 For season three , Jonathan also has to deal with his emerging heart problems . For Schneider , the " treatments " and " cures " that his character underwent were all for nothing , as the actor believes that Jonathan 's heart attack at the end of " Hereafter " was less of a real heart attack and more of Jor @-@ El trying to get Jonathan 's attention . A heart condition is not new to the character , as it has been used in previous incarnations , like Glenn Ford 's portrayal of Jonathan Kent in Richard Donner 's Superman , as well as the comic books . In contrast to those versions , it was Smallville that tied his heart condition to a deal that he makes with Jor @-@ El . When the moment came for his character to die , Schneider considers the event an " empowering death " , which he likens to John Wayne 's character death as Wil Andersen in The Cowboys . 
