Smallville/Characters/Kryptonians

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The House of El and associates

Kal-El / Clark Kent / The Blur

See The Kents.

Jor-El (Terence Stamp, Tom Welling, Julian Sands)

Jor-El in his pre-Fortress days.

Clark's Kryptonian biological father, Jor-El was a brilliant scientist who was regarded as one of Krypton's greatest heroes (next to Zod). When Krypton was about to go boom, he copied his brain patterns into the spaceship that would carry his son to Earth.

Tropes that pertain to the Kryptonian Jor-El

(to Clark via a holographic message) The ship I designed to carry you to your destiny can only hold one Kryptonian, one with so much potential--so unlike your father. ... I am sending with you all my knowledge, and none of my ego or regrets.

    • This is probably why the AI Jor-El is such a douche; because it doesn't want Kal-El to be like him.
  • Hot Dad
  • Humans Are Flawed: And so are Kryptonians.
  • Ignored Expert: Shown in a Flash Back scene in Season 9's "Kandor" when he tries to warn the Kryptonian Council that sending cloned Kryptonians to Earth might not be such a great idea.
  • Lighter and Softer: The clone (and presumably the real) Jor-El are shown to be much nicer than the Fortress AI.
  • Man in White: When he was alive on Krypton.
  • Posthumous Character
  • Science Hero: Heavily implied.
  • Take a Third Option: In "Kandor", he interrupts the taking of blood samples from Zod's army so they can be sent to Earth in the Orb. Later, he argues to the Kryptonian Council that he created cloning technology to help the sick and wounded rather than bring the dead (namely superpowered Kandorian soldiers) back to life. After he's ordered to finish the Orb despite his warnings of the Kandorian army potentially using their powers to take over Earth, Jor-El irradiates the Orb with Blue Kryptonite to De-Power the Kandorians.

Tropes that pertain to the A.I. Jor-El

Lara-El (Kendall Cross, Helen Slater)

Clark's Kryptonian biological mother.

Raya (Pascale Hutton)

Jor-El's lab assistant, Raya helped construct the spaceship that infant Kal-El escaped Krypton in, and was later put into the Phantom Zone so she could survive Krypton's destruction. Years later, she meets Clark after he's sent to the Phantom Zone by General Zod and helps him escape, but is believed to have been killed by two of Zod's henchmen. Later on, Raya shows up in Smallville, having been freed from the Phantom Zone herself along with some others, and helps Clark battle Baern, one of the Phantom Zone escapees. She is killed by Baern in the Fortress of Solitude.

Kara Kent / Kara Zor-El (Laura Vandervoort)

Clark's Kryptonian cousin, the daughter of Jor-El's brother Zor-El. Kara was sent to Earth by her father, ostensibly to find and look after her cousin Kal-El, only to be trapped in suspended animation shortly after her arrival. Eighteen years later (in Season 7), Kara is awakened following a battle between Clark and Bizarro.

While she initially has trouble fitting in, Kara grows into her role as Clark's cousin, protege and confidante... only to be kidnapped by Brainiac and forced into the Phantom Zone, from which she was not released until Season 8. She made her return in Season 10 and began operating out of Metropolis as a Superhero. In the second-to-last episode of the series, she travels to the 31st century using a Legion ring.

Zor-El (Christopher Heyerdahl)

Clark's Kryptonian uncle, Jor-El's younger brother and Kara's father. A scientist like his brother, Zor-El and Jor-El did not get along very well, probably since Zor-El was in love with Jor-El's wife Lara and tried to kill Jor-El so he could have Lara all to himself. He later became an ally to General Zod, but only so he could fulfill an ancient Kryptonian prophecy by destroying the planet.

Years later, Zor-El and Lara are resurrected by a Power Crystal he sent with Kara to Earth. He tries to take over Earth, only to be stopped when Clark destroys the crystal that brought him and Lara back to life.

Clone Jor-El (Julian Sands)

The House of Zod and associates

General Zod (Michael Rosenbaum, Callum Blue)

A Kryptonian military general and war criminal, Zod's body was destroyed and his soul thrown into the Phantom Zone following an attempted coup against the Ruling Council. Freed in the Season 5 finale by Brainiac (who pulls a Thanatos Gambit on Clark), Zod body-jacks Lex Luthor, using the billionaire's newly-gained superpowers in an attempt to bring the world to its knees. He is defeated by Clark in the Season 6 opening and imprisoned by the Crystal of El.

In Season 8, it is revealed that Zod and his second wife, Faora, had been unable to have children. Genetically engineering a child, they sent him to Earth as genetic material attached to Kal-El's spaceship. Said child grew up to be Doomsday, and was intended to kill Clark and destroy the world.

In Season 9, Major Zod's arrival leads to important revelations about his genetic predecessor, namely that Zod was once a hero from the war against Black Zero and that his hatred for Jor-El stemmed from the latter's refusal to clone his son, following the death of Zod's family when Kandor was destroyed by Black Zero. The Major was eventually banished by the Book of Rao (see his entry for more on that).

