Pete Ross: the childhood friend who keeps Clark's secret
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Pete Ross is the childhood friend who learns Clark's secret and keeps it, sometimes without even telling him. He is not Lana, and he is not the Ruin mask. In this article you get the first appearance, what the comics made of that friendship, the Smallville Pete, the 2005 trap, and the brief White House stop. By the end you will know where to file him among the inner circle.
Key Facts
- Name: Peter Joseph Ross in several modern versions
- Role: Clark Kent's childhood friend, keeper of the secret
- First appearance: Superboy #86, January 1961
- Art: George Papp (confirmed in the indexes)
- Smallville: Sam Jones III, seasons 1 to 3, return in season 7
- Trap: Ruin is not Pete — it is a frame-up by Emil Hamilton
📋 Contents
Superboy #86: a new friend in Smallville
The Grand Comics Database and the character notes date Pete Ross to Superboy #86, January 1961. George Papp draws. The script is credited sometimes to Robert Bernstein, sometimes to Leo Dorfman, depending on the indexes: we do not settle it here. The backup story (« The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent ») introduces a new boy in Smallville who stands up for Clark against bullies, then becomes his friend.
He is not Lana Lang, already there as the first love. Pete arrives through friendship, not through flirtation. The civilian identity needs a peer who is neither a reporter nor a cousin. The pages give him that, right away.
Smallville, in those issues, is not yet the ten-season series. It is the comics town, the one where the boy already flies and where the new friend arrives through the schoolyard. We do not paste Sam Jones III onto Papp: two continuities, one first name.
He knows, and he does not say
In Superboy #90 (July 1961), a flash of lightning shows him Clark changing into costume. He swears never to betray, and not even to tell Clark that he knows — so as not to embarrass him. Later he makes a Superboy costume to help out. In July 1962, Superboy #98 makes him an honorary member of the Legion. In September 1979, DC Comics Presents #13: Pete finally tells the adult that he always knew.
The gesture counts more than powers, which he does not have. Jimmy Olsen has a signal. Pete has discretion. Two people close to him, two tools.
Lana, the White House, the supporting role
After Crisis, Pete steps back. He sometimes marries Lana, they have a son named Clark, then they divorce. Under Lex Luthor's presidency, several stories make him vice president, then acting president after the impeachment, before a quick resignation. We do not turn him into a statesman with a file: it is a parenthesis, not a career.
In the ten-season series, he is no longer that silent 1960s confidant. In recent comics, he becomes a passing friend again. The inner-circle silo keeps him as the one who knew without asking for Lois's role.
The White House parenthesis mainly shows that Pete can exist far from the farm. It does not redefine the character. As soon as you look for him as « the president », you have already left his file. The founding gesture remains Superboy #90: see, stay silent, do not ask for a place in the myth.
Sam Jones III in the series
Sam Jones III plays Pete in Smallville, seasons 1 to 3 (2001-2003), then returns for the episode « Hero » in season 7 (2008). That Pete holds a grudge against the Luthors over his family's corn. He ends up knowing the secret. In season 3, the FBI presses him: he leaves Smallville for Wichita. He is not the honorary Legion member. He is a teenager from another continuity, across ten seasons.
« Hero », in season 7, brings him back for one episode. We do not make an arc of it. Jones's Pete has no Legion, no 1960s spare costume, no oath never to tell Clark that he knows. He has a wronged family and a departure for Wichita. Same first name, different contract.
The 2005 false lead
In July 2005, Adventures of Superman #640 pretends to reveal that Ruin is Pete. The indexes note it in those terms. It is false, and that is the whole point of the arc: Emil Hamilton has the innocent accused. In January 2006, #646 clears the name. Summing it up as « Ruin is Pete Ross » repeats the trap.
Pete has no super-power, no ray, no mask. His file is friendship and silence. The gallery of adversaries runs elsewhere.
Pete Ross, from Superboy to Smallville
Three common myths
- Ruin is Pete Ross. No. #640 points to him; Hamilton set the frame-up. #646 clears the name.
- It is the same role as Jimmy Olsen. No. Jimmy is the Planet photographer. Pete is the Smallville friend.
- He appears in Superman & Lois as a twin. No. The twins in the series are called Jonathan and Jordan Kent. Pete is not one of them.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Who is Pete Ross?
Clark Kent's childhood friend in Smallville. In the Silver Age, he discovers the secret and keeps it quiet.
When does Pete Ross first appear?
Superboy #86, January 1961, drawn by George Papp. The script credits vary depending on the indexes.
Does Pete Ross know the secret?
Yes, from Superboy #90. He tells the adult in DC Comics Presents #13, in 1979.
Who plays Pete Ross in Smallville?
Sam Jones III, seasons 1 to 3, then the episode Hero in season 7.
Is Pete Ross Ruin?
No. That is the trap of the 2005 arc. Emil Hamilton had an innocent accused.
Was Pete Ross president?
In some post-Crisis versions, vice president under Lex Luthor, then acting president after the impeachment, before resigning. That is not his definition.
Conclusion
Among the inner circle, Lois sees the man, Lana knew the boy, Jimmy photographs the hero. Pete did the third thing: stay silent in time.
If you look for him in Superman & Lois, you will not find him in the twins' place. His file remains Smallville — the comics town, and the series.