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* [[Acceptable Professional Targets]]: When Lex smashed in a meter maid's car with a golf club in Season 2, everyone who hears about it [[Played for Laughs|laughs]]. Even the [[Holier Than Thou]] Clark laughs about it.
* [[Alas, Poor Villain]]: Lex in Season 8, both in and out of universe. Arguably Lionel, depending on whether or not you think he'd really reformed.
* [[And the Fandom Rejoiced]]: [[John Glover]]'s return.
** {{spoiler|Michael Rosenbaum}} agreeing to return for the finale, "for the fans." Much rejoicing, but apparently some fans find that motive suspect and thus aren't very appreciative.
** The confirmation that [[God Mode Sue|Lana]] [[CreatorsCreator's Pet|Lang]] ''wouldn't'' be returning for the finale.
** [[Pam Grier]] playing Amanda Waller in ''[[Smallville]]'' is either this or [[WTH Casting Agency]].
*** The announcement that the Smallville continuity will officially be continuing in comic book form as a Season 11!
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** Arguably Chloe in Seasons 8 and 9. The character was still well-liked by a good portion of the fanbase, but there was a rather vocal segment of the fanbase that began to actively loathe Chloe during the arc where she was getting closer to Davis. It really says something that in the episode where she stops Clark from banishing Davis to the Phantom Zone, there were some who actually wanted Clark to push them ''both'' through the portal, and that these people were very vocal about their opinion on the message boards (hard to say which group was really the majority). It's almost as if the [[Hatedom]] needed to find another character to focus their hatred on now that Lana was gone for good.
* [[Complete Monster]]:
** Brainiac. He has no redeeming qualities, ruthlessly manipulates those around him with sneering contempt, tries to unleash Zod to enslave the world, and later begins draining people of their trace minerals in order to re-build himself, murders his creator and finally [[Body Surf|body-jacks Chloe]] while attempting [[Omnicidal Maniac|to end all life on Earth via Doomsday]]. During the commission of the aforementioned crimes, he experiments on victims using various deadly diseases, and twice unleashes a lethal computer virus. The first one shuts down most the planet as a ''distraction'' while he works to unleash Zod; the second one is part of his end-the-world-plot. He infects Mrs. Kent with a Kryptonian disease to make Clark help him in Season 5, and puts Lana in a coma in Season 7 in order to achieve the same end, before trapping [[Supergirl|Kara]] in the Phantom Zone, taking her place, and revealing Clark's secret to [[Arch Enemy|Lex]]. And oh yeah, in a [[Bad Future]], he and Lex were going to [[Nuke 'Em|nuke]] half the world so they could remake it in their image. He's treated with fear and revulsion by Clark, the Legion of Super-Heroes and even [[Even Evil Has Standards|Bizarro]], and actually gets the Legion to consider performing a [[Shoot the Dog]] on Chloe when he was inhabiting her. While he eventually {{spoiler|[[Heel Face Turn|Heel Face Turns]] it's after being forcibly reprogrammed by the Legion, and thus doesn't count}}.
*** {{spoiler|Considering that his original programming was corrupted by Zod, turning him into a [[Complete Monster]] in the first place, some see the reprogramming as a return to what he was likely intended to be by his original creators, and so are more forgiving.}}
** Lx-3 starts out by burning all the other clones and trying to murder a five year-old, successfully murders everyone at Cadmus, and ends with kidnapping, bombing and a [[Sadistic Choice]]. Not bad for a guy who appears in one episode.
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* [[Damsel Scrappy]]: Lana in some episodes, like the ''entire first season'' for example. Later, Lois, mostly in Season Eight onward. To put things in perspective, if there is an episode where Lois ''isn't'' endangered at any point, it's completely unexpected.
* [[Designated Evil]]: Smallvillains [http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/07/27/smallville-recap-red/ points this out in the episode "Red".] Let's recap; Clark gets a class ring that his dad hates (even though Clark bought it with his own money) which has red kryptonite and changes his moods. Outside of stealing his parents' credit card to buy a Gamecube, screwing around with a blind Lionel Luthor (who deserves it) and tracking down a [[Girl of the Week]] [[It Makes Sense in Context|for a bounty.]] The supposed evil is slacking off in his studies, checking out Chloe, going to a bar with Lana, being more forward with her, telling Lex to MOVE OUT OF HIS HOUSE AND AWAY FROM LIONEL and generally acting like a normal teenage boy while Jonathan acts like a jerk to him.
* [[Designated Hero]]: Clark Kent, in early seasons, made various morally dubious decisions without getting called out on it. This got far better in later seasons, with Clark often serving as the moral center to other, more [[Anti -Hero|Antiheroic]] characters. Lana, on the other hand, was never able to ditch this title, being constantly praised by the cast even as she repeatedly betrayed her so called friends. Depending on who you ask, Chloe picked up the [[Designated Hero]] ball after Lana left.