In the Season 10 episode "Dominion", it's revealed that the General, with Darkseid's help, has successfully taken over the body of Major Zod, who was banished to the Phantom Zone by the Kandorians, and has carved out an empire for himself. He then lures Clark and Oliver to the Zone and pits them against one another in gladiatorial combat. This backfires badly, and Zod, along with two of his followers, is cut off from the Phantom Zone and trapped within a crystalline prison that goes spiraling off into space.

  • Abusive Dad: To Davis/Doomsday.
  • Badass
  • Back for the Finale: Appears in one of the last episodes.
  • Bald of Evil: When possessing Lex.
  • Beard of Evil: Sported by both his Phantom and Major Zod bodies.
  • Bigger Bad: In Season 5.
  • British Accents: After his Fusion Dance with Major Zod.
  • Cain and Abel: References the story and invokes the trope during "Dominion" with both Clark and Oliver. He seems desperate for a "brother-in-arms" worth having.
  • Cool Chair: Is seated atop a skull-decorated throne in Season 10.
  • The Corrupter: Tries to tempt Oliver into evil in "Dominion".
  • Deal with the Devil: Made a deal with Darkseid to gain control over the Zone and Major Zod.
  • Demoted to Dragon: In "Dominion", he is reduced to Darkseid's surrogate, ruling the Phantom Zone in the latter's absence.
  • The Disembodied: To even greater extremes than normal for a Zoner. His body was not only destroyed, but his Phantom was altered so that it can only control a body that has been specially prepared. Brainiac has to mutate Lex to make him Grand Theft Me}}-able; after his defeat by Clark, the General is reduced to being a ghost again until a deal with Darkseid lets him perform a Fusion Dance with Major Zod.
  • Evil Brit: Post-Fusion Dance.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Jor-El. Invoked with Clark in "Dominion", after he seizes control of the Major.
  • Evil Overlord: Successfully conquers the Mordor that is the Phantom Zone and sets himself up as its tyrant, with a little help from Darkseid and Major Zod's body.
  • Fallen Hero: Was once called one of Krypton's greatest heroes (see Major Zod for more on that).
  • Flaw Exploitation: Clark exploits his drive for control to defeat him in "Zod"; in "Dominion", Clark and Oliver exploit his need to kill Clark himself to take his crystal and escape the Zone.
  • Flying Brick: While possessing Lex.
  • Fusion Dance: "Dominion" is unclear as to whether the General or the Major is more in control. He has the latter's body, the former's coldness and sense of fashion, and seems to retain both of their memories.
  • Gladiator Games: Oversees them after seizing control of the Zone in Season 10.
  • Grand Theft Me: Of Lex, and eventually, his own clone, Major Zod. With his original body destroyed, this is the best he can do.
  • Happily Married: To Faora.
  • I Control My Minions Through...: Fanatical Loyalty in the case of Faora and the Disciples of Zod, Fear in the case of the Zoners in "Dominion".
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: Pulls this on Lana in "Zod"; according to Word of God, this is due to his being influenced by Lex's emotions and not any real interest on his part.
  • Insane Admiral: Cold-blooded, ruthless and visibly off his rocker (although not nearly to the degree of Major Zod, who seems to live one step away from a Villainous Breakdown).
  • In the Hood: Briefly during "Dominion".
  • It's Personal: By "Dominion".
  • Kneel Before Zod: Naturally.
  • Large Ham
  • Mythology Gag: After he was taken out of Lex's body, he resembles the one from the Christopher Reeve movies. At the end of "Dominion", he and two henchmen, who may well be Non and Ursa, are sent spiraling off into space, much like in Superman II.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: When he couldn't take over Krypton, he corrupted the Brain InterActive Construct and helped Zor-El blow up the planet.
  • The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: A variant. He has no problem with someone else beating the tar out of Clark, but only he is allowed to deliver the coup de grace.
  • Out-Gambitted: By Clark and Oliver in "Dominion".
  • Revenge: Wants to payback on the House of El for his imprisonment. Later his feud with Clark becomes personal, following the latter's defeat of him, and his own subsequent Fusion Dance with Major Zod who hates Clark more than anyone whose name isn't Lex.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Three times.
  • Second Love: Faora, who was originally one of the soldiers under his command.
  • Sins of Our Fathers: The General initially targets Kal-El because Jor-El is unavailable. It turns personal later on.
  • Unholy Matrimony: With Faora.
  • We Can Rule Together: To Lana and Clark in "Zod", and Oliver in "Dominion".
  • We Used to Be Friends: He and Jor-El.

