Thomas "Tommy" Lee is a metahuman criminal villain who was used in Level Three as an experimental subject by Lionel Luthor. Unlike the later Level 33.1 the program on the experimentation on the meteor-afflicted run by Lionel's son Lex Luthor which derived from Level Three, Tommy Lee was a volunteer subject.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Electric Manipulation: By absorbing electricity directly from a source such as an outlet, broken wire, or a light socket, Tommy can project high-voltage and highly pressurized energy balls and blasts from his palms.
- Advanced Electric manipulation: Green Kryptonite serums could enhance his powers.
Early life[]
He was given luxuries like gourmet food and satellite TV in exchange for receiving three dosages a day of a LuthorCorp-developed Kryptonite serum that was designed to boost his power to project electrical energy blasts. However, he still had to absorb energy from an electrical device to recharge. Once his usefulness was exhausted, he was cast out into the street, without support, still addicted to the serum.
Season Five[]
As a prisoner in Belle Reve, Lee was "accidentally" released by Lex Luthor. He used the Twins to go after Clark Kent, who was stripped of his powers, to use him to retrieve some Kryptonite serum that they needed to survive. They held Clark's parents and Lana hostage threatening their lives. Tommy Lee forced Clark to steal the serum from LuthorCorp with the help of Chloe Sullivan. While Chloe and Clark try to break into Belle Reve, he and the twins meet problems of their own with their hostages. Eventually at the end of the two hours given, Clark outsmarted them despite his lack of superpowers and defeated them. They were later returned to Belle Reve.
Notes[]
- It is possible that Tommy Lee was later released by Checkmate (before the agency's destruction). In the episode Absolute Justice, Part 2, a conversation between Lois Lane and Clark Kent establishes that Checkmate has been secretly releasing all the bad guys (that fought the members of the Justice Society of America), and collecting them, by 2010.[2] In Charade, Checkmate is shown to have arranged for the life sentence of Ray Sacks (who had been put away by Clark and the Wonder Twins) to be overturned. One scene has Chloe Sullivan show Clark a list of other people, whose release has been arranged by Checkmate. Clark identifies the people on the list (which is not shown to the viewers) as people that he put away.[3] In Shield, Bette Sans Souci (who had been put away in 2009 by Clark Kent and Green Arrow) is shown to have been released from her incarceration, and joined the Suicide Squad.[4] In the episode Homecoming, Clark spots Greg Arkin (one of Clark's earliest foes) at their high school reunion, and identifies Greg as one of the people that he put away in high school (with Clark's panic at the sight of him indicating that Greg would have been unlikely to simply been released, having served whatever sentence he was given).[5] In Prophecy, Vordigan (who had been put in prison, through the combined effort of Clark and Green Arrow)[6] is shown to be out of prison.[7]
- The character shares his name with several people. One is an existing Superman character (see In the Comics), another is the drummer from the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe (whom Lois Lane mentions in the Season Nine episode Disciple).[6] A few others with similar name include actor Tommy Lee Jones and illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards.
In the Comics[]
A character with the same name appears in the comics. Tommy Lee was Clark Kent's friend in college, in the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity of Earth-One. He first appeared in Superman #362 (August, 1981). The character appears to have no connection to the character on Smallville, beyond their shared name.
In the episode, Tommy Lee is dubbed "Sparky" by Sheriff Adams. There have been several DC Comics characters who have gone by that name, including some Superman villains (though, generally they were just regular, non-powered gangsters, unlike Tommy Lee).[8][9]