Smallville/Awesome

Smallville, being a show about Clark Kent in the years before he became Superman, is an easy place to find a Crowning Moment of Awesome.

• Clark sure has his share of awesome moments:
  • In the first episode "Pilot", sticking his arm down a wood chipper.
  • Managing to pull a man loaded with Green Kryptonite and Lex Luthor up a catwalk with one hand in "Jitters".
  • Dodging a bullet for the first time in the episode "Rogue".
  • Taking out Ryan's abusive father with a bowling ball in the episode "Stray".
  • Diving into a tornado to save Lana in the episode "Tempest."
  • Shooting a bullet out of the air with heat vision in the episode "Heat".
  • Jumping from one building to another in the episode "Insurgence".
  • Beating up the three super-powered gang members, who were all stronger than him, in the episode "Witness".
  • Running to the other side of the forest and catching a villain's lighter before it could hit the gasoline trail in the episode "Slumber".
  • Tossing a lead-based paint can, while using his heat vision to disable Alicia Baker (who was weak against lead) from from killing Lana, in the episode "Obsessed".
  • Flying for the first time, albeit while Brainwashed by Jor-El, in the episode "Crusade".
  • Throwing the football, running over to Mxyzptlk and saving Chloe from him, then running back to his original position without anybody noticing in the episode "Jinx".
  • Reducing Isobel's spellbook to ash with heat vision while the witch is busy mocking him in the episode "Spell".
  • Escaping the suction of the Phantom Zone portal and throwing the two evil Kryptonians into it in the episode "Arrival".
  • Beating the snot out of three super-powered bad guys and Lex Luthor without his powers in the episode "Mortal".
  • After getting his powers back, jumping onto a nuclear missile and disarming it in the episode "Hidden".
  • After being forced to Kneel Before Zod, tricking General Zod into touching the crystal that sends him back to the Phantom Zone in the episode "Zod".
  • Unleashing his Unstoppable Rage and defeating Titan in the episode "Combat".
  • Punching Bizarro into a powerline tower on the horizon, then later punching Bizarro into space in the episode "Bizarro".
    • Vaporizing a flash flood brought on by a breaking dam with his Heat Vision in the same episode.
  • Catching Kara's ankle and slamming her back to the ground in the episode "Kara".
  • Beating the shit out of Brainiac in the episode "Arctic".
  • His Knife Fight with Major Zod in the Season 9 finale, "Salvation", likely counts as one for both combatants, the coreographers, and the show as a whole. That was a truly epic finale.
  • The Lex Luthor clone gives Clark a Sadistic Choice in the episode "Lazarus". Save Lois Lane from being burned alive, or save the people of Metropolis from the falling Daily Planet globe. Clark does both, and catches the globe by flying.
  • Clark FINALLY taking flight in "Collateral", holding Lois in a true Superman moment ... shame it was All Just a Dream caused by the Vigilante Registration Act's computer systems. But to do it, he had to overcome the same mental hangup that's keeping him from flying in real life.
• Clark and Bart Allen's little race at the end of "Run", combined with the song "Feels Like Today" by Rascal Flatts.
• Jimmy Olsen beating up a secret agent in the episode "Sleeper".
• Major Zod forcing his rebellious army to kneel before him without his powers in the episode "Savior".
• Tess Mercer, Lex's former VP and acting CEO of LuthorCorp in his absence, discovers in the episode "Bulletproof" that, far from trusting her, he spies on her every waking movement. All this, despite the complete and unswerving loyalty she'd given him throughout the years. She hits back with the following speech as she jams his spyware:

"When I thought my life was over, you gave me a reason to keep going. I wouldn't be who I am without you. I trusted you, because I respected you. I've done everything you've ever asked. You've seen that with your own eyes and, apparently, with mine. But not anymore. I hope you watch with rapt attention as your bank accounts close, as you lose all contact with the outside world, as your life disappears before your eyes. Goodbye, Lex. I loved you, you son of a bitch."

• • And as a final parting shot, she then proceeds to merge LuthorCorp with Lex's rival, Oliver Queen of Queen Industries. Ouch.
  • Tess gets another one in "Salvation", the Season 9 finale, when she goes and stands up to a fully-powered General Zod in the Fortress itself, armed with brass knuckles made of Green K. Sure, she gets roasted by Zod's heat vision and seemingly dies for her trouble, but damn if it wasn't awesome.
• Oliver gets one by shooting a Kryptonite dart into Zod whilst the latter is super-speeding.
  • Ollie gets one in his first appearance on the show: he launches an arrow from his office to the Daily Planet globe, landing on a country on the globe.
• One for Oliver, Tess and Lois managing to battle Ultraman and survive until Clark dimension-switched them back in "Luthor".
• Hawkman's last-second aerial rescue of Lois, while dying and on fire. Badass.
  • Which was preceded by his fight with Slade — true, it was short, but it was so very awesome.
• Jonathan beats the hell out of Lionel for telling him he knows about Clark's powers and gives him a little "The Reason You Suck" Speech.

