Holly Gehrig is a beauty pageant contestant and the main antagonist of the Smallville comic book story "Beauty".
Biography[]
Early life[]
Holly participated in beauty pageants for years since she was a little girl. Her mother and grandmother were both crowned "Miss Smallville" making Holly a legacy and the third of three generations to attempt to win the pageant.
She was childhood friends with Lana Lang before she stopped doing pageants. When the first meteor shower struck Smallville, Holly was caught in it and was mutated; gaining the ability to melt objects with an acidic touch of her hand.
Beauty[]
In 2002, the annual Miss Smallville pageant was being held and everyone from Smallville High were volunteering. Lana and Chloe Sullivan discussed how at one point in time, Lana was a contender in beauty contests, though this was a long time ago. Clark Kent and Pete Ross mill about helping. Pete pointed out to Clark that he was ogling Lana, but Clark pointed out to Pete that he was ogling Holly Gehrig.
Holly saw Pete and greeted him with a smile. Chloe wanted to interview one of the contestants about the dark side of pageants and when she was speaking to Rachel, her mother Brenda, showed up and took her away in a snooty huff. Suddenly, everyone heard a scream coming from the dressing room. Going to investigate, the group found Holly, her dress and teddy bear burned, with the words "QUIT NOW" etched into her mirror.
Lana helped Holly up and told Chloe about her family legacy of winning the Miss Smallville pageant. Holly said she wouldn't be doing pageants but she needed the scholarship money for school. Pete tells Clark he suspects Brenda and Rachel, but Clark didn't think a beauty pageant would be enough to drive someone to threats.
Later, Holly sent Brenda a letter telling her that she would find the person behind the pageant sabotage if she met her under the stage. She tricked Brenda, trapping her and Pete by shutting and locking the door on them where they found themselves in a sewer. Chloe did some investigation and told Lana that she found out that Rachel is a skilled chemist. Lana, however, still believed the best in Rachel, and refuses to consider that she was behind the sabotage.
Lana then went to Rachel's dressing room, only to find Holly putting her hand through the mirror burning it with an acid touch. She was in the middle of writing "EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR MOTHER AG-" when she noticed Lana in the doorway who said she shouldn't have come. Lana asked Holly what she did with Rachel's mom and she said Rachel didn't even notice she was missing.
Lana realized she was behind all this sabotage for a scholarship. Holly stated that Lana had no idea about the pressure of being a third generation winner as this was her last year for eligibility. Holly was so irate and angered she accused Lana of trying to ruin her chances.
Lana said she thought they were friends, but Holly stated with her looks how could they ever be, but she could fix that. Holly moved to toward Lana to rearrange her face when Clark and Chloe arrived. Lana tells Holly it's over and she will never win the pageant now. Holly said all of them ruined everything and uses her touch to escape through the wall. Lana tells Clark about the tunnels beneath the stage, where Clark found Pete and Brenda there, just as the water is filling the tunnel.
Clark rips off the door, saves them, and the stage bursts apart and falls down. Behind the stage, Clark and Holly face off. Holly burned Clark's shoulder, but Clark throws her to the ground. The rest of the stage started creaking and fell in. Clark shields Holly, but he is the only one that rises from the rubble. A week later, Rachel wins the Mrs. Smallville Pageant. Lana and Clark agree never to drift apart like she and Holly did.
