The exploration of the Kawatche Caves in Smallville season 2 point to the existence of a time-traveling Kryptonian in the town's past. Time travel was a recurring plot device in the Superman prequel series, but it was not used directly until the show's fifth season when Clark went back in time to prevent Lana Lang's death. It became increasingly relevant in the show's later seasons, but seemingly played no role in the first few years of Clark's Superman journey.
Clark's high school years were relatively light on themes typically associated with the superhero genre. As a story that was significantly more grounded than most comic book adaptations, it focused primarily on Clark's battles with Kryptonite-infected teenagers and avoided heavy use of science fiction tropes. However, how the show introduced the Kawatche Caves indicates that a major part of Smallville season 2's story was secretly driven by time travel. Here's why a time-traveler may have been lurking in Smallville's past, and how season 2 hinted at his presence.
The History of the Kawatche Caves Explained
During Clark's sophomore year in high school, he discovered the Kawatche Caves, a location tied to the history of a local Native American tribe. And much to Clark's surprise, the caverns hidden under Smallville contained a shocking link to his heritage. Looking at the paintings on the cave walls and learning about their meaning confirmed to Clark that the Kawatche people somehow had knowledge of his destiny. They believed in a story about the coming of Naman, a hero who possesses "the strength of ten men" and shoots rays of fire from his eyes. Sometime after falling from the sky in a "rain of fire," Naman will do battle with the evil Sageeth, who has no powers at all. Obviously, "Naman" is the Kawatche name for Superman and "Sageeth" is none other than Lex Luthor.
Talks with Kyla and her grandfather, Dr. Joseph Willowbrook, shed light on the origin of the Naman vs. Sageeth prophecy. Apparently, what gave birth to these stories was the arrival of "a man from the stars." He came to the land that is known today as Smallville 500 years ago and fell in love with a Native American woman. Their "forbidden affair" led to the formation of the Kawatche tribe. It was also through this person that the Kawatche people learned of Naman's future and the battle he would eventually have with Sageeth. After telling them about Naman, he returned to "the sky" and never came back.
Smallville's Mystery Kryptonian Could Be A Time-Traveler
It was clear from the onset that "the man from the stars" was a Kryptonian like Clark. Part of what's so interesting about a Kryptonian being in Smallville 500 years ago is the fact that he was aware of Clark Kent's future. After all, he didn't just predict that his people would send another member of his people to the planet; he also knew about the rivalry he would eventually develop with Lex. There's no evidence of Kryptonians in Smallville's universe having the power to see the future, thus making time travel the best possible explanation for this character's role in Clark's destiny.
Time travel would make perfect sense of everything the "man from the stars" did in an effort to set Clark's journey in mission. In addition to creating the Naman prophecy, there's a good chance he's the one who left the Stones of Power behind and set up the secret chamber in the Kawatche Caves found in Smallville season 4. If he had access to technology that allowed him to travel through time, he may have known that Clark would be the last Kryptonian. If so, that would explain why he came to Earth and used the Kawatche Caves to create clues for Clark to follow.
Why Smallville Never Explained Its Kawatche Caves Mystery
While the idea that a Kryptonian with knowledge of Clark's future came to Earth several centuries ago was a massive revelation, the series chose not to dive any deeper into this reveal. Given that this information coincided with the first details regarding Clark's backstory, "the man from the stars" wound up being overshadowed by other mysteries related to the Kawatche Caves. He was quickly forgotten and never revisited.
It being overlooked was unfortunuate, considering that it was a huge addition to the Superman mythos as well as a mystery that could have had a fascinating answer. But, it seems that Smallville never planned on making its mystery Kryptonian a part of Clark Kent's story in the first place. Instead, it seems that his only purpose in Smallville was to provide a working origin story for the Kawatche Caves. Through the caves, Clark found a way to connect to his Kryptonian heritage and learn about his destiny as a hero.