Although the series aimed to modernize Superman Smallville wasn’t afraid to honor what DC Media has come before. The series, which followed young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), often brought back stars from previous Superman media for roles that ranged from small to large. These characters sometimes had significant ties to their previous parts in the Superman universe. while others are fun to see again after years, sometimes decades.
Ironically, Smallville it later became the launching pad for other DC shows and films to follow suit. Actors Joe Morton, Alessandro Juiliani, and, most notably, Amy Adams have starred in the DCEU, while others, like Erica Durance and Alan Ritchson, have joined other DC television projects. However, Smallville was the trendsetter in this regard. Here Are Superman’s Greatest Actor Cameos Smallville:
Previously pictured Lana Lang
Superman’s Most Impactful Returning Star Did Much More Than a Cameo Smallville. Annette O’Toole appeared as Clark’s mother, Martha Kent, for 6 seasons as a series regular and then as a guest star. She was, in many ways, the heart of the series. The more compassionate of Kent’s two parents Martha’s defining characteristic was her kindness, which she extended to everyone she met, even the Luthors.. Her stories typically revolved around mentoring Clark and her other young friends, but she also had an arc where she became political.
O’Toole’s original DC role was as Lana Lang in Superman III. Here, she is Clark’s ex-girlfriend from high school, who re-enters his life after his high school reunion. Interestingly, O’Toole was not originally cast as Martha for the pilot of Smallville, with Cynthia Ettinger in the role. Coincidentally, O’Toole’s agenda became clearer when producers looked to replace Ettinger, who they felt was not a good fit for the role, and his casting was a great addition to the series and a fitting call back to the role. Superman films.
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Christopher Reeve as Dr.
Previously portrayed Clark Kent/Superman
Christopher Reeve’s guest starring role on Smallville is exciting. In a moment of passing the torch, Reeve’s character, Virgil Swann, tells Clark about his Kryptonian heritage and name, as well as the destruction of his home world. Swann is part of a group called Veritas, who have taken it upon themselves to find and protect a prophesied hero from another world, the Traveler. He is more benevolent than other Veritas members such as Lionel Luthor, focusing primarily on studying Krypton and choosing not to reveal Clark’s identity. Choosing Reeve to play this vital role is a beautiful tribute to his time playing Superman in four different films.
Reeve wasn’t the first actor to play the Man of Steel, but he is one of the most famous. His debut in Superman: The Movie in 1978 is praised as the first “modern” superhero film and the model for a comic book origin story. Tragically, Reeve was left quadriplegic in a horse riding accident in the 1990s, but returned to acting in Smallville and films like Rear window. Reeve passed away during the show and his role was respectfully written, with another Superman star stepping in to finish what Swann started.
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Margot Kidder as Bridgette Crosby
Previously portrayed Lois Lane
Swann’s ally was Bridgette Crosby, played by Reeve’s Superman co-star Margot Kidder. After Martha asks for Swann’s help, Crosby, her assistant, joins the show to help. Clark is reprogrammed by his Kryptonian father, Jor-El, and his old personality is completely suppressed. Crosby encourages Martha to take action and help her son. Crosby gives his mother a piece of black kryptonite, which has the ability to divide a person into their good and evil sides.
In addition to the symbolic nature of having her character associated with Reeve’s, Kidder’s appearance has another important factor: his episode also features the debut of Lois Lane in Smallville. Kidder starred alongside Reeve as Lois Lane in all 4 films. Superman films. Unfortunately, Crosby was written out of the series after just one more appearance because she refused to do a scene where she informed Clark about Swann’s death, finding the concept exploitative. Regardless, your role Smallville was a welcome addition to the cast as possibly the best actress to play Lois.
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Marc McClure as Dax-Ur
Previously pictured Jimmy Olsen
Other Superman veteran, Marc McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen, also appeared in Smallville. Unlike Kidder and Reeve, McClure played a fellow Kryptonian, Dax-Ur. His character was a scientist whose work led to the creation of the Brain InterActive Construct, or Brainiac. Due to guilt over his creation, Dax-Ur left Krypton for Earth. Once he arrived, he fell in love with a human and began wearing a blue kryptonite bracelet to suppress his powers. Clark seeks him out in Season 7 for help defeating Bizarro. Dax-Ur provides Clark with a piece of blue kryptonite for him.
Unfortunately, after Clark’s visit, a weakened Brainiac encounters Dax-Ur. Although the latter tries to remove his bracelet, Brainiac manages to extract the information he needs from the creator. It is unknown whether or not Dax-Ur survives this encounter, but he is never seen again in the series or its comics. Seeing McClure again is a welcome treat for Superman fans anyway.
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Terrence Stamp as Jor-El
Previously pictured General Zod
Actor Terrence Stamp lent his voice to Smallville as Jor-El, an ironic casting given he played his rival General Zod. His iteration of Jor-El is colder and more distant from Clark, trying to lead him towards his destiny, becoming purely Kryptonian. As a result, he is often seen by our heroes as an antagonistic force. Later seasons backtrack on this characterization and show him as more sympathetic, recasting Julian Sands for the role.
Stamp’s Zod is iconic and among the best villains in superhero cinema. His performance is so memorable that the character was redesigned to look more like Stamp in the comics. Zod later appeared in Smallville portrayed by Callum Blue, both as a clone and an older version who wears a beard like Stamp’s. While his take on Jor-El was unconventional, he brought an energy that was just as menacing as his portrayal of Zod.
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Helen Slater as Lara-El
Supergirl previously pictured
In season 7, Smallville features Lara-El, maiden name Lara Zor-Van, Superman’s mother. She is played by none other than Supergirl herself, Helen Slater. Lara is teased as early as the season 3 episode “Memoria”, when Clark manages to remember her name for the first time. She properly appears in the season 7 episode “Lara”, where she appears in one of Supergirl’s memories. Tthis is likely in part a tribute to Slater having played Supergirl previously.
