The young Superman show Smallville was a staple on The WB, and later The CW, for a decade from 2001 to 2011. With over 217 episodes and nearly as many Kryptonite-affected “meteor freaks” and future superheroes, it’s no surprise that many a famous face made a pit stop in Smallville on their journey to stardom. To make things even more interesting, a lot of the actors that popped up early in the heyday of Smallville would later go on to have massive roles in other comic book adaptations, including blockbuster versions of Superman. Here are now-famous actors who you may have forgotten were on Smallville before their careers took off.
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1) Amy Adams – Season 1, Episode 7 “Craving”
Before Amy Adams was a six-time Oscar nominee, or appeared in Man of Steel, she was a fat-sucking vampire on Smallville. Seriously. Adams played Jodi Melville, an overweight student at Smallville High whose meteor-infected smoothies make her lose weight overnight…and cause her to suck the fat out of her classmates. It’s no wonder “Craving” is widely regarded as one of the worst Smallville episodes, which was a well-intentioned cautionary tale about eating disorders, and a testament to Adam’s star power she went on to have such a illustrious career.
2) Alan Ritchson – Season 5, Episode 4 “Aqua”
Reacher is a hit show, but it’s not the first one star Alan Ritchson has appeared on. Ritchson guest-starred on Smallville in Season 5 as a young Arthur Curry/Aquaman. He gave Clark Kent (Tom Welling) a run for his money in the hunky superhero-in-training department. In fact, Ritchson brought his version back in three more episodes of Smallville: “Justice” in Season 6, “Odyssey” in Season 8, and “Patriot” in Season 10.
3) Jensen Ackles – Season 4
Jensen Ackles is no stranger to long-running action adventure shows on this network. He’s beloved for playing Soldier Boy on The Boys and a whopping 15 season run as one of the Winchester Brothers on Supernatural, but do you remember when he starred on a season of Smallville? Ackles played Jason Teague, Smallville High assistant coach and Lana Lang’s (Kristin Kreuk) scandalous older boyfriend throughout the show’s fourth season. Ackles wasn’t given a fair shake on the show, his season arc plot line was convoluted and the nature of his relationship with Lana aged like milk. Yet even in 2004, it was clear that Ackles was destined for stardom.
[RELATED: 7 Smallville Episodes You Can Skip When Watching the Superman Series]
4) Lizzy Caplan – Season 1, Episode 4 “X-Ray”
Lizzy Caplan, now a respected actress known for her roles in Cloverfield and Masters of Sex, played a meteor freak who played an integral part of Clark’s developing powers in the first season of Smallville. Caplan guest-starred as Tina Greer, a young woman who has the ability to shape shift and harbored an unhealthy obsession with Lana Lang. Clark developed his x-ray vision not a moment too soon and prevented Tina from killing Lana and assuming her identity. Caplan, already a formidable talent, returned in Season 2 episode “Visage” as Tina, this time masquerading as Lana’s ex Whitney (Eric Johnson).
5) Adam Brody – Season 1, Episode 20 “Crush”
On his way to The OC, Adam Brody had a one-episode stint on Smallville as Justin Gaines, an injured student who also possesses telekinetic powers. He courts Clark’s friend Chloe (Allison Mack), yet their budding romance is soured when Clark rightfully suspects that he’s behind a series of mysterious accidents to get revenge for the injuries he sustained in a hit-and-run accident.
6) Cobie Smulders – Season 4, Episode 9 “Bound”
Cobie Smulders may be Maria Hill in the MCU, but on Smaillville she played Shannon Bell, Lex Luthor’s (Michael Rosenbaum) legal assistant who tries to frame him for a murder and expose his playboy ways. Though she didn’t succeed in getting her revenge on Lex and this is the only episode Shannon appears in, Smulders’s character did leave a lasting impression on Lex — he admitted he treated women terribly in the past.
7) Anson Mount – Season 2, Episode 19 “Precipice”
Before he took to the USS Enterprise, or became the leader of Marvel’s Inhumans, Anson Mount was on Smallville way back in Season 2. Mount played Paul Hayden, an obsessive ex-boyfriend of Helen Bryce (Emmanuelle Vaugier), Lex’s girlfriend at the time. Hayden smashed his face into a mirror and claimed Lex beat him up in an attempt to get Helen to leave Lex and go back to him. He nearly succeeds, but naturally Clark saves the day, and Lex ends the episode by proposing to Helen.
8) Dave Bautista – Season 6, Episode 8 “Static”
Nearly 20 years ago, Dave Bautista was a WWE star making his network TV debut on Season 6 on Smallville. Bautista played Aldar, a criminal from the Phantom Zone with the ability to suck the bones out of people. Though it may have not been the most glamorous debut for Bautista, it was the start of an illustrious career in superhero media that would lead to him becoming Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.
9) Justin Hartley – Seasons 6-10
While many of the star on this list were one and done guest-stars, This is Us and Tracker star Justin Hartley spent five season on Smallville as Oliver Queen a.k.a. The Green Arrow. The original plan for Hartley to only appear as Queen for a handful of episodes, but his charisma was undeniable and he became a series regular for latter half of the series. Initially introduced as a rival, by the series’ end, Oliver was one of Clark’s closest friends and most-trusted allies.
10) Ian Somerhalder – Season 3, Episode 9 “Asylum”
Ian Somerhalder was one of the biggest names on TV in the 2000s with his starring roles on Lost and The Vampire Diaries. But before he got top billing on those shows, Somerhalder guest-starred in a six-episode arc in Smallville‘s third season. While at the time, fans suspected his character could have been a young Batman, it was revealed that he was actually a regular teenager that had been unnaturally brought back from the dead in an experiment by Lex’s nefarious father, Lionel Luthor (John Glover).
