Can't you see he did what batman could never do! Give up his driving force to be a hero superman. Did you watch this clip? Lex only does the evil he does because he knows the man of steel will stop him....what happens when you hang up the cape.....lex falls down for greatness is no longer important when only one man simply gives up turns his back. Don't forget power was never given to the child by the sun it was simply apart of him if he chooses I believe he can get it back all he has to do is stop wearing that ring. Don't you remember?
@@Rubrick23. aaaaaa in the lest episode of Smalville Lex was poisned and forgot about Clark everything. And now Clark can leave in peace, becouse Lex president without memories. I am sorry for my English) (rus)
@@Rubrick23. There's no reason in Clark giving up his power. Many moments of smallville have shown us what happen when Clark gives up his power. Bad things always happen and that is the most impressive skills of superman: he is always thinking about everybody else sacrificing himself to make the world better. Now, he is playing a normal guy while the world is about to end. Clark had understood this, Lois had understood this, everybody who knew Clark had understood this.
@viper ville chrisie strikes Well, Tom/Clark might be hiding out like Post Crisis New 52 Clark/Original Superman with Lois and Jon. I know it's a long shot, but one could hope that Tom Welling reconsiders the cape. Also, interestingly fact in an interview, Tom Welling said he always wanted to be "Batman". Maybe, he's the Earth-1 version of Bruce Wayne, which would give him what he wants and allow for some jokes to be made about Smallville and Tyler/Superman
@viper ville chrisie strikesI agree with u. Smallville has many problema, mainly when they put Clark playing Superman without becoming Superman, from season 8 on. Smallville should have stayed in clark learning his powers and Deal with his doubts, they shouldn't have shown Clark Kent working at daily planet, dating with Lois and becoming a gero known as blur for almost 1/3 of the show. It was a origin story, but they Lost It and it became a Superman story, without suit and the name and the flying skill.
@@boxa_nava2040 Hardly. He acts like a cross between the Riddler and the Joker, neither of which have anything in common with Lex. That said, Clancy takes all the cake, his voice-acting is so convincing you forget his Lex is just some lines and colors put together.
"we have a destiny together, Clark... Only on different sides." "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Lex." Almost 9 years later and it still sends chills down my spine, unbelievable.
its funny because in sesaon 1 he said: we have a destiny together,Clark... and I'dont want anything to come between our friendship. and now : we have a destiny together, clark ... only on different sides.
@@461rodney it's on différent side But at this point, lex Always consider Clark as Friend. This is all he Said in this scen : we are enemy. But i beleve in you (for darkseid). This is why i like this lex: he is a tragical vilain. He want he's enemy to be friend, but the destiny force them to fight.
First moments together: Clark saves Lex from a car at the bottom of the river. Last moments together: “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Lex.” Absolutely beautiful.
I swear, this is my favorite version of Lex. He was friends with Clark, had an internal conflict wanting to be a good guy yet slowly being dragged into the darkness. To me it will be next to impossible to find a Lex anywhere near as good as this one.
certainly beats Lex's silver age origin of cooking something up n a lab which catches fire. His buddy Superboy blows out the fire through a window, blowing the toxic smoke back in lex's face causing his hair to fall out and suddenly it's all "I'll never forgive you for this, superboy! " fist shaking, etc.
What's crazy is at the end of this, you can tell that there is still love between the two friends, just disappointment and acceptance of what is. DAMN this was a good show.
The one thing I like about this is the symbolism. When Lex is talking about him and Clark being enemies and how they will always be on opposite sides, he's shrouded in dark and shadows. But in that last little bit, where Clark is doubting himself to be able to stop Darkseid... Lex steps into the light, and glows, to tell him that Clark is the light. That he's a savior. And he knows what he has to do. Even in this time, this moment, when it's known they can never TRULY be friends, that they will ALWAYS be enemies.... Lex gives him hope, and gives him the answer. And Clark, seeing his friend in that moment, the man he saved from drowning, the one who always believed in him and helped him... looking into Lex's eyes and saying "I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex." Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling deserved Oscars for this moment!
“Deserved Oscars”…an award given to two actors and two actresses every year for the top performances in MOVIES and you think they should have gone to actors in a teen melodrama on TELEVISION? 🤦♂️
@@fezzik7619 I don't know who hurt you but I'm sorry you feel so little about your own life that you had to come be hurtful to somebody who was just appreciating a good moment in a show they care about. I hope that nobody ever decides to do the same to you.
BCtube01 I think it is either season 4 or season 5 that I remember being the peak or around the peak of this show. I was roughly the same age as the characters as each season progressed so when I was younger I could digest the teenage angst a little better. But those are the parts that I have a harder time watching now. So I have to see how the later seasons have aged for me.
Maxphyte wow! You actually “grew up” with Smallville 😂😂😂. I was way into my 20s when I watched the show. That first episode of season one had me hooked. It was unlike anything I had seen on TV for awhile. Wasn’t expecting that meteor shower destroying Smallville, but damn... good memories
BCtube01 yep lol. I think it was being able to relate to some of the things at the time that kept me invested in the show outside of it being a Superman origin story. Granted a lot of those things were dialed up in the show for maximum teenage television angst lol.
Smallville was a great show whenever it centred on the relationship between Clark and Lex. It was tremendously written very much as, first a close sibling rivalry, then as simply young rivals until eventually just good against evil. That's why this is such a great scene, the journey is over......they both now know who they are.
It also turned Lex into a tragic character. You can see it even in this video. For all his bravado, he still feels things are, to an extant, out of his hands.
@@TheACcam Your right, and that was one of the reasons we not only loved Michael Rosenbaum's performance but felt such compassion for him, having to deal with the real villain of the piece, his father. We haven't even mentioned how great the actors who played their fathers were!
sometimes we think that our families and friends know as well, but rivals know better. it is funny that somehow there is an unwritten code of respect or honor between rivals. clarke & lex. batman & joker.
i think it stays sibling rivalry in a sense. Lex was jealous of the friends Clark had. Jealous of the family Clark had. Jealous of how his friends loved and admired him. Then the nail in the coffin was when Lionel who was a garbage individual,started singing Clarks praises lol.
Agreed. Clark and Lex’s relationship was remarkable especially for a CW show. To this day it amazes me how complex Clark and Lex’s relationship was compared to Clark and Lana’s.
Well, here Lex more or less says flat out that his destiny is to be Clarks enemy. The one that "Superman" rises up against and saves the world from, the one that forces Superman to constantly be better, be stronger, which in the end makes him the hero who the universe remembers far into the future, whom hundreds of heroes grew up worshiping and everyday try to live up to his ideal. He is essentially saying that he is going to insure that Clark becomes the hero by being a formidable villain. It's almost like Lex's redemption was to just make sure that Superman exists. As for why Clark gave up his powers afterwards? Maybe after Lex who lost all his memories because of Tess didn't actually become evil.... Perhaps he just went on to be an ambitous man who after being a sucessful buisnessman went into politics and thus Clark suddenly didn't need to be Superman anymore.
Ben Pramuk I don’t think that would have added to the scene moment because lex as depicted in this never wanted to be a bad guy he was chipped away at by his father and then Clark (that’s his island paranoia thing) predicted back in season 3 on the island
Clark will always feels some measure of responsibility for the way Lex turned out, but Lex is responsible for Lex. He chose to keep secrets, he chose to continuously investigate Clark rather than respect boundaries, he chose to marry Lana knowing what it would do to the man he once regarded as a brother, he chose to kill his own father and not turn to Clark when he had the chance, he chose to exploit kryponite-infected people for his own ends rather than cure them... It’s all about choice and in spite of his best efforts not to, Lex went down the path of his father the more he became obsessed with escaping it.
@invincible. He was a good child. Troubled teenager ( he wasn’t bad ) , then tried really hard to help people around him , was good to the point he would sacrifice himself for others ( the factory incident and many others ), then trauma after trauma took its toll on him. His father played with his mind and then his paranoia completed the job. He could carry a show by himself.
I can't tell if I blame Clark or not because he had a huge hand in Lex's fall, like "accidentally" letting Red K control him into breaking up Lex's wedding, but at the same time Lex made a lot of bad choices.
Well, also because Lex was probably interested in being around to play his great game of trying to take down Clark, which of course he couldn't do if Earth was destroyed.
Let's remember now , lex may hate superman, but lex also realisezes he NEEDS superman and that is what kills lex inside, the fact that no matter how great he becomes he will always pale in comparison to kal-el and be "just another human " comparatively. lex's whole M.O. is to fight that very truth and replace it.
