Like many award-winning celebrities, Lizzy Caplan made a few brief appearances on Smallville as she played one of its most memorable villains. Beginning in 2001, Smallville was a hit American superhero show that chronicled the life of Clark Kent/Superman, beginning with his teenage years. While the later seasons of Smallville did feature several of Superman's biggest villains, such as Doomsday and General Zod, the writers did try to put their own stamp on the genre by including their own memorable foes in season 1 and 2 (otherwise known as "Freak of the Week").
Often, these villains inadvertently went down a dark path after they had been infected to green Kryptonite (which compromised their moral judgment). While no one knew it at the time, the majority of these characters ended up being played by hugely successful and award-winning actors, such as Amy Adams and Lizzy Caplan. Caplan's tenure on the show has certainly stood out, especially since she has went on to play several notorious movie villains, such as Alex Forrest in TV show Fatal Attraction (2023).
Lizzy Caplan Played The Meta-Human Tina Greer In Season 1 & 2 Of Smallville
Debuting in season 1, episode 4, "X-Ray", Lizzy Caplan made her first appearance as Tina Greer. Tina was the former friend of Lana Lang and a shapeshifting metahuman who gained her powers in the 1989 Meteor Shower. Like many of the meteor infected antagonists before her, she fell down a dark path after she accidentally killed her mother, robbed a bank, and then attacked Clark and his friends. She is also remembered for developing an unhealthy obsession with Lana and her life.
Although Tina wasn't a main antagonist like General Zod, she was one of the most difficult foes Clark faced thanks to her superstrength and shapeshifting abilities. Not only did Clark struggle to defeat her in combat but Tina also managed to outsmart him at every turn since she uncovered his secret and worked out his weakness. She even managed to make Clark and his friends paranoid about each other because they were unsure whether she was disguised as one of them. Unfortunate for Tina, her recklessness was her own undoing as she died after accidentally impaling herself on a piece of wood while fighting Clark.
Smallville's Tina Greer & Fatal Attraction's Alex Forrest Have A Lot Of Things In Common
Similar to how Alex Forrest's relationship with Dan Gallagher plays out in Fatal Attraction, Tina's obsession with Lana turned deadly as she realized that the Talon owner did not reciprocate her feelings. Not only did she try to drive a wedge between Lana and her friends, but she also attempted to kill several people as well because they got in the way of her being with Lana. Another similarity can be found through critical reception; where the Smallville writers were criticized for perpetuating harmful stereotypes that individuals in the LGBTQ+ community are dangerous and violent, the writers of Fatal Attraction faced criticism for adding stigma to mental health conditions.
Unfortunately, these are still issues that are prevalent in the mainstream media. However, in the 20 years since her debut as Smallville's Tina Greer, Caplan does appear to have learned from the experience and is constantly challenging any misconceptions to portray "more three-dimensional human being[s]" that "are not so easily compartmentalized" (via Grazia Magazine). If she had the chance to play Tina again, she and the writers would likely approach the character a lot differently.
Source: Grazia Magazine