Clark's glasses

[DrMylesOBoogie]

I know this is touched upon quite a bit in other threads but I think it's a topic worthy of it's own thread.

Now that Clark is finally donning the \S/ and creating two seperate identities I think everyone here would agree that the glasses are long overdue and should be introduced. The most obvious problem with introducing this important aspect of the Superman mythos is the established Smallville continuity of everyone knowing Clark without them.

So with this problem to address we are guaranteed that a huge alteration to the trational origin of his glasses will have to take place. Here is the place to discuss ideas for this tricky conundrum.

Various theories such as Jor-El mindwiping people or a Zatana cloaking spell offer obvious resolution but are there any better ideas out there? With all this time travel happening on the show now, what about the using the Legion to give them to Clark at a younger age?

I'd also like to remind everyone that a huge retcon like re-writing an aspect of an entire series run is not unheard of. I'll point you to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and when her sister Dawn was introduced in season 5. for those not familiar here's a rundown of that story from wikipedia.

"Dawn is first introduced as Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) little sister at the end of Buffy season five premiere "Buffy vs. Dracula", despite Buffy having been previously established as an only child. Initially, the mystery of Dawn's sudden existence is not acknowledged in the series, with the other characters accepting her as a part of the status quo. Four episodes later Buffy discovers Dawn is in fact a mystical object known as the Key; a group of monks transformed the Key into human form and sent it to the Slayer for protection from the villainous Glory (Clare Kramer). The memories of Dawn and the other characters were altered so they believed her to have always been Buffy's sister."

This was handled with care and worked really well in the show. Thoughts?

 

[Prison Mike]

After thinking about it some more, I don't think the glasses are that big of a deal. He'll start wearing them once Superman comes out to the public. And then maybe Jor-El or Zatanna could put some magic on the glasses to change his look to everyone else.

 

[COMPO]

I'd go with the retcon Buffy type thing coming from Jor-El mind changing wipe.

 

[kal_el_526]

I think he should just get glasses an say oh my visions getting bad i needed to pick up a pair? It happens to people all the time..

 

[Syncos]

I think he should just get glasses an say oh my visions getting bad i needed to pick up a pair? It happens to people all the time..

That's all fine and good. But it doesn't solve the problem of everybody knowing clark for years without glasses.

 

[DarKJediKnight]

Clark's glasses are one of two things I'm looking out for so that the Superman Mythology as told in Smallville is complete. Clark's glasses and the reason behind it is important unlike what prison mike claims. In fact, early on the series, I want to see them to explain and explore why others can't recognize Clark under the glasses (one reason I wanted to see is him being a good actor, acting clumsily as the reporter Clark Kent), though it's seems like they're explain it in a 'cop-out' way at the end of season 9. The other thing I wanted is the return of Lex.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

The Zatanna glasses make the most sense to me.

 

[kal_el_526]

That's all fine and good. But it doesn't solve the problem of everybody knowing clark for years without glasses.

The \S/ makes Clark unnoticeable, He vibrates his face enough to block out his main features, Lois finds his secret out and everyone else gets use to seeing him in glasses, a mind wipe, how did it do it work in the comics? When it comes down too it its stupid that glasses an a new hairdo seperate Clark from Superman but hey thats why its Non-Fiction

 

[avidreader]

I like the idea of altering the timeline, so that Clark has worn glasses ever since High School.

Vibrating and magic just seem a little too corny to me.

 

[kal_el_526]

Altering the timeline? Havent heard that one? How would that work?

 

[KALEL114]

As I proposed in another thread, I think there is a great opportunity to introduce the glasses and the dual identity thing, when Clark meets up with the JSA this season. They can give Clark pointers on how to live two lives and, if he is in the episode, Doctor Fate is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DCU. He could use his powers on a pair of glasses easily.

I really hope they do not alter the timeline. It would go against the stance Clark has on changing the past and it is an easy out.

