Pete Ross
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- Pete Ross should not be confused with baseball player Pete Rose.
Pete Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Pete Ross was introduced in Superboy #86 in January 1961.
Original version
In the original comics, Pete was a childhood friend of Clark Kent in Smallville. One night when they were camping together, Pete secretly saw Clark changing into Superboy to attend to an emergency. Pete kept his knowledge of the superhero's secret identity to himself, not even telling Clark. Furthermore, Pete resolved to use this knowledge to help his friend, such as creating distractions to allow Clark to slip away without raising suspicion.
As an adult, Pete was established as a widower who had a son, Jonathan, who also learned the secret of Superman's dual identity (as shown in Action Comics #457). In time, Clark learned of Pete's knowledge.
The Legion of Super-Heroes were aware of Pete's assistance to Clark and made him an honorary member during his teenage years (as shown in Superboy #98).
Modern version
The modern version of Pete is a far more minor character in the Superman comics, who eventually married Lana Lang, with the two having a son, Clark Ross. The two are presently married, but Lana is seeking a divorce. Pete was Vice-President of the United States under Lex Luthor and briefly served as President following Luthor's impeachment.
In the modern comic book continuity, Pete was not initially aware of Clark's secret. However, the secret was known by the villainous Manchester Black, who informed then-President Luthor of the secret, only later to wipe his memory of it. However, prior to losing the knowledge of Clark's secret, Lex informed Pete that his close friend Clark Kent is in fact Superman. As with the former continuity, Pete has yet to reveal to Clark that he knows the secret.
In other media
In the television series Smallville, Pete Ross is played by Sam Jones III. He is a childhood friend who learned about Clark's abilities, which Clark admitted to him after Pete stumbled upon his spaceship during an episode from the second season entitled "Duplicity."