Smallville has definitely taken a turn towards the darkside this season, with the arrival of Doomsday and Tess Mercer, the final departure of Lana, and the news that has been looming that there would be two major deaths during the season finale. So, when E! Online's Watch With Kristin got the chance to talk to show producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders, the question as to who would die was high on the list. Peterson and Souders avoided directly answering that question, but they did provide some hints as to what we could expect to see from the finale, as well as what we might see in Season Nine.

The question that keeps coming up, especially in light of the fact that one of the deaths is supposed to involve a Smallville veteran is if that death might be fan-favorite Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack). Peterson and Souders never said one way or the other if Chloe was going to die, but there were numerous references to what might be in her future.

When asked if Chloe was going to be that veteran death, especially since the character of Chloe is not a part of the Superman mythology, Sourders said "It's a scary future for Chloe Sullivan because you never know what's going to happen because of that exact fact." Peterson chimed in with saying "She has put herself in the middle of harm's way this year," referring to how Chloe is somewhat in the middle between Davis Bloome/Doomsday (Sam Witwer) and Clark (Tom Welling). When asked directly if either Chloe or Davis dies, Peterson said "Well there are two deaths, it could be one or the other, or both," at which point Souders added "Both or someone else could be thrown in that mix." But they did go on to hint that there is also a metaphorical death within the show, and that ultimately, all of the actions are being done to line the show up with the mythology of the DC comics.

Smallville #2So, while the question of who is going to die likely won't be answered until {3} airs on May 14, Peterson and Souders did tell us some things that we can definitely expect to see in the finale - namely, the major showdown between Clark and Doomsday, to which Peterson said It's what everybody has probably been watching for the whole season. There will be a big throwdown between Doomsday and Clark. Souders chimed in, saying Clark meets his match.

Also in the season finale, there will be conflicts between Clark and the Justice League, led by Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow. Souders explained "You're definitely going to see the Justice League in a way you've never seen them before. Clark and Oliver's (Justin Hartley) relationship is going to really be pushed to the brink. I think it's going to be really shocking for the fans to see the season finale. Clark definitely emerges in a different place than he started the season in. [Next season] he has to overcome-he has to be Superman." And it wouldn't be Smallville without a major romantic subplot coming to a head in the finale, and that'll happen with Clark and Lois. Souders says that "For Clark-Lois fans, I think they will be having many fits in the finale. We just watched part of it cut together, and I have to say there's one of the most quintessential Clark-Lois moments in the finale. It's so good. They have such great chemistry."

Smallville #3Souders and Peterson also provided the following hints that in the following season we will continue to see the trend of introducing more heroes and villains from DC continuity into Smallville. "We started what will hopefully be a new focus of the show that we'll be bringing in allies for Clark next year," Peterson said. "We had a lot of DC villains this year and a lot of DC heroes, and we're hoping to continue that into next year. We teased a little piece of Chloe and her arc and how she might play a role in that next year." For fans of Chloe and Allison Mack, this is a good time to point out that if she has a role in the events of next season, we likely won't be seeing her depart the screen in this year's finale.

For the final word on what Season nine of Smallville might hold, Peterson says "Clark may have some significant obstacles in his destiny next year. It may be the darkness before the rise of Superman. He's going to face probably his darkest hour I would say. He really was on a trajectory this year, but he's made some decisions that put him down a different path." Souders finished up by ominously hinting "He's going to be paying the price for some rather large mistakes from the finale."

Smallville airs Thursday nights on the CW. The drama about the early days of Clark Kent stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Aaron Ashmore, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Sam Witwer.