"We can withstand anything you bring down on us... because we have each other. That's what will always separate the Kents from the Luthors. Now why don't you ge-- why don't you get the hell off my property?"

• • Unfortunately, the stress of it all gave him a heart attack and he dies. Also, while Lionel could care less of Jonathan's little speech, he wasn't trying to blackmail him, but to help the Kents.
• Martha telling Tess off that she only cared about herself. This led Tess to her Heel Face Turn.

"You say you're saving the planet, but you really only care about yourself. You figured out Maxwell's charade because you know in your heart that Oliver's declaration of love was a lie. You can't comprehend what it means to truly protect someone you love. And stay away from Clark Kent. If you're not careful, you'll end up on the wrong side of the coming apocalypse."

• • Interestingly, though this inspires Tess to go through with her Heel Face Turn, she doesn't stay away from Clark, but in mid-Season Ten ("Beacon") when Martha returned, she doesn't seem to mind that Tess is one of the good guys now. This implies either she changed her mind about Tess or she told Tess to stay away from Clark even knowing that she wouldn't, because Martha thought that if anyone could help Tess redeem herself, it was Clark.
• In "Scion", Tess actually Out-Gambitted THE Magnificent Bastard Lionel Luthor. His expression is priceless.
• The brutal fight between Clark and Oliver in "Dominion". It's a bloody, no-holds barred affair, which ends with Oliver stabbing Clark. Zod goes into check what happened... and Clark grabs his crystal, porting himself and Oliver home. That's right: Clark, the Big Dumb Alien, managed to outfox General Zod, one of the top Chessmasters on the show.
• "Finale", being the Grand Finale, naturally has plenty of moments:
  • First off, the image of Apokolips approaching Earth is pure win.
  • Near the end of Part 1, Clark manages to appeal to the good still in Oliver, who manages to overcome Darkseid's corruption.
  • Tess is captured by Lionel and Strapped to An Operating Table (literally), about to have her heart removed to complete Lex's perfect clone. She then proceeds to knock over a Mook, grab a scalpel from his surgery tray, use it to break free, and then mow down the rest of the Mooks. And then she shoots Lionel and walks away, leaving him for dead.
  • Clark's long-awaited reunion with Lex, who confirms their destinies as Arch Enemies in a conversation with almost as much Foe Yay subtext as a conversation between the Doctor and the Master.
  • The Dark Prophets are gloating about their arriving victory... when in walks Oliver, in full Green Arrow regalia. The Prophets gloat about how he has no chance of defeating them — and before they have a chance to do anything more pose threateningly, he fires three arrows at once, hitting all of them simultaneously, banishing them.
  • Clark is confronted by Darkseid in Lionel's body and is thrown across the room. As he's flying, Jor-El grants him a vision of all the trials he's faced — essentially a two-minute montage of his greatest moments from the past ten years, accompanied by a remix of the classic Christopher Reeve theme song. As the vision ends, Clark stops himself in midair, and proceeds to fly through Darkseid, ripping him out of Lionel's body and dispersing his essence.
  • Tess goes to LuthorCorp and confronts Lex who fatally stabs her. However, before she dies, she exposes Lex to a toxin that completely wipes his memory of — at the very least — everything that's happened since he came to Smallville.
    • This is followed Lex walking to the office window, and we get an exterior view of the LuthorCorp building, just as a shockwave from the approaching Apokolips hits it, making all the letters between the "L" and the "C" shatter and fall off, the damage to the building making it look like there's an "E" and "X" in their place; effectively changing the name of the company from LuthorCorp to LexCorp.
  • Clark flies for the first time of his own free will, switching into THE costume mid-flight. He then proceeds to catch a falling Air Force One and correct its flight, and then he pushes Apokolips out of Earth's orbit, which inspires enough hope to remove Darkseid's taint from all of humanity.
  • And, finally, there's the Distant Finale. Not only does it show a very well-developed Smallville version of the set-up in the comics (specifically, things at the Daily Planet), but it, along with the series, ends the only way it could: Clark running out onto the Daily Planet's roof, ripping open his shirt to reveal the S-shield beneath as he prepares to take flight, the camera focusing on that iconic symbol as the classic theme song plays magnificently in the background.
    • With the credits 'swooshing' in the style of Superman: The Movie. The 'swooshes' were what did it for me.
• Dr. Fate in "Absolute Justice":
  • His transformation sequence.
  • Restoring John Jones' abilities.

"It is not your fate to die this day, Martian!"