Over its ten-season run, Smallville included several Superman Easter eggs, which helped the series establish its place within the wider Superman mythos. Smallville was conceived to explore Clark Kent's formative years leading up to him taking to the skies as Superman. Over its ten-season run from 2002 to 2011, Smallville introduced many of DC's heroes and villains, and while the show's core tenet was that Clark would never officially become Superman, it was able to show an impressive amount of reverence for its source material nonetheless.
As Smallville addresses Superman's origin, it naturally includes many aspects of the character's history. However, the series also took some creative liberties with its aforementioned source material, such as introducing numerous original characters and having Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) be best friends. While these differences set Smallville apart from many other Superman stories, the show was also packed with Easter eggs that prove it deserves its place within the Superman canon.
Smallville's Superman Easter eggs are peppered throughout the show's ten seasons and, in many ways, shaped the show itself. Some are barely perceptible nods to pieces of behind-the-scenes Superman trivia, while others are more overt references to Superman himself or his supporting characters. The nature of Smallville's many Easter eggs actually improved the show's credibility among the more skeptical part of its audience, helping boost the show's status as a true origin story for Superman.
Smallville's Writers Worked Subtle Foreshadowing Into Dialogue
Throughout Smallville's run, some of its most commonly-used Superman references came in the form of vague allusions to the character worked into the series' dialogue. These subtle gags include references to Clark "putting on a uniform and doing a lot of flying," "looking good in blue," and being "made of steel." While the comments themselves are fairly innocuous, they contribute to Smallville's consistent stream of Superman imagery.
By hiding these small but humorous references in its general dialogue, Smallville appeared very self-aware. While its central premise prevented Smallville's Clark Kent from ever truly becoming Superman, the comments made throughout its run imply that it will inevitably occur. Making tongue-in-cheek references to Clark's Superman future highlights the ten-season tease that Smallville is built upon, creating the impression that the show was more than willing to laugh at its own paradoxical nature.
The Smallville Torch Is A Reference To Superman's Creators
Perhaps Smallville's easiest-to-miss Easter egg, the name of Smallville High's school paper, is actually a clever reference to Superman's history. The Torch is a prominent part of Smallville's early seasons, providing a basis for Clark and Chloe's ongoing involvement in the town's strange occurrences, but it's also a clever nod to the real history of Superman. Superman creators Jerry Sigel and Joe Shuster originally met while writing for their own school paper, drawing parallels between the minds behind Superman, Smallville's Chloe Sullivan, and Clark Kent.
The high school newspaper at which Siegel and Shuster met was called the Glenville Torch, making the name of Smallville High's own paper a subtle reference to Superman's inception. This furthers the parallels between Siegel and Shuster and Clark and Chloe, alluding to obscure behind-the-scenes trivia in the process. Such a deep dive into the specifics of Superman's own real-life origin is hidden in this tiny reference, proving that Smallville really is the character's perfect origin story.
Tess Mercer's Name References Multiple Superman Characters
Smallville certainly wasn't shy about adding new elements to Superman's origin story, and the most obvious way it did so was through its many original characters. Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack), Lionel Luthor (John Glover), Whitney Fordman (Eric Johnson), and Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles) make up just a few of these characters introduced specifically for the show. Another of them was one of the show's biggest recurring villains, Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), whose character (and name) serves as an amalgamation of multiple female Superman characters.
Tess Mercer/Lutessa Luthor is a combination of Lena Luthor, Eve Tessmacher, and Mercy Graves. In addition, all three of the characters that inspired Tess' name and characterization in Smallville share specific links to Lex Luthor. This makes the character of Tess herself an interesting combination of multiple Superman references, all packaged neatly into an interesting original character that serves as a link to other Superman stories.
Many Smallville Guest Stars Have Superman Credits
Perhaps the most prominent of Smallville's Superman Easter eggs is its use of actors with previous Superman-related credits. Christopher Reeve and Dean Cain, who previously played Superman, appeared in guest roles. In addition, Smallville also featured Margot Kidder and Teri Hatcher, who previously played Lois Lane alongside Reeve and Cain, respectively. While these actors alone serve as an impressive use of Superman actors in guest roles, Smallville went even further in continuing the tradition.
Series star Annette O'Toole previously appeared as Lana Lang in Superman III, and Terence Stamp, who played Zod in Superman II, voiced Jor-El in the show. Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 1984 movie of the same name, appears in Smallville as Lara-El, Clark's mother. Mark McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen alongside Christopher Reeve, also appeared in Smallville as Dax-Ur, a Kryptonian scientist living on Earth. In this way, the staggering number of Superman movie actors that appeared in Smallville is another way the series showed appropriate reverence for the character's history.
Smallville's Wardrobe Department's Subtle Homage To The Comics
Another small yet noticeable way Smallville paid homage to Superman and his supporting characters was in its wardrobe choices. Throughout the show, Clark wears some combination of red, blue, and yellow in every episode - a clear reference to the character's iconic suit, which the show never allowed Tom Welling to wear. Additionally, Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor is almost always seen wearing whites, purples, or greens, particularly as he becomes more of a villain throughout Smallville's run. This subtle touch regarding Smallville's most iconic characters helped keep the show visually consistent with Superman and Lex Luthor's traditional character designs that stayed true to its "no tights, no flights" methodology.
Why Smallville's Easter Eggs Perfectly Complement The Show's Story
The central premise of Smallville prevented Tom Welling from ever becoming Superman, as it was firm in its status as a retelling of the character's origins. However, its lasting popularity ultimately stems from its creative handling of Superman's story, including the liberties taken to make Smallville's narrative feel new and relevant. Reimagining iconic heroes' stories aren't always looked on favorably, but Smallville managed to achieve lasting success, and its Superman Easter eggs are indicative of one of the main reasons why.
By using Easter eggs that show appropriate reverence for Superman's history, Smallville's reworking of established canon never feels disrespectful to the character. This translates to a special comic book credibility that ultimately helped Smallville become a popular and successful part of Superman's enduring mythology. Even though Smallville's premise prevented the show from using several of Superman's most iconic traits, its clever and persistent use of Superman Easter eggs legitimizes its status as a Superman origin story.