Kyle Tippet
Species: Metahuman
Appearances: S1: Hug
Family: unknown
Bio: Kyle Tippet was Smallville's town hermit, as well as a 'meteor freak' with the ability to coerce anyone into doing anything simply by shaking their hand. In 1989, he and Bob Rickman had been traveling salesmen passing through Smallville, when the meteor shower had struck, trapping them in their car for two days. Prior to the meteors, they'd been the worst salesmen, but afterwards, were each left with the power of persuasion and had each won Salesman of the Year 1989, 1990, and '91. Kyle had eventually grown fearful of his power and had retreated into solitude, while Bob had plowed on, using his power to start Rickman Industries and to keep his chemical plants open, despite the fact that their emissions caused cancer. In early 2002, Bob had returned to Smallville, despite a promise to Kyle that he'd stay away. Kyle had threatened to reveal Bob's plans if he didn't leave, and so, Bob had tried to send others to kill him, including Whitney Fordman and Lex Luthor. Fortunately, Clark Kent had been immune to Bob's power, and had been able to stop the attempts on Kyle's life. Kyle, in turn, had used his power to convince Bob to kill himself, after he and Bob had struggled over Bob's gun. With a new lease on life, Kyle had promised to keep Clark's secret, and had revealed Clark had inspired him to use his ability to do good.
Played By: Gregory Sporleder