- "We're special, Clark. People like us don't need boundaries and limitations." - Alicia Baker to Clark Kent, "Obsession"
Alicia Baker (1987 - 2005) was a teenager with the metahuman ability to teleport. She was also a love interest of Clark Kent. She had a deep obsession with Clark for most of their time together.
Physical Appearance
Alicia had long, blonde hair and brown eyes. She dressed hyper-conservatively at first, in demure plaid skirts, cardigans, and headbands, in keeping with her uptight, aloof reputation. Later, her style was more relaxed, with cozy but stylish sweaters and jeans. Alicia's stature was slim and delicate. She had an expressive face with kind eyes and a bright smile.
Personality
Alicia had a reputation in high school of being very stuck up. In reality, she was afraid that if she ever became friends with anyone, they would discover her meteor abilities.
According to her patient file, Alicia suffered from Histrionic personality disorder. This made her emotionally unstable and brought about psychotic episodes:[1] she tried to hurt her father, kill Lana Lang and nearly killed Clark by exposing him to green kryptonite.[2]
Her behavior changed markedly after she had undergone extensive psychotherapy at Belle Reve. Despite this, her manipulative tendencies still remained: she purposefully exposed Clark to red kryptonite in an attempt to convince him to leave town with her.[1]
However, unlike her previous manipulations prior to her therapy, for which she felt little guilt after committing them, she regretted her actions later. Her post-therapy manipulations appear to have been done without malice. She drugged Clark with red kryptonite because she did not want to leave Smallville without him, an action that, while selfish, was not meant to hurt Clark.[1] She later revealed his secret to Chloe because she genuinely believed that Clark's life would be better if Chloe knew and that Chloe would not be so quick to judge those with super-human abilities if they knew that Clark possessed them.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Alicia uses her ability.
- Teleportation: Alicia could teleport from once place to another in the blink of an eye. Lead apparently weakened this ability. She could take others with her, if she consciously desired to. Alicia's teleportation was instantaneous and allowed her to travel thousands of miles. She was able to teleport herself in front of Clark Kent and intercept a bullet before it hit him immediately after the gun was fired and teleported herself and Clark from Smallville to Las Vegas.[1]
Vulnerabilities
Alicia's vulnerability.
- Lead: Alicia's abilities could be inhibited by lead, either in the form of lead paint or a lead-lined room. As part of her treatment, her doctor, William McBride, created a special bracelet for her to wear that released trace amounts of lead in her bloodstream to prevent her from teleporting. However, as lead is a toxic heavy metal, the amount of lead was either small enough that it did not cause neurological damage, or Alicia's ability somehow allowed her body to tolerate limited quantities of lead without serious or long-term injury.[1]
Early life
Alicia acquired the ability to teleport from kryptonite exposure during the first meteor shower when she was a child. One minute she was playing on the swings, the next minute she was in the middle of a cornfield.[2]
Her parents lived in fear of her and at one point in her life, they tried to prevent her from teleporting. They did this by keeping her locked up in a lead-lined room, even when she cried and begged to be let out. This, combined with her Histrionic personality disorder, presumably affected her psyche from a young age.[2]
Season Three
- "I just can't believe that you're like me. I mean, not exactly like me, but just...like me. You know?" - Alicia to Clark, "Obsession"
Alicia and Clark are forced to reveal their powers to each other.
Clark and Alicia met while on an economics field trip to LuthorCorp Plaza. While inside an elevator, the cable snapped and Clark had to stop it. Alicia saw him use his heat vision to destroy a security camera and super-strength to break through a panel to grab a steel support, his hand acting as a brake. She was shocked and Clark asked her not to tell anyone and as people started to approach the elevator to see if anyone was hurt, she used her own secret ability to teleport them both out of the elevator and to safety. She in turn asked him not to tell her secret to anyone.[2]
Alicia and Clark are busted by Jonathan.
Alicia and Clark talked about their powers at school before class and later on he tried to ask her out on a date, but got nervous so she asked him out instead. After the date, they talked about how they were different. He dropped her off at her house and they almost kissed, but Clark was too shy and backed off. She went inside and teleported up to her room and watched him drive away. Later that night, she teleported half-naked into Clark's bed. As they appeared to be about to make love, Clark's father discovered them, after hearing Clark knock over his alarm clock. Clark was severely reprimanded by his parents and Alicia apparently teleported away. However, she was actually spying on their conversation and learned of Clark's vulnerability to kryptonite.[2]
Alicia turns the tables on Clark.
Alicia became obsessed with Clark, hanging pictures in his locker, scratching out Lana's picture in his yearbook and redecorating his loft. When Clark discovered that she hurt her father, he asked her to turn herself in. She teleported away and he got Chloe's help to set a trap. He painted a room with lead paint out of which she could not teleport, but she used meteor rock against him and escaped.[2]
Alicia attempts to kill Lana.
She headed to the Talon to stab Lana to death, but Clark stopped her in time, covering her in lead paint and neutralizing her abilities. She was sent to Belle Reve for rehabilitation.[2]
Season Four
- "Why are you ignoring what's right in front of your face, Chloe? Don't you want to know the truth about Clark Kent?" - Alicia to Chloe, "Pariah"
Clark and Alicia reunite.
