 Christopher Reeve appears twice as Virgil Swann , a scientist who was able to translate the Kryptonian language . Swann first meets Clark in the season two episode " Rosetta " , where he explains his team of scientists intercepted a message from space and were able to translate it based on a mathematical key which accompanied the transmission . Swann informs Clark his birth name is Kal @-@ El , and that he comes from a planet called Krypton , destroyed just after he was sent to Earth . When Lionel begins piecing together the alien language on the Kawatche cave walls , and Clark 's constant presence at the caves , he seeks out Swann for the answers in the season three episode " Legacy " . Swann , though he denies knowing how to read the symbols in the caves , agrees to help Lionel when he correctly guesses Lionel is dying ; how Swann helps Lionel is not made clear . In season four 's " Sacred " , it is revealed Swann died , but not before sending Clark the octagonal disk from Clark 's ship , which had been missing since season three 's " Legacy " . 
