Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Clark Kent is portrayed by Tom Welling in the television series,
Smallville. Before he became aware of his superhuman powers and alien origins, Clark was living the life of a normal teenager. He and his best friends, Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan, were working at their school’s newspaper, The Torch. He was also going through the typical teenage drama of unrequited love, as he was hopelessly enamored with his neighbor and schoolmate, Lana Lang. In an ironic twist of fate, he also became good friends with Lex Luthor (who would eventually become his greatest archnemesis) after he saved Lex’s life.
Clark, whose real name is Kal-El (from the planet Krypton), discovered his extraordinary abilities little by little, and his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, tried their best to help him cope with the changes. Fearing that his and his family’s welfare might be compromised should others come to know about his real identity, Clark went out of his way to conceal his abilities, even from his friends. This proved to be very difficult, especially when he made the decision to use his powers to help other people, which in turn attracted unwanted attention. He also made a number of enemies along the way, and the more he became secretive, the more he alienated those who he cared about the most.
Although Clark’s powers made him seem indestructible at first, he eventually came to realize that even someone like him, who was born light years away from the planet Earth, also possessed weaknesses, especially when faced with the element Kryptonite. When exposed to Green Kryptonite, Clark’s strength is immediately depleted, rendering him almost utterly defenseless. When exposed to Red Kryptonite, he changes into a completely different person, one who is not only uninhibited but also embodies all the feelings and thoughts Clark has suppressed.
(Photo courtesy of Kharen Hill)