Not yet the superhero vigilante of Metropolis, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet, nor even the beloved of Lois Lane, Clark Kent made his humble beginnings as teen dream in Smallville, Kansas. A small "cow town" just outside the big city of Metropolis, Smallville is Clark's home from the time he is four years old (when Martha and Jonathan find him) to the time he graduates high school and heads off to be Superman. Between the boy he thought he was and the man he is destined to become is the story behind Clark Kent.

Clark, on the show, is about 16, and just coming into some of his abilities, as well as tumbling headlong into adolescence. Searching for a place among his peers that he might fit in, and at the same time knowing he never will, Clark attempts to lead a life of normalcy, save for the use of his powers to save coutnless lives, and do farmwork! Like other teenage boys in one respect, Clark harbors not-so-secret feelings for the beautiful, popular Lana Lang. Although in most of Season 1, Lana seems completely unnattainable, the absence of jockstrap boyfriend Whitney Fordman in Season 2 (he was killed off in the Marines; season 2-Visage) gives Clark a fighting chance at being her one true love. While it's obvious to everyone, as well as the viewers that Clark and Lana dig each other, they never really acknowledge the chemistry between them. After a few botched attempts at taking Lana out, one date gone wrong, not to mention a few screwy personality alterations that sparked some pretty interesting things between them (Season 1-Nicodemus; Season 2-Red; Season 2-Rush) Clark and Lana still haven't done anything about their feelings for one another. But all is well; after all, we know how Lana and Clark end up (until Lois comes along, mind you, but that's years in the future) so most viewers won't mind waiting PATIENTLY for something to come about. (Personally, I think he should just come out and tell her about his powers, but that's just me) Until then, Mr. Kent and Miss Lang continue to teeter on the verge of a relationship.

Unfortunately, Clark's love life is the very least of his worries. Desperate to be "normal" and yet knowing he can't be, Clark goes through a lot of typical teen angst throughout the show (I hear ya Clark, high school can be a bitch). Up in the Fortress of Solitude (his loft, for those who aren't familiar with the typical fanfic lingo) Clark spends many hours brooding and peering through his telescope in wonder at the universe that dropped him on this planet. Ever since Dr. Swan's appearance (Season 2-Rosetta) Clark's curiosity about birth parents Jor-El and Lara, his origins as baby Kal-El on Krypton, and the mysterious messages written in Kryptonian in his spaceship often give him much anguish. But he is lucky, as his adoptive parents are incredibly loving and supportive. Jonathan and Martha Kent, who found Clark wandering around his spaceship at the time of the meteor shower adopted him through the--regrettably, for Jonathan--Luthor-funded Metropolis Charities and raised him as their own, powers and all (remember, Martha wasn't able to have children). Realizing his abilities from the time he was five years old and raised a bed frame above his head, Jonathan especially became devoted to helping him harness the powers and keep them a secret from the world, so that he might not become some lab experiment.

Clark's abilities so far are: super speed (Pilot), super strength, X-Ray vision (Season1-X-Ray), heat vision (Season 2-Heat) and the occasional hovering action. He also, is invicible (hello, the Man of Steel?) But those don't even begin to scrape the surface of his talents (we know from the DC Comics that he gains what can only be called super breath. Remember blowing bad guys across the room? And freezing Lois Lane and unfreezing her again--"Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman". Not to mention the whole flying thing.) Undeveloped powers aside, Clark learns how to control his abilities pretty well for the time being. Some are easy, such as super speed (just start running really, really fast, duh) and super strength (lift from the knees!) while others require some concentration, like X-ray vision (focus on your target and look right through) and of course--how can we forget ;) -- heat vision. (We all KNOW how that one came about...hint hint, his eyes weren't the only thing that gave off heat !)

While totally invulnerable to physical harm, every human being has a weakness and Clark is no exception. So Clark finds his achilles heel in the ever-present meteor rocks. Recently he began calling them by their proper name, Kryptonite, after Dr. Swan tells him what they are. The glowing green rocks are enough--even in small amounts (think Lana's necklace that kept him at bay for a while) to render him wobbly, nauseous, and if he's around a lot of them long enough--completely unconscious. We all remember being near tears watching our favorite hero's face contort with pain as he lay on the ground of his cellar with the rocks all around him (Season2-Visage) and hanging helplessly (boxer clad, thank you very much!) from a cross in the cornfield with Lana's neclace around his throat. The only way to neutralize the rocks, as we saw in Visage, is if the spaceship turns it's incredible healing powers on him and the rock turns a clear, crystal color. But that's another story.

Just as green Kryptonite changes him physically, Clark has encountered the weird mental distortion brought on by red Kryptonite on a few occasions. Just the contact of the rock with his skin turns Clark from sweet, law-abiding hero to leather jacket clad, Harley stealing bad boy. (Oh, just the thought of Clark in leather makes me tingle...) As we saw in Red, the first appearance of the red rocks in his class ring made Clark steal his father's motorcycle, make his move on Lana (which would've been great had he not lost sight of it all later and got jiggy wit it with another girl at a bar) jack up his parents credit cards, punch out his dad, etc. It also severely jeapordized his relationship with Lana for a little while. The second appearance of red Kryptonite (and probably not the last, unfortunately) in Rush caused him to briefly let it all hang out with his daredevil buddies, reveal his secret to Chloe, and make out with her in front of Lana...he also broke a date with Lana, leading to more trouble in paradise, yet again! Ahh, the twisted pathways of Clark Kent's life.

Oh well. Atleast we all know where Clark will be ten years from now...(*cough* Daily Planet *cough* Superman). But for now, no tights, no cape, just....ahhhhhhhh...Clark.