What makes Michaels performance so brilliant is that you can’t really be sure whether the friend he used to be is actually supporting him, or he is simply talking about himself when he says they both know who can save the world without any help. Even Clark is momentarily fooled before he pulls away. The friendship they had will always affect them both. Clark had always seen him as a big brother until the lies and crimes began piling up. Always trying to invade his privacy and discover secrets despite saying that he had abandoned that obsession, and even seducing Lana after years of trying to mentor him towards actually earning her love. And let’s not forget the consistent abduction and experimenting on meteor freaks - Chloe included - which he saw as progress to building better defenses for the world against these seemingly alien threats that cropped up out of nowhere. He refused to acknowledge that what he was doing was crossing some very ethical lines. Clark sees this as a complete perversion of all he believes in. The friend he once believed in and supported had become this compulsive liar and master manipulator. And of course, Lex blames every one of his actions on Clark. He put everything on their friendship to keep the darkness from swallowing him whole. And when Clark finally ended the friendship, Lex blamed every single footstep towards the darkness on him, refusing to take any responsibility for his own actions. “I am this way because of you, so since you sentenced me to this darkness, I’m going to embrace it and use it against you.“ This is his way of thinking. The victim complex. Lex is beyond saving; he has become the villain that we all know and loathe. It’s both sad and pathetic that he has embraced the base nature of his being and rejected any notion of redemption, any chance that Clark had given him in this conversation. His rivalry killed him, and now he’s back in a fully cloned body having learned nothing. Somebody had once wrote that Lex is Superman’s greatest enemy not because of his wealth or technology, but because he can’t be humbled, no matter what happens to him. This exchange confirms that.
Artisan1979 While true to a point, I think that Lex had more self-awareness than that. He always had a clear understanding of his own darkness. He blamed Clark at certain points, yes, but ultimately I think that he took ownership of his choices. His relationship with Clark at this point (damn memory shenanigans, I hated that) is deeply complex, though. There’s a mix of jealousy, fear, affection and anger. Here, Lex mentions that he and Superman are interdependent. Their friendship has morphed, but it is still is a friendship in a twisted sense. Their rivalry pushes them both to be better (or, more accurately, greater) men.
The Hippy Griff It doesn’t change the fact that Lex still believes that it’s beyond his ability to change and try things differently. He is willing to be the villain to Clark’s hero in order to be great because he has been conditioned by his own experiences and trauma to believe that there is nothing for him except the darkness. As self-aware as he may be,Lex is still misguided and is willing to embrace the role of the villain at the cost of any chance of redemption because of some bizarre sense of birthright. He wants to cling to the tail end of Superman’s cape as his biggest thorn to ensure his name in the history books, and yes that is a perversion of the friendship they once had. He once told Clark in the pilot that they are the future and that he would never let anything get in the way of their friendship. Or the classic line “our friendship is going to be the stuff of legends.” As optimistic as that once sounded, his own worst characteristics have corrupted that outlook. The ghost of his mother even gave him a chance to see what life would’ve been like if he had a Bandan his legacy and wealth. He would’ve Ameri to Lanna, they would’ve had a son, the whip another kid on the way, and so on and so forth. Beyond that, he and Clark where to become like brothers again. But when he lost Lana in that vision, that was when his weaker traits came to light. He even came out of that vision believing that money and power could buy any kind of happiness, as if it was a security blanket to ensure his heart would not be so broken. It showed who was the stronger of them both because Clark would not have collapsed so completely into darkness and evil; Clark would have forged ahead in spite of this and be stronger for it. What makes this friendship so tragic is that Lex could’ve been a greater man, could have had that brother, could have had the woman he desired, if he had let go of his own hubris.
!0 years later and this scene is still epic. I don't care what anyone says: Smallville will always be my favorite version of Superman's origin story, and that's just because of the character development Clark AND Lex received. Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum were amazing in this series.
Michael Rosenbaum was the best thing about Smallville. The producers should have done whatever it took to keep him through the entire run of the series.
@@thuo1000 Rosenbaum left because he was tired and wanted to go back to L.A. and do other stuff. Trying comedy, etc...he was supposed to leave the show after season 6 but they convinced to renew for one more year and stay for season 7. Al Gough and Miles Millar, however, left their show because the CW was garbage and was treating creators and shows like trash. They were cutting budgets to the bone and refusing to hire more directors/writers to help showrunners to properly run their shows. Amy Sherman Palladino left Gilmore Girls in the same year for the same reason. The CW helped killing TV in many ways. They butchered Smallville after season 7 by cutting down the budget to bits, making it impossible to shoot on location and to shoot anywhere else other than two small sets. The quality of the crew also changed drastically with many cheap people hired for season 8 and 9 and 10 in particular.
those last 30 seconds or so...they were brother's again, Lex being the older and encouraging Clark to surpass him, Clark being the younger and apologizing for letting Lex down...it makes me hope that in the future the two are able to stand side-by-side again
Totally. Despite their ultimate rivalry, it was really hard to loathe Lex. Michael Rosenbaum played it so wonderfully and his arc was so amazing that I could understand why he became the villain of the story, and in the last scene we could see that, after all they´ve been through, deep inside they know they´re always gonna be connected, for better or for worse.
lex luthor says the greatest men in history are defined by their enemies. I take this to imply that lex luthor chooses the evil path only to make superman the greatest version of himself. lex luthor is truly a genius, doing what must be done, since he cannot do it himself.
That description mirrors that of Hal Jordan's nemesis, Sinestro. He believes in the idea of the green lantern corps so much that he is willing to be their greatest nemesis to push them beyond their limits. Even going so far as to establish a corps of fear to counter theirs of Willpower.
Years of begging and tons of cash offered and they finally got Michael Rosenbaum to come back. The last episode would not have been the same without him.
That probably why he did it because it was the last episode and good way to send the show off. Besides Clark can't become Superman without his greatest enemy Lex Luther
Wish Michael would have been back as Lex for Crisis though, he'd be a much more "sinister" Lex than "comic goofy asshole" Lex Jon Cryer plays. Nothing wrong with comic villains, but this is 2019 going into 2020, villains like Lex Luthor have transcended the comic book goofiness into something far better. At the heart of Lex Luthor is a desire to be more than human, he wants power and to be the hero, but it's that vain desire that makes him a villain.
@@captainpharaoh I don’t think lex is meant to be a very psychotic character. He’s a very intelligent level headed character that has just accepted being the villain. Characters like Joker, riddler, Harley Quinn are more psychotic
This brilliant dynamic between the ultimate hero and villain of the show is just one of the many reasons Smallville will always be miles better than the new Lois and Clark CW offering.
@@SoggyBagelz We wll have to agree to disagree. As having seen another of said Lois and Clark in supergirl and arrowverse crossovers. To know that they are bland stale and uninteresting version of those characters and not a patch on Smallville's or even Lois and Clark show of the 90s.
Above all else, this is the most tragic of all Lexes. He's not a villain because his hair got burnt off in a freak lab accident, or because he's jealous of Superman's powers. No, all he wants is to help Clark be the best he can be, to push Clark to greatness. To be a challenge Clark will overcome time and time again, growing better able to save the world every time. To make sure Clark has the strength and the skills not to fail anyone else again. To prevent the tragedy that defined him from being forced on anyone else, he throws his very self away, to become the enemy that defines Clark and puts the Super in the man.
Lex and Clark being friends before being enemies is truly inspired as it adds a different layer of complexity to the story because there’s a dramatic irony the audience can acknowledge. Lex will always be Clark’s greatest failure and he has to battle with it everyday when he faces him.
Poor Lex.... always wanting what Clark had...we all kinda rooted for him, didn't we? We all kinda hoped that maybe he could shake off his dark destiny and live in the light.
