Tom Welling Explains Why He Didn"t Reprise Smallvile Superman Role In The Arrowverse Until Crisis On Infinite Earths

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Clark Kent/Superman actor Tom Welling looks back on why he didn"t play his Smallville character in the other DC shows until the 2019 crossover event for the Arrowverse. When the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline was finally adapted for the Arrowverse, it opened the way for another beloved CW show to come back: Smallville. Following the Smallville series finale in 2011, Welling and Erica Durance returned for the massive Arrowverse event to reprise their roles.
On the latest episode of Talk Ville Podcast, hosted by Welling and his Smallville co-star Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor, the actors had a conversation with KryptonSite"s Craig Byrne about the overall legacy of the series, including the return of Clark and Lois Lane in Arrowverse"s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. During their discussion, Welling admitted that the reason why it took until 2019 for him to reprise his Smallville role was because when he was initially offered to appear on the other shows several years prior, it didn"t feel quite right, sharing the following:

I was asked to be in a lot of the other shows after Smallville ended, I was asked to sort of appear in them as Clark and it never felt like their tone was the same as Clark was or what Smallville was. I still believe that in the crossover what you see Clark doing and giving up his powers and being with Lois for their family, that might not be the Clark from Smallville because it"s a multiverse.

What Tom Welling's Comments Mean For The Arrowverse's Legacy Close Hearing Welling"s perspective on why he declined to return as the DC icon, it makes a lot of sense for Smallville and the Arrowverse as a whole leading up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. If the plan was to try to have Welling"s version of Superman in the Arrowverse when the Man of Tomorrow got introduced in Supergirl season 2, it would have been a massive distraction and maybe even confusing, especially for Smallville viewers. Had Welling been tapped to return as Superman, the world would have never gotten Tyler Hoechlin as the Arrowverse"s beloved Kryptonian hero, thus no Superman & Lois years later.
The controversial reveal about Clark"s loss of powers in Crisis on Infinite Earth did, more or less, at least establish that prior to giving up his abilities, he was Superman for multiple years before eventually settling down to raise a family. Even if the crossover event didn"t reference it, Smallville season 11 is canon to the original TV show, where Clark had plenty of adventures as the famous DC legend. If anything, Smallville and Crisis on Infinite Earths allowed this version of Superman to have a well-rounded life.
Our Take On Tom Welling's Smallville & Arrowverse Comments

Even though the Clark that viewers met in Crisis on Infinite Earths is, as far as what the creative team has stated, the same one from Smallville, his Arrowverse fate doesn"t mean that his time as Superman has to be over. As a Smallville animated sequel TV show is being developed by Welling and Rosenbaum, the series revival could explore the Man of Steel post-Crisis on Infinite Earths where the new multiverse perhaps undid the plot twist that was revealed during his Arrowverse cameo. Until that happens, Smallville viewers can relive every single season either on Blu-ray/DVD or through streaming.

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