The Man of Steel is ready to embrace his destiny. Clark Kent (Tom Welling, “The Fog”) has decided to leave his friends and emotions behind and fight for what is right in the suspenseful and action packed season nine premiere of “Smallville.”

Clark’s fellow superhero team members have scattered, Lois is missing, and a sky-train suddenly derails into the busy streets of Metropolis. In the opening minutes of the season premiere, the Red-Blue Blur arrives just in time to save the first of many endangered civilians. Tom Welling’s character has lost faith in humanity, and it can be understood why he is so expressionless and unenthusiastic; He is the main character though, and his lifeless performance drains energy from the show. As she has been for the last five seasons, Lois Lane (Erica Durance, “Final Verdict”) is still the most exciting character. The scrappy reporter is as beautiful and energetic as always, and shines some light on the dim path Clark is now pursuing. Overall, the show has a great cast to portray the comic classics, but as the seasons progress, their relationships and interactions become more like a soap opera. So if you prefer drama over action, but still enjoy both, check it out.

Developed by acclaimed writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (“Spiderman 2”), “Smallville” has progressed through many storylines, and continues to offer great potential for future episodes. Originally airing in 2001, the show started off with Clark fighting the “freak of the week.” Since then, he has discovered his Kryptonian origin, established his Fortress of Solitude, and has become more than just an acquaintance with the famous Lois Lane. In later seasons, he occasionally joins forces with other superheroes like Green Arrow (Justin Hartley, “Megafault”) and Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort, “The Lookout”) to capture escaped convicts from the Phantom Zone, and fight the super-computer Brainiac. The season eight finale ends with a mysterious, yet powerful bang. Clark battles a gruesome monster named Doomsday, LexCorp president Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) unlocks an alien device, and the resulting combination unleashes an ancient army from the lost city of Kandor, Krypton.

So what does the future hold for Smallville? Surprisingly, after eight full seasons, the show still has great potential for intriguing new episodes. A “watchtower beacon” has just been established to locate, reassemble, and lead the Justice League. A new character, named John Corben, is also introduced. All you comic geeks out there can soon expect the powerful super villain Metallo – a cyborg with Kryptonite in his chest – to make an appearance. A Kryptonian army led by General Zod now threatens Earth as well, so it seems as if Clark will have plenty of thugs to pound in upcoming episodes.

Check out the Season 9 Trailer!