Smallville’s Most Tragic Death Was Lionel Luthor (Not Jonathan Kent)

The most tragic death ever to happen on Smallvillebelongs to Lionel Luthor (John Glover), not Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) as many would argue – and fairly. Lionel met his end in a season 7 episode after being killed by his son, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum).

Lionel’s original role in the Superman prequel series was shaped by his relationship with Lex, who secretly longed to earn the respect and love of his father. Before long, the character emerged as a villain, as the reveal that he murdered his parents, his threats against Chloe (Allison Mack), and his efforts to learn Clark’s secrets turned him into an enemy of the main characters. After a connection to Jor-El was formed, Smallville began to transform Lionel into an ally who knew the truth about Clark’s Kryptonian heritage.

Lionel remained loyal to Clark up until his death in Smallville season 7, which served as one of the show’s saddest moments. What was particularly tragic about it was the nature of his exit and the way his final arc was handled. How Smallville concluded Lionel’s story was fundamentally different to what it did with Jonathan in season 5. Jonathan’s death was a dark moment for the series, mostly because it was primarily Clark’s own fault. But, at least Jonathan died with his family at his side and seemingly without any major regrets. The circumstances behind Lionel’s death, on the other hand, were much worse.

Despite all of the evil acts that Lionel committed in his life, he was able to change and become a better person in seasons 5 and 6. He even managed to earn the trust of Martha (Annette O’Toole), Clark, and Chloe, the latter being someone he tried to murder in the season 4 premiere. But in season 7, the redemption that Lionel had achieved started to fall apart. He made questionable decisions to protect Clark, like kidnapping him and putting him in a Kryptonite cage. His actions strained his relations with Clark and Chloe until they finally turned against him.

Smallville made it clear that the character was at the lowest and most desperate point in his life when the once-proud Luthor got down on his knees and begged Chloe to listen to him one episode before his demise. Lionel knew that Clark was in great danger but couldn’t convince anyone to take him seriously, because he had alienated everyone around him. After dealing Lionel a devastating blow by stripping him of his hard-earned redemption, Smallville killed him off by having him get pushed out of a window by his own son. It was of course disappointing that Lionel, a character who ultimately did try to do right by Clark, wasn’t able to get back into the good graces of his friends until after his death. When Lionel’s murder was discovered, both Clark and Chloe were saddened by his fate and only then did they realize that they should have heeded his warnings.

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