* [[Designated Villain]]: Lex Luthor, in early seasons, saved the jobs of half of Smallville, saved the Kent farm, saved the world, was a loyal friend to Clark, but, because he had the same name as a character in a well known (real-world) comic book, he must have been a villain all along, even if no-one's managed to find any dogs for him to kick yet...
* [[Draco in Leather Pants]]: Lex, Lex, Lex. Even ''after'' he began transitioning to evil, there were fangirls (and a few online critics) willing to excuse anything he did.
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** Alicia was only supposed to appear in one episode, but despite being a [[Yandere]], proved inexplicably popular enough that they brought her back for a run in Season 4.
*** Probably had something to do with the fact that she was rather sympathetic and was one of the few girls to love Clark for Clark, and be brave enough to ask him out.
* [[Evil Is Cool]]: Lionel Luthor. His fans are fully aware of his utter bastardry, yet love him all the more for it. Brainiac's another example, being more or less universally loved not for his good traits, but for being [[Complete Monster|an irredeemable psycho]] on a show that was otherwise filled with [[Anti -Villain|Antivillains]] and [[Tragic Monster|Tragic Monsters]].
* [[Evil Is Sexy]]: The opinion of many, many fangirls regarding Lex and Davis. The opinion of many fanboys regarding Tess Mercer.
* [[Fan Disservice]]: Metallo. He's a [[Walking Shirtless Scene]]...with [[Body Horror|hideous tubing]] protruding from his ribs.
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** Clark and Lana, non-stop. Even when she was gone from the show and came back, the plot came back around just as Lois and Clark began to get to know each other.
** Chloe and Oliver are sometimes accused of this, particularly from [[Die for Our Ship|Chimmy shippers.]]
* [[Ron the Death Eater]]: [[The Scrappy|Lana]] [[CreatorsCreator's Pet|Lang]] is incredibly annoying, but to hear it from some of the fanbase, she's a whiny whore, [[Axe Crazy]] [[Psycho Ex Girlfriend]], and borderline [[Big Bad]] who just needs to die. Lionel Luthor was [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|no]] [[Self Made Orphan|saint]] [[Abusive Dad|either]], but once again, there's a strong tendency (especially among [[Draco in Leather Pants|Lex]] fans) to turn him into [[Pure Evil]] in fanfics, complete with Sexual Abuse.
** The Kents also get this in Lex-centric fics, despite having very good reasons for wanting their son to stay away from the Luthors in the actual show. Lex himself will get ''heavy'' [[Draco in Leather Pants]] treatment, while the Kents will be turned into vicious, abusive [[Control Freak|ControlFreaks]] who don't care about Clark's happiness at all and loathe the Luthors for literally no reason, and occasionally scheme to steal the Luthors' wealth. This is especially jarring when one remembers that in the actual '''canon'', Jonathan and Martha Kent are supposed to be among the ''nicest'' people in the entire DC Multiverse.
*** In Chloe/Clark shipper fics or Chlois Theory fics, poor Lois will often be made out to be some kind of [[The Ditz|ditzy]] alcoholic and [[Memetic Slut]] who doesn't "deserve" the identity of Lois Lane. She will then bumble her way to an embarassing death at the hands of the [[Big Bad]], or occasionally (in the more extreme fics) even turn out to be the [[Big Bad]]'s evil [[Dragon]] sidekick, in which case she will be unceremoniously defeated and banished to the Phantom Zone. Chloe will then assume the identity of "Lois Lane" (for... some reason) and becomes the reporter character we know from the comics. Naturally the Chlois Theory and all related fanfics are ''extremely'' far from canon.
*** Even '''Clark''' gets this treatment very often in fanfic. That's right folks: the future ''[[Superman]]'' often gets made out to be a [[Complete Monster]] in fanfic, usually in fics that involve Chloe shipping with Lex, Ollie or Davis. These fanfics often bash on Clark for [[What Do You Mean ItsIt's Not Heinous?|committing the horrible crime of seeing Chloe as *gasp* just a friend and not a love interest.]] Apparently, Clark deciding that he and Chloe are [[Better As Friends]] is enough to justify portraying Clark as a borderline retarded, selfish, and sniveling asshole who genuinely ''wants'' to make Chloe as miserable as possible. Chloe will then rush into the waiting arms of Lex/Davis/etc., who will usually get ''heavy'' [[Draco in Leather Pants]] treatment. Naturally, this is the ''farthest'' thing from canon. In the show's actual canon, Clark is a genuinely nice person (and [[The Cape]] in fact) who cares deeply about Chloe (as his best friend) and shares a [[Like Brother and Sister]] relationship with her from Season 5 onwards... but don't tell that to the shippers.
