10 Strongest DC Heroes In Smallville, Ranked

Published Jul 31, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History. Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Long before the Arrowverse gave DC heroes a space to exist in live-action TV, Smallville served as one of the earliest and best adaptations of DC Comics, and its veritable cast of heroes. In recent years, the DCEU and now the DCU have served as the primary sources for live-action superhero stories based on DC's extensive catalog of heroes and monsters. However, back in 2001, Smallville did an incredible job of exploring Clark Kent's superhero origins in a way that had never been done before. Within the series, Clark was still just a kid trying to make sense of his life, balancing his life at school, where he wanted to be popular and enjoy sports, and the extraordinary powers he had been living with since he was just a little boy. The series saw Clark grow from a boy to a man, and prepared him to eventually take on the mantle of the Man of Tomorrow, but there were also a number of other heroes who crossed his path early on in their journeys. 10 Booster Gold AKA Michael John Carter When discussing the strongest heroes to ever appear in Smallville, it's worth mentioning Booster Gold. The character first appears in the show during the final season, and his role is somewhat antagonistic, as he travels back in time from the 25th century to become Metropolis' hero instead of Superman. Considering his ambitious goals, it would make sense that Booster possessed incredible powers, but the truth is, all of his power stemmed from his futuristic suit and his Legion ring. Without these, Booster is reduced to nothing more than a jealous and egotistical man who failed to shine in his own century, so he decides to try and become a hero in the past. 9 Stargirl AKA Courtney Whitmore Stargirl also has a similar disadvantage due to her being a powerless human before wielding the Cosmic Staff that grants her extraordinary abilities. However, despite having no innate powers, Courtney Whitmore is able to do a great deal more with her gift than Booster Gold ever did. Courtney sides with the heroes, and she manages to use the staff to teleport, fly, wield energy projectiles, and enhance her strength and speed to incredible superhuman levels. Due to her skill, and the diversity of her powers, she manages to edge out Booster Gold and land in the ninth position in terms of strongest heroes in Smallville. 8 Green Arrow AKA Oliver Queen Oliver Queen is the last unenhanced human to appear on this list, and while he doesn't have a high-tech suit from the future or a supernatural staff, Oliver has honed his body to become a finely tuned and precise weapon. With a bow and arrow, he becomes a lethal force who teams up with a young Clark Kent and establishes exactly what a hero can and should be. So, despite his lack of superpowers, Oliver's extensive training, sharp mind, and his expertise with weapons, he deserves a spot on this list that sees him overtake characters who he could certainly outsmart, and on an even playing field, without weapons and gadgets, Oliver would easily dominate in a fight with either Stargirl or Booster Gold. 7 Impulse AKA Bart Allen (The Flash) Now, things start to get a little more interesting when members of the Justice League begin to appear, many years before this superhero team would eventually be formed. And first to cross paths with Clark Kent is a young man named Bart Allen who appears to possess incredible speed, though he primarily uses it to steal money and food. Clark manages to show Bart a different path, and his heroic instincts kick in, which helps to transform him from a teenage delinquent into someone who has the potential to change the world. Of course, between the name and the power set, Bart seems like a familiar hero, because he is in fact Smallville's version of The Flash. As is often the case, the show was not allowed to use The Flash, so to work around this limitation, they slightly altered Barry's name to Bart, and called him Impulse instead of The Flash. Either way, his superspeed makes him one of the most powerful characters in Smallville. 6 Cyborg AKA Victor Stone Cyborg's story is perhaps even more tragic than the orphaned Bart Allen, as despite having a bright future as a football star ahead of him, Victor Stone got into a fatal car accident, resulting in his body being extensively damaged. However, Dr. Alistair Kreig was able to recover Victor's body, and with significant cybernetic enhancements, she was able to bring Victor back, though he would never be the same again. After becoming the Cyborg, Victor possessed enhanced strength, speed, an ability to rapidly heal, technopathy, and several other super side effects. In this revived condition, Cyborg becomes an incredibly powerful figure who can easily fling fully grown men aside while also hacking into a room full of servers. 