You feel no pain greater than to see others in agony." – General Zod, to Clark, Vessel

Most of Clark's personality traits are the direct result of his modest farm upbringing. Clark is very close to both of his parents; he is respectful, obedient, and highly values their approval. Raised with a strong moral background, he does not like invasions of privacy, thinks the bad guys should be punished, and wants things to be fair. Clark is hard-working and usually does not place much value in material possessions.

Two traits of Clark Kent that have been prominent for most of the series have been his positive view on humanity and his self-loathing of not being human. He is idealistic and has the ability to always find the good in people, which manifests itself into a willingness to trust others, even to a fault. (An exception by Season Three being Lionel Luthor). Clark's optimistic opinions may also be somewhat inherent; while amnesiac, he retained a positive attitude of the people around him. He strongly believes that positive feelings such as compassion are synonymous to the human race, and thinks humans are, on the whole, noble beings.


Clark is guilty and apprehensive about Jor-El's prediction of the death of someone he loves.Clark has often expressed a desire to be human or loathing of being an alien, probably because he feels his biology hinders his humanity, despite several people telling him that humanity is more than biology. This utmost self-loathing of himself is probably why Clark internalizes situations; he believes everything is his fault, because of him, or about him. He often feels guilt about things over which he had no control and does not consider himself a hero because he feels he causes most of the trouble. It may also explain part of his constant fear of sharing his secret, assuming that anyone will be repulsed by what he is because that's how he feels himself. Currently, Clark struggles with the realization that he cannot save every person in danger and feels like his heroic deeds are inadequate.

This inferiority complex also extends to how Clark feels about his own race, quick to judge that Kryptonians are evil until he realized that they, like humans, had good and evil people something proven by General Zod, an evil Kryptonian renegade, and his biological father Jor-El, a good man trying to stop Zod's actions on Krypton. Clark has also realized that Kryptonians were capable of love and compassion. Currently, he has made some improvements toward accepting who he is. He is grateful for his abilities and proud of his compassion for humans, seeing it as a strength something pointed out by John Jones. Clark has begun to realize that the circumstances surrounding his destiny affect a greater circle than his small hometown. He seems torn on exactly when he will decide to continue his Kryptonian training, but has clearly decided to embark on it in the near future.

Clark can be impulsive; he often acts before thinking things through. Even though his intentions are good, he does not think in advance and does things without considering the real-world repercussions. Unsurprisingly, Clark has a hero complex, often trying to save lives at any and all costs. He has willingly risked his own life to save his loved ones and has, on many occasions, offered the Kents' home to individuals seeking refuge. (He even slept on the couch for several months while Lois Lane stayed in his bedroom.) Clark is also very comfortable around children and enjoys situations in which he gets to be a "big brother" figure.

Additionally, because he closely guards his secret, Clark can sometimes be dishonest. He often makes up lies to explain his sudden presence or absence, or how he has knowledge of mysterious things. Ironically, though, Clark highly values trust in a relationship. He seems slightly less mature than his friends, although this could be the result of his sheltered upbringing. Clark has also been known to whine, mope, or pout, especially about his roller-coaster relationship with Lana Lang. His family and friends have repeatedly told him that he shouldn't bottle up his emotions until they get the best of him.

Clark is afraid of heights and despite having super-speed, he is habitually late. He is good at math, enjoys playing football and basketball, and likes astronomy and journalism.