Someone will die on Smallville this season. That's the major news viewers have been pondering and debating over the last week.

But producer Brian Peterson is here to give fans a lot more on which to chew. He answered a series of reader-submitted questions at E! News and we've shared his most intriguing response below...

What's ahead for Clark? As we go into next season, we will see Clark maturing through some of his growing pains as he evolves further into the hero he becomes.

When will Clark and Chloe be on good terms again? Chloe's been doing what she thinks is right to protect the world, but that all unfortunately has consequences, and they will pay off in episode 18, and in episode 20.

What's the deal with episode 21? It's a really pivotal episode because even though Martha's been gone, clearly she's still been watching over her son and been in his life. To have her come back into the show provides a great episode that lets us explore how much Clark has grown since he graduated from high school and since his father died. Perry comes in, too, and has a great story with Lois Lane.

What about the season finale? We have some amazingly iconic moments - moments catch close to all of that much bigger mythos that has become Superman - probably more than any other episode in the series. But it also is much more about Clark's character and his growth, and some character reveals than just all-out fighting. It's a really great way to go out of the season on some amazing character cliff-hangers.

The ninth season will conclude on May 14.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.