Collider argues that General Zod, rather than Lex Luthor, was *Smallville*’s strongest villain. While Lex was Clark Kent’s destined long-term adversary, the article says Zod more consistently embodied a direct and enduring threat to the future Superman.

The series ran for 10 seasons and 217 episodes, ending in 2011 when Clark Kent, played by Tom Welling, became Superman. Zod has been a recurring Superman antagonist since 1961 and was notably portrayed by Terence Stamp in the original *Superman* films and by Michael Shannon in 2013’s *Man of Steel*; Stamp also voiced Jor-El in *Smallville*.