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Smallville: Christopher Reeve’s Deleted Return as Dr. Swann in “Gone”

The Dr. Swann character played by Christopher Reeve on Smallville was originally written into the episode “Gone,” and KryptonSite has the details.

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One of the most iconic moments in Smallville’s ten-year history was the first appearance of Dr. Virgil Swann in the episode “Rosetta.” Clark Kent (Tom Welling) learned of his Kryptonian origins at last, and as an added bonus, legendary Superman actor Christopher Reeve played the part. Reeve would return again in the Smallville Season 3 episode “Legacy.”

The part of the story that has not been talked about as much, though, is that Dr. Swann was originally set to appear at the start of Season 4, but unfortunately, his health would not allow and he died on October 10, 2004. It is to be assumed that some material was cut from the season premiere “Crusade” that may have reunited him with his Superman III co-star Annette O’Toole; instead, Swann’s envoy Dr. Bridgette Crosby, played by former Lois Lane actress Margot Kidder, filled in when the episode was finally shot and aired.

Sadly, we don’t know much about a possible Reeve version of “Crusade” but here at KryptonSite Central we do have a script draft of the episode “Gone” which includes a scene of Clark confronting Dr. Swann about the helicopters that were sent after him and Lois at the top of the episode. With Michael Rosenbaum & Tom Welling’s TalkVille podcast covering the episode this week, today felt like a great time to share.

For some background, the episode was written by future showrunners Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders, and the scene takes place right after Clark and Lois tell Jonathan and Martha about what happened. The next shot is Clark going through the double doors of Dr. Swann’s office in Metropolis. The office is described as having a lot of mahogany lit by a noirish green desk lamp.

“You sent them, didn’t you?” Clark asks, confronting Dr. Swann.

“I’m beginning to understand why Jor-El felt the need to employ such severe parenting techniques,” responds Swann.

Clark apologizes for barging in, but asks: “The guys in the helicopter — you sent them after me because it was your jet I broke into, wasn’t it?”

“When was the last time I sent helicopters after you, Clark?” Swann asks. “All I’ve ever offered you is guidance.”

“In exchange for what? There has to be a reason why you’re always so eager to help me,” Clark accuses, clearly unaware of the “Veritas” storyline that is about three seasons away.

“Does there?” Swann asks.

“That’s usually how it works,” Clark tells him.

Swann tells Clark that he’s becoming jaded, and Clark gives Swann the same routine he’d often give others. “Thanks to people like you. It’s like you know about some big puzzle out there but you won’t tell me what it is. You’re just using me to solve it,” he says, before asking Swann why he didn’t tell him about the crystal.

Swann is surprised to hear the word “crystal” and begins to look alarmed. “The crystal you’re referring to — did it bear the Kryptonian description for the word ‘Crusade?'” he asks, and Clark confirms that it did.

“That crystal may be intended for you, but the quest for it is centuries old,” Swann says before activating a large screen behind them. On the screen, Swann shows Clark locations across the world where there are etched Kryptonian symbols, inscriptions, and paintings, and he tells Clark that “every culture has its predictions” but none knew where the crystals actually were. He reveals that by his interpretation, there are three crystals, and that only Clark could find them.

Clark is confused – if they’re Kryptonian, why would anyone else want the crystals?

“Answers. Strength. No one knows for certain what power the crystals hold, but for 1200 years people have killed each other seeking them out,” Dr. Swann tells him. “The crusade for the crystals has been a bloody one, and there are dark forces who will stop at nothing to get them.”

“That must be why Jor-El sent me back. It was like he reprogrammed me to find them,” Clark says.

“But you didn’t listen,” Swann admonishes. “You’ve continually refused to accept your destiny, Clark. It was only a matter of time before someone accepted it for you.”

Sadly, Christopher Reeve was never able to film this scene or this episode of Smallville, though it would have been amazing if Dr. Swann had set the stage for the season arc of Smallville Season 4. For now, 19 years later, we can only reflect and think about what might have been….

Follow @KryptonSite on Twitter/X for continued Smallville news – KryptonSite still exists! If you would like to quote this in another article, PLEASE include a link and do not reproduce the whole thing, so people can read the rest here. Thanks!

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Smallville

Annette O’Toole’s Big Smallville Regret

Annette O’Toole discusses her biggest regret from her time on Smallville.

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Smallville’s Annette O’Toole recently spoke with Salon magazine about her biggest regret from her time on the show. It’s a topic she has discussed on the TalkVille podcast, and it is something she talked about in KryptonSite’s interview to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series premiere.

Basically, it was the notion that she never was able to share scenes with Christopher Reeve. While the plan originally was for a scene between them in the Season 4 premiere “Crusade,” in the two appearances that Reeve did make on Smallville failed to reunite O’Toole with Reeve, which is a shame, as Annette played Lana Lang to Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent in the film Superman III.

“I never understood it,” she said. “I should have picked up the phone and called the producers and said what are you thinking? You’ve got the prior Lana Lang and Superman. Why aren’t you putting them in a scene together? It kind of broke my heart. It was kind of like ‘if they don’t see, I’m not gonna tell ’em! They don’t understand!’ So who’s regretting it? Not them. I knew it would be the last time I’d ever get to see Chris, so, yeah, I’m very sad about that.”

You can watch the clip below.

 

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Smallville

Two Guests Added for the Salute to Smallville 2025 Convention!

John Glover and Adrianne Palicki will be attending the 2025 Salute to Smallville convention.

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Two more guests have been added to the 2025 Salute to Smallville event from Creation Entertainment.

The convention will be happening September 13-14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois and if you went to last year’s con, you know it will be a good time! And now… some news to make it even better: John Glover (Lionel) and the show’s first “Kara,” Adrianne Palicki, have joined the roster!

Gold Weekend Package tickets for the event are already available — those tickets offer the best seating and many opportunities! You can purchase your tickets here. Sales on other tiers should be coming momentarily, as should more guest announcements.

Who would you like to see at Salute to Smallville? Leave some comments on this post!

DISCLAIMER: KryptonSite webmaster Craig Byrne hosted last year’s Creation Smallville convention and currently continues to create websites and graphics for the company.

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Beloved Smallville Director Passes Away

Director Jeannot Szwarc, who helmed over a dozen episodes of Smallville in addition to the Supergirl film, has passed away.

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Jeannot Szwarc, who first dipped into the world of all things Super with the 1984 Supergirl movie and later served as director for over a dozen episodes of Smallville, has passed away, as revealed by an article at The Daily Jaws website. He was 85 years old.

Szwarc had a long list of credits to his name, including the film Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve, Jaws 2, episodes of The Rockford Files, Heroes, Supernatural and more. For Smallville, he seemed to be beloved by the cast, who all would often imitate his unmistakable accent when reminiscing about him. His first episode of Smallville came in Season 3 with the episode “Perry” which introduced Michael McKean as Perry White; later stories he would direct included “Velocity,” “Spell,” “Recruit,” “Blank,” “Exposed,” “Vengeance,” “Reunion,” “Noir,” “Bride,” “Kandor,” “Kent,” and the show’s 200th episode, “Homecoming.” Interestingly, he did not direct any episodes with Supergirl in them, despite being the director of that movie. His final credited directing job came with a 2019 episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Our condolences go out to his friends, family, colleagues, and everyone who had been touched by his thoughtful work. Our thanks and appreciation go out to Derek Russell from SHoE (the Internet’s first Smallville podcast!) for the tip.

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