“ | I am Kal-El of Krypton. It is time to fulfill my destiny. | „ |
~ Kal-El. |
Kal-El is a major antagonist who appeared in the WB/CW television series Smallville appearing in the Season Four premiere "Crusade".
He is Clark Kent's cold and ruthless Kryptonian counterpart, created when Clark was abducted and brainwashed by Jor-El.
Like his normal counterpart, he is portrayed by Tom Welling, who also portrayed Kal, Bizarro, and Clark Luthor in the same series, and Marcus Pierce in Lucifer.
Personality[]
Like his "father" Jor-El, Kal-El isn't necessarily evil; just uncaring, cold and ruthless. Unlike Clark, Kal-El is void of emotion, fully skilled in the use of his powers, and obsessed with finding the Stones of Power. He saw humanity as a weakness. Kal-El is a militant permutation set on fulfilling his destiny that Jor-El formulated. He is very mechanical and had no concern for those around him, only for his mission.
Though he hasn't been shown to kill anyone, Kal-El ripped off the door of Lex Luthor's airplane, clearly not intent on rescuing him. He is curious and observing, examining an angel statue in the hospital, a globe in the loft and was able to tell that Lois Lane talked too much.
Biography[]
Covenant[]
In the Season Three finale "Covenant", Jor-El sent Kara, really Lindsay Harrison, to coerce Clark into entering a portal in the Kawatche Caves by threatening to kill his adoptive father Jonathan Kent with a rope of energy; Clark thus surrenders to Jor-El to save Jonathan and is absorbed into the portal. The episode ends with Clark imprisoned inside a cocoon of energy floating naked into an unknown void as Jor-El announces that he "shall be reborn."
Crusade[]
“ | Your humanity has made you weak."— Kal-El to Clark | „ |
In the Season Four premiere "Crusade", set three months after the events of "Covenant," an amnesiac Clark returned to Smallville in a flash of blinding lightning and energy, where he is found in a cornfield in a hole the shape of a pentagon that is burned into the corn by Lois Lane, cousin of Chloe Sullivan, and brought to the Smallville Medical Center.
Upon being returned to Smallville completely naked, Kal-El was provided with a bright-red blanket for covering by Lois. They arrived at the hospital, but the orderly said that she has to stay with him until he can be identified. Lois started talking about why she's in Smallville, but Clark is apathetic and keeps trying to leave.
Clark was later spotted by his adoptive mother Martha Kent and she is overwhelmed when she sees him, but he does not recognize her. Clark tells her he's looking for "the sign". Martha offers to help him find it and brought him home to the Kent Farm, where she shows him around his loft, hoping to jog his memory.
Martha gave Kal-El proper clothes in the form of a black button-up t-shirt, grayish blue jeans with a black belt, and black worker's boots. Clark only remembers being in a place he states felt like home, then recognizes a photo of Jonathan but coldly said that Jonathan was trying to stop him from being reborn and exits the barn, dropping the photo and exits the barn. Moments later, Clark heard a high-pitched tone emanating from one of the Stones of Power recently unearthed in Egypt by Lex Luthor. Once the noise stops, he announces to Martha that he is Kal-El of Krypton and that it was time to fulfill his destiny.
When Martha claimed that Jor-El is controlling him, she demands Jor-El return Clark to her. But Kal-El insists that "Clark Kent is dead" and then uses his powers to suspend gravity's pull on him at will - breaking through Earth's atmosphere and launches himself into the sky, throwing Martha aside, flying away from the farm leaving a shocked Martha behind.
Kal-El flew through the skies to Lex's jet and rips the door off the plane, at 20,000 feet, causing turbulence. Once aboard the jet, he telekinetically summons the Kryptonian stone, Crystal of Fire, to his hand and departs just before Lex tried to catch a glimpse of the intruder. Kal-El then heads to the Kawatche Caves, where he activates three symbols on a cave wall around the octagonal hole that opens a hidden chamber containing an altar with Kryptonian symbols.
He places the first Stone on the altar and exits the chamber, only to then be confronted by Martha. Kal-El advances on Martha, who slammed a piece of Black Kryptonite onto his chest, causing him to split into two beings: Clark and Kal-El. Kal-El grabs Clark by his neck and tells him that his humanity has made him weak. Clark yells for his mother, who tosses him the Black Kryptonite, which he uses to apparently destroy Kal-El and thereby restoring himself to normal.
Powers and Abilities[]
Being completely rid and void of any ambition and focus on everything except to fulfill his destiny, Kal-El possesses powers that far dwarfs and overshadows Clark's at Season four, to at least Season 7.
- Solar battery: Kal-El's abilities are nourished by the yellow sun. [citation needed] Kal-El power
Kal-El overpowers Clark.
- Super strength: Kal-El possesses boundless strength being excessively way more powerful than Clark. He tore off a plane door off its hinges with one hand.
- Super speed: Kal-El can most likely reach speeds that Clark couldn't even dream of.
- Flight: Kal-El can fly at insane velocities, able to reach altitudes that far exceed 20,000 feet.
- Telekinesis: Kal-El can call Kryptonian objects to him by using his mind.
- Super stamina: Kal-El may not be able to tire under normal circumstances.
- Super breathing: Kal-El could function in space.
Kal-El did not demonstrate heat vision, X-ray vision, super hearing, super breath, Arctic breath, telescopic vision or micro vision, but he most likely could have used them perfectly if he wanted to.
Vulnerabilities[]
Kal-El is most likely to have the same vulnerabilities as Clark Kent and other Kryptonians, though he did not display any.
- Green kryptonite: Even though it was not shown, Kal-El was vulnerable to green kryptonite.
- Blue kryptonite: Blue kryptonite can strip Kal-El of his abilities.
- Black kryptonite: was able to restore the balance between Kal-El and Clark Kent.
- Kryptonian dagger: A dagger of Kryptonian can kill Kal-El.
- Doomsday: Doomsday could simply and effortlessly slaughter Kal-El.
Trivia[]
- Kal means "child" and El means "star" in the Kryptonian dialect. In Kryptonian language, the family name is spoken first and the given name next when the meaning of the name is expressed. Hence, Kal-El means "star child." The name was suggested to Lara by Kara while they were visiting the Kent Farm before the first meteor shower.
- With the help of Dr. Virgil Swann, Clark learned that his birth name was "Kal-El." He has been referred to as "Kal-El" by Dr. Swann, Lionel Luthor, Jonathan Kent, Jor-El, Zor-El, Lara, Kara, the Disciples of Zod, Brainiac, General Zod, Raya, Bizarro, Baern, Titan, Martian Manhunter, Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, Faora, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Tess Mercer, Alia, Major Zod, Carter Hall and Lois Lane.
- Clark has introduced himself as "Kal-El" to the Disciples of Zod, Lara, Martha Kent, Dax-Ur and Linda Danvers (the alternate universe version of his cousin Kara).
- Clark Kent is the first person on the show to be split by Black Kryptonite.
- Kal-El has the same Mark of El on his chest that Clark had in season 2 of Smallville.
- The red blanket that Lois gives to cover Clark makes him resemble his future iconic figure as Superman as it almost resembles a red cape, while walking around in the hospital.
- When Kal-El flies, his arms are at his sides — unlike Superman.