It feels like this is the news that DC TV fans have been waiting for. EW reports that Tom Welling will reprise his Smallville role in the upcoming Crisis On Infinite Earths Arrowverse crossover event. Technically, this adds a third Superman into the mix, with Brandon Routh and Tyler Hoechlin already confirmed to be putting on the cape. This has apparently been in the works for months. So was that set visit from last season more than just a coincidence after all?
Marc Guggenheim, for one, seems very excited about this news. He said, “For eight years, Arrow has stood on the shoulders of Smallville. Simply put, there would be no Arrow, and no Arrowverse, without it. 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.”
How all of these elements will work together remains to be seen, but if the goal is to give fans what they want, this is it. Welling had been hesitant to return to the Clark Kent role in the past, so I’m guessing that he wouldn’t do this unless he felt strongly about the story. Smallville ran for 10 seasons on The CW, where Welling played Clark Kent but never really became the Man of Steel until the finale. Does this mean that fans will finally get that iconic look that they always wanted? It seems like it would be a great way to bring things full circle.
The five part Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event begins Sunday, December 8th on The CW with Supergirl.
Photo Credit: The CW/Warner Bros. TV