DC Database

Retirement[]

Can someone remind me where the notion of "retirement" came from? He does not say it in the scene. At the most the Earth-38 Lex Luthor assumes that he has given up his powers and being Superman (and how would he know the specifics?). Because I rewatched a scene from Smallville (TV Series) Episode: Finale, Part I, where Chloe points out to Lois that Clark is not a god, but will need to rest sometimes (and not constently listen for problems in the world), and be kept grounded. The scene made me think about the Arrowverse: Earth-167 business. I know one of the theories out there, regarding Clark's powerless state, is that he's wearing a watch with blue K in it (the writers of the scene wrote also a Smallville episode, where a Kryptonian did the same thing to suppress his powers, without permanently removing them). I bring this up, because the line in "Finale, Part I" opens the possibility that this Clark Kent is merely on vacation, to unwind and rest (from the stress of being Superman) for a few days. Yet, people are using the term "retirement", when that might not be the case (given that he is established to have small children, paternity leave is another possibility). I bring this up, because I want to be certain that the internet hasn't done what it has a tendency to do (add two and two together and end up with 16).KylieMfever (talk) 19:03, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Yeah, it wasn't clearly stated for sure in the episode but the circumstances make everyone believe he retired after becoming father. However, it makes sense that he could have used Blue K to rest for some time before returning to his superhero duties. -- Cmanigold 10:18, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
So we don't have any official source saying "retirement" and not "vacation". It should also be noted that brief vacation/rest would work a lot better/be more in line with existing Smallville continuity/canon. Jordan Cross and Dr. Fate established that Clark would be Superman forever, and lead this generation of superheroes. They never said: "and you will never take a vacation for a few days to unwind".KylieMfever (talk) 18:27, 3 January 2024 (UTC)