*** Clark also gets this treatment very often in Lex-centric fics. Typically Lex will either be deeply in love with Clark or at the very least will care deeply about him in a platonic way (it varies from fic to fic), but despite this, Clark will treat Lex like crap. If it's a fic where Lex is in love with Clark, [[Complete Monster|Clark]] will not only reject Lex's advances, but will say something viciously cruel to him and treat him worse than ever, in a series of increasingly-terrifying [[Kick the Dog]] moments for Clark. [[Beware the Superman|Thus, when Lex becomes the main opposition figure against Clark/Superman, the writer will be able to portray it as being completely justified.]] (Also in these fics, Jonathan and Martha will usually be cackling evilly in the background while Clark treats Lex terribly)
* [[The Scrappy]]/[[CreatorsCreator's Pet]]: Lana. No matter how irrelevant her plot lines were, or how annoying the fans found her, she kept getting more and more screen time, until Seasons 4 through 6 were nicknamed "Lanaville" by the fans. The writers arguably kept the character on board way past the point of her usefulness to the plot, and in the case of Al Gough and Miles Millar even seemed to care more about Lana than any other character (even Clark). It really says something that in the DVD commentary, co-creators Gough and Millar actually declare that "she is the true magic of the show."
** Apparently it came out that Gough and Millar actually did the casting for Lana ''before they did the casting for Clark.'' That is all.
* [[Seasonal Rot]]: Pick any season after Season 3 and you'll find its fair share of haters or people who agree this is when the show got bad. However Season 9 has had [[Broken Base|more mixed reviews]] compared to past seasons, and the final season, 10, has been even better received, though the series finale [[Broken Base|breaks the base again.]]
* [[Strangled By the Red String]]: Clark and Lana. Repeatedly. Heck, Lex and Lana too for that matter. Where in the heck did that relationship come from?
** Actually Lex/Lana was hinted at the very first time they met, in "Metamorphosis." Lex stares at Lana, and tells Clark that he has good taste in women. Later, as Lana walks away, Lex is ''still'' staring at her.
* [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks]]: Comic book fans seem to often have this reaction to the show. Not that the ''comics'' themselves have been all that consistent over seven decades.
** Fans of the earlier seasons often do this to the later ones as well. Especially Lex fans, who decry him a) actually becoming the villain, and b) being written out.
** And to be fair, a lot of the comic book fans had a reaction of "They changed it and made it suck", which is different from "They changed it ''so'' it sucks".
*** Well to be honest...a lot of the comic fans actually '''did''' have the "They changed it ''so'' it sucks" attitude.
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: [[Damsel Scrappy|Lana]], [[The Load|Lana]], [[CreatorsCreator's Pet|Lana]]! Most of the times she gets in trouble for Clark to save her, she only has herself to blame. Key example: in the Season 1 finale, she was stranded next to her car by a ditch and saw a huge tornado approaching her. Anyone with half a brain knows that the best thing to do in that situation is lie down in the ditch and cover your head. Yet Lana, who was raised in Kansas and probably had tornado safety drilled into her since grade school, went back into her car to get picked up by the tornado and nearly die!
** It appears this troper lacks "half a brain". Getting into a car to drive away from the tornado seems more reasonable than staying in the same area in a ditch, at first glance at least.
* [[Unfortunate Implications]]: Half-Chinese actress Kristin Kreuk was cast as Lana Lang, but both of her parents were played by white actors.
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*** This is actually briefly brought up in Season 10, where General Lane refers to it as a terrorist attack as part of his stance against vigilantes.
** [http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/VoicesFromKrypton/news/?a=24653 This article] says that the show might be making Cat Grant and Glorious Godfrey into a pair of [[Strawman Political|Strawman Politicals]].
*** It can be [[Justified Trope|justified]] in Godfrey's respect, [[Dark Messiah|for]] [[Compelling Voice|several]] [[Co -Dragons|reasons]].
*** Though as of the mid-season finale, Icarus, {{spoiler|Cat seems to be "warming-up" to vigilantes after a chat with Lois. Or, at least, she's going to be more objective on the subject.}}
** A couple of articles mentioned that Clark's [[Crucified Hero Shot]] in the pilot was uncomfortably similar to the circumstances of the Matthew Shepherd murder.
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*** It's kind of unfair to blame it all on the fangirls. The show itself 'woobified' Lex to the extreme. The child who takes the blame for the murder of his brother to save his insane mom from the sociopathic father? You cannot get 'woobier'!
*** True, but it kind of got ridiculous how fangirls (and online critics as well) were still giving Lex the [[Draco in Leather Pants]] treatment even after he sent a band of superpowered murderers after Clark's parents in "Mortal," had Chloe ''tortured'' in a 33.1 laboratory in "Freak," and of course, murdered his own father in "Descent."
** The writers clearly believe that Lana is the show's true Woobie. [[CreatorsCreator's Pet|They are wrong.]]
** Chloe can be a pretty big Woobie as well.
** Doctor Fate in Season 9's "Absolute Justice".
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