Smallville's Tom Welling reprising Clark Kent role in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' means we finally see him in Superman suit
It looks like 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' isn't going to have any dearth of Supermen. Fans have been hoping to see Tom Welling reprise his 'Smallville' role as Clark Kent/Superman for the crossover almost since the day it was announced and now those prayers have finally been answered. The 'Lucifer' star will be joining Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh as the third Superman who will be appearing during the massive crossover event that looks like it'll be uniting the entirety of DC's television history.
“For eight years, 'Arrow' has stood on the shoulders of Smallville. Simply put, there would be no 'Arrow,' and no Arrowverse, without it”, 'Arrow' co-creator/executive producer Marc Guggenheim said, according to Deadline. “So when we first started talking about 'Crisis on Infinite Earths,' our first, second and third priorities were getting Tom to reprise his iconic role as Clark Kent. To say that we’re thrilled would be a Superman-sized understatement.”
As Guggenheim said, 'Smallville' has had a massive influence on the Arrowverse and many of the show's stars have made appearances on 'Arrow', 'The Flash', and 'Supergirl'. Interestingly enough, while Welling's Clark Kent has had an impact on every subsequent on-screen portrayal of the character, his version of the Kryptonian hero never wore the iconic Superman suit on the show.
In the past, Welling revealed the reason he never wore the suit on the show was because the series was meant to show the journey Clark Kent had to take before becoming the superhero we all know and love. However, that could change now that he's appearing in 'Crisis', most probably as a much older version of the Man of Steel.
“It was something that we discussed before we ever shot the pilot with [creators] Al [Gough] and Miles [Millar],” Welling said in an interview with EW in 2017. “We literally had a sit down where we talked about the show and I asked about the suit and the tights and the flying, and they said, ‘No, absolutely not,’ part of the reason being is that show is about a teenager trying to figure out who he is. They felt that once Clark put on the cape and the suit, life became too easy, in a sense. They wanted to focus on who this character was before that.”
He finally received the suit at the very end of the show, marking the completion of his 'Smallville' journey and becoming the hero he was meant to be. However, he was never seen wearing it on the show.
In real-time, over a decade has passed since Welling ended his stint as Superman. While The CW hasn't given any official confirmation on this, the time gap since the show's ending and the start of 'Crisis' suggests Welling may be returning as an older Superman, one who has truly matured into the role, and that could mean that we can finally see the actor don the iconic blue and red suit of the great Kryptonian hero.
The five-episode crossover 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' will begin with an episode of 'Supergirl' December 8 and have one episode each on 'Arrow', 'Batwoman' and 'The Flash' before ending over on 'Legends of Tomorrow' January 14.