Faora (Erica Durance, Sharon Taylor)

Zod's second wife, Faora escapes the Phantom Zone in Season 8, possesses Lois Lane and goes hunting for her son Doomsday, whom she and Zod genetically engineered due to her own inability to bear children. Finding him in his human form as Davis Bloome, Faora murders him in order to kick-start his mutant genetics and transform him into the killing machine she and Zod intended him to be. She is sent to the Phantom Zone once again by Kara, through the use of the Martian Manhunter's crystal.

In Season 9, we learn that Faora was originally one of Zod's soldiers during his days with the Kryptonian army. She grew close to her commander after the death of his first wife and son, eventually becoming his partner in the plot to take over or destroy Krypton.

Nam-Ek and Aethyr (Leonard Roberts and Alana de la Garza)

Two of Zod's henchmen (or "disciples"), Nam-Ek and Aethyr come to Earth during the second meteor shower that strikes Smallville at the end of Season 4, having escaped Krypton before its destruction inside of a black spaceship (which also contained Brainiac). After they raise some hell in Smallville searching for Clark, Clark finds them and manages to send them to the Phantom Zone. They return in the Season 6 premiere. Nam-Ek is killed by Raya; Aethyr's fate remains unknown.

Davis Bloome / Doomsday (Sam Witwer / Dario Delacio)

A paramedic who befriends Chloe in Season 8, Davis suffers from constant blackouts and memory lapses, and has his own connections to Krypton and Zod. Faora eventually reveals that he is Doomsday, the genetically-engineered son of herself and Zod—news Davis does not take well.

At first determined to end his own life, the knowledge that this is more or less impossible, combined with his growing crush on Chloe and his obsession with protecting his secrets, slowly drive Davis mad, turning him into a dark mirror of Clark Kent. Discovering that he can keep Doomsday under control by committing murders as Davis, the paramedic becomes a Serial Killer in both his identities; while this prevents Doomsday from hurting others, it causes Davis to become increasingly evil, transforming him into the season's Big Bad. The two are separated by Black Kryptonite in the finale; in the aftermath, Doomsday is imprisoned underground, while the de-powered Davis FaceHeelTurns, kills Henry James Olsen, and is in turn killed by Henry.

Major Zod (Callum Blue)

"You choose to fight me! You forced me to unleash my power! We could have made this planet a paradise!"

A clone of the original Zod from his time as a Major, he and his cloned Kandorian army arrive in Season 9, following Clark's defeat of Doomsday and Tess' activation of the Orb in the Season 8 finale. Determined to gain Kryptonian powers for his initially depowered army, Zod is nevertheless horrified by the knowledge that his own future self destroyed Krypton. Clark attempts to use this knowledge to save the Major from himself, but to little avail; Zod slides further into villainy even as people within his own army begin to question his leadership. Following the collapse of his alliance with Tess and his own murder of Faora whom he regards as a traitor, Zod declares war on the entire world. Clark is able to reveal the full extent of his crimes to the Kandorians, however, and the entire army is ultimately sent away from Earth by the Book of Rao, though not before Zod and Clark engage in an epic Knife Fight to see who will truly control Earth's future.

In the Bad Future of "Pandora", Zod and the Kandorians have conquered the world. In the main timeline, Zod stays one step ahead of Clark by posing as the Blur and convincing Lois to give him information.

The main antagonist of Season 9, Zod is a quick study, and a capable political and business leader, in addition to being the superb tactician and strategist that one would expect Krypton's greatest war hero to be.

He returns in the Season 10 episode "Dominion," where it's revealed not only that he's conquered the Phantom Zone in Darkseid's name, but he's been possessed by the Phantom of the original Zod. See General Zod, above, for more on that.

Clone Faora (Sharon Taylor)

A clone of Faora (duh) from before she and Zod were in a serious relationship. At first loyal to Zod, Faora eventually begins to gravitate towards Kal-El (Clark) as she attempts to create a new life for herself on Earth. She is slain by the Major in cold-blood when he discovers she no longer wants a part in his World Domination scheme; he then discovers she is carrying his child after the one night they spent together.

Alia (Monique Ganderton)

One of Zod's cloned soldiers. Clark faces an alternate timeline version of her who kills herself by accident. The real Alia is revealed to have killed the clone Jor-El; Zod shoots her in retribution.

Basqat (Adrian Holmes)

A captain in Major Zod's Kandorian army, Basqat led the mutiny against the Major in the Season 9 premiere alongside Faora. He later becomes Zod's Number Two, a position he faithfully holds until the season finale.

Vala (Crystal Lowe)

Faora's sister.


Other Kryptonians

Dax-Ur (Marc McClure)

A Kryptonian scientist who invented Brainiac, Dax-Ur fled to Earth a couple of centuries ago after finding out that Brainiac had the potential to destroy planets. Using Blue Kryptonite to depower himself, he lived as a normal human, even settling down with a wife and son and working as a mechanic. In Season 7's "Persona," he helps Clark defeat Bizarro, only to later be killed by Brainiac.


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