Alicia was taken to Belle Reve where she was treated by Dr. William McBride, who later released her, but with a special bracelet that prevented teleporting. She immediately came to visit Clark, wanting to prove that she was better. He was wary at first and she apologized for hurting him before. His parents were also worried that she was let out of Belle Reve and suggested he stay away from her. Clark got Chloe to hack into Alicia's medical file and discovered that she was diagnosed with Histrionic personality disorder, but was cured.[1]
Clark and Alicia reunited and went on a date where she saw Dr. McBride watching her. He told her to stay away from Clark or he'd have her committed again. Alicia was unable to face the stigma of what she had done before her treatment and decided to run away. She asked Clark if he wanted to come with her and he thought she was kidding at first. When he realized she was serious, he told her he couldn't just leave town. After all he has a life here and her too.[1]
Alicia decided to take matters into her own hands and broke into the Torch office where she found a red kryptonite ring and used it to make Clark a necklace. She asked him to wear it for her before she left for California (saying she wouldn't teleport, but that she had her parents' car outside). He agreed and put it on, immediately changing into his Kal persona. While making out in the barn and apparently about to sleep together, Alicia asked if their relationship had any sort of commitment and in the heat of the moment, Clark asked her to marry him. And right away, she said yes in happiness.[1]
Clark and Alicia take a moment to breathe.
He broke off her bracelet and they teleported to Las Vegas, getting "married" in a low-rated wedding chapel and renting a hotel room to consummate their marriage. Before they did, however, Alicia removed the necklace, deciding she wanted "all of Clark", not just the bad boy. He immediately snapped out of it and began to argue with her, claiming that she 'drugged him'.[1]
Clark is upset with Alicia for "drugging" him.
He also argues that the ring "makes me do things I don't want to do," while she counters that it simply releases him of inhibitions. She says that it was him all along, claiming that "Clark Kent brought me up to this room to make love to me." This appeared to sway Clark for a moment, until he said that "Clark Kent made a mistake." She teleported away before he could stop her.[1]
Alicia protects Clark's secret by taking a bullet for him.
Clark returned to Smallville to find her. Dr. McBride confronted Clark and blamed Clark for ruining his "greatest achievement", planning to frame him for stalking Alicia, kidnapping her, as well as forcing her to marry him. He pulled a gun on him, but Alicia showed up in time to stop the bullet from hitting Clark. Clark pushed Dr. McBride out of the way and asked Alicia why she took the bullet, since it wouldn't have hurt him. She replied by saying that she was honoring her promise to protect his secret. As she was recuperating in the hospital, she apologized to Clark, saying she just didn't want to lose him. He told her he wanted her "with or without that rock." He returned her broken lead bracelet and left.[1]
Later, she visited him in his loft and he was happy to see her wearing her bracelet. She thanked him for helping her "be a better person" and told him that even though they couldn't be together, she still had feelings for him and would never tell anyone his secret. She told him she loved him and walked away, but he caught her and she broke down crying in his arms.[1]
Alicia gets snubbed at The Talon.
Back together, Clark took Alicia to the Talon on karaoke night. Everyone stopped and stared and Lana was hurt that Clark would date her after she tried to kill her. Alicia asked Lana to give her another chance, but Lana walked away. When Lana was later attacked by an invisible predator, everybody believed it to be Alicia. Clark defended her and claimed she was with him at the time of the attack and that she was wearing her lead bracelet.[3]
Alicia makes Chloe witness Clark's powers.
He later discovered that she had stopped wearing her lead bracelet, saying she didn't think she needed it. She felt not being able to use her powers felt like being in prison. She swore she hadn't attack Lana. When Jason Teague was attacked in his car, Alicia's green scarf was found around Jason's neck. Clark couldn't ignore the evidence and became suspicious of Alicia. Clark spoke with the sheriff, but she responded back saying "Alicia might have been at your side from the first attack, but she was with me during the second attack". He confronted her and asked her to turn herself in. Alicia agreed, but only if he also exposed his powers, too. He told her he could not do that and she simply teleported away.[3]
Clark discovers Alicia's lifeless body.
Alicia visited Chloe Sullivan at the Torch and arranged a "demonstration" for her and exposed her to Clark's superhuman abilities, unbeknownst to him.[3]
Alicia returned home to find another student, Tim Westcott, rummaging through her things "looking for evidence" to plant, intending to frame her for his next murder. He drugged her and killed her before Clark could find her to apologize for not believing her. Clark found her hanging from a beam in her barn. He burned through the rope with his heat vision, but to his horror, she was already dead.[3]
Clark and Chloe at Alicia's grave.
Clark located and eventually overpowered Tim in a grief-stricken rage, then attempted to strangle him. However, Lois Lane got through to him before he killed Tim and he eventually relented. Clark felt immense guilt over the fact that he didn't trust or believe Alicia. He felt he should have gone with her to reveal his secret, so people wouldn't have judged her and she might still have been alive. He later visited her grave to say goodbye and was consoled by Chloe, who expressed pity for Alicia having to live with the pain of being different all her life, her subtext lost on Clark, who was unaware at this point that Alicia had let Chloe in on his secret.[3]
Season Ten
The students on the files the guidance counselor is looking at in the beginning are those of Alicia, Tina Greer and Jake Pollen.[4]
Appearances
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| Season 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| Total | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Season Four: Blank (flashback only)
- Season Five: "Mortal" (Mentioned only)
- Season Six: "Prototype" (Mentioned only)
- Season Eight: "Legion" (photograph)
- Season Ten: "Homecoming" (photograph)
Trivia
- According to the High School Yearbook, Alicia was most likely to "Travel the world".[5]
Notes
- Alicia and Clark's marriage was not legal, due to Clark being underage at the time of the wedding. Clark's birthday is listed as May 13, 1987. Since the episode aired in February 2005, Clark would have still been 17. Las Vegas law states that both spouses must be 18 to get married without official parental consent. Thus, Clark and Alicia never became husband and wife.
- Alicia has appeared in two episodes written by Holly Harold: "Obsession" and "Pariah".
- "Unsafe" is the only episode Alicia has appeared in that wasn't written by Holly Harold.