Characters who Should Appear on Smallville

*Originally published on 3/3/10


A while back I wrote an article detailing my thoughts on Smallville's habit of bringing in other DC characters to try and draw in viewers. I basically said that it was getting ridiculous and that they should focus on bringing other characters back to build the Smallville heroverse. Now, it seems unlikely that they are going to stop. So, if they're going to bring in other heroes anyway, I might as well make some suggestions as to who I'd like to see.

Now, the first suggestion any DC fan is going to make is either Batman or Wonder Woman. I agree, appearances by those characters would be rather cool, but they won't ever happen for legal reasons. In fact, one of the reasons that they brought in Green Arrow was to act as a sort of replacement for Batman (since for a longtime he was little more than a Batman clone, it's fitting). While this covers DC's big three, there are still a ton of great characters who could show up in the future.

Speaking of future, Booster Gold! He's a hero who traveled to the past to protect our future. Most comic fans know him from the Giffen/DeMatteis run on Justice League. He is a more lighthearted hero who usually starts out joining the hero biz to make a quick buck. I think he'd make a great foil for Clark, not to mention you have one of two possible partners in either Skeets, Gold's robot buddy, or fellow hero Blue Beetle. If the Blue and Gold showed up on Smallville, comic fans would rejoice.

If you're going with the duo, I would say stick with Ted Kord, but if you want the Blue Beetle to make a solo guest spot, I would suggest going with Jaime, the latest Blue Beetle. He's a likable character and would make a fine addition to the hero team that is currently being built. He would also prove a valuable ally as the suit really is a potent weapon.

Potent a weapon though it may be, it's no match for the power of the Green Lantern ring. Absolute Justice suggested that Alan Scott may still be out there somewhere and an appearance by him would indeed rule. That being said, seeing the Corps introduced would also be incredibly awesome. The name that first pops into mind with this scenario is Hal Jordan as he is the most iconic of the Earth Green Lanterns. Were I picking the character, I would say Guy Gardner should be the one to appear. His brash attitude would clash with Clark's idealism and he's just an awesome character in general.

A lesser known character that would make for an entertaining hour of television is The Creeper. He's bugnuts insane and is great for comedy. While he is a hero, his mania makes him a wild card and he can provide an interesting foil for Clark.

I'm kind of surprised Power Girl hasn't shown up yet, maybe they don't want to get into the whole multiverse thing, but given her Kryptonian roots it seems like a natural fit (while we're on the topic, having Supergirl return would be cool too. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the assistance against Zod, but that's another topic entirely).

A recent episode sort of channeled the spirit of Captain Marvel, so an appearance by him would seem a bit redundant. Although, if he did show up we could get a bona fide fight (in theory anyway). In addition to that, he's such a boy scout that even Superman pales and it would be interesting to see that idealism brought to life. As Batman so eloquently put it, "he's sunny".

Now, I'd prefer it if they just stuck with the characters that they have. If they are going to bring in new characters, these are the ones that I would try the hardest to bring in. They are lesser known characters who could benefit from the exposure and they would make for great television as well, essentially everybody wins.