Smallville
Interviews

On February 5, The CW will air a special two-hour episode of Smallville, on that focuses on the Justice Society.

Michael Shanks will play a key role on the anticipated installment, appearing as the character of Hawkman. He spoke to TV Guide Magazine this week about the gig. A few excerpts:

On Hawkman's background: When we first meet Carter Hall he’s in his museum. We’ll learn he’s a reincarnated prince from a thousand years ago. There is a reference to The Justice Society’s time in the ‘70s, but we have since disbanded.

On advice for Clark: There’s a reference given to him flying, but it’s more of a metaphor to his own personal growth. Clark and his friends are figuring out what their destinies will be, so there is a ripe opportunity for the Justice Society who had been there done that to offer some tough love teaching.

On his relationship with Chloe: She is a bit of an enigma to him. To have this pretty, smart blonde girl walking around among all these superheroes is an anomaly. Carter doesn’t know what to make of her.

Has Chloe been underused on Smallville this season?

Many fans of The CW series believe so. TV Guide Magazine took this question, and others, to executive producer Brian Peterson. Here's what he had to say:

On Chloe's season nine role: She has stepped out of the sidekick shadows and she has owned Watchtower and she is taking it upon herself while Clark is busy with Kandorians and Lois and being the Blur. She’s started to create the fledgling group that will eventually become the Justice League. So she’s basically in some ways running the show behind the scenes.

On Chloe as... Mary Magdalene?!? We really see Chloe as the Mary Magdalene to Clark’s Christ. She may not have romance now, she may not have romance in the future, but how she loves him and the way she helps him grow as a character is paramount to him becoming Superman. And that is never going to change.

On the return of Serinda Swan: We are really excited about that. She’s coming back in an episode called “Warrior,” about Warrior Angel and that is a very Chloe-centric episode. It’s a great light spot in a kind of very heavy [storyline] run for us. It’s going to happen in the winter.

In other exciting Smallville news, fans can look forward to a two-hour movie event in January.

It's a simple, yet pressing question: Will Clark Kent finally become Superman this season on Smallvile?

A fan of The CW series posed this question to TV Guide Magazine; who, in turn, took it to producer Brian Peterson.

He said the black blur suit Clark has been donning this season was only meant to be a temporary bridge to the long-overdue Superman unveiling; which, yes, is currently being planned.

“Given the Clark Kent everyone knows from our show, it would come out of nowhere to have him automatically start wearing the [Superman] suit,” Peterson said, adding season nine might conclude with Clark building a new costume with more familiar colors.

As for Lois and Clark getting together, as the former dreamed at the start of this season? Look above, Smallville fans.

“What we teased in the premiere, we have all intentions of paying off for the fans this season," Peterson said.

A new love interest for Chloe. New steps in the Clark/Lois relationship. A showdown with Zod and the arrival of Jor-El.

Indeed, there's A LOT to come on season nine of Smallville. Who better to ask about it than Executive Producer Kelly Souders? She previewed future storylines in a recent interview with TV Guide.

Who will romance Chloe? I'll give you this much: It's somebody who is very charming and it would be hard for anybody not to have a fire for.

Will we see more powers from Clark? He has so much other story going on, we don't see a lot of that for a little while, but it does come back into play. I can't quite [tease any powers] because we're breaking one of them as we speak and we're going back and forth on exactly how the power works, but I can say that it's a magnificent power.

What about Clark and Lois as a couple? You get a little more insight, particularly into Lois. In the past, Clark was always hesitant to get into a relationship. He's finally met his match in Lois and I think she's even more hesitant in some ways than he is. The issues that she's grappling with romantically will start to emerge more clearly over this first half of the season.

What's in store for Zod? There's a little secret about Zod and the Kandorians: They're not exactly the way you think they are; that has a great deal to do with how the mythos would play out. In Episode 7, which is called "Kandor," a lot of their backstory comes to light and it sheds a huge light on them here presently.

As for Joe-El, Souders says to tune in for the episode titled "Kandor," from which the photo above is taken.

She also says there's a good chance Smallville returns for season 10, to which we respond: Hooray!!!

Forget Team Jacob vs. Team Edward for a moment.

Smallville fans have their own ongoing debate: Team Chloe vs. Team Lois.