 

[DarKJediKnight]

Altering the timeline is a huge 'cop-out'. It would also mean that the current writers are blatantly admitting that "Gough and Millar messed up seasons ago, so the previous seasons up to Season 3 simply doesn't exist." And we would be for a long time because we wasted 5 years of our life for a show that means nothing.

 

[lespaul59]

I think the reason you can't tell that SM is Clark should have something to do with the super suit.

 

[avidreader]

Altering the timeline is a huge 'cop-out'. It would also mean that the current writers are blatantly admitting that "Gough and Millar messed up seasons ago, so the previous seasons up to Season 3 simply doesn't exist." And we would be for a long time because we wasted 5 years of our life for a show that means nothing.

Huh?

It doesnt mean that the last 3 dont exist. All I'm suggesting is that Clark now sees his identity as a problem, goes back in time to when he was in High School and decides to wear glasses when he's just being Clark Kent.

I'll admit I didnt sit down and work out all the contingencies of such a thing, but I thought it was a more plausible way of dealing with the situation than magic.

The whole idea of glasses as a secret identity is pretty flimsy anyway.

 

[DarKJediKnight]

From your post it seems like for you time travel is simply without effect and repercussions to the current timeline. As for me and for everybody else, it has and that's why I'm against it. Clark returning to his highschool days just to give way to him putting on his glasses erase the story of the past seasons and throws everything out of the window, because he knows now what the future is.

 

[montage]

This is a little outside of the box.... How about if everyone in Metropolis/Smallville have their memories of Clark kent changed After being cured of the "Rabid" virus.
Clark gets Jor-el/Fortress to create an antidote that also alters peoples brain chemistry on a genetic level.
(Lex of course would be unaffected cause he's out of town)

 

[SatEL]

I think the reason you can't tell that SM is Clark should have something to do with the super suit.

Kind of makes the glasses redundant then doesn’t it? Look guys it's obvious Smallville has ****ed up in regards to a lot of aspects this just been one of them. Clark has already fought a lot if villains he was meant to fight in his later days, he has also met a **** load of people he had no business meeting until he became Superman. I really feel for the writers of this show as writing for it must provide the biggest headache, can you imagine trying to put a spin on all this crap.

 

[montage]

Well done SAT-EL t:
Completely agree with all of that, a voice of reason. This isn't the comics it's just based around stories from them.
(beginning to think i was the only one with this opinion)

 

[Webhead2006]

yea smallville is taking various ideas/stories from the comics and putting their own spin on things to make it work for their show. Now yea some times introducing superman villains was dumb but would you rather them to have stuck with just stupid kryptofreaks of the week like how they were over used way to much during seasons 1-4ish.

As for the whole glasses thing yea that is going to be an interesting thing to see how it goes. Now i agree i wouldnt want any altering timelines/jorel planet wide mind wipe either. I do think zatanna or if fate appears in society a magic pair of glasses would be the easiest way for smallville to put them in there. Just have to make sure the story around them works out the best.

 

[Zorex]

I think Clark's return to the Planet this season would have been an opportune time for him to start wearing the glasses, especially if they held off on his and Lois' reunion for a couple more episodes.

Hopefully, however they make it happen won't end up being lame.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

the underlying supposition here is that if he had worn glasses from the beginning, people wouldt be able to tell it's him. This is a bit absurd in a number of regards:

1. Clark wearing glasses would've never made any sense to begin with considering he can see a gnat defecate 5 miles away if he wants to. What would be the need there? Only when he decides he needs a disguise would wearing them ever make any sense whatsoever.

2. A pair of glasses arent a legitimate "disguise" to begin with. He deals directly with the one of the world's most intelligent criminals and sits across from one of the best reporters in the world. For them not to be able to see through that simple disguise makes them and most others who come into contact with Clark and Superman look like idiiots. 1t's a lame plot device carried over from the 1950's comics that even Reeve had trouble making believable so they made Clark a bumbling clutz in order to sell the difference between the two characters. This was made even more absurc in Lois & Clark when Cain's Superman and Clark were so much alike you got the impression that everyone in the cast were morons.

