25 Years Ago, This Hit TV Show Redefined One Of DC's Biggest Superheroes
Before he became the Man of Steel, Clark Kent was just a regular, superpowered teenager growing up in Kansas. He went to school, hung out with friends, and lived a humble life on a farm with his Earth parents. "Smallville," one of the best superhero shows of the 2000s, also explores this period of his life. You've probably seen it, but all superhero fans should check out "Smallville."
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, "Smallville" follows Clark (Tom Welling) during his coming-of-age years. The early seasons chronicle his high school experience, but he eventually grows up, gets a job at the Daily Planet, and becomes the superhero everyone knows and loves. The series also features some of DC Universe's most notable villains, including Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), who starts as Clark's friend.
"Smallville" aired for 10 seasons, with the story continuing in comics after the show ended. That's a great run, and the show can be chalked up as one of DC's small-screen successes. However, at one point, network heads feared this "Superman" story wouldn't take flight.
Smallville isn't like your average superhero show
"Smallville" came out in 2001 — six years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe made superheroes cool for the mainstream. As a result, people hesitated to make a show about a comic book character, and the "Smallville" creators were discouraged from focusing on the superhero aspect. However, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar weren't "Superman" nerds at the time, which helped them create a series that isn't indebted to comic book lore.
"There was moral complexity to the character, which there hadn't been before," Miles Millar told The Wrap. "I think because we weren't such avid comic book aficionados, we had our own creative freedom to change the mythology and to really expand it and do different things. That's something that we would never, ever be allowed to do today."
The result was an entertaining YA sci-fi drama that adds some interesting layers to the Superman character. What's more, "Smallville" subverts elements of the hero's backstory, so even the most avid Man of Steel fans will find surprises in it.