Why John Schneider Left Smallville After 5 Seasons As Jonathan Kent

John Schneider played an important role in the DC Universe as Jonathan Kent on the Superman prequel Smallville for 5 seasons. Featuring in some of Smallville's most rewatchable episodes, the Dukes of Hazzard star joined a long legacy of excellent performers in portraying Superman's dad. Glenn Ford played the character before him, and Kevin Costner would play it after him, but Schneider's contribution to the role was very influential. He created an iteration of Jonathan Kent that was strong-willed, loving, kind-hearted, and uncompromising. Featured alongside Annette O'Toole, the actor made a believable paternal figure to the young Clark Kent.

Because of this warm and endearing quality, it really hit viewers hard when John Schneider left Smallville in season 5. In the years since Smallville ended, Schneider has frequently spoken about how much he loved the show and his role. As such, it may seem perplexing that he left after five seasons, rather than staying until the end. Ultimately, it wasn't his decision.

From growing up in the titular town to discovering his path to becoming Superman in Metropolis, Smallville covered significant ground and adapted many major storylines drawn from the long legacy of the Superman character, and the show even continued into season 11 in comic book format. While the loss of Jonathan Kent is not as fundamental to the superhero's path as Bruce Wayne's parents being shot in Crime Alley, some learning is often pulled from Clark's upsetting loss.

John Schneider Left Smallville After Jonathan Kent Died In Season 5

Clark Kent Lost His Father In The 100th Episode

John Schneider left Smallville after his character's death in the 100th episode. The writers decided it was important that something significant occur in the episode and oscillated between Clark marrying Lana and Clark losing one of his parents. They opted for the latter, and Jonathan Kent was given a dramatic death. Following a confrontation with Lionel Luthor, Jonathan suffered a heart attack and died in the arms of his family. The episode ends with Jonathan's funeral, attended by the many who loved him.

The season had some dramatic twists and turns following a deal with Jor-El. After Clark went back on his end of the bargain, he was stripped of his powers and died. Superman's resurrection by Jor-El came with a heavy cost, with the death of another that he loved. This was first set to be Lana, who died in a traffic collision. Clark undid this, however, passing the toll onto Clark's father instead. In a heavy and dramatic end to this story arc, Clark's actions, followed by his inability to give up Lana, directly led to his father's death.

Why Jonathan Kent Had To Die In Smallville

Loss Is An Important Of Any Superhero's Journey In The DC Universe

Family deaths have been an important part of superheroes learning about responsibility, from Batman to Spider-Man. With the events of Smallville season 5, Clark is forced to grow up. This is evident before Jonathan's death, when, early in the 100th episode, Clark's parents assure him that he can make his own decisions. The moment is important as a harbinger of what is to come and establishes the character's significant growth throughout the series.

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When Jonathan dies later in the episode, Clark moves into a new phase of his life. Using his father's teachings, he is prepared to become the man he was raised to be. Zack Snyder tapped into the dramatic impact in Man of Steel, where Clark Kent learned a great deal about himself from the loss of his father, arguably following the example set by Smallville.

Why Jonathan Kent Returned In Smallville Season 10

Schneider Was One Of Many Performers Who Returned For The Final Season

Image via MovieStillsDB

Featuring the history of Smallville in its final season was important to the series, leading to many returning cast members. The series had changed through its progression, nearly leading to a Justice League spinoff in later seasons, but the finale returned to its roots. Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, and others returned to the series for a few additional episodes. Jonathan Kent was a difficult choice to include because of the impact of his character's death, but the series got around this by presenting him essentially as a ghost.

The memory of Jonathan Kent permeates through the series, influencing Clark and Martha especially. Clark sees the specter of his father everywhere that he looks, and his mother sees it too. In this, Jonathan is able to attend Clark's wedding and is able to ultimately hand him his Superman suit in the Fortress of Solitude. This was an effective way to tie in Clark's journey with his past, down to the very beginning of the Smallville series. With a Smallville sequel pitch in the works, the actor could also return in this way in the future.

Why John Schneider Only Directed 1 Episode Of Smallville

Schneider Has Since Directed Several Feature Films

John Schneider directed season 3, episode 20, “Talisman," but he never returned to the director's chair. The actor spoke on TalkVille about this, noting that he had experience in directing, which he would go on to do more of in his career. He credited his relationship with the actors for allowing them to pull out great performances, stating, “You trusted me so obviously, so much, that it gave me permission to dream.” Unfortunately, Schneider made a stylistic choice in framing a shot that did not sit well with the production team.

A particular sequence was challenging to frame during a disagreement between Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor and John Glover’s Lionel. Because they were not in the same place, Schneider decided to split the shot, resembling how they were on opposite sides of an argument. As Schneider heard it, the response from the production team to this was that “They said ‘oh no… that’s not how we shoot Smallville. We realized at that point that we could never ever let you direct again.’” The shot was eventually cut from the final episode, and Schneider was not invited to direct the series again.

As of the time of writing, "Talisman" is the fourth lowest-rated episode of Smallville season 3.

Still, Schneider's contribution to the Superman prequel series is immeasurable. The actor stands apart as perhaps the best-developed version of Superman's dad. Featuring in 117 episodes of the series, Schneider created a believable father figure for Clark that would inform his strict moral compass. While the actor's departure from the series was a great loss to the program, Smallville benefited from moving forward and giving Clark lessons to learn and grow from. John Schneider was so fundamental to the show's development that even his absence informed much of the series' later form and tone.

What John Schneider Has Done Since Smallville

John Schneider Is A Staple In Hollywood

Since leaving Smallville in 2005, John Schneider has remained extremely active in Hollywood, especially in movies. Nearly every year, he has been in at least five movies. The most notable include Sydney White, The Rebound, and Sandra Brown's White Hot. He has also appeared in multiple television shows. His sci-fi show 10,000 Days received mixed reviews. However, The Haves and the Have Nots and Twentysixmiles were both better received.

Aside from his work onscreen, he has continued to take on directing roles here and there. He has more than a dozen credits since his failed Smallville episode. He's become executive producer on seven projects. Schneider wrote music or performed for multiple projects he appeared in, and he got inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2019. Ultimately, Schneider's departure from Smallville still stings, but it allowed him to take on many exciting roles he might not have had if he had stayed on the show.

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  Chloe Sullivan

Smallville chronicles the journey of a young Clark Kent during his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as iconic hero Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.

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