Perry White is a former disgraced reporter and a recurring character in the WB/CW TV series Smallville. He served as the main antagonist in the Season Three episode "Perry".
He was portrayed by Michael McKean, who also played Mr. Dittmeyer in The Brady Bunch Movie, Bill Case in Casper: A Spirited Beginning, Chuck McGill in Better Call Saul, Elias Grace in Law & Order, voiced Sarousch in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Horace in the 101 Dalmatians franchise, Snow Miser in The Year Without a Santa Claus, Ian Peek in Batman Beyond, Emperor Zing in American Dad! and LG Algae in The Angry Beavers.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Perry White was a reporter with a good reputation, until Lionel Luthor got him fired because Perry was investigating him. He tried to get information from his son Lex Luthor while he was at school. Perry descended into alcoholism, as he was forced to take less respectable jobs for the Metropolis Inquisitor and a TV show called X-Styles as its host.
Season Three[]
Wanting to do a story on the meteorites and the events related to them, Perry came to Smallville to investigate the strange phenomena. After being kicked out of a bar, Perry drove drunk and got into an accident with a electric pole but was saved by Clark Kent. He uses his super-speed and super strength to rip the car door off and pull Perry to safety. Having seen Clark use his powers, Perry began investigating him.
Perry came to the Kent Farm and threatens to sue the Kents unless Clark took him around town to help him investigate the meteor shower and its strange effects. Clark took Perry to the Talon, where Perry callously asked Lana Lang for an interview about the day of the meteor shower. Offended, Lana asked both of them to leave.
Perry asks him to take him to meet the editor of the Torch, Chloe Sullivan, which has "a reputation among the bug-eyed monster circles." Chloe was eager to talk about her Wall of Weird until she learned that Perry worked for X-Styles. Her interest was renewed when she realized that he was Perry White: multiple Pulitzer-nominated journalist extraordinaire.
Due to his pestering, Lana asked Lex to do something to prevent Perry from interviewing or videotaping her. Lex said he'll make sure he doesn't bother her again. Perry was supposed to go back to the hotel, but Clark found him back at the Wild Coyote. He asks what happened to his career, but they were interrupted by Lex. Perry promises Lex that he wasn't doing a story on Lionel, but Lex said this doesn't have anything to do with that and took him to the bus stop himself. Lex hated Perry for approaching him at boarding school, scrounging for dirt on his father.
Thinking Perry has left Smallville, Clark returns home and helps his dad lift up the tractor. At first Clark doesn't seem to have any strength, then to his and Jonathan's shock, he throws the tractor clear over his head and into the sky. It landed several miles away in front of Perry White at the bus stop.
Clark super speeds towards it and Perry looks on in wonder. Clark and Jonathan try to cover by saying it fell off a flat bed truck while someone was trying to steal it, but Perry maintains that it fell out the sky. The sheriff knows he's a drunk and doesn't pay him any attention.
Instead of leaving town, Perry visits Chloe at the Torch to study her Wall of Weird. Chloe offers to help him find what he was looking for because he used to be the kind of journalist she wants to be. He insinuates that he had a great story about Lionel Luthor, but he was prevented from writing it. He also admits to being intrigued by Clark.
Chloe arrives to warn him that Perry was still investigating and seems particularly interested in Clark. Clark finds Perry in the barn yard. He has researched Clark's hero history in Smallville. Clark hears his mother calling and as he turns to go, he suddenly super-speeds away, right in front of Perry.
Perry went to the Luthor Mansion with information about Lionel, which he will trade to Lex for anything he knows about Clark. Perry guesses that the only reason Lex made friends with Clark was in order to investigate the mystery surrounding him. Lex reacts violently, threatening Perry if he doesn't stay away.
In order to hide his unstable abilities, Clark vows to stay home until the flare passes, but Perry has installed a camera crew outside. Clark's heat vision sets the curtains on fire and he worries that he'll burn the farm down. Jonathan lures Perry away from the farm so Clark and Pete can sneak out. Perry went back to the Talon, apologizes to Lana, and asks her to give him a ride to the bus stop.
Clark gets a distressed call from Lana at Saunder's Gorge, but his speed was still out, so Pete had to drive him. They make it to the viewpoint, where Perry was standing on a ledge. Lana explains that Perry got out of the car and threatened to jump unless she called Clark. Perry jumps to prove that Clark has the power to save him, and Clark dives to catch him.
They both fall, but Perry has tied a rope to his ankle. Clark and Perry dangle perilously. Pete throws Clark another rope and hauls him up with the car. Perry's rope breaks and he grabs Clark. Pete successfully pulls the two up and Perry realizes his error when he sees Clark's bloody hands.
Clark took Perry to the bus stop again and Perry admitted that he feels guilty for tearing down someone who is so considerate of others. Perry said he now has the courage to finish the story he never wrote, and was going to try the Daily Planet. He also said he sees a glimmer of hope in Clark's journalism skills and they part on good terms.
