Whitney Fordham is a boy who grew up in Smallville and attended the same elementary school and high school as Clark Kent, a classmate he frequently attempted to bully.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Whitney Fordham gained notoriety for being a bully in school. Since second grade he would pick on people like his classmate Clark Kent. He developed a friendship with his classmate Pete Ross, who came to be considered his best friend and accomplice.
At some point Whitney was on a school bus when he spotted his now 10-year old classmate Clark Kent who had just missed the departing bus. He stuck out his tongue at the panicking Clark as the bus pulled away. When the bus finally arrived at the school, Whitney gaped in surprise upon seeing Clark strolling up the sidewalk, having beaten the bus by a few moments somehow. Peeved off, he quickly caught up with Clark and demanded to know how Clark had managed to make it to the school so fast. When Clark started walking away after giving a short reply, Whitney latched onto the smaller boy and tried to act threatening. Clark asked him to leave him alone, which caused Whitney to shove him backwards, causing Clark's things to scatter on the ground. Lana Lang intervened on Clark's behalf trying to get Whitney to back off. Clark took the opportunity to run off, which made Whitney jeer after him.[2]
Rescued by a Stranger[]
Four months later, Whitney was part of a junior-league soccer match, with an adoring crowd cheering him on as he scored goal after goal. As the day went on, a storm began to form over Smallville, with hail erupting from the sky. Whitney and his dad drove in a car, trying to drive through the storm when a flash flood drove the car into a ditch. Whitney began to cry out for help which eventually attracted a stranger with a mud-smeared face. The stranger reassured Whitney before ripping the car door open and helping Whitney get out.
Afterwards, the stranger waded back into the ditch and retrieved Whitney's dad who had suffered a bruise and was now unconscious. The stranger reassured Whitney about his dad's condition. His father began to stir awake, calling his son's name. The stranger then left Whitney by himself after reassuring him for the last time. That same night, a new bulletin ran a story about Whitney and his dad's predicament, leaving their names or the involvement of the mysterious stranger out of the story.
The following day, Whitney started to spread a revised version of the events that had happened the day before. According to him, he had been the one who had torn the car door open and saved his father from the flood. He bragged the story to Lana and Pete while they were on the school bus on the way to class. Lana especially, was taken by his supposed heroic feat. Whitney then showed off his new skateboard which was, according to him, a gift from his dad for saving his life.
Attempting to show off a new move, he quickly found himself tumbling onto the pavement when the board skidded over. His classmates then laughed at his failed attempt. Upon quick investigation he found that his skateboard's rear wheels had somehow melted, causing him to burn his finger.
Unknown to Whitney, the mysterious stranger had actually been Clark Kent himself, and it had also been he who had sabotaged Whitney's skateboard with his heat vision later on.[2]
County Fair[]
Three years later Whitney attended the county fair with a group of his friends. He spotted Clark Kent about to play a game in an outdoor bowling alley. He then taunted Clark, ridiculing his ability to carry the pumpkin required for the game. Clark threw the pumpkin which only struck down two pins. Whitney then picked up the biggest pumpkin of the bunch, and threw the pumpkin into another lane, knocking down all ten pins. His friends cheered his victory, high-fiving him. He was awarded a giant teddy bear for his efforts and proceeded to gloat at Clark. As he and his friends left, he tossed the teddy bear into the trash.[2]
Witnessing Clark's powers[]
Young Whitney on the school bus
Whilst on a school bus during a field trip, Whitney was present when his classmate, Pete Ross, was bullying Clark Kent. When Pete started to pester Clark, Whitney smirked at Kent, betraying his ugly intentions.[1] Soon after, the bus blew a tire and drove off of a bridge and into a river. The bus then started to fill with water and Whitney found his face trapped underwater, wounded and pushed against his window. Eventually, the bus somehow ended up pushed back on solid ground, with certain passengers claiming it was Clark Kent's doing.
Later, Helen Ross and her son visited Clark's home and talked with Clark's parents about the incident. Although Clark's parents attempted to downplay Clark's role in the event, Helen claimed that Lana and Whitney had also seen Clark's powers firsthand.[3]
Teasing Clark[]
Shortly thereafter, Whitney and his friends confronted Clark when he was waiting for his father while reading a book on Plato. Kenny Braverman pushed Clark to the ground because he wanted to prove that there was nothing special about him. The boys then walked off after they noticed Jonathan Kent's presence nearby.[3]
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Mr. Fordham - Father
Allies[]
- Pete Ross - Classmate and Best Friend
- Kenny Braverman - Schoolmate and Fellow Bully
Enemies[]
- Clark Kent - Schoolmate, Bullying Victim turned Savior
- Jonathan Kent †
- Lana Lang - Classmate
Behind the Scenes[]
- Whitney is based off the Smallville character Whitney Fordman.
- Whitney noticeably never speaks at any point during the film or its novelization.
- Whitney acts as the main antagonist in the Man of Steel tie-in Man of Steel: The Early Years: Junior Novel, which is the only known piece of media where he is shown to speak.
