In the mid-season return of Smallville this Thursday, the show takes a page out of the Superman mythology by featuring three prominent members of the futuristic Legion of Superheroes. Although full of special mentions and tidbits associated with comics, the show reached out to the casual fans by explaining who the Legion members are and how they are tied to Clark Kent. Before the opening credits sang “Somebody Save Me”, the proper introductions were made. There was also more action and stunts in this episode than usual, which was a treat, although none of it was due to Clark Kent rescuing anyone. This was still an episode about Clark’s continuing quest to find his destiny, but it also offered a peek into his far-reaching influence on future heroes and generations. And it tied in nicely that someday, we are going to see Clark Kent wear glasses, and fly with a cape and in tights.

Written by DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and directed by Glen Winter, the midseason opener of Smallville is titled “Legion”:

It’s the aftermath of Doomsday’s destruction of Clark’s barn. The whole place is ransacked and Lana tearfully collects herself. Clark reminds her to take a rest but she insists that Chloe needs their help. Lana leaves for the Isis Foundation to dig up more information. Clark is suddenly confronted by this masked man dressed up as an executioner with a super-axe. He takes a swing at Clark and cuts him near the ribs! Three strangers, all with superpowers, take turns in defeating this executioner and make him disappear into thin air. We learn the villain is called Persuader, a villain from the future who can kill Kal El. He came back in time to destroy the device that can release Brainiac from being trapped inside his host’s body. The three super-beings are the Legion, alien heroes from the 31st century who came to stop Persuader from killing Clark. They introduce themselves as Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, and were star-struck at the hero they adore. Kal El’s influence will reach far beyond his galaxy, and he will open the door for more alien beings to rally to Earth and keep the peace in the different worlds.

  The Legion also came back in time because this day is historic in the annals as the day Clark Kent defeated Brainiac. Clark is confused because he had destroyed the computer before, but the three heroes insist. The Legionnaires are confused as well. The Kal El they remember is very different from the young man before them. “No glasses, no cape, no tights, no flight.”

Meanwhile, Davis finds himself at the Fortress, where a strange-acting Chloe greeted him. Davis tried to talk to Chloe and convince her that his feelings for her are real. Chloe/Brainiac mocked Davis that he is not human, and his feelings are only Brainiac’s means to get him close to her.

When Clark realized that Brainiac may be alive, and possessing Chloe’s body, the Legion insists there is only one way to defeat him – kill the host. Kill Chloe. But Clark would have none of it and so he goes to the Fortress to ask Jor El for advice. There he finds Chloe, now controlled by Brainiac, who wants nothing more than to drain the whole world of its knowledge. And what’s left of it, Doomsday will annihilate. Chloeniac throws Clark into a corner and flies away.

Saturn Girl sought out Lana and asked her to convince Kal El about killing Chloe. Later on, Clark confided to Lana about the Legion’s solution, and she reminded Clark that he’s the kind of man who will do everything in his power to do what needs to be done without harming anybody.

 The Legionnaires find Chloe at the Daily Planet, draining all energy and knowledge from computers and slowly draining the mind of every person on the planet. They stop Chloeniac from downloading all the information and Clark brought her back to the barn, away from all electronic devices. When Saturn Girl realized that Chloe’s consciousness is still alive inside her possessed body, the Legion believes Clark is right. They create an electromagnetic field to draw the computer out and saves Chloe.

Before the Legionnaires return to the future, they give Clark a ring that will teleport him to their future. Lightning Lad asks for Clark’s first baseball hit. Cosmic Boy warns him of the days ahead. The three Legion members face each other, they raise their hands and shout “Long live the Legion!” before disappearing!

Later, doubting about his capacity to become the hero for all time, Lana reminded Clark that he will follow his own destiny, in his timeline and not anyone else.

The last scene of the episode goes back to Chloe’s ruins. Davis Bloome has fully metamorphosed to Doomsday!

Next on Smallville 8.12 “Bulletproof” on Thursday January 22, 2009 on CW.

Images: © 2008 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

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  Clark Kent is about to have a sneak peek into the future, and just how huge his influence will be on the rest of the universe. The Legionnaires introduce themselves to Clark as aliens from the 31st century who have immigrated to Earth to help others as Clark is doing.

Perhaps this meeting is exactly what Clark Kent needed – to see a future beyond Smallville and know his heroism on Earth will jumpstart heroic acts from many different worlds.

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When Clark Kent decided to embrace his destiny, being a hero to mankind was big enough a job or so he thought. He would have no idea that his influence stretches to other beings in the universe. Thousands of years from the present, aliens and beings from other systems will come to earth and make it their home base of operation for defeating evil. And Clark is about to meet a few of his fellow aliens. 

Villains and superheroes pay Clark a visit in “Legion”. An executioner with a super-axe, known as Persuader, is intent on killing the young Clark Kent (and he can!). Three Legionnaires – Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy, come to Clark’s rescue, but they’ll be surprised with the version of “superboy” they’re about to face. For starters, Clark has no cape.

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Smallville ended 2008 with a scare. Brainiac hacked into the Fortress of Solitude and reprogrammed it into a hideout for Superman’s ultimate nemesis. Doomsday crashed Chloe and Jimmy’s wedding reception and ran off with the bride. Now Clark Kent has to save his best friend from his greatest enemy.

So who can help Clark now that the Fortress is compromised? 

Enter the Legion of Superheroes! No less than the founding Legionnaires themselves, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, will travel back from the distant future to help Clark defeat Doomsday. Rokk Krinn (Ryan Kennedy), Imra Ardeen (Alexz Johnson ) and Garth Ranzz (Calum Worthy) will introduce Clark to the famed Legion of Super-Heroes and to what will be Clark’s super-alter-ego.

Image: © 2008 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

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Clark Kent looks for trouble. This season, Clark Kent is no longer waiting for trouble to knock at his doorstep. Nooo. Clark Kent gets a job at the Daily Planet and goes where the action and trouble are. Clark will be “stepping up in a big way to his destiny.”

Clark Kent gets into the “S”. (spoiler ahead) Blame it on the snoop Jimmy who sees something and connects it to Clark, and the superhero “will have to dig himself out of it”. Mums the word about a full costume, but the Superman brand is definitely in development.

Lana comes back to mess things up. Daily Planet equals “Lois and Clark” and Clark is almost ready to move on, but Lana Lang still owns Smallville’s heart. So what happens when Kristin Kreuk comes back for five episodes?

Things become a lot more complicated for Clark, especially when Lana catches Lois and Clark making out in a closet? .. uhmm.. “It won’t be that drastic, but you’re not that far off,” admits Swimmer.

The Legion of Superheroes is recruiting. The Legion of Superheroes will get new members, from the future! “Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad—although we might not use those names—on a mission from Superman in the future, who sends them back to help make things right.”

Meet old friends and new enemies.

• Michael Rosenbaum is NOT coming back. But expect the female version of Lex Luthor Tess (Cassidy Freeman) to continue the havoc.
• Laura Vandervoort IS coming back for episode 8 or 9, to wrap up her story.

Read the complete interview of Darren Swimmer at Kristin’s blog.

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