| “ | Like I said, the people have a right to know. And unlike you, Mr. Kent, I am willing to kill for what I believe in. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon's last words to Jonathan Kent before being shot dead. |
Roger Nixon is a major antagonist appearing in the first and second seasons of the WB television series Smallville.
He is a reporter for the Metropolis Inquisitor, a tabloid based in Metropolis.
He was portrayed by Tom O'Brien.
Biography[]
X-Ray[]
Nixon first appears in the Season One episode "X-Ray", where he came to Smallville and tried to blackmail Lex Luthor into giving him a large sum of money in exchange for burying a tabloid article he was writing about Lex's wild past in Metropolis. However, Lex counters Nixon's threat with one of his own, promising to use his father's commercial and media influence to destroy Nixon's livelihood if he published the story.
Lex later turned the tables on Nixon by threatening to have any evidence of his existence (i.e., bank account, cell phone, social security number) eliminated. He wanted him to print positive stories about him and kill negative ones. Lex took him to a large room where his wrecked Porsche was and hires the reporter to investigate the car accident on the Loeb Bridge involving Lex and Clark Kent.
Leech[]
Nixon next appears in "Leech", where he showed Lex a computer simulation of what happened on the bridge, and readily gave Lex the names of the experts he consulted in exchange for a hefty amount of money. Later, Lex orders Nixon to cease his investigation of the Kents, but Nixon insisted there was something there. Nixon then hands Lex photos showing his father Lionel in an intimate encounter with Victoria Hardwick.
Obscura[]
Nixon returns where he and Lex meet with Eddie Cole, a crop duster who claimed to have seen a spaceship crash-land the day the meteor shower struck Smallville. Though intrigued by the story, Lex brushes Nixon off. Nixon was later seen secretly watching Clark from afar after he rescues Lana Lang from Deputy Gary Watts.
Tempest[]
In the first season finale "Tempest", Nixon blew up the Kents' truck after Clark got inside to prove the teen's invulnerability while video recording it. He later approaches Clark at the Talon and questions him as to how he survived the truck explosion, alerting Clark to the fact he was responsible for the explosion. Later on, Nixon listened in on a conversation between Clark and his parents, and learned about the spaceship in their storm cellar as well as the octagonal key that was currently in Lex's possession.
Nixon then went to the Luthor Mansion and stole a small metallic plate from Luthor's desk, suspecting it to be part of the alien capsule. When confronted by an angry Lex about talking to Clark, he tells him there's more to Clark Kent than meets the eye, and promises to show Lex proof. Nixon then went into the Kents' storm cellar with a camera, and he unveils the spaceship. He takes out the key and holds it up, leading to the key flying out of his hand and sliding into its slot on the spacecraft.
As the ship activates, Nixon videotapes it. When Jonathan and Martha Kent enter the cellar, Nixon turns his attention to them, and Jonathan angrily confronts him. He vows to tell the entire world about Clark, prompting a violent response from Jonathan. While the Kents' attention is briefly diverted to the rising spaceship, Nixon flees the cellar, and Jonathan pursues him into the coming storm while Martha stayed behind.
Vortex[]
In the season two premiere "Vortex", Jonathan runs after Nixon in hot pursuit as the tornado rages on, and the two men end up trapped in an underground crypt. Nixon is trapped under a piece of rubble, but Jonathan gets him free. Sometime later, they exchange vehement words about Clark's well-being, and Nixon contemptuously dismisses Jonathan as a small man unable to comprehend his son's greatness.
Later on, Jonathan offers to show Nixon a way out if he hands over the tape containing footage of Clark's ship; Nixon begrudgingly complies. As the two start tunneling their way to the surface, they overhear Clark and his friends calling for Jonathan, and Nixon panics and causes himself and Jonathan to fall back underground, half-buried in soil and Kryptonite chunks. When Clark finally comes to rescue his dad and Nixon, he's weakened by the Kryptonite in the vicinity.
Nixon gets free and seizes the opportunity to place a piece of Kryptonite inside Clark's jacket so he can neutralize him and drag Clark out of the catacombs, leaving Jonathan behind. Out in the woods, Nixon finds, much to his dismay, that his car has been totaled by the tornado. Right at that moment, Jonathan tackles the reporter and punches him a handful of times, declaring he's not taking his son away from him. Nixon overpowers the farmer and prepares to kill with an iron rod, only to be shot and killed by Lex.
Quotes[]
| “ | You wanted to see me, Lex? I'm surprised you even remembered my name. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Lex Luthor. |
| “ | Let me guess. This is where you remind me of all the terrible things you can have done to me. [...] Well, what I have discovered is beyond you and your problems and your threats. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Lex Luthor. |
| “ | Be nice, Lex, or I may not let you bid on my discovery. And I know you'll want to, especially when you consider all your interest in the crash site and the Kents. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Lex Luthor. |
| “ | I'll show you all the evidence you need tonight. And you'll see for yourself. There's a whole lot more to your friend Clark Kent than meets the eye. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Lex Luthor. |
| “ | The greatest story in human history, and I'm not gonna get a chance to write it. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon after being trapped underground with Jonathan. |
| “ | I'm going to tell the world about your son! | „ |
| ~ Roger to Jonathan boasting his plans to exploit Clark. |
| “ | Is that why you chased me? What were you planning on doing, Kent? Were you gonna bludgeon me and bury me in a shallow grave? | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | You have the most amazing being on Earth doing chores on your farm. Why are you hiding him? Tell the world and let them see for themselves. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | Why don't you stop playing the protector and admit the truth. You kept him because you couldn't have children of your own. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | He's not your son, you deluded hick! He's not even human. [...] You can kill me for saying this, but you know I'm right. You're just a small man whose son's destiny is too big for you to comprehend. Clark doesn't belong to you. He belongs to the world. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | What else can he do? Do you have any idea what I'd do with his abilities? The wealth, the power he could amass, it's unimaginable. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | Mr. Kent, since the beginning of time, people have been looking at the stars and wondering "What's out there?" Clark is the answer that they have been waiting for. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon to Jonathan. |
| “ | I don't need the tape. I got all the evidence I need right here. | „ |
| ~ Roger Nixon taking Clark captive. |