You know i used to think it was our families that made us who we are, then i hoped it was our friends. But if you look at history, the great men and women of the world have always been defined... by their enemies. Lex script is awesome
I don't know he's the definitive LL to me. I will say that he played a young Lex very well. And he was definitely better than the idiotic Lex that was in Batman v Superman movie. Even at the end after they'd shaved his head, the BvS Lex was just dreadful. Maybe the producer and/or director was envisioning Lex as sort of a young, high tech billionaire type, but that just doesn't cut it for me. From my perspective, they just turned Lex into some young self-entitled twit, rather than a strong, powerful, and experienced business mogul with megalomaniacal delusions. Humor aside, Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey were much better as Lex. Maybe GH's Lex was a little too humorous, but that's more on the writers and the fact that the Christopher Reeve Superman movies were a little on the campy side. I think that Gene Hackman was a proven actor who I have no doubt could have played Lex as a far more serious and dangerous villain. Honestly, if the DCEU moves forward and has another Superman movie involving Lex Luthor, I hope that they recast it with an actor who is more like Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacy than some goofy, bald dweeb.
crucisnh so you don’t think Hackman and Spacey played the goofy versions of Lex? I mean their mastermind ideas revolved around real estate. I’ll take the billionaire CEO version of the character any day of the week. That’s why Rosenbaum’s Lex was the most serious one and I think comic accurate.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex" Wow that is the most deep defining final warm moments between Lex & Clark's close friendship & a tragic end to their long build friendship with each other. Sad to see how Lex & Clark build a bond & a friendship with each other when they were young but destiny cause their friendship to break & turn each other into enemies. If Clark knew by then, he would have save Lex, turned Lex into a good guy & their friendship would continue. This makes us think about our lives when we make friends with someone... Today we're close friends with someone we know for many years. Then sadly next day, without warning & without knowing the details what cause it, that friend we once knew break up with us & becomes our enemy... We sometimes blame ourselves for the breakup & we sometimes blame our former friend for the breakup. But in the end, we realized that sometimes destiny cause that to happen & we have no choice but to accept the way things are & move on with our lives...
Imagine Crisis Finale: Michael Rosenbaum kicks out original Lex and takes his place. And he's running for President of Multiverse. The villain you can't not vote for!
Wasn’t really his fault tbh. All he wanted was a script. They wouldn’t even let him see what was going to happen to his character. Why should he reprise the role without the assurance that the character quality will remain? Or that it wasn’t just some tiny cameo like every other cool character they’ve been building up
@ especially when many like myself consider him the best lex we have had, his development alongside clark added so much to him being the villian we know he is.
"I'll always be there to stop you Lex. Always. Until I dont feel like it anymore, try to abandon my destiny like Jor-El forbade for 9 seasons, and sacrifice my powers to live like a human consequence free while you become president and I hope you dont nuke the planet like you did with Braniac that one time. But until then.... I'm watching you!!"
@@SuperBookMonkey Yeah, it was. It was just completely inconsistent with the character and the show. He spent 9 seasons rejecting his destiny, before accepting that he couldnt change it, then embracing it and becoming his true self. Then they retconned the whole thing and had him turn his back on his destiny, his father, and the world. ... dumb...
@@fahidhussain2780 well I think Smallville was always its own thing in the first place. Maybe Clark was able to save lex after all. There is a lot between season 10 and crisis that we didn't see
@@lukesvideogameletsplays4416 he never saved him. I think Its similar to joker and batman. If there is no superman there is no need for lex to continue his dark ways. When batman supposedly died joker became sane and stopped being evil. " Without batman crime has no punchline". When batman came back joker returned to his evil ways
@@connor3mm597 it seems that everybody forgets that when Clark met the Legion in season 8 they told him that he will be the greatest hero of all the time , that future won't come true for a guy who gave up his powers after 10 years of being superman , now do you see how CW screwed smallville ??
@@WWENBAVideos yes, it is. Smallvile was made by the same people who made the arrowverse, and they showed smallvile Superman in crisis. It's part of the arrowverse
That very last sceme Lex see's Clark use his superpowers for the first time with his own eyes and clear mind. Love that little smile he gives now that i think about it.
I loved the Smallville scene in Crisis, it was a good ending for Clark, we have the one in Smallville with Clark fully becoming Superman, then the Crisis ending with Clark all these years later after saving the world and giving up his powers for his family, this time around we got a peaceful ending, one where we know Clark lived a happy and peaceful life and had kids.
Clark has his powers he just used blue kryptonite to suppress them one day he could suit back up again and be superman because what I learned the world will always need superman
Lex: “Hello Clark. Can’t say I love what you’ve done with the place.” Clark: “Lex!?” Lex: “You still say it the same way. Astonishment, mixed with a hint of dread, yet with a hopeful finish.” The writing for the characters on Smallville was on point. They really distinguished the characters as individuals especially Lex. Side note: Clark giving up his powers in Crisis just continues what he struggled w/ in Smallville. Somewhere out there Clark got his powers back again because they needed him....again. 🤷🏾♂️
And years later Lex forces his way onto the roster of the JLA. Or does Clark remember the saying :Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer and let him in so he can keep an eye on him. When you are side by side on the same team, can't get much closer than that.
Funny cause lex always looked at Clark with hope and optimism...I think lex knew the world needed Clark and to make sure they’d always have him...lex would step permanently into the dark by choice...sacrificing their brotherly bond...like itachi to sasuke...”I’ll always be there for you...even if as an obstacle for you to overcome”
Some are sad that Rosenbaum only returned for the last scene but can you imagine if he hadn't returned for this scene. Still haunting, intimate and frightening, honest and opening reasons, values, and conflicts that define these titans. Rosenbaum is amazing, and Wellings portrayal is better for it..
In my opinion the best depictions of villians are ones where there 'evilness' is not just a one dimensional facet, but is nuanced. The speech Lex gives is well written, and delivered. cements the link between Lex and Superman as villian and hero to come. And also Lex basically giving Clark that final push he needs to become his destiny. As and aside. In the ArrowVerse crossover event, a lot were disappointed at tyhe fact that Smallville Superman had renounced his powers. In my mind there is an explanation for this, and I strewss just my own work around. A scenario where a Kryptonian ship has crashed on Earth, and its power core overloading. the problem being its imbued with Go;ld Kryptonite. As the last Kryptonian, Clark is the only one who can reprogram it, to launch away from Earth. lex knows this, and makes a promise to9 Clark. If he does this, he would renounce any vendetta against Clark and his family, and would tone down any evil machinations. Clark agrees, and in a final act, he AND Lex both manage to save the Earth. However, considering his heritage of being from a race from a higher gravity planet, he does still retain heightened reflexes and be noticeably stronger than normal. And so, you have the Smallville Superman who did not just 'give up' but sacr4ificed his powers. Something the Arrowverse Lex would not be capable of understanding either in 'Superman' nor in his own cou8nterpart on Smallville Earth. And so, if he HAD retained his powers he may well have been an actual Paragon. Just my tuppence worth. ;)
Absolute master class scene. Top notch in every way from acting, writing & atmosphere. Please put these 2 in another show together. Doesn't have to be a sequel show. Could be a show about rival coaches. Just put them back together!
Towards the end of their conversation it was as if Lex was hoping Clark would accept his destiny so Lex could accept his. And when Clark apologized for not being able to save Lex, it seemed Lex was thinking: “So do I, old friend, so do I.” Very emotional acting here. The culmination of a history from friends to destined enemies.
These two are the Superman equivalent to Batmans Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy. Two actors with amazing chemistry who are experienced enough to know exactly what their doing. Love it!
Super smart, awesome execution and delivery in his dialogue, 100 % confident in his own superiority and the whole complete package for what a villain should be. These are the reasons why Michael Rosenbaum will always be the true Lex Luthor in any form of DC media
The line that got me: "I don't think Clark Kent can save the world on his own" "He CAN'T. Be we BOTH know who CAN" I lose it every time I see that! Clark KNOWS he's gonna become Superman - he went to the future with Brainiac 5, talked to his future self, saw him in action, FLYING and stopping a nuclear bomb, Lois keeping his secret, etc ... and STILL not accepting his role as SUPERMAN ... When even LEX knows about Superman and believes in you, WHY don't you believe in YOURSELF???
What makes it better/sad story is that they really were close friends and Clark knowing they were destined to be enemies and he still tried to stop it. just makes it even stronger.
LEX:"We have a destiny together,Clark.Only on different sides" "You are the light" CLARK:"I don't so sure,Clark Kent can save the world his on" LEX:"He can't.But we both know who can" CLARK:"I'm sorry i couldn't save you,Lex" Epic.Smallville is the best serie of the world.My favorite serie. "I love you like brother,Clark.But has over this way.I'm sorry" "I am the villain of the history" Clark and Lex.FRIENDS or ENEMIES??????????????
it was the best scene of those 10 series.. it was highly anticipated for over than 3 seasons and the crosstalk was epic.. michael rosenbaum along with tom welling were the heart of the show, with michael being unbelievable. it was a crime that lex disappeared for 3 whole seasons. Lionel and Tess were also epic... Great show that evolved greatly throughout the years.
In a way, they are still friends deep down. Lex goes out of his way to show that, in a twisted view. Lex wants Clark to stop him, he's rooting for his friend to become the great hero. And he knows that his role is as the villain, but not with disdain or hatred, but rivalry.
