Finale (Smallville)

"**Finale**"
"Finale"
Smallville episodes
	The final shot of the episode (lower) was modeled after iconic scenes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films (upper).
Episode nos.	Season 10; Episodes 21, 22
Directed by	Kevin G. Fair (Part 1); Greg Beeman (Part 2)
Written by	Al Septien; Turi Meyer (Part 1); Kelly Souders; Brian Peterson (Part 2)
Production codes	3X6020 (Part 1); 3X6022 (Part 2)
Original air date	May 13, 2011
Running time	84 minutes
Guest appearances
	Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor; John Glover as Lionel Luthor; John Schneider as Jonathan Kent; Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent; Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen; Terence Stamp as the voice of Jor-El; Steve Byers as DeSaad; Christine Willes as Granny Goodness; Michael Daingerfield as Gordon Godfrey;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Prophecy"	Next →; —
	Smallville (season 10)
	List of episodes

"Finale" is the title of the two-episode series finale of the superhero television series Smallville. The episodes are the 21st and 22nd of the 10th season, and the 216th and 217th episodes overall. The finale originally aired on The CW in the United States on May 13, 2011. The first half was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer, and directed by Kevin G. Fair, and the second half was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, and directed by Greg Beeman.

The series follows the adventures of the young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, before he becomes Superman. In the series finale, Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) learns that the planet Apokolips is coming to destroy humanity, and that Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) is under the possession of Darkseid. Meanwhile, the Lionel Luthor from Earth-2 (John Glover) attempts to bring his deceased doppelgänger's son Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) back to life. Clark finally realizes his true destiny, just in time to stop Darkseid's arrival on Earth. The finale episodes feature a flashforward seven years into the future, revealing Clark's new superhero persona, "Superman".

The episodes, written in advance during the fall of 2010, were conceived to successfully bring an end to the series. Showrunners Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders attempted to preserve the intended ending envisioned by original series developers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar several years earlier. The episodes featured the return of several former actors, including John Schneider, Aaron Ashmore, Annette O'Toole, and Michael Rosenbaum. In addition, Michael McKean made an uncredited voice cameo. The episodes also contained several overt references, homages, and connections to previous Superman franchises, such as the 1978 film Superman and the 2006 film Superman Returns.

Upon its premiere, the two-episode finale was watched by 3.35 million viewers. The episodes received generally positive reviews from commentators, many of whom felt that the series was successfully able to wrap up its story arcs. Rosenbaum's return was met with critical applause, but the artistic decision to not show Welling in the full Superman suit and instead to render Superman using computer-generated imagery (CGI) was met with negativity.