In the episode, Lara and younger Kara visit Earth; more specifically, the pair go to Kent Farm because Lara wants to see where her son will grow up. She leaves a photo of herself for Kal-El to discover. Additionally, Smallville puts Zor-El, Kara’s father, in a villainous role as he tries to target Lara and erases Kara’s memory of the incident. Still, the episode ends on a more upbeat note, as Clark now has a photo of his biological mother.
Slater reprises the role of Lara, as she and Zor-El are resurrected through DNA stored in a blue crystal. Restoring Lara caused Clark to lose his powers, and he had to sacrifice his mother to regain his abilities and defeat Zor-El. She later reappears alongside her husband Jor-El in a final message the couple recorded for Kal-El before sending him to Earth.
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Teri Hatcher as Ella Lane
Previously portrayed Lois Lane
Another cameo that specifically pays homage to the actor’s previous role is Teri Hatcher’s appearance as Ella Lane. The actress originally played Lois Lane in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman for 4 seasons. She then appeared in Smallville as Ella, who is the mother of Lois and Lucy Lane and also the aunt of Chloe Sullivan. She passed away when her daughters were very young, which led to a difficult military upbringing due to her father’s job. Hatcher appears in Season 10, Episode 8 “Abandoned” in a video recorded at the hospital before her death.
On the tape, Ella informs Lois that she instructed her father to keep her away from the hospital to preserve her positive memories of their time together. She then encourages Lois to overcome her pain and let love in, something she needed to hear due to her romance with Clark. It’s a touching moment that pays homage to Hatcher’s time as Lois while passing the torch to Erica Durance.
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Dean Cain as Curtis Knox
Previously portrayed Clark Kent/Superman
Hatcher’s co-star in Lois and ClarkDean Cain also appeared on Smallville. However, he played a decidedly more villainous character. His character, Dr. Curtis Knox, took advantage of the vulnerabilities of those who developed powers from exposure to kryptonite. He claimed his treatments would “cure” his powers and resulting psychosis, when in fact he was harvesting his organs. Knox was immortal and sought to make his wife immortal as well. After he is thwarted, Clark turns him over to Martian Manhunter who, according to the Season Eleven comics, imprisons him on Mars.
Knox was originally supposed to be DC supervillain Vandal Savage but Smallville did not have the rights to use the character. As a result, he wrote the part as if he were Savage using a pseudonym. Additionally, his initials are “CK” in honor of Cain’s previous role as Clark Kent.
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Michael Ironside as General Sam Lane
Previously portrayed Darkseid
The only veteran of Superman: The Animated Series in the list, Michael Ironside provided the voice of Superman’s greatest enemy, Darkseid, before portraying perhaps a more terrifying force in Clark’s life: his future father-in-law. Ironside played General Sam Lane, Lois’ strict military father. He first appeared in season 4 after helping his niece Chloe fake her death to escape Lionel Luthor. He appears twice in season 4, once in season 10, and is frequently mentioned by his daughter. Being a very practical type, Sam is very hard on his daughters, and Lois harbors a not-so-subtle resentment towards him.
Ironside gives a suitably dour performance in the role; however, Superman fans remember his turn as Darkseid as more iconic. His imposing voice provided the seriousness of such a terrifying and strong enemy. Bringing it to Smallville was a welcome addition, and regardless of whether it was intentional, the coincidence of Ironside playing Superman’s archenemy and his father-in-law is inherently funny.
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Honorable Mention #1: Lynda Carter as Moira Sullivan
Previously portrayed Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Lynda Carter is such an icon that she hardly deserves an introduction. The actress played Wonder Woman in the 1970s series of the same name and is remembered fondly by fans of all ages. In smallville, Carter played Moira Sullivan, Chloe’s mother, Ella’s sister, and Lois and Lucy’s aunt. Chloe discovers that her mother has been institutionalized for having uncontrollable mind control powers resulting from exposure to kryptonite. The actress appears in season 6, when it is revealed that she was taken by Lex in an attempt to force her to use her powers.
While she’s no Superman alum, Carter is a DC legend, making her appearance a treat for audiences.
Chloe and Moira are reunited after Lex threatens Chloe’s life to force her mother to comply. Unfortunately, she fell into a catatonic state after initial treatment and was only temporarily lucid due to medication provided by Lex. Clark rescues them both and Oliver Queen transfers Moira to a safer facility. While she’s no Superman alum, Carter is a DC legend, making her appearance a treat for audiences.
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Honorable Mention #2: John Glover as Lionel Luthor
Previously portrayed Edward Nygma/The Riddler and Dr. Jason Woodrue
John Glover is a unique talent, making it no surprise that he has taken on many DC roles over the years. He played Edward Nygma/The Riddler in the ever-iconic Batman: The Animated Series and The new adventures of Batman. His iteration of the character was also expected to appear in the third season of Justice League Unlimited. Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition due to rules set by Warner Brothers that limit the use of Batman characters outside of the film.
In addition to Batman: The Animated Series, Glover also appeared in the infamous Batman and Robin as Dr. Jason Woodrue, the creator of Bane. His portrayal was similar to the typical archetype of a mad scientist. Without a doubt, however, his most substantial and interesting role at DC is that of SmallvilleIt’s Lionel Luthor.
Father of Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor, Lionel is a force to be reckoned with. He begins the series as a villain, feuding with Clark’s father, Jonathan, and leading Lex further down the path of evil. He has a convincing arc, going from cold and calculating to well, still cold and calculating, but with more altruistic ends. Glover had never starred in a Superman project before Smallvillebut his contributions to DC media are too numerous to ignore.
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