When Smallville returns from its prolonged hiatus, viewers will be treated to the return of Jonathan Schneider as an alternate version of Clark's father.

A week later, meanwhile, they'll meet an entirely new character.

On April 22, Eric Martsolf guest stars as Booster Gold, a favorite to long-time DC Comic fans, someone described as a glory-seeking showboat from the future.

"The episode takes place in Booster's very early stages where he's at his conceited best, where he believes he can do whatever he wants," Martsolf told TV Guide, adding that his behavior will shock a Clark Kent who wants to remain more in the background.

Geoff Johns, a popular comic book scribe, wrote the episode, and says "the one thing Booster does prove to Clark is that people want to look up to this guy. They want to be inspired."

The highly-anticipated installment will also mark the debut of teenager Jaime Reyes (Jaren Brandt Bartlett), known to DC fanatics as Blue Beetle. Booster will rescue him and we'll learn of the character's origin.

As we head toward the May 13 series finale, Martsolf hopes the episode will satisfy both fans of the series and the comic. He teases:

"It's rich in comic book history, but it's also a vehicle for Clark to start to embrace the marketability of Superman and what he could potentially be."