@DrachirLoyah If fans can remember or simply go back and watch the series from the beginning to this one scene, and remember how things used to be, I think they'll realize this is the perfect ending. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex". Sums up their entire relationship
Orochi2345678 I watched it from the 1 October 2001 episode, so I get that. Clark tried, but unfortunately Lex proved beyond saving. He even said in the sixth season that he tried to be his friend, but all he cared about was power and control. He gave him chance after chance and he burned them all because he could not assimilate his own Darkside. Lex is infuriated that Clark never trusted him with his secret, yet did not understand that he did not give him the space to consider letting him in on his secret. He always saw himself as the friend who gave Clark everything only to be betrayed. He overlooked his own mistakes; he himself lied to his face multiple times over involvement in shady dealings or projects. He abducted and experimented on kryptonite infected people, including Chloe, whom he wants protected from his father’s wrath. And of course the biggest line crossed was stealing Lana away from him. Even going so far as to having her drinks spiked so they would raise her hormones and convince her that she was pregnant when she wasn’t. Another example of his inability to trust and and obsession with control. And, of course, the most damning of his sins was finally letting years of emotional abuse and neglect compel him to murder his father and cover it up. After that there was no going back. No, instead of recovering from the termination of his friendship with Clark, or try to take the steps to address areas that drive them apart, Lex dove headfirst into the darkness that he was trying to escape because he felt there was nothing left. Even his relationship with Lana could be seen as one last ditch effort to find a light to follow, only to give in to his own ambitions. This will always be the difference between Clark and Lex; Clark acknowledges his mistakes and tries to do better for the sake of right, while Lex feels that he is beyond reproach and instead blames other parties. That is narcissistic behavior. So yeah, I get this exchange and feel the layers underneath the lines.The finale would’ve been shit without this one last parting disagreement between two men who were once like brothers.
@Sanjida Khan I know about what crimes against humanity he committed, including to those closest to him like Lana or even his cloned brother Julian. And especially Chloe. But killing your own father seems like the chief cardinal sin for anyone, including Lex Luthor. It was the line that he never crossed until he was pushed. After that, it seemed as though there was no chance of redemption for him, especially after he subconsciously burned away the kid that he was and in essence destroying the last bit of innocence or conscience that he had left.
This is How Lex and Clark should be as. This version of Lex where he not exactly All bad and All Dark, it's just he's way of making Clark better, to push him to his limits, it's like playing chess, One side has to be bad but not quite as Evil as everyone else may think to make the other Greater.
Michael Rosenbaum was so good he could’ve easily have played the role on the big screen. The dude from 2 1/2 man and Jesse Eisenberg we’re both atrocious
I completely understand everyone's frustration with Tess erasing Lex's memory at the end of the series but seriously guys, read the Smallvile Season 11 comic online, it's actually GREAT. And it does a lot with Lex's amnesia and the stories are really well written. Lex gets up to some EVIL SHIT in those comics :)
I actually agree with Lex on this one. Clark was CONSTANTLY denying who he was. All the good he could have done and it half of it was wasted because he was too busy whining about responsibility and powers he never wanted. Oh and Lana don’t forget Lana. That annoyed me greatly.
Duh. Oliver hit the nail on the head in his conversations with clark. He said clark, this clark, only cared about his friends and family. This world's clark kent was lazy. But, this series had the best versions of lex, lois, and green arrow.
“You’re alive?!!” “It seems my father had a ...” (takes a prolonged look at his gloved hand and all I can think is, “Oh, please don’t go there, it’s too obvious”), ..”change of heart”. Okay, good.
One of the great and rare moments of the Hero/Villain relationship where the villain gives an inspiring pep talk to the hero. I think Glass with Unbreakable was another one of the great super villain revealing and inspiring the hero. This is my favorite out of the 2 though
“I used to think it was our families that made us who we are. Then I hoped it was our friends. But if you look at history, the great men and women in our world have been defined by their enemies.” That line just hit me. Been a fan of Smallville for a while. I just caught what Lex was trying to say.
"I'll always be here to stop you. Always."
Then he gives up his powers to work on a farm and raise a family and Lex becomes President.
Can't you see he did what batman could never do! Give up his driving force to be a hero superman. Did you watch this clip? Lex only does the evil he does because he knows the man of steel will stop him....what happens when you hang up the cape.....lex falls down for greatness is no longer important when only one man simply gives up turns his back.
Don't forget power was never given to the child by the sun it was simply apart of him if he chooses I believe he can get it back all he has to do is stop wearing that ring. Don't you remember?
@@Rubrick23. aaaaaa in the lest episode of Smalville Lex was poisned and forgot about Clark
everything. And now Clark can leave in peace, becouse Lex president without memories. I am sorry for my English) (rus)
@@Rubrick23. There's no reason in Clark giving up his power. Many moments of smallville have shown us what happen when Clark gives up his power. Bad things always happen and that is the most impressive skills of superman: he is always thinking about everybody else sacrificing himself to make the world better. Now, he is playing a normal guy while the world is about to end. Clark had understood this, Lois had understood this, everybody who knew Clark had understood this.
@viper ville chrisie strikes Well, Tom/Clark might be hiding out like Post Crisis New 52 Clark/Original Superman with Lois and Jon. I know it's a long shot, but one could hope that Tom Welling reconsiders the cape.
Also, interestingly fact in an interview, Tom Welling said he always wanted to be "Batman". Maybe, he's the Earth-1 version of Bruce Wayne, which would give him what he wants and allow for some jokes to be made about Smallville and Tyler/Superman
@viper ville chrisie strikesI agree with u. Smallville has many problema, mainly when they put Clark playing Superman without becoming Superman, from season 8 on. Smallville should have stayed in clark learning his powers and Deal with his doubts, they shouldn't have shown Clark Kent working at daily planet, dating with Lois and becoming a gero known as blur for almost 1/3 of the show. It was a origin story, but they Lost It and it became a Superman story, without suit and the name and the flying skill.
Absolutely hands down the best depiction of Lex Luthor ever.
The Original Momo Mike undoubtedly
The cw version looks like an albino chipmunk
Silent Gaming they can’t cast anything well these days
@@SilentGaming2727 The CW version is Bad Alan Harper.
lmao
Jon Cryer is WAY better
No other Lex has ever been as good as Michael Rosenbaum.
Clancy Brown as Lex - "President... Do you have any idea how much power I would need to give up to be President?"
That said easy second best.
@@theyux1 if we're talking in general then Clancy is first in my book. If we're talking Live representation, then Rosenbaum is my go to choice.
Jesse eisenberg is great too
@@boxa_nava2040 idk
@@boxa_nava2040 Hardly.
He acts like a cross between the Riddler and the Joker, neither of which have anything in common with Lex.
That said, Clancy takes all the cake, his voice-acting is so convincing you forget his Lex is just some lines and colors put together.
"we have a destiny together, Clark... Only on different sides."
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Lex."
Almost 9 years later and it still sends chills down my spine, unbelievable.
Rabby he is by far and always the best lex luthor and i hate lex luthor in general 😂😂 but what Michael Rosenbaum makes me like him 😂
@@mergindice definitely the best! 👏👏
its funny because in sesaon 1 he said: we have a destiny together,Clark... and I'dont want anything to come between our friendship. and now : we have a destiny together, clark ... only on different sides.
@@461rodney it's on différent side
But at this point, lex Always consider Clark as Friend.
This is all he Said in this scen : we are enemy. But i beleve in you (for darkseid).
This is why i like this lex: he is a tragical vilain. He want he's enemy to be friend, but the destiny force them to fight.
Darkseid: I am on the dark side. What sides are you guys on?
First moments together: Clark saves Lex from a car at the bottom of the river.
Last moments together: “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Lex.”
Absolutely beautiful.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Lex."
That line will forever live with me.
I'm sorry you joined Darth vader
It is both foreshadowing and sad
I swear, this is my favorite version of Lex. He was friends with Clark, had an internal conflict wanting to be a good guy yet slowly being dragged into the darkness. To me it will be next to impossible to find a Lex anywhere near as good as this one.
certainly beats Lex's silver age origin of cooking something up n a lab which catches fire. His buddy Superboy blows out the fire through a window, blowing the toxic smoke back in lex's face causing his hair to fall out and suddenly it's all "I'll never forgive you for this, superboy! " fist shaking, etc.
What's crazy is at the end of this, you can tell that there is still love between the two friends, just disappointment and acceptance of what is. DAMN this was a good show.
The one thing I like about this is the symbolism. When Lex is talking about him and Clark being enemies and how they will always be on opposite sides, he's shrouded in dark and shadows. But in that last little bit, where Clark is doubting himself to be able to stop Darkseid... Lex steps into the light, and glows, to tell him that Clark is the light. That he's a savior. And he knows what he has to do. Even in this time, this moment, when it's known they can never TRULY be friends, that they will ALWAYS be enemies.... Lex gives him hope, and gives him the answer. And Clark, seeing his friend in that moment, the man he saved from drowning, the one who always believed in him and helped him... looking into Lex's eyes and saying "I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex."
Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling deserved Oscars for this moment!
“Deserved Oscars”…an award given to two actors and two actresses every year for the top performances in MOVIES and you think they should have gone to actors in a teen melodrama on TELEVISION? 🤦♂️
@@fezzik7619 wow. Weird flex bro. Really feel good about this one?
@@greenpyro I’m sure I feel just as good as you do with your over analysis of a television show topped off with a sprinkling of celebrity worship.
@@fezzik7619 I don't know who hurt you but I'm sorry you feel so little about your own life that you had to come be hurtful to somebody who was just appreciating a good moment in a show they care about. I hope that nobody ever decides to do the same to you.
@@fezzik7619 also if it's so terrible why are you here? Run out of puppies to murder or something?
The fact that they are really good friends in real life makes this so much better
"I´ll always be there to stop you! Always!"
"Oh i´m counting on it!"
How great MR delivered that line.. he´s awesome as Lex.
No doubt about that
That’s some damn good acting right there. If you take out the cheesiness and melodrama , Smallville is a solid Superman story for sure
Currently rewatching the entire series. Forgot how rough season 3 in particular was in some parts.
Maxphyte that’s awesome. Those early seasons are truly the best. I am thinking about dusting off my old box sets and rewatching the series again
BCtube01 I think it is either season 4 or season 5 that I remember being the peak or around the peak of this show. I was roughly the same age as the characters as each season progressed so when I was younger I could digest the teenage angst a little better. But those are the parts that I have a harder time watching now. So I have to see how the later seasons have aged for me.
Maxphyte wow! You actually “grew up” with Smallville 😂😂😂. I was way into my 20s when I watched the show. That first episode of season one had me hooked. It was unlike anything I had seen on TV for awhile. Wasn’t expecting that meteor shower destroying Smallville, but damn... good memories
BCtube01 yep lol. I think it was being able to relate to some of the things at the time that kept me invested in the show outside of it being a Superman origin story. Granted a lot of those things were dialed up in the show for maximum teenage television angst lol.
Smallville was a great show whenever it centred on the relationship between Clark and Lex. It was tremendously written very much as, first a close sibling rivalry, then as simply young rivals until eventually just good against evil. That's why this is such a great scene, the journey is over......they both now know who they are.
It also turned Lex into a tragic character. You can see it even in this video. For all his bravado, he still feels things are, to an extant, out of his hands.
@@TheACcam Your right, and that was one of the reasons we not only loved Michael Rosenbaum's performance but felt such compassion for him, having to deal with the real villain of the piece, his father. We haven't even mentioned how great the actors who played their fathers were!
sometimes we think that our families and friends know as well, but rivals know better. it is funny that somehow there is an unwritten code of respect or honor between rivals. clarke & lex. batman & joker.
i think it stays sibling rivalry in a sense. Lex was jealous of the friends Clark had. Jealous of the family Clark had. Jealous of how his friends loved and admired him. Then the nail in the coffin was when Lionel who was a garbage individual,started singing Clarks praises lol.
Agreed. Clark and Lex’s relationship was remarkable especially for a CW show. To this day it amazes me how complex Clark and Lex’s relationship was compared to Clark and Lana’s.
alwaya preffer that lex and clark were friends before being enemies.its a more poetic and interesting dynamic
like its super gay either way
@@leetomkins8658 What's gay about friendship?
Well, here Lex more or less says flat out that his destiny is to be Clarks enemy. The one that "Superman" rises up against and saves the world from, the one that forces Superman to constantly be better, be stronger, which in the end makes him the hero who the universe remembers far into the future, whom hundreds of heroes grew up worshiping and everyday try to live up to his ideal.
He is essentially saying that he is going to insure that Clark becomes the hero by being a formidable villain. It's almost like Lex's redemption was to just make sure that Superman exists.
As for why Clark gave up his powers afterwards? Maybe after Lex who lost all his memories because of Tess didn't actually become evil.... Perhaps he just went on to be an ambitous man who after being a sucessful buisnessman went into politics and thus Clark suddenly didn't need to be Superman anymore.
Lee Tomkins That was a gay comment.
Like Kara and Lena now ❤️
"Im sorry i couldnt save you lex" Damn! i felt that the first time i saw it and i felt it again.
Forealz that shit was deep
I kinda wish Lex said "I'm not" just to add to the finality of it
Ben Pramuk I don’t think that would have added to the scene moment because lex as depicted in this never wanted to be a bad guy he was chipped away at by his father and then Clark (that’s his island paranoia thing) predicted back in season 3 on the island
Bro when I felt that 💯
Clark will always feels some measure of responsibility for the way Lex turned out, but Lex is responsible for Lex. He chose to keep secrets, he chose to continuously investigate Clark rather than respect boundaries, he chose to marry Lana knowing what it would do to the man he once regarded as a brother, he chose to kill his own father and not turn to Clark when he had the chance, he chose to exploit kryponite-infected people for his own ends rather than cure them... It’s all about choice and in spite of his best efforts not to, Lex went down the path of his father the more he became obsessed with escaping it.
Michael's acting through the show was beyond amazing, it was literally a class of acting
I feel bad for Lex in this series. He seemed more like a forced villain, pushed to evil (even though he was trying to change for the better)
SMALLVILLE had developed Lex.How turned from good to bad
It makes him a more compelling villian.
@@felixhaileykeenofffical4252 he turned from good to bad as he let Lionel's influence get to him in the long run
@invincible. He was a good child. Troubled teenager ( he wasn’t bad ) , then tried really hard to help people around him , was good to the point he would sacrifice himself for others ( the factory incident and many others ), then trauma after trauma took its toll on him. His father played with his mind and then his paranoia completed the job. He could carry a show by himself.
I can't tell if I blame Clark or not because he had a huge hand in Lex's fall, like "accidentally" letting Red K control him into breaking up Lex's wedding, but at the same time Lex made a lot of bad choices.
3:38 Clark realized Lex was inspiring him to become Superman, just so he could become greater by defeating him.
Well, also because Lex was probably interested in being around to play his great game of trying to take down Clark, which of course he couldn't do if Earth was destroyed.
Let's remember now , lex may hate superman, but lex also realisezes he NEEDS superman and that is what kills lex inside, the fact that no matter how great he becomes he will always pale in comparison to kal-el and be "just another human " comparatively. lex's whole M.O. is to fight that very truth and replace it.
What makes Michaels performance so brilliant is that you can’t really be sure whether the friend he used to be is actually supporting him, or he is simply talking about himself when he says they both know who can save the world without any help. Even Clark is momentarily fooled before he pulls away. The friendship they had will always affect them both. Clark had always seen him as a big brother until the lies and crimes began piling up. Always trying to invade his privacy and discover secrets despite saying that he had abandoned that obsession, and even seducing Lana after years of trying to mentor him towards actually earning her love. And let’s not forget the consistent abduction and experimenting on meteor freaks - Chloe included - which he saw as progress to building better defenses for the world against these seemingly alien threats that cropped up out of nowhere. He refused to acknowledge that what he was doing was crossing some very ethical lines. Clark sees this as a complete perversion of all he believes in. The friend he once believed in and supported had become this compulsive liar and master manipulator. And of course, Lex blames every one of his actions on Clark. He put everything on their friendship to keep the darkness from swallowing him whole. And when Clark finally ended the friendship, Lex blamed every single footstep towards the darkness on him, refusing to take any responsibility for his own actions. “I am this way because of you, so since you sentenced me to this darkness, I’m going to embrace it and use it against you.“ This is his way of thinking. The victim complex. Lex is beyond saving; he has become the villain that we all know and loathe. It’s both sad and pathetic that he has embraced the base nature of his being and rejected any notion of redemption, any chance that Clark had given him in this conversation. His rivalry killed him, and now he’s back in a fully cloned body having learned nothing. Somebody had once wrote that Lex is Superman’s greatest enemy not because of his wealth or technology, but because he can’t be humbled, no matter what happens to him. This exchange confirms that.
Artisan1979 While true to a point, I think that Lex had more self-awareness than that. He always had a clear understanding of his own darkness. He blamed Clark at certain points, yes, but ultimately I think that he took ownership of his choices. His relationship with Clark at this point (damn memory shenanigans, I hated that) is deeply complex, though. There’s a mix of jealousy, fear, affection and anger. Here, Lex mentions that he and Superman are interdependent. Their friendship has morphed, but it is still is a friendship in a twisted sense. Their rivalry pushes them both to be better (or, more accurately, greater) men.
