Why Smallville Killed Off Jonathan Kent In Season 5

[HARDY]

Why did Smallville kill off Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) in season 5? Jonathan, Clark’s adoptive father, was a main character and a role model for Clark (Tom Welling) since the beginning of the series. During the early seasons, Jonathan was one of only three characters – the other two being Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole) and Pete Ross (Sam Jones III) – that Clark could confide in when it came to his powers and his Kryptonian heritage.

In the beginning of Smallville season 5, Clark was warned that tragedy was coming when Jor-El had to bring Clark back to life. Jor-El told Clark that another life would have to be traded for his. It finally happened in the 12th episode of the season, entitled “Reckoning,” when Clark decided to propose to Lana (Kristin Kreuk) and share his secret with her at last. Later that night, Lana was killed in a car accident caused by a drunk Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). Clark went to the Fortress of Solitude and convinced Jor-El to let him undo it. Clark was given an opportunity to go back in time to prevent Lana’s death. He succeeded, but soon learned that all he did was exchange Jonathan’s life for Lana’s. During an altercation with Lionel Luthor (John Glover), Jonathan died of a heart attack.

This was arguably Smallville’s saddest moment, so why did it have to happen? John Schneider has explained in the past that his character’s death was “necessary” both for the season and for Clark’s character development, since Jonathan’s death is part of Superman’s comic story [via TV Guide]. In the comic books, Jonathan died before Clark became Superman. According to Schneider, his death was an “inevitable event.” Schneider also described this moment as a “catalyst” for Clark’s eventual transformation into Superman.One of the surprising aspects of Jonathan’s death is the timing behind it, even though it was set up all the way back in season 3 when Jonathan developed a heart problem after allowing himself to be possessed by Jor-El. Even Schneider has said that he expected to be killed at the end of season 5, but instead Smallville shocked viewers by doing it in the middle of the season. Jonathan’s death shaped Clark’s arc for the remainder of the season and served as a big step in his journey.

What Jonathan’s death did for Clark was that it forced him to take responsibility for his actions. Clark’s decision to give up his powers and his haste to save Lana were both contributing factors that led to Jonathan’s untimely end. Up until this point, Clark led his emotions guide his actions, and he often acted without taking the possible consequences into consideration. For the episodes that followed, Clark punished himself for what happened, and expressed a willingness to give up what he wanted – such as his relationship with Lana – to protect the people he cared about. As time passed, he developed a greater sense of responsibility that was demonstrated in later seasons. Clark showed his growth at various points in in Smallville, including a season 9 episode when he refused to use time travel to bring back Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore).

[CGTitan]

What about the Animated Series, or Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman? They had Jonathan Kent still alive for those. Maybe the Comics maintained his passing, but in some other materials, he's alive and well.