Smallville: All 10 seasons ranked from worst to best

6. Season 9

The ninth season of Smallville definitely felt like it picked up with the same high standard of season 8 (maybe even higher if you take into account that season’s disappointing finale) and it did so by taking the story in some new and unexpected directions.

Clark had decided that the only way he could cope with the loss he suffered would be to rest his life as Clark Kent and go full-time superhero, which meant dropping the colors and becoming The Blur. Meanwhile, a younger version of Zod made his presence felt on the timeline, which played nicely into Clark’s feelings of loss and confusion as the pair found themselves at a crossroads between friends and enemies.

Season 9 was another refreshing step in the superhero direction for Smallville. The only thing that held it back was the fact that it really felt like the show was running out of ways (and reasons) to keep the cape and tights off Clark. Granted, he looked great as The Blur in the long black coat, but between his heroics in Metropolis and Lois’ connection him, it all started to feel very Superman.

That being said, it was awesome to see Tom Welling and Erica Durance get to play more comic-accurate versions of Clark and Lois. And seeing Chloe open the Watchtower imbued it with another welcome sense of heroism.