continuing past one episode.
Lex’s Sword Throw
Clark first meets Lex Luthor, his arch-enemy, when he saves him after Lex crashes his car into a river. When Clark returns to see Lex later on in the episode Lex appears to be engaged in a fencing battle.
Lex throws his sword into the wall where it sticks but just as Clark enters the room, a small hidden patch can be seen beside Clark’s head which is where the sword is going to land after Lex ‘throws’ it.
Lex Luthor’s First & Last Scene
One of the greatest things about Smallville was the relationship between Clark and Lex before they became enemies. Starting off as almost brothers and slowly drifting apart over the course of the show was fascinating to watch. Michael Rosenbaum certainly gave fans a fantastic Lex Luthor.
When fans first see Lex, he is at one of the Luthorcorp power plants where he is first facing away from the camera but then turns towards it. For those who made it all the way to the finale, this was the same movement that Lex did in his final scene on the show as President of The United States.
