About Smallville

Soaring into its ninth season, this modern retelling of the Superman legend and its classic characters continues to blend realism, action and emotional depth to reveal a new interpretation of the enduring mythology. This season, as Metropolis' clock tower tolls our characters' darkest hour, we find Clark Kent (Tom Welling) finally making his first attempts to embrace his calling as a superhero.

After the events of last season, Clark takes on the mantle of protector of Metropolis, trading in his familiar red-and-blue for black-and-gray, sticking to the city's shadows and rooftops to become a solitary sentry simply known as "the Blur." While Clark wrestles with his identity, feeling forced to choose between his Kryptonian heritage and human past, he'll encounter even more powerful enemies and allies from across the DC Universe. This season will feature new and past nemeses, including Metallo (Brian Austin Green, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles), the man with the Kryptonite heart; Roulette, a sexy mastermind; the return of Toyman; and the always-treacherous Zod (Callum Blue) as a young Major and leader of an invading alien army, who befriends fellow Kryptonian Clark just as his venomous side is beginning to emerge. This season will also feature an appearance by DC Comics' first all-star team of superheroes, the Justice Society of America, in an episode penned by renowned comic book writer Geoff Johns, who returns to the show after writing last year's fan favorite episode, "Legion."

After a year of protecting Metropolis as the "Red-Blue Blur," Clark Kent finished season eight with the weight and fate of the world on his shoulders, facing down Doomsday. Clark emerged victorious, but his decision to ignore the Justice League's warnings and save the human side of medic Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer) from the monster Doomsday came with a tragic cost -- Davis turned out to be just as evil as the beast he'd been bonded to, and murdered Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) in front of Chloe (Alison Mack), the woman they both loved. In the wake of Jimmy's death, Chloe retreated into her Watchtower, the Justice League disbanded, and Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) went into a downward spiral, retiring his Green Arrow persona. And Clark turned his back on his own humanity, leaving behind life as "Clark Kent" to exist solely as "the Blur." Meanwhile, Tess Mercer's (Cassidy Freeman) obsession with Clark's Kryptonian origins came to a head when she confronted intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Erica Durance) about a mysterious alien orb that Tess thought Lois had stolen from her, resulting in the two women battling it out in the Daily Planet. During the fight, Lois touched Clark's time-traveling Legion Ring and vanished in a flash of light, lost somewhere in time. And Tess returned home to discover the orb had released a young version of the villainous Kryptonian, Zod, as well as the entire population of the lost alien city of Kandor. But Clark finished the season unaware of this new threat. Instead, he remains haunted by Lois' sudden disappearance, fearing the woman he cares about most could have been killed during his fight with Doomsday.

Smallville was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Shanghai Noon, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), based on the DC Comics characters. Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson serve as executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola. The series is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television. SUPERMAN was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster.