The notorious rivalry between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor has slowly been building up on Smallville for seven seasons.  After years of anticipation, we'll finally get the battle we've been waiting for in next week's season finale, "Arctic."  On last night's episode, Lex obtained the final object he needed to point the way to the Fortress of Solitude, and as the promo for next week's installment showed, that's the first place he's headed.  Will the epic standoff between good and evil live up to our expectations, or will Smallville's seventh season go out with a whimper instead of a bang?  Read on for some spoiler-free theorizing about what might happen in the finale.

Considering that "Arctic" is the last episode that will feature Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk as series regulars, it's time to ponder what will happen to their characters.  Let's start with Lex, whose overwhelming obsession to unravel the mystery of the Traveler has led him to commit more evil deeds than ever this season.  We know that he makes his way to the Fortress next week, and we can assume that he'll figure out how Clark ties into everything.  After that, the battle will begin.

Lex may be the greatest villain in Smallville's universe, but unfortunately he doesn't stand a chance against Clark (Tom Welling).  Even if Lex manages to weaken him or take control of him, the simple fact is that Michael Rosenbaum is leaving the show, and therefore cannot possibly win.  My guess is that Kara (Laura Vandervoort) will step up and save the day in the end, but what will happen to Lex?  He certainly can't die, so my theory is that he'll either be presumed dead, go into hiding, or be whisked away to the Phantom Zone for a while.

As for Lana, next week's episode should provide just enough time for her to wake up and decide to move out of town.  I definitely don't think she'll die, so maybe she'll pack her bags after finally having one too many near-death experiences.  "Clana" fans needn't worry, because I'm sure there will be a tearful goodbye between her and Clark before she leaves.  That should tide fans over until Kreuk returns next season.

Considering that it's a Smallville season finale, should we expect anybody to kick the bucket in the end?  I actually think that all of the main characters will be safe, though Brainiac may want to watch his back.  Chloe (Allison Mack) might want to watch hers too, if only because she's come close to death about 300 times in the past few years.

We'll find out if any of my theories are correct when the season finale of Smallville airs next Thursday on the CW.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)