Over the course of several seasons, Smallville‘s Clark Kent (Tom Welling) gradually developed the iconic powers of Superman from the comic books. The show’s treatment of Clark’s powers was similar to how it handled other aspects of his story, as it had to progressively move him in the direction of becoming Superman. When the series opened, Clark was a high school freshman, and a far cry from the Man of Steel who flies around Metropolis, saving the world from villains like Lex Luthor.
For Clark Kent, Smallville was a 10-year journey to becoming the hero that he was destined be: Superman. The first four years chronicled his high school years, his discovery of his Kryptonian heritage, his friendship with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), and more. The next three seasons brought Clark into conflict with alien threats, like Brainiac (James Marsters), while seasons 8 through 10 moved him to the Daily Planet to work alongside Lois Lane (Eric Durance) as a reporter. During all this time, Clark grew closer and closer to becoming the Superman everyone was familiar with from the comics – in more ways than one. One of these ways, of course, was through the development of his powers.
Over time, the series adapted each of the abilities associated with the Big Blue Boy Scout, but not all at once, as it took years for Clark to gain all of his powers. Generally, Smallville would spend a full episode exploring Clark’s experience with mastering one of his new abilities. Prior to the events that took place in the show’s pilot episode, Clark was already aware of his super strength, durability, and speed, but the rest had to be acquired later. Here’s how (and when) Clark discovered his Kryptonian abilities in Smallville.
X-ray Vision (Season 1)
Clark first found out that strength and speed weren’t his only abilities in Smallville season 1, episode 4. For a brief moment, he was able to see through a person’s skeleton, and during a physical education class, Clark and his best friend Pete Ross (Sam Jones III) were climbing ropes when Clark realized that he could see through Pete’s skin. For a reason he couldn’t explain, he could see the muscles and tissues in Pete’s face, and it startled him so much that he fell off the rope. As Clark’s eyes wandered, he figured out that he could also see through the girls’ locker room. Later, Clark was able to focus his eyes and activate his x-ray vision at will. He used this ability to prove that Tina Greer (Lizzy Caplan), a girl at his high school, was a shapeshifter. From then on, x-ray vision became one of Clark’s biggest assets, which he frequently used to see through locked doors and search for clues.
Heat Ray Vision (Season 2)
In Smallville season 2, episode 2, Clark had to watch a sex education video at school, and this, combined with the attractiveness of his teacher, Desiree (Krista Allen), set off a ray of heat to shoot out of Clark’s eyes that set the classroom on fire. A talk with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) caused it to happen a second time. With help from his father, Clark learned how to control the ability. Apparently, the trigger for Clark’s heat vision was thoughts about sex. After working on it for a time, Clark was able to access it without this trigger. In the same episode, Clark used it in tandem with his super speed to melt a bullet before it could hit Lex. Like his x-ray-vision, Clark’s heat-ray vision quickly became an important tool in his arsenal.
Super Hearing (Season 3)
An accident involving his heat ray vision led to Clark developing another new power in season 3. After his heat ray reflected off a piece of Kryptonite, a wave of green light hit him right in the eyes, blinding him. With his vision gone (temporarily), his other senses began to compensate for the loss. At first, all of the sounds he was able to take in were overwhelming. Fortunately, his parents helped him to overcome this by surrounding him with multiple loud noises. Clark was then able to focus and pick out even the faintest of sounds, such as a whisper. After that, it became easy for him to eavesdrop on far-away conversations, or locate someone by listening for their voice, or even their heartbeat.
Super Breath (Season 6)
Clark didn’t learn another ability until Smallville season 6, episode 2, when he developed a cold. While sick, Clark sneezed, and the force of his sneeze blew a barn door clear across the horizon, until it almost hit Lois. Clark went to Chloe (Allison Mack), who tried to keep him from causing any more damage with his sneezes. Later on in the episode, Clark and Chloe were faced with a metal door they couldn’t open, and he – still weak from his cold – didn’t have the strength to break through it, so Chloe came up with the idea for Clark to “blow” it down. After gathering air in his lungs, Clark exhaled, and a strong gust of wind blasted through the door. Clark didn’t end up using his super breath nearly as often as he did his other powers, but it did come in handy on occasion.
Other Abilities (Off-Screen)
Between Smallville seasons 6 and 10, Clark acquired two more powers off-screen. In Smallville season 9, Clark demonstrated that he had developed a variation of his super breath: arctic breath. As its name implies, Clark can use this power to cool or freeze objects. Originally, this ability was supposed to debut in season 4, with an episode centered around Clark learning to use it. But, this idea was scrapped and reworked for season 6’s “Sneeze”, with Clark learning his super breath instead. In a Smallville season 10 episode, Clark briefly mentioned in a conversation with Lois that by using Micro Vision – a power he named himself — he can zoom in on miniscule details that human eyes couldn’t detect.
Flight (Season 10)
The ability that fans waited for Clark to get the longest was flight. Because of the show’s “No Flights, No Tights” policy, Clark remained grounded for all 10 seasons – though, admittedly, Smallville did find loopholes to let Clark “fly” a few times. Clark was teased by characters like Chloe and Kara (Laura Vandervoort) for not being able to take flight like other Kryptonians, but despite his efforts, he was unable to take off, due to his failure to let go of his inhibitions. In the closing minutes of Smallville‘s series finale, Clark finally succeeded in fulfilling his destiny, suited up as Superman, and flew off to save both Air Force One and the planet from Darkseid.
