Smallville was one of the longest-running live-action superheroes of all time, as the series focused on Clark Kent growing up in the titular town before becoming Superman. The show was a hit, running for more than 10 seasons. While it was still airing, the cast made a secret cameo in the pages of DC Comics.
Smallville starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent, who teamed up with his group of friends against threats in the town he was raised in. The cast featured Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, and Sam Jones III as Pete Ross. Despite taking a more barebones approach to superhero theatrics, the show featured long-term arcs and appearances from a handful of DC heroes including Green Arrow, Supergirl, Green Arrow, and Booster Gold. After the show’s second season, three members of the cast made a surprise cameo appearance in Teen Titans.
In Teen Titans #1 (2003) by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone, Conner Kent is a high school student Smallville High School. Martha Kent lets him know that even if he has trouble fitting in at first, he will find his footing eventually, just as Clark did before him. The comic then flashes to Conner navigating his way through the halls of Smallville High, when you can see a group of students behind him talking about the upcoming homecoming parade. The characters are spitting images of the Smallville characters Clark, Pete, and Chloe.
The timing of the cameo makes sense, as the television show was still relatively new after completing its second season during the comic’s publication. While none of the characters are named in the issue or seen again, it was a great, subtle nod by Johns and McKone to Smallville. Considering Conner was a student at Smallville High, throwing in Clark, Pete, and Chloe as background characters is a great way to do a secret crossover without any of the implications of Clark Kent existing as both a student and a superhero. It’s a small easter egg that Smallville fans can enjoy that had no bearing on the story whatsoever -it would have been very strange for Conner to approach Clark and ask him how Ma and Pa Kent are doing. Regardless, for better or worse Smallville was influential for both superhero TV shows and comics. The scene nice nod to the now iconic show.
