Pete Ross leaves Smallville in season 3 because the pressure of keeping Clark’s secret and the danger that comes with it becomes too much for him, and he moves away with his mom, then briefly returns in season 7 with Kryptonite- gum powers before disappearing again.

Quick Scoop: What happened to Pete in Smallville?

In the story (in-universe)

  • Pete starts as Clark’s best friend and one of the first people to learn Clark’s secret, which immediately puts him in danger again and again.
  • By season 3, the constant stress of protecting Clark, combined with family issues and personal trouble (like his parents’ divorce and risky behavior), wears him down.
  • An FBI agent targets Pete to dig into Clark, and that “pressure point” moment becomes the last straw for him.
  • Officially, Pete leaves Smallville when his mother gets a job in Wichita; he goes with her and tells Clark that he can’t handle the burden of the secret anymore.

His return in season 7

  • Pete comes back for one episode in season 7, working as a roadie for the band OneRepublic.
  • He gets stretching powers from Kryptonite-laced gum (yes, really), which Lex then exploits to turn Pete against Clark for a bit.
  • By the end of the episode, Pete redeems himself, but the appearance is brief and he disappears from the show again with no major long-term role.

Behind the scenes (why he “really” vanished)

  • Commentaries and later write-ups note that the writers struggled to find a strong ongoing role for Pete once he knew Clark’s secret, so he often felt like a sidelined sidekick.
  • Over time they decided to write him out rather than keep forcing him into plots where he didn’t have much to do, making him the first main character to leave the series.
  • Fans on forums still debate his exit, with many feeling his character was underused and that his season 7 return did not do him justice.

How fans talk about it now

  • Some viewers like that Pete is the one friend who says “I can’t live like this” and walks away, which adds a more realistic emotional angle to Clark’s secret.
  • Others feel his departure and gum-powered comeback were wasted opportunities, arguing he could have had a deeper arc—possibly even going darker or working with Lex.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.