The Hippy Griff It doesn’t change the fact that Lex still believes that it’s beyond his ability to change and try things differently. He is willing to be the villain to Clark’s hero in order to be great because he has been conditioned by his own experiences and trauma to believe that there is nothing for him except the darkness. As self-aware as he may be,Lex is still misguided and is willing to embrace the role of the villain at the cost of any chance of redemption because of some bizarre sense of birthright. He wants to cling to the tail end of Superman’s cape as his biggest thorn to ensure his name in the history books, and yes that is a perversion of the friendship they once had. He once told Clark in the pilot that they are the future and that he would never let anything get in the way of their friendship. Or the classic line “our friendship is going to be the stuff of legends.” As optimistic as that once sounded, his own worst characteristics have corrupted that outlook. The ghost of his mother even gave him a chance to see what life would’ve been like if he had a Bandan his legacy and wealth. He would’ve Ameri to Lanna, they would’ve had a son, the whip another kid on the way, and so on and so forth. Beyond that, he and Clark where to become like brothers again. But when he lost Lana in that vision, that was when his weaker traits came to light. He even came out of that vision believing that money and power could buy any kind of happiness, as if it was a security blanket to ensure his heart would not be so broken. It showed who was the stronger of them both because Clark would not have collapsed so completely into darkness and evil; Clark would have forged ahead in spite of this and be stronger for it. What makes this friendship so tragic is that Lex could’ve been a greater man, could have had that brother, could have had the woman he desired, if he had let go of his own hubris.
!0 years later and this scene is still epic.
I don't care what anyone says: Smallville will always be my favorite version of Superman's origin story, and that's just because of the character development Clark AND Lex received. Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum were amazing in this series.
Agreed
"I will always be there to stop you, Lex. Always!"
"Unless you turn into John Cryer, then i'll just give up."
It's JON. DUMBFUCK
@@Izanagioomikami i don't care how Charlie Sheen's effeminate little brother spells his name.
Big Lou that’s not really his brother dude.. that was a TV show..
@@nexttolegendary yeah, no shit. It was a joke.
Jon looks like an albino chipmunk
Michael Rosenbaum was the best thing about Smallville. The producers should have done whatever it took to keep him through the entire run of the series.
The executive producers and creators of the series left the same season Rosembaum and Glover did.
@@Kal911 which reason might that be?
@@thuo1000 Rosenbaum left because he was tired and wanted to go back to L.A. and do other stuff. Trying comedy, etc...he was supposed to leave the show after season 6 but they convinced to renew for one more year and stay for season 7.
Al Gough and Miles Millar, however, left their show because the CW was garbage and was treating creators and shows like trash. They were cutting budgets to the bone and refusing to hire more directors/writers to help showrunners to properly run their shows. Amy Sherman Palladino left Gilmore Girls in the same year for the same reason. The CW helped killing TV in many ways.
They butchered Smallville after season 7 by cutting down the budget to bits, making it impossible to shoot on location and to shoot anywhere else other than two small sets. The quality of the crew also changed drastically with many cheap people hired for season 8 and 9 and 10 in particular.
those last 30 seconds or so...they were brother's again, Lex being the older and encouraging Clark to surpass him, Clark being the younger and apologizing for letting Lex down...it makes me hope that in the future the two are able to stand side-by-side again
Totally. Despite their ultimate rivalry, it was really hard to loathe Lex. Michael Rosenbaum played it so wonderfully and his arc was so amazing that I could understand why he became the villain of the story, and in the last scene we could see that, after all they´ve been through, deep inside they know they´re always gonna be connected, for better or for worse.
Michael Rosenbaum deserved an Emmy for his performance as Lex. He truly embodied the character and captured the screen everytime.
lex luthor says the greatest men in history are defined by their enemies. I take this to imply that lex luthor chooses the evil path only to make superman the greatest version of himself. lex luthor is truly a genius, doing what must be done, since he cannot do it himself.
That description mirrors that of Hal Jordan's nemesis, Sinestro. He believes in the idea of the green lantern corps so much that he is willing to be their greatest nemesis to push them beyond their limits. Even going so far as to establish a corps of fear to counter theirs of Willpower.
Years of begging and tons of cash offered and they finally got Michael Rosenbaum to come back.
The last episode would not have been the same without him.
That probably why he did it because it was the last episode and good way to send the show off.
Besides Clark can't become Superman without his greatest enemy Lex Luther
Wish Michael would have been back as Lex for Crisis though, he'd be a much more "sinister" Lex than "comic goofy asshole" Lex Jon Cryer plays. Nothing wrong with comic villains, but this is 2019 going into 2020, villains like Lex Luthor have transcended the comic book goofiness into something far better.
At the heart of Lex Luthor is a desire to be more than human, he wants power and to be the hero, but it's that vain desire that makes him a villain.
@@time391 The comic version of Lex hasn't been goofy since the 70's.
@@time391 Yes, we know it's the current year.
Why did he stop playing him?
Seeing THIS Luthor always makes me yell: "YES! Take THAT, Jesse Eisenberg. THIS is how you do it!"
Yeah Jesse gave me mroe of a riddler vibe
Oh yes this beats Jessie Eisenberg lex period
Jon Cryer also does a nice job as Luthor: very psychotic.
@@captainpharaoh I don’t think lex is meant to be a very psychotic character. He’s a very intelligent level headed character that has just accepted being the villain. Characters like Joker, riddler, Harley Quinn are more psychotic
Eisenberg is Lex Luthor JR the son of Lex Luthor
I'll never forget the superman fans of the world went absolutely nuts bringing these two bk for one last episode, RIP CR
This brilliant dynamic between the ultimate hero and villain of the show is just one of the many reasons Smallville will always be miles better than the new Lois and Clark CW offering.
it just started you have no idea
@@SoggyBagelz We wll have to agree to disagree. As having seen another of said Lois and Clark in supergirl and arrowverse crossovers. To know that they are bland stale and uninteresting version of those characters and not a patch on Smallville's or even Lois and Clark show of the 90s.
@@wedgeantillies66 lmao reading this now how wrong you were
We will have to agree to disagree in that respect.
God can you guys stop butchering the name of the show was superman&lois not this lois and Clark bs
“You and I We Are Going To Be Great Men” That Line Is What Made Him The Best Lex In History
Lex embodies the "Then Let Me Be Evil" trope so wholly and completely in this scene.
Above all else, this is the most tragic of all Lexes. He's not a villain because his hair got burnt off in a freak lab accident, or because he's jealous of Superman's powers. No, all he wants is to help Clark be the best he can be, to push Clark to greatness. To be a challenge Clark will overcome time and time again, growing better able to save the world every time. To make sure Clark has the strength and the skills not to fail anyone else again. To prevent the tragedy that defined him from being forced on anyone else, he throws his very self away, to become the enemy that defines Clark and puts the Super in the man.
"you still say it the same way. with astonishment mixed with a hint of dread yet a hopefull finish"
Lex and Clark being friends before being enemies is truly inspired as it adds a different layer of complexity to the story because there’s a dramatic irony the audience can acknowledge. Lex will always be Clark’s greatest failure and he has to battle with it everyday when he faces him.
Poor Lex.... always wanting what Clark had...we all kinda rooted for him, didn't we? We all kinda hoped that maybe he could shake off his dark destiny and live in the light.
Only those who don't *want* power should be trusted with it.
You know i used to think it was our families that made us who we are, then i hoped it was our friends. But if you look at history, the great men and women of the world have always been defined... by their enemies. Lex script is awesome
Michael Rosembaum is still the definitive Lex Luther when he left in season 7 the show went downhill fast
Yes very true. He was brilliant
I don't know he's the definitive LL to me. I will say that he played a young Lex very well. And he was definitely better than the idiotic Lex that was in Batman v Superman movie. Even at the end after they'd shaved his head, the BvS Lex was just dreadful. Maybe the producer and/or director was envisioning Lex as sort of a young, high tech billionaire type, but that just doesn't cut it for me. From my perspective, they just turned Lex into some young self-entitled twit, rather than a strong, powerful, and experienced business mogul with megalomaniacal delusions. Humor aside, Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey were much better as Lex. Maybe GH's Lex was a little too humorous, but that's more on the writers and the fact that the Christopher Reeve Superman movies were a little on the campy side. I think that Gene Hackman was a proven actor who I have no doubt could have played Lex as a far more serious and dangerous villain.
Honestly, if the DCEU moves forward and has another Superman movie involving Lex Luthor, I hope that they recast it with an actor who is more like Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacy than some goofy, bald dweeb.
crucisnh so you don’t think Hackman and Spacey played the goofy versions of Lex? I mean their mastermind ideas revolved around real estate. I’ll take the billionaire CEO version of the character any day of the week. That’s why Rosenbaum’s Lex was the most serious one and I think comic accurate.