While Superman lore clearly favors Lois over Chloe, a handful of long-time fans are still hoping the latter has a chance with Clark. Does she? TV Guide posed this question to Smallville producer Kelly Souders?

"I hate saying never because it's Smallville," Souders replied. "But this year, fans will see that both of them have maybe moved on to people who are strangely more suited for each other."

Are you on Team Chloe or Team Lois?

The character development for Chloe and Clark has, in many ways, created basic differences between them.

"When you think of a guy who has just walked through life and had all the power in the world — even though he's had troubles, it's not such a challenge for him in some ways," Souders said. "Chloe is somebody who's had a lot of trauma in her life and has done an amazing job of pulling herself up by her bootstraps. But it gives both of them a very different outlook on life.

"In some ways, they were much more similar when they were younger [and] were more naïve about the world. They've both grown up a lot and Chloe has really come into her own, just as Clark has."

Souders does confirm that the pair's friendship will blossom again, even as Clark grows closer to Lois romantically this season.

Last season, Jimmy Olson died on Smallville and viewers were stunned.

Now, producer Kelly Souders warns fans not to get too comfortable again. She told TV Guide that more people will follow Jimmy's late lead on season nine. She said:

"You will see more people than you can imagine die in the first 12 [episodes]. Luckily it's Smallville, so not all of them stick."

How about a few hints, Kelly? Thank you...

• Will the death take place in the present or the future? "A little bit of both."
• Will it be one of Lois' visions? "There might be a few people who pass away in her visions, too."
• Will any of the main characters be the victims? "You can't make me ruin that. I promise you all the people you love to watch, you will still be loving to watch in episode 18, 19, 20, 21."

Armed with that information, what do you think, readers? Who will Smallville viewers say goodbye to next?

Ponder that question, leave a comment and pour through the latest Smallville quotes on TV Fanatic!

What happens when two evil characters join forces? Nothing good, as Smallville viewers will soon find out.

In a recent interview with TV Guide, Cassidy Freeman previewed her Tess' upcoming partnership with Zod.

In the excerpts below, the actress speaks on whether Tess is truly after the destruction of Earth, or is merely hoping to protect it...

On the burgeoning Tess and Zod relationship: The stakes just keep getting higher. We keep power-playing each other and we keep trying to win, and the other keeps winning each hand, but no one is really winning the whole game. He surprises me at an event, I can tell you that. He just shows up every time and catches me off guard.

On Tess turning evil: You're going to figure that out come midseason... she gets pretty evil. It's really like no holds barred. I'm willing to pretty much do anything to get what I want, which is a cure for the Earth, which is like a saving of Earth. Whatever I think that takes, I will do, but I do some pretty awful stuff.

On Tess vs. Lois: Lois always interests me. I don't think that Tess really respects her too much. I think Tess thinks she's just a pawn that she needs to use. I know she's very connected to Clark, so that's why she's kept around. I know she might be foolish enough to let things out, or I think she'll be foolish enough to tell me secrets and tell me what she knows, but she never does. She's this funny, quirky girl that's such a hard-ass with Tess and frustrates the hell out of her.

We can't wait to watch it all develop. In the meantime, remember to visit TV Fanatic each week for the latest Smallville quotes.

On tonight's episode of Smallville, the character of John Corbin gets plowed over by a bus. Cue the creation of Metallo, a character viewers have already seen glimpses of.

In an interview with TV Guide this week, Brian Austin Green speaks on his villainous role and about the changes to come on Smallville...

On Corbin's transformation: It's an unwelcome one. It's not something that he asks for. As you see, the man steps off a curb and wakes up being who he is. There's a part of him that enjoys it and realizes that he can use it to the best of his abilities and use it to accomplish what he wants, but at the same time, it's probably not the happiest thing being Kryptonite-powered and robotic. It's not what he asked for, and I think there's a lot of anger that comes with that.

On Metallo vs. the Blur: For him, this is the man who carries the world on his shoulders, but he doesn't think he has the right to, and he's not really trained for the job. It's because of him, at least to John, that his sister is gone. His sister was his world.

On future episodes featuring Metallo: I'm figuring that they're waiting until this next episode airs to see if people actually like the character or not. They kicked around ideas when I was shooting it, but it's completely up in the air at this point. Who knows, it could happen.