Smallville Did This Superman Character Dirty, And I Am Still Not Over It 15 Years Later
Smallville is one of those series that sticks with the viewer—or at least, as a lifelong Superman enthusiast, it sticks with me. It follows Tom Welling as a teenage Clark Kent prior to becoming Superman as he grapples with gaining new abilities, discovering his Kryptonian heritage, protecting his secret identity, and coping with high school drama. The other essential element of the series is Clark"s ill-fated friendship with a young Lex Luthor, played by Michael Rosenbaum. Smallville ultimately lasted 10 seasons, featuring many recognizable Superman friends and foes along the way.
As the longest-running superhero series of all time, Smallville has no shortage of characters with complicated, divisive, and tragic fates. Even some of its major characters, such as Kristen Kreuk"s Lana Lang, fall under this category. However, there is one character whose death feels especially heartbreaking to me, both in the ways the writers intended it to be and in ways they clearly didn"t.
Faora-Ul is a minor Superman antagonist, most commonly seen acting as henchwoman to her husband, General Dru-Zod. Zod is, of course, one of the most lethal DC supervillains, sharing all of Clark"s Kryptonian abilities and none of his human morals. Being Kryptonian as well, Faora has the same superpowers as Zod and Superman. She has appeared in various Superman media, including 2013"s Man of Steel, though she is sometimes renamed as Ursa, Mala, or other monikers.
Faora appears in several forms throughout Smallville, starting with a singular appearance in season eight, during which she was portrayed by Lois Lane actress Erica Durance. She later becomes a recurring character in season nine, played by Sharon Taylor. Like her previous characterization, this Faora is loyal to Zod (Callum Blue) and has a background as a Kryptonian soldier. However, Smallville deviates from her usual storyline, sending her down a tragic trajectory that puts her at odds with Zod and ultimately costs her everything.
Faora's Unusual Introduction To Smallville Both Zod And Faora Debut Before They Become Major Characters In Smallville's Story Close In Smallville, Faora shares another unique trait with her husband: they both possess other characters before physically appearing in the show. Season five, episode 22 and season six, episode one, see General Zod possess Lex, while season eight, episode eight, has Faora take over Lois after the latter escapes the Phantom Zone. It"s not exactly uncommon for possession to occur in Smallville—its take on Kryptonian technology blurs the line between science and magic—but both Faora and Zod overshadowing main characters is an interesting coincidence.
As the longest-running superhero series of all time, Smallville has no shortage of characters with complicated, divisive, and tragic fates. Even some of its major characters, such as Kristen Kreuk"s Lana Lang, fall under this category. However, there is one character whose death feels especially heartbreaking to me, both in the ways the writers intended it to be and in ways they clearly didn"t.
Faora-Ul is a minor Superman antagonist, most commonly seen acting as henchwoman to her husband, General Dru-Zod. Zod is, of course, one of the most lethal DC supervillains, sharing all of Clark"s Kryptonian abilities and none of his human morals. Being Kryptonian as well, Faora has the same superpowers as Zod and Superman. She has appeared in various Superman media, including 2013"s Man of Steel, though she is sometimes renamed as Ursa, Mala, or other monikers.
Faora appears in several forms throughout Smallville, starting with a singular appearance in season eight, during which she was portrayed by Lois Lane actress Erica Durance. She later becomes a recurring character in season nine, played by Sharon Taylor. Like her previous characterization, this Faora is loyal to Zod (Callum Blue) and has a background as a Kryptonian soldier. However, Smallville deviates from her usual storyline, sending her down a tragic trajectory that puts her at odds with Zod and ultimately costs her everything.
Faora's Unusual Introduction To Smallville Both Zod And Faora Debut Before They Become Major Characters In Smallville's Story Close In Smallville, Faora shares another unique trait with her husband: they both possess other characters before physically appearing in the show. Season five, episode 22 and season six, episode one, see General Zod possess Lex, while season eight, episode eight, has Faora take over Lois after the latter escapes the Phantom Zone. It"s not exactly uncommon for possession to occur in Smallville—its take on Kryptonian technology blurs the line between science and magic—but both Faora and Zod overshadowing main characters is an interesting coincidence.