You're right the SV writers have painted thmeselvesi nto a bit of a corner with this but it's one that simply putting a pair of glasses on Clark for the next 2 seasons wouldnt fix. There needs to be a persona change of some sort to go along with a greater physical differentiation of the character than just a pair of glasses. I'd almost have more respect for them if they just go into it with Lois knowing Clark's secret. I'd respect it more than some lame attempt at a mind wipe or giving Clark some ridiculous visual vibration when he's in the Superman suit.

 

[RakuMon]

The other problem is within the fiction of the show, they've already established that glasses don't fool anyone. In "Whisper" they missed a genuine opportunity to show that within the "Smallville" universe, a pair of glasses is an adequate disguise if they had Pete not recognize a bespectacled Clark. Instead, Pete recognizes Clark in the glasses right away. So, even if he were to put on a pair of glasses now, it's been established on the show that it wouldn't fool anyone. A magic or supernatural or sci-fi explanation is the only way they can explain the glasses on the show now.

 

[SatEL]

the underlying supposition here is that if he had worn glasses from the beginning, people wouldt be able to tell it's him. This is a bit absurd in a number of regards:

1. Clark wearing glasses would've never made any sense to begin with considering he can see a gnat defecate 5 miles away if he wants to. What would be the need there? Only when he decides he needs a disguise would wearing them ever make any sense whatsoever.

2. A pair of glasses arent a legitimate "disguise" to begin with. He deals directly with the one of the world's most intelligent criminals and sits across from one of the best reporters in the world. For them not to be able to see through that simple disguise makes them and most others who come into contact with Clark and Superman look like idiiots. 1t's a lame plot device carried over from the 1950's comics that even Reeve had trouble making believable so they made Clark a bumbling clutz in order to sell the difference between the two characters. This was made even more absurc in Lois & Clark when Cain's Superman and Clark were so much alike you got the impression that everyone in the cast were morons.

You're right the SV writers have painted thmeselvesi nto a bit of a corner with this but it's one that simply putting a pair of glasses on Clark for the next 2 seasons wouldnt fix. There needs to be a persona change of some sort to go along with a greater physical differentiation of the character than just a pair of glasses. I'd almost have more respect for them if they just go into it with Lois knowing Clark's secret. I'd respect it more than some lame attempt at a mind wipe or giving Clark some ridiculous visual vibration when he's in the Superman suit.

Yes glasses fooling everyone has always been an issue with the Superman lore but none the less we extended and left that to fiction. In smallville case people Clark is meant to interact with years and years later he has already met when he wasn’t wearing his glasses. I know both cases are stupid but one is just more absurd if they cant now spot a person they interacted with on a day to day basis for years because he decides to wear glasses (Smallville) as opposed to not spotting a stranger without his glasses(Comic).

 

[avidreader]

^^^ Who's to say that Clark will interact with those villains, that are normally reserved until he becomes Superman, ever again in the Smallville Universe.

I've always hoped and believed that Lois will know about Clark by series end, and judging by her dreams at the moment it seems likely that this will happen.

Lex in this version knows.

Then all that's left are the people that he's interacted with on a day to day basis, especially since he's been working at the Planet. Obviously in the comics all the kids from Smallville High School and the town of Smallville done realise that Clark Kent is Superman. The same could be said with Smallville.

The glasses being such a flimsy way of disguising his true identity anyway, shows to me that the writers really dont have to give us a momentous and logical explanation that's going to satisfy everyone's expectations on how this part of the story will be told.

It will be something simple like magic or time travel. (which is my personal favourite because I like time travel stuff.... it worked for the better for the McFly's in Back to the Future ) Something that they can easily adapt into the story without changing past or altering future events.

 

[Mikelus]

The solution may come from the comics, a combination of Kryptonian technology and mental powers: