- "I'm sorry. The President couldn't make it."
- —Smith to Flash, Green Arrow, Atom and White Canary[src]
Smith is a high-ranking agent of the NSA who was primarily in charge of all operations involving all contact with the Dominators. He was demoted by president Susan Brayden who reassigned Smith to Antarctica, for conducting an unauthorized operations without her consent; regarding his attempted murder on Team Arrow, Team Flash and the Legends respectively.
Biography
First encounter with the Dominators
Smith as he prepares to experiment on the Dominator.
In 1951, Smith encountered Steel, Vixen and Heat Wave with an injured Dominator. They tranquilized the three of them, taking them back to their base. They locked the Dominator up, while the other three were unchained. Smith entered with armed agents, planning on interrogating the four of them, beginning with the Dominator. He took it and began to run tests on it but before they could majorly hurt it, Steel, having been rescued by fellow time travelers, knocked out Smith with a punch.[1]
Second encounter with the Dominators
Smith terrorizing Ray Palmer in 1988
In 1988, Smith and several other agents were tracking a baby Dominator, who was being sheltered by young Ray Palmer. Smith told the agents that they were to find the infant and also capture Ray in order to stop him from talking. In one version of events, Smith and a fellow agent managed to corner Ray when he tried to rescue the alien. He stole Smith's keys to try and open the lab but Smith's partner shot and killed him. They then left his body to be found in the woods two days later.
In a second version, Smith and his agents managed to capture young Ray, the Dominator, and Zari Tomaz and use a jamming device to suppress the baby Dominator's powers. Adult Ray and Zari manage to prevent Smith and his man from shooting young Ray and disabled the jamming device. Smith caught up with them and warned them that the Dominator was dangerous but they told Smith they were taking it away and back to its mother. Smith and his agents got ready to shoot them but they were frozen by the baby Dominator. It then mind controlled them into singing and dancing to Singing in the Rain (Ray's favorite musical). After it wore off, the agents gave chase but Zari uses the Air Totem to lift her, young Ray, and the Dominator into the air, allowing them to meet up with the baby's mother, the Dominator queen.[2]
Third encounter with the Dominators
In 2016, Smith joined A.R.G.U.S. director Lyla Michaels and the President of the United States in deciding what to do with the returning Dominators. When the President suggested they engage them, Smith reminded him of their first encounter in 1951, suggesting the casualties would be too high. Lyla voted in favor of the President's idea to engage as being idle is probably what the Dominators wanted. Angry with the President's decision, Smith suggested that Lyla follow his lead quickly, otherwise she would not as last long in her position as Amanda Waller.[3] Some days later, Smith and a multitude of agents ambushed the Atom, the Flash, Green Arrow and White Canary. When they asked who he was, he refused to reveal his identity. As they took out all of his men, he revealed that they had told him of Barry's meddling with time, thus viewing meta-humans as a threat, aligning with Smith's own beliefs. He further explained that by creating Flashpoint, Barry had broken a truce made between Earth and the Dominators, causing them to return. Due to this, Smith negotiated a deal with them: Barry for peace. That night, after the heroes had defeated the Dominators, making them flee, Smith showed up at their party, much to the chagrin of Nate Heywood. He guessed Smith's true intent to commandeer the heroes' resources and erase all traces of their presence. Before he could approach the rest of them, Kara Danvers explained how she'd discussed a governmental department to deal with aliens with his president, much to Smith's chagrin, she also informed him that because of his unauthorized operations nor consent from the president, per Kara's suggestion he was to be reassigned to Antarctica. Humiliated, Smith left with his bodyguards.[1]
Personality
Smith is very arrogant and opinionated, as he spoke down to Lyla Michaels, the director of A.R.G.U.S., after she agreed with the then-president of United States to engage the Dominators, he bluntly stated she better learn to follow his lead if she wanted to last long; completely disregarding the fact that he didn't have the authority to have the latter removed or fired from her position as the director of A.R.G.U.S..[3]
Smith has proven himself to be self-righteous, immoral and willing to use lies or other underhanded tactics to accomplish his goals; for example, after capturing one of the Dominators in 1951, he tortured the alien, and in 1988, he was willing to kill a 7 year old Ray Palmer (an innocent boy) to make sure that the alien and their activities stayed secret, he had no guilt or remorse for these vile acts of his. Overstepping his authority and blaming the super-vigilantes for the Dominators' return, he attempted to kill them, disregarding the new-president Susan Brayden's desire to meet with them. This attempt not only resulted in his humiliation, but Susan reassigning Smith to Antarctica as punishment for conducting an unauthorized operation, without her consent.[1]
Appearances
The Flash
Season 3
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Season 2
Season 3
- "Phone Home" (1988)
Trivia
- Smith has similarities to the late Amanda Waller; both are arrogant, selfish, self-righteous, dishonorable, delusional and immoral individuals who believe they are above the law.
- They also genuinely do not have any guilt or remorse for their actions.
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics Smith is also a mysterious figure clad in suit and glasses investigating extraterrestrial activity, although instead of US government he is primarily affiliated with Ferris Aircraft and Manhunter Cult. In the comics, instead of "Invasion!" Smith played a part in another crossover event, "Millenium".
- While his name was used only once on the show as Smith, in the credits, the character was listed only as "Glasses" and "Young Glasses".