25 Years Later, Smallville's Greatest Line Just Gets Better

Published Sep 4, 2026, 8:30 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 Smallville was the perfect coming-of-age superhero story, exploring the complexity of growing up and balancing power with responsibility, and early in its run, it managed to sum things up in a surprisingly elegant way. Before the rise of major superhero franchises like the DCU, or even the MCU, Smallville began expanding on the life and world of Superman with incredible depth. In fact, the show takes several steps back from the renowned Man of Tomorrow to focus on the life of a young Clark Kent, years before donning a cape and becoming the world's greatest hero. As a teenager, Clark dealt with a lot of the usual drama most kids experience: dating, bullies, trying to fit in, playing sports, and figuring out what he wanted to be when he grew up. But for Clark, things weren't quite as straightforward as it was for his peers. Clark had powers that had been expressing themselves and evolving ever since he was a little boy. This created a barrier between Clark and the rest of the world, and while he struggled to put the challenges of his life into words, there was someone who seemed to have remarkable wisdom and clarity on the whole ordeal of growing up in a place like Smallville. Smallville's Greatest Quote Comes From An Unexpected Character Clark's first crush, Lana Lang, was his literal girl next door. As kids, Lana and Clark knew each other, and they had a familiarity, but as Clark grew, he developed strong feelings that he struggled to articulate, resulting in Lana making connections elsewhere. But the pair continued to have a connection that seemed to supersede any other. For one thing, Lana and Clark were inextricably connected throughout the day the meteor shower hit Smallville, which resulted in the tragic deaths of both of Lana's parents, and Clark was found and adopted by the Kents the same day (though Lana only knew about the latter detail). These intense events happening so early in both their lives led to Lana having wisdom far beyond her years, which she shares with Clark as early as Smallville season 1, episode 2, "Metamorphosis." In talking to Clark about the ups and downs of life, Lana beautifully sums it all up as follows: “Life is about change, sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful, but most of the time it's both.” As much as this insight reveals Lana's ability to see the world clearly, she had no idea just how much this statement would define Clark's entire existence. Lana Lang Sums Up Clark's Future Better Than Anyone Else Of course, the audience is aware that one day, that humble farm boy from Smallville will go on to become the world's most inspiring and recognizable hero, Superman. And as much as Superman is a beacon of hope and virtue for the entire world to look to, Superman is also an inherently flawed character. Clark Kent, aka Kal-El, is the last of his species. An alien whose parents sent him away from his home planet, Krypton, as the entire world collapsed. He is alone in the universe, and his powers may be a gift that allows him to do incredible things and save others, but as he was growing up, they were also an overwhelming cause for concern and anxiety. To Clark, his powers served as a reminder that he was not like anyone else. And despite being able to leap entire buildings, outrun a bullet, or lift a tractor above his head with ease, they also isolate him. Even when he grows up to embrace his destiny, Superman has to balance his personal life, carefully segmenting his worlds, and hiding a part of himself from almost everyone around him. This powerful and brief line from Lana, appearing so soon in the series' run, serves as the perfect introduction to a story about the life and evolution of this character, and Smallville brings it all together spectacularly. All of this combines to create one of the very best Superman stories ever told, with a firmer grasp on the ideology behind the character than many other projects that came before or since. 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