Alan Harper new Lex def have seen it all now lol
Yeah 8 and 9 were passable but 10 was straight ass
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex"
Wow that is the most deep defining final warm moments between Lex & Clark's close friendship & a tragic end to their long build friendship with each other.
Sad to see how Lex & Clark build a bond & a friendship with each other when they were young but destiny cause their friendship to break & turn each other into enemies. If Clark knew by then, he would have save Lex, turned Lex into a good guy & their friendship would continue.
This makes us think about our lives when we make friends with someone... Today we're close friends with someone we know for many years. Then sadly next day, without warning & without knowing the details what cause it, that friend we once knew break up with us & becomes our enemy... We sometimes blame ourselves for the breakup & we sometimes blame our former friend for the breakup. But in the end, we realized that sometimes destiny cause that to happen & we have no choice but to accept the way things are & move on with our lives...
Bro the sinister music in this scene is just PERFECT
Sometimes I think Lex is Clark's best friend. They jus know each other so well
I wonder what would happen in Crisis if Michael Rosenbaum had accepted to be part of.
Imagine Crisis Finale: Michael Rosenbaum kicks out original Lex and takes his place. And he's running for President of Multiverse. The villain you can't not vote for!
Credibility?
Wasn’t really his fault tbh. All he wanted was a script. They wouldn’t even let him see what was going to happen to his character. Why should he reprise the role without the assurance that the character quality will remain? Or that it wasn’t just some tiny cameo like every other cool character they’ve been building up
@ especially when many like myself consider him the best lex we have had, his development alongside clark added so much to him being the villian we know he is.
I am disappointed that he wasn't in crisis, i was hoping to see him, loved his character.
It’s like he’s saying he has to be the bad guy so Clark, or Kal El, can become a better and stronger hope for humanity.
I see it more as he can only be a great man if he triumphs over another great person
I think ur right it sounds like he deliberately went dark to push clark to be better
"But that's the thing about memories... you can't forget them."
Lex, half an episode later: *forgets all his memories*
then regains them in season 11 comic
@@AzguardMike ??? When???
"I'll always be there to stop you Lex. Always.
Until I dont feel like it anymore, try to abandon my destiny like Jor-El forbade for 9 seasons, and sacrifice my powers to live like a human consequence free while you become president and I hope you dont nuke the planet like you did with Braniac that one time.
But until then.... I'm watching you!!"
Curt Robbins Brilliant!! Lmaooo
I thought it was that he gave up his power for his kids. To be a father. Wasn’t that the point of the scene?
@@SuperBookMonkey Yeah, it was. It was just completely inconsistent with the character and the show. He spent 9 seasons rejecting his destiny, before accepting that he couldnt change it, then embracing it and becoming his true self.
Then they retconned the whole thing and had him turn his back on his destiny, his father, and the world. ... dumb...
Different universes. Semantics. Lol
The world is at peace and there are so many other superheroes that can save it. Shut your b*tch ass up
Lex putting his hand on his shoulder shows how close they once were
You feel it when clark says he’s sorry he couldn’t save him
Erasing Lex's memory at the end was a cheap move after a scene like this
Definitely agree with you, what's strange is with the "new" ending in the Arrowverse is it makes it almost seem that Lex turned good as President?
@@fahidhussain2780 well I think Smallville was always its own thing in the first place. Maybe Clark was able to save lex after all. There is a lot between season 10 and crisis that we didn't see
@@lukesvideogameletsplays4416 he never saved him. I think Its similar to joker and batman. If there is no superman there is no need for lex to continue his dark ways. When batman supposedly died joker became sane and stopped being evil. " Without batman crime has no punchline". When batman came back joker returned to his evil ways
@@fahidhussain2780 No, in some versions of DC Lex is President but he is still evil and corrupt.
Guys Crisis Clark Kent was not Smallville Clark Kents, they ain't ruining Smallville for me anyway I don't much care about the Arrowverse
Smallville is better than the entire arrowverse
Sure is! Quality, drama, actors. Everything about Smallville beats arrowverse
Well smallvilles in the arrow verse sooo .... 😂😂
@@connor3mm597 Now that I think about it that's true XD
King Sean yup
@@connor3mm597 it seems that everybody forgets that when Clark met the Legion in season 8 they told him that he will be the greatest hero of all the time , that future won't come true for a guy who gave up his powers after 10 years of being superman , now do you see how CW screwed smallville ??
Every time i watch this i can only think about the blooper. Rosenbam: "YOUR RUINING OUR MOMENT"
TheDragonaf1 you’re *
@@westmcgee9320 don't care.
Feels weird watching this now after watching Crisis
Crisis ain't apart of Smallville
@@WWENBAVideos Yes it is.
@@CatsClaw44 Nope
@@WWENBAVideos they combined Smallville into the Arrowverse by saying it was Earth-167. Smallville's Earth has since been destroyed.... for now
@@WWENBAVideos yes, it is. Smallvile was made by the same people who made the arrowverse, and they showed smallvile Superman in crisis. It's part of the arrowverse
That very last sceme Lex see's Clark use his superpowers for the first time with his own eyes and clear mind. Love that little smile he gives now that i think about it.
I loved the Smallville scene in Crisis, it was a good ending for Clark, we have the one in Smallville with Clark fully becoming Superman, then the Crisis ending with Clark all these years later after saving the world and giving up his powers for his family, this time around we got a peaceful ending, one where we know Clark lived a happy and peaceful life and had kids.
Clark has his powers he just used blue kryptonite to suppress them one day he could suit back up again and be superman because what I learned the world will always need superman
Lex: “Hello Clark. Can’t say I love what you’ve done with the place.”
Clark: “Lex!?”
Lex: “You still say it the same way. Astonishment, mixed with a hint of dread, yet with a hopeful finish.”
The writing for the characters on Smallville was on point. They really distinguished the characters as individuals especially Lex.
Side note: Clark giving up his powers in Crisis just continues what he struggled w/ in Smallville. Somewhere out there Clark got his powers back again because they needed him....again. 🤷🏾♂️
And years later Lex forces his way onto the roster of the JLA. Or does Clark remember the saying :Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer and let him in so he can keep an eye on him. When you are side by side on the same team, can't get much closer than that.
Funny cause lex always looked at Clark with hope and optimism...I think lex knew the world needed Clark and to make sure they’d always have him...lex would step permanently into the dark by choice...sacrificing their brotherly bond...like itachi to sasuke...”I’ll always be there for you...even if as an obstacle for you to overcome”
Some are sad that Rosenbaum only returned for the last scene but can you imagine if he hadn't returned for this scene. Still haunting, intimate and frightening, honest and opening reasons, values, and conflicts that define these titans. Rosenbaum is amazing, and Wellings portrayal is better for it..
In my opinion the best depictions of villians are ones where there 'evilness' is not just a one dimensional facet, but is nuanced.
The speech Lex gives is well written, and delivered. cements the link between Lex and Superman as villian and hero to come. And also Lex basically giving Clark that final push he needs to become his destiny.
As and aside.
In the ArrowVerse crossover event, a lot were disappointed at tyhe fact that Smallville Superman had renounced his powers. In my mind there is an explanation for this, and I strewss just my own work around.
A scenario where a Kryptonian ship has crashed on Earth, and its power core overloading. the problem being its imbued with Go;ld Kryptonite.
As the last Kryptonian, Clark is the only one who can reprogram it, to launch away from Earth. lex knows this, and makes a promise to9 Clark. If he does this, he would renounce any vendetta against Clark and his family, and would tone down any evil machinations. Clark agrees, and in a final act, he AND Lex both manage to save the Earth.
However, considering his heritage of being from a race from a higher gravity planet, he does still retain heightened reflexes and be noticeably stronger than normal.
And so, you have the Smallville Superman who did not just 'give up' but sacr4ificed his powers. Something the Arrowverse Lex would not be capable of understanding either in 'Superman' nor in his own cou8nterpart on Smallville Earth.
And so, if he HAD retained his powers he may well have been an actual Paragon.
Just my tuppence worth. ;)
Absolute master class scene. Top notch in every way from acting, writing & atmosphere. Please put these 2 in another show together. Doesn't have to be a sequel show. Could be a show about rival coaches. Just put them back together!
Tom and Michael are working on an animated sequel series. They already have some of the other cast members on board.
Towards the end of their conversation it was as if Lex was hoping Clark would accept his destiny so Lex could accept his. And when Clark apologized for not being able to save Lex, it seemed Lex was thinking: “So do I, old friend, so do I.” Very emotional acting here. The culmination of a history from friends to destined enemies.