5 Hawkman AKA Carter Hall Carter Hall is a fascinating character from DC Comics who is effectively immortal. Carter has lived many lives, and due to a curse that keeps him and his beloved wife, Shayera, returning to life only to lose one another every time, he has taken up the mantle of becoming a hero known as Hawkman within the world of Smallville. He possesses somewhat undefined super strength, among other abilities including flight, but the reason he ranks here in the middle is due to his longevity and many generations of experience, which have allowed him to become an incredibly efficient fighter. 4 Aquaman AKA Arthur Curry Getting into the upper half of this ranking, Arthur Curry appears earlier than most of the other heroes on this list, and initially Clark sees him as a potential threat. Clark had generally only met meteor-enhanced individuals up to the point when he met Arthur, and he was wary about his strange abilities. However, Arthur is revealed to be a dedicated activist who fights major organizations that choose to poison the ocean with waste. This makes perfect sense for the character, because as the King of the Sea, Aquaman does everything he can to protect his fishy friends. Regardless, his powers are extraordinary, with the ability to communicate with sealife, command the water, and employ superhuman strength. 3 Martian Manhunter AKA J'onn J'onzz J'onn J'onzz was revealed to have been a protector over Clark Kent, assigned to watch over the boy from a distance in his early life with Martha and Jonathan Kent. Having worked with Jor-El and hailing from the nearby planet Mars, J'onzz eventually reveals himself to a slightly more grown-up Clark before teaming up and taking information and tips from the NYPD. Anyway, Martian Manhunter remains one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe, and while his powers were absent for some time in Smallville, they are eventually restored, and with his powers restored, it's clear that he deserves a spot high on this list, perhaps only second to another near-extinct species. 2 Supergirl AKA Kara Zor-El While Kal-El, aka Clark Kent, was sent away to be raised on Earth when his homeworld was on the verge of global collapse, baby Kal wasn't the only Kryptonian to survive his home's destruction. That is where Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Clark, enters the story. Kara was already a young woman by the time her home was collapsing, and she was sent to care for her baby cousin. Unfortunately, her journey did not go exactly to plan, and when she arrived on Earth, her cousin was already a young man who was similar in age to her. Regardless, Kara powered up with the power of a yellow sun, and displays almost identical powers and abilities to her cousin. Ultimately, this makes her one of the very best heroes, with incredible strength that guarantees her spot as a top hero from Smallville. 1 Superman AKA Clark Kent That being said, there is only one correct answer when it comes to whom the most powerful hero is in Smallville, and that is Clark Kent himself. Before any other powers began to express themselves in Clark, his strength manifested while he was just a boy, meaning he had had the most time to control and make sense of his strength. While Clark never officially becomes Superman in Smallville, he remains the central hero of the story, with various powers becoming central in his adventures. And with that, Clark manages to always come out on top, either with a little help from his fellow DC heroes or with minimal help, revealing just how exceptional he is. Release Date 2001 - 2011-00-00 Network The WB, The CW Showrunner Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer Directors Mike Rohl, Jeannot Szwarc, Glen Winter, Terrence O'Hara, Whitney Ransick, Mairzee Almas, Paul Shapiro, Rick Rosenthal, David Carson, James L. Conway, Chris Long, Michael Katleman, Morgan Beggs, Allison Mack, David Barrett, Marita Grabiak, Michael W. Watkins, Philip Sgriccia, Rick Wallace, Thomas J. Wright, Todd Slavkin, Brad Turner, Charles Beeson, Craig Zisk Writers Steven S. DeKnight, Holly Henderson, Don Whitehead, Caroline Dries, Mark Verheiden, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Philip Levens, Jordan Hawley, Kenneth Biller, Michael Green, Drew Z. Greenberg, Geoff Johns, John Chisholm, Drew Landis, Julia Swift, Doris Egan, Tracy Bellomo, Garrett Lerner, Greg Walker, Russel Friend, Shintaro Shimosawa, Tim Schlattmann, todd helbing Creator(s) Alfred Gough, Miles Millar