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NOTHING! Nothing is gonna stand between me and my legacy!
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~ Arnold intimidating his players.
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Coach Walter "Walt" Arnold, also known as The Hotheaded Coach, is an antagonist who appears on the WB/CW television series Smallville, serving as the main antagonist of the Season 1 episode "Hothead".
He was portrayed by Dan Lauria, who also played Salvatore Matacio in Walker: Texas Ranger and Ray Masters in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
History[]
Arnold was Smallville High School's football head coach, having served in that position for many years; he coached Jonathan Kent when he was a student, as well as Pete Ross' older brothers. He was known for his highly aggressive coaching style as well as his volcanic temper.
Walt Arnold was noted to have brought the Crows to victory for over 25 years and had won over 200 games. He received a sauna as a gift for his accomplishments. Arnold used meteor rocks in the sauna, breathed in the hot fumes, and soon developed the ability to control heat and fire.
In 2001, Arnold was informed by Principal James Kwan that a handful of his players were ineligible to participate in the upcoming football game (which also marks Arnold's 200th game) due to a cheating scandal, and he tried to persuade Kwan to deal with the scandal after the game. When Kwan stood by his decision to suspend the cheating players, Arnold reacted in anger and found he has developed pyrokinesis by setting his desk on fire. Due to being exposed to meteor rocks in his sweat box from the steam having a green tinge.
Later, Arnold witnesses Clark Kent catch a football thrown by a player at Chloe Sullivan, and he corners Clark, whom he convinces to join the football team. He told the teenager that he has to step out of his father's shadow and be his own man. That afternoon, Arnold coaches practice and angrily encourages Clark to stop focusing on his father who was in the bleachers. That night, Arnold receives another visit from Kwan, who tells him that one of his players came forward and confessed that Arnold gave his players the answers to their exam.
When Kwan announces his intentions to get the rest of the players to confess and have him suspended from coaching forever, an enraged Arnold vows that Kwan wasn't going to bring him down, generating a burst of flame on his desk, much to Kwan's shock. After Kwan leaves, Arnold quickly masters his power and tried to kill Kwan by setting his car on fire while he's inside; fortunately Kwan was rescued by Clark.
Sometime later, Arnold called a meeting of his players at the field and insultingly confronts them about confessing to Kwan. When one player, Trevor Chapel, protests that they wouldn't get into college if they had cheated on their records, Arnold guesses that Trevor was the one who told Kwan and physically strikes the boy. His rage causes the sprinklers to shoot flames while declaring that nothing was going to stand in the way of his legacy, intimidating the players into silence.
The next night, Arnold corners Trevor in the parking lot after seeing him talk to Chloe Sullivan, grabbing him and burning his wrist as Trevor insists that he didn't say anything to Chloe and that Chloe has footage of what happened the previous night. Arnold then uses his powers to set fire to the Torch office while Chloe was working on an article to expose him, but stops when Clark arrives to save Chloe.
The day of the game, Arnold is confronted in his sweat box by Clark, who is weakened by the Kryptonite rocks. He punches Clark and locks him inside the sweat box. Later, he is in the middle of coaching the game when he sees Jonathan talking to Pete on the football pitch and confronts the farmer, who says he's looking for Clark. Arnold falsely says he hasn't seen Clark and draws Jonathan's silent disapproval when he contemptuously remarks that Clark doesn't have what it takes to be a winner. Moments later, after he saw Jonathan heading into the school to look for Clark, Arnold orders the assistant coach to take his place before taking off to follow Jonathan.
After Jonathan pulled Clark out of the sweat box, Arnold hits Jonathan with a fire extinguisher before trying to hit Clark, who recovered and blocks the blow, then sends Arnold crashing through a window. Clark got up and advances on Arnold, who insists he needs to win the game. After Clark tells him it's too late, Arnold generates flames in an attempt to kill Clark who, unaffected, walks through them. Clark then sends the coach flying into the shower. When Clark tells him to give up and that he lost, Arnold screams in fury, causing flames to erupt from the shower heads and consume him, killing him.
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Coach Arnold sees Clark Kent's skills.
Coach Arnold intimidates Clark.
Coach Arnold at the championship game.
Trivia[]
- Arnold was the first of two Smallville High School faculty members to gain powers from meteor rocks, the second would be Desiree Atkins.
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