These two are the Superman equivalent to Batmans Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy. Two actors with amazing chemistry who are experienced enough to know exactly what their doing. Love it!
I've watched this clip several times over....i love Lex came back for this final episode
They became good friends in the early seasons. But it's been said, the best of friends make the best of enemies.
"i didn't know the president was in town"
Edit: omg thanks for the likes
Crises on infinite earths😂😂😂
Lmao
Wow, you have really poor listening skills.
TOWN
I didn’t know the president was in town🙄
Super smart, awesome execution and delivery in his dialogue, 100 % confident in his own superiority and the whole complete package for what a villain should be. These are the reasons why Michael Rosenbaum will always be the true Lex Luthor in any form of DC media
The line that got me:
"I don't think Clark Kent can save the world on his own"
"He CAN'T. Be we BOTH know who CAN"
I lose it every time I see that!
Clark KNOWS he's gonna become Superman - he went to the future with Brainiac 5, talked to his future self, saw him in action, FLYING and stopping a nuclear bomb, Lois keeping his secret, etc ... and STILL not accepting his role as SUPERMAN ... When even LEX knows about Superman and believes in you, WHY don't you believe in YOURSELF???
What makes it better/sad story is that they really were close friends and Clark knowing they were destined to be enemies and he still tried to stop it. just makes it even stronger.
He was the best Lex Luthor . So much depth to this version and had so many layers.
Back when CW was still good
LEX:"We have a destiny together,Clark.Only on different sides"
"You are the light"
CLARK:"I don't so sure,Clark Kent can save the world his on"
LEX:"He can't.But we both know who can"
CLARK:"I'm sorry i couldn't save you,Lex"
Epic.Smallville is the best serie of the world.My favorite serie.
"I love you like brother,Clark.But has over this way.I'm sorry"
"I am the villain of the history"
Clark and Lex.FRIENDS or ENEMIES??????????????
@Mona Vanderwaal broenemies
They're both. In a comic, Superman/Clark visited Lex Luthor in prison, and they're both smiling to see each other.
it was the best scene of those 10 series..
it was highly anticipated for over than 3 seasons and the crosstalk was epic..
michael rosenbaum along with tom welling were the heart of the show, with michael being unbelievable.
it was a crime that lex disappeared for 3 whole seasons.
Lionel and Tess were also epic...
Great show that evolved greatly throughout the years.
In a way, they are still friends deep down. Lex goes out of his way to show that, in a twisted view. Lex wants Clark to stop him, he's rooting for his friend to become the great hero. And he knows that his role is as the villain, but not with disdain or hatred, but rivalry.
@DrachirLoyah If fans can remember or simply go back and watch the series from the beginning to this one scene, and remember how things used to be, I think they'll realize this is the perfect ending. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lex". Sums up their entire relationship
Orochi2345678 I watched it from the 1 October 2001 episode, so I get that. Clark tried, but unfortunately Lex proved beyond saving. He even said in the sixth season that he tried to be his friend, but all he cared about was power and control. He gave him chance after chance and he burned them all because he could not assimilate his own Darkside. Lex is infuriated that Clark never trusted him with his secret, yet did not understand that he did not give him the space to consider letting him in on his secret. He always saw himself as the friend who gave Clark everything only to be betrayed. He overlooked his own mistakes; he himself lied to his face multiple times over involvement in shady dealings or projects. He abducted and experimented on kryptonite infected people, including Chloe, whom he wants protected from his father’s wrath. And of course the biggest line crossed was stealing Lana away from him. Even going so far as to having her drinks spiked so they would raise her hormones and convince her that she was pregnant when she wasn’t. Another example of his inability to trust and and obsession with control. And, of course, the most damning of his sins was finally letting years of emotional abuse and neglect compel him to murder his father and cover it up. After that there was no going back. No, instead of recovering from the termination of his friendship with Clark, or try to take the steps to address areas that drive them apart, Lex dove headfirst into the darkness that he was trying to escape because he felt there was nothing left. Even his relationship with Lana could be seen as one last ditch effort to find a light to follow, only to give in to his own ambitions. This will always be the difference between Clark and Lex; Clark acknowledges his mistakes and tries to do better for the sake of right, while Lex feels that he is beyond reproach and instead blames other parties. That is narcissistic behavior. So yeah, I get this exchange and feel the layers underneath the lines.The finale would’ve been shit without this one last parting disagreement between two men who were once like brothers.
@Sanjida Khan I know about what crimes against humanity he committed, including to those closest to him like Lana or even his cloned brother Julian. And especially Chloe. But killing your own father seems like the chief cardinal sin for anyone, including Lex Luthor. It was the line that he never crossed until he was pushed. After that, it seemed as though there was no chance of redemption for him, especially after he subconsciously burned away the kid that he was and in essence destroying the last bit of innocence or conscience that he had left.
This is How Lex and Clark should be as. This version of Lex where he not exactly All bad and All Dark, it's just he's way of making Clark better, to push him to his limits, it's like playing chess, One side has to be bad but not quite as Evil as everyone else may think to make the other Greater.
"You still say it the same way. Astonishment, mixed with a hint of dread, yet with a hopeful finish".
I always loved that line.
The DC shows now are good but man Smallville was amazing, I would love for them to make a sequel with the same cast
Oh yeah
Lex admired Clark in that he thought he was the average joe struggling to survive in the world, just to find out he got scammed
This version of lex give me goosebumps. He's so good in this role
I cannot believe what I have been missing all these years! I have got to watch Smallville!
Michael Rosenbaum was so good he could’ve easily have played the role on the big screen. The dude from 2 1/2 man and Jesse Eisenberg we’re both atrocious
Lex could have been saved if Clark had not lied to him at every chance. Lex needed someone to trust him and be completely honest with him.
"That's the thing about memories, you can't forget them"
*Forgets them*
The little flinch Lex does when Superman takes off is awesome because it shows Lexs ambition is driven not only by envy, but also fear.
Lets be honest we all knew from episode one that Lex will end up this way but still cheered and hoped he changes.
I completely understand everyone's frustration with Tess erasing Lex's memory at the end of the series but seriously guys, read the Smallvile Season 11 comic online, it's actually GREAT. And it does a lot with Lex's amnesia and the stories are really well written. Lex gets up to some EVIL SHIT in those comics :)
It had to happen for lex to be supermans greatest villian
I actually agree with Lex on this one. Clark was CONSTANTLY denying who he was. All the good he could have done and it half of it was wasted because he was too busy whining about responsibility and powers he never wanted. Oh and Lana don’t forget Lana. That annoyed me greatly.
Duh. Oliver hit the nail on the head in his conversations with clark. He said clark, this clark, only cared about his friends and family. This world's clark kent was lazy. But, this series had the best versions of lex, lois, and green arrow.
I did read somewhere that Tom Welling actually hates his version of Clark Kent
GCruiser I actually feel both of their stories that’s how good Smallville was
Michael Lancette Haha facts. Although I don’t know about the best green arrow.
I have to agree with u
"I think we're destined to do this forever."
Smallville was too damn good!
the only Lex Luthor I acknowledge
“You’re alive?!!”
“It seems my father had a ...” (takes a prolonged look at his gloved hand and all I can think is, “Oh, please don’t go there, it’s too obvious”), ..”change of heart”. Okay, good.
A decade past and I've still not found a show as good as smallville
Smallville is the best superhero series of all time.
9 years later I still go through withdrawals
At 3:49 i for sure thought the lotr score was gonna play
Lex dialogues are my favorite and have so many memorable quotes
I lost count of how many times I've watched this scene over the years and I'm still not tired of it.
I love. How is is archenemy. Has faith in him lex is the best villain ever
One of the great and rare moments of the Hero/Villain relationship where the villain gives an inspiring pep talk to the hero. I think Glass with Unbreakable was another one of the great super villain revealing and inspiring the hero. This is my favorite out of the 2 though
CLARK:"I don't so sure,Clark Kent can save the world his own"
LEX:"He can't.But we both know who can"
CLARK:"Batman?"
LEX:"WTF BRO!"
🤣🤣🤣🤣
One Of The Best Scenes In Smallville Superman Prequel Series!!!
“I used to think it was our families that made us who we are. Then I hoped it was our friends. But if you look at history, the great men and women in our world have been defined by their enemies.”
That line just hit me. Been a fan of Smallville for a while. I just caught what Lex was trying to say.
Straight in the feels yo... legends!
Love that series. The best ever. And still they are friends, despite all of it.
After like three or four seasons of masks and clones, seeing Michael Rosenbaum come into the light in that final moment made me so happy!!!