Cheryl Michelle Kimble[1] was a decorated veteran who fell from grace when she dated Lex Luthor, who eventually forced her to become a criminal after he rose to power through her connections. On Lex's orders, she assumed the alias "Gretchen Kelley", kidnapped and tried to kill Sam Lane. Cheryl was later found by Lois Lane, who offered to protect her from Lex, though she disagreed. Lex sent Hacksaw Kronick to assassinate Cheryl.
Biography[]
Early life[]
In her youth, Cheryl was a veteran who had made many powerful, influential connections throughout her career. Bruno Mannheim described her as a respected, brilliant woman who was sharp, funny, and strong. She dated Lex Luthor at some point and the couple was known as an item back in the day, until Lex dumped Cheryl after gaining all her connections.[2]
Luthor's return[]
Years later, after Lex was released from Stryker's Island, he forced Cheryl to rejoin his team under the alias "Gretchen Kelley". Cheryl, Hacksaw Kronick, and Otis Grisham assisted Lex in his experiments on Bizarro, repeatedly killing him in order to turn him into an unstoppable monster to kill Superman. Lex later tasked her with dating Sam Lane in Smallville, where she kidnapped him with Otis's help,[3] presumably due to her military background.
At Lex's hideout, Sam tries to reason with "Gretchen" and she reveals it isn't her real name. Cheryl tries to kill Sam at Lex's orders, but he manages to break free and knocks her out, before being defeated by Otis again. In a second attempt, Sam was buried alive by Cheryl and Otis, but was then rescued by Lois Lane and Superboy. Lex later advises Cheryl and Otis to lay low for a while.[4]
For talking to the Kent family in secret, Kronick tried to kill Cheryl at Lex' behest using his flamethrower gauntlets. However, she was saved by Jon Kent while Kronick was defeated by Superman. Cheryl then got away.[1]
Death[]
Eventually, Lex found Cheryl's whereabouts before the Kent family could and managed to kill her to prevent her from spilling information about his criminal operation.[2]
Appearances[]
Superman & Lois[]
Season 3[]
Season 4[]
- "The End & The Beginning"
- "A Perfectly Good Wedding"
- "When the Lights Come On" (pictured)
- "To Live and Die Again" (pictured)
Behind the scenes[]
- In the comics, Gretchen Kelley was Lex Luthor's personal physician. The original character was created by John Byrne and first appeared in Superman (Volume 2) #2 in February, 1987. Kelley was previously adapted in live-action in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.