Why Smallville Couldn't Let Clark Kent Fly, Explained

Long before fans saw superhero journeys unfold across entire interconnected universes, The CW's Smallville proved that audiences were willing to spend years watching a hero's origin. Running for 217 episodes and premiering in 2001, the showfocused on Tom Welling's Clark Kent as he navigates life as a teenager in Smallville, Kansas, while gradually discovering the extraordinary abilities that would one day make him Superman. Smallville became one of the most successful superhero series ever made over the course of its decade-long run.