Top 10 Most Memorable Smallville Moments

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Welcome to MsMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the most unforgettable, emotionally stirring, and iconic scenes from the young Superman series Smallville.

#10: The Justice League Assembles

In season sixs Justice, one of the shows most fan-service-heavy episodes, Smallville pulled off something, well, super - a full-fledged Justice League team-up. Yep, Clark joins forces with all the other metahuman allies hes met along the way: Bart Allen (Impulse), Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Victor Stone (Cyborg), and Oliver Queen (Green Arrow). In a moment nothing short of thrilling, the group joins forces to dismantle Lex Luthors secret lab. The slow-motion walk, the explosion, the epic group shot it was all goosebump worthy! It was also Smallville proving it could go just as big and bold as the best of them.

#9: Clark Gets a Taste of Normal

Smallville had a knack for showing us different sides of Clark and few occasions were more memorable than this one. In the season one episode Leech, Clark temporarily loses his powers after a lightning strike transfers them to another teen. At first, hes relieved, enjoying the chance to live like a normal kid for once. He plays basketball and even loses but instead of frustration, Clark feels joy in not having to hold back or worry about hurting anyone. Its a rare look at the boy beneath the powers and a key step in his emotional growth. Even without his abilities though, Clark still risks his life to save others showing that heroism was always part of who he is.

#8: Clark Resurrects and Stops a Missile

This moment was pure Superman energy even before Clark donned the cape. After being fatally shot, our Kryptonian teen is resurrected by Jor-El in the season five episode Hidden. And to say he regains his powers in the nick of time would be a wee bit of an understatement - because the very next moment, Clark has to stop a nuclear missile thats been launched directly at Smallville. What follows is one of the most cinematic moments in the series. Clark leaps into the stratosphere and dismantles the missile mid-air. Its a heroic act that showed audiences just how close Clark was getting to his destiny. No suit required just raw courage.

#7: Lexs Breakdown

Looking for the moment where Lex Luthors descent into villainy becomes heartbreakingly real? Look no further than the season three episode Shattered. Believing his deceitful father is targeting him, Lex becomes increasingly paranoid - to the point where even Clark questions his sanity. His breakdown is both tragic and terrifying, culminating in Lex being institutionalized. But, what makes this moment even more chilling is where it leads. Years later, in Season 7, Lex actually kills his father, Lionel Luthor. From shattered trust to patricide, Smallville sure gave Lex one of the most layered villain origin stories television audiences have ever seen.

#6: Clark Comforts Ryan

In a show filled with supervillains and otherworldly stakes, the season 2 episode Ryan was pure emotion. Its here where Ryan, a young telepath Clark once saved, returns to the show. However, this time, it's revealed that hes dying of a brain tumor. A desperate Clark does everything he can to help, but ultimately, theres nothing he can do. In a truly heartbreaking scene, Clark joins Ryan in a hot air balloon ride where its Ryan who passes on words of wisdom to our hero. The emotional weight of this scene is palpable as Clark, who can save the world, cant save the life of Ryan. Its a quiet, devastating reminder of his limits.

#5: Christopher Reeve Passes the Torch

This moment wasnt just important to Smallville it was a moment that touched Superman fans across the globe. We like to think of it as a generational passing of the cape. You see, when Clark meets Dr. Virgil Swann in the episode Rosetta, the reclusive scientist with deep knowledge of Krypton is portrayed by none other than Christopher Reeve the legendary Superman actor himself. As you might imagine, the scene is loaded with reverence, nostalgia, and emotion. Swann helps Clark begin to understand his origins, decoding the Kryptonian message and giving him purpose. And with Reeves appearance, it said what fans already believed, that Smallville was worthy of the legendary Superman mythos.

#4: Lois Learns the Truth

No matter how strong their chemistry was, Lois and Clark were never going to fully work with a big secret between them. Thats what made this moment such a massive relief and a long time coming. Although Clark had once opened up about his powers, time travel wiped that confession from existence. This time however, Lois figured it out on her own by kissing The Blur and realizing that his kiss was unmistakably Clarks. A few episodes later, she subtly tried to draw the truth out of him, only to be let down when he stayed silent. But in Isis, after a heartfelt, vulnerable speech, Clark finally takes the leap and tells her everything. Loiss reaction is pure joy and Clarks realization that she already knew? Its a moment of mutual trust, love, and destiny finally coming together.

#3: Clark Tells Lana His Secret / Jonathan Kent Dies

Talk about emotional whiplash. In Smallvilles hundredth episode, Reckoning, Clark finally tells Lana his big secret. Not only that, he proposes. The two seem destined for happinessuntil tragedy strikes. After Lana flees Lexs home and dies in a car crash, Clark turns to Jor-El to reverse time only to lose someone else instead: his Earth father Jonathan Kent. Watching Jonathan die in Clark and Marthas arms was a gut-punch no one saw coming. Its a landmark episode, offering some of the most unforgettable moments in the entire series. It also made clear that no matter how strong Clark is, he cant escape fate without consequences.

#2: Clark Sacrifices Himself

In the Season 9 finale, Salvation, Clark faces one of his greatest threats a full-scale Kryptonian invasion led by Superman villain Hall-of-Famer Zod. And when Zod threatens Earth, Clark doesnt hesitate. You see, when Zod uses a blue Kryptonite dagger to depower both himself and Clark, Clark intentionally allows himself to be stabbed and falls off the rooftop with the dagger lodged in his side, blocking him from being transported by the Book of Rao. Zod is sent away, leaving Clarks fate hanging in the balance. Its a moment of deliberate self-sacrifice, heroic resolve, and symbolic destinyarguably the most Superman thing Clark had done until then.

#1: Suit Reveal

It took 10 seasons, but when it happened, it delivered. In Smallvilles two-hour series finale, Clark finally embraces his full destiny and the iconic Superman suit. Finally, after years of doubt, fear, and growth, Clark becomes the Man of Steel. He not only saves the world from Darkseids planet Apokolips, he also takes flight in full costume for the very first time. Whether you watched from the very start or jumped in late, this moment was a celebration of everything Smallville had built toward. Its not just the most memorable moment in the series - its the one fans had been waiting for all along.

Did your favorite Smallville moment make the list? Let the nostalgia fly in the comments below.