Appearances: S1: Hug
Bio: Bob Rickman was a 'meteor freak' with the ability to coerce anyone into doing anything simply by shaking their hand. In 1989, he and Kyle Tippet had been traveling salesmen passing through Smallville, when the meteor shower had struck, trapping them in their car for two days. Despite being the worst salesmen before the meteors, Bob and Kyle had each been left with the power of persuasion, and both had won Salesman of the Year 1989, 1990, and 1991. Eventually, Kyle had retreated into solitude because of his power, while Bob had plowed on, using his power to start Rickman Industries and keep his cancer-causing chemical plants open. In early 2002, Bob had met with Paul Hendrix, an agent for the Center for Environmental Protection. Bob had had plans to open a plant in Smallville, but Paul had been working in opposition, revealing that he'd investigated Bob's other plants and had found that the groundwater in the last town where Bob had built a plant had been contaminated. Not one to let anything get in his way, Bob had used his power to coerce Paul into committing suicide. Later, Bob had returned to Smallville, despite a promise to Kyle that he'd stay away. While in town, Bob had persuaded Jonathan Kent to sign away his land to him, as Bob had wanted to built his plant there. Meanwhile, Kyle had threatened to reveal Bob's plans if he didn't leave, but rather than comply, Bob had sent others to try to kill Kyle, including Whitney Fordman and Lex Luthor. Fortunately, Jonathan's son Clark had been immune to Bob's power, and had managed to stop the attempts on Kyle's life. In a final confrontation, Kyle and Bob had struggled over Bob's gun, before Kyle had used his power to convince Bob to turn the gun on himself. With the CEO dead, Rickman Industries had opted not to expand into Smallville, and had been more than happy to let Jonathan out of his contract.
Portrayed By: Rick Peters
