The Kawatche Caves that Smallville introduced were a fascinating addition to the Superman mythology, but unfortunately, it was never explored to its full potential. In season 2 of the Superman prequel series, Clark (Tom Welling) discovered Kryptonian symbols in a cave belonging to a Native American cave, which meant that Clark’s people lived on Earth centuries ago.
Up until the discovery of the caves, there wasn’t much Clark knew about his past, other than the fact that he was an alien who fell from the sky in a meteor shower. Finding the Kawatche Caves kicked off Clark’s journey to understanding his origins. While in the caves, Clark discovered a prophecy that appeared to be about both him and his inevitable clash with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). The storyline involving the caves triggered Clark’s meeting with Christopher Reeve’s Dr. Virgil Swann, who helped Clark learn about Krypton. Through the caves, Clark met the A.I. of his biological father, Jor-El (Terence Stamp). Through seasons 2, 3, and 4, Clark spent a great deal of time in the caves, trying to understand the prophecy and the symbols on the walls.
The Kawatche Caves served an important purpose in Smallville. They created a mystery for Clark to solve about his past, and they were also connected to the Stones of Power, which were the focus of Smallville season 4. But, they could have led to an even bigger mystery. What Clark came to understand about the caves is that one or more Kryptonians came to Earth hundreds of years ago, with the knowledge that the Last Son of Krypton would one day come to Earth. Being the future of their people, these Kryptonians made preparations for Clark’s arrival by finding ways to make sure that their knowledge would be passed on to him.
None of this happened to Superman in the comics — but that’s part of what makes it such a compelling and unique addition to Clark Kent’s story. The Kawatche Caves and the ancient Kryptonians had plenty of storytelling potential, as there was so much that could have been explored. Who were these Kryptonians that came to Earth? How did they know about Clark? What happened to them? Smallville never provided an explanation, perhaps because in terms of Clark’s story, none of these things mattered. The Kawatche Caves helped Clark fulfill his destiny and discover his Kryptonian heritage, and that was the point of them in the first place. That’s why after Clark had the answers he needed, the caves and the history they contained faded into the background.
However, Smallville could have found ways to make proper use of one of its best ideas. Smallville could have spent some time in season 3 or season 4 diving deeper into the mystery and building on Clark’s ties to Krypton and his ancestors. In short, the Kawatche Caves raised all sorts of fascinating questions, but Smallville never seemed interested in answering them — and that’s disappointing.
