But that threat to himself is significant - Nor would have killed him, and so Clark was fighting for his own life. As well, if Nor lived he was a huge threat to other people. So even had Clark's last blow been a "kill", at that point it would still not have been murder. I haven't been arguing that Clark would or could not kill but that he was not a murderer.
I was not arguing that he was capable of murder, either. Just that he was capable of killing.
It depends, though, on what you believe his primary goal was in that scene. Was it to save the Earth from Nor and his army or was it simply to kill Nor?
If what Ching said was correct, then there was no room in Clark's mind for anything but "the kill." That, in my opinion, includes concern for the welfare of others.
I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on the interpretation of that scene, Carol. I think it revealed a dark side of Clark that we hadn't seen before. Maybe the writers realized that and that's why we weren't shown the emotional aftermath. It would have, as alcyone said, made the scene more significant. In my opinion, it's still a significant scene, even if the writers kind of sidestepped the issue.
