Tom Welling
was the actor who tackled the most comprehensive Clark Kent origin story in Smallvillebut 13 years after the show ended, the actor is finally ready to don the cape, and the UDC
could have the perfect way to cast Welling as Superman. Smallville is arguably the most in-depth Superman origin story, exploring the life of a young Clark Kent as he progresses through school, a career, and everything that came with it. The show explored her evolving relationship with the Luthors and the tragic loss of her beloved father, Johnathan Kent.
It also saw Clark fall in love for the first time, with the enchantingly beautiful and kind-hearted Lana Lang. And when that relationship ended, Clark’s heartbreak followed until he finally connected with the equally beautiful and determined Lois Lane. THE show saw Clark slowly develop his powersand learn to control them. And for many years, he saw the hero dream of flying, before he even managed to leave the ground. But in all that time, the one thing that never happened was putting Welling in the iconic red and blue suit.
Tom Welling Said He Wants to Return as Live-Action Superman
Clark Kent never got the chance to transform into Smallville
Now, 13 years after the show ended in 2011, Welling has revealed that he’s finally in a place where he feels ready to don the Superman suit. When Smallville was created, the brilliant Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who created the show, established some clear and precise ground rules for making this origin story. This was designed as a Clark Kent Story, Not a Superman Storyand so Welling was never meant to wear the suit and was never meant to fly. These were two defining characteristics that were reserved for the end of the show, but even so, the use of a CGI model was employed to visualize Clark’s transformation.
You know, I think now because of the two boys I have with my lovely wife… we have a lot of costumes at home. It started on the first Halloween and now we have, I don’t know, 40 or 50 costumes. The only costume we don’t have is the Superman costume. I asked my son why and he said, ‘Because he was taken’ and I said, ‘By who?’ ‘Put [you].’ It was like, ‘Okay, I think I’m open to the idea now.’ So if you know anyone, I think that would be great. I think it would be fun to be a part of.
But now, with Welling much older and more refined, the actor feels ready to make the transition because of the path his own life has taken him on. Smallville’s vision of himself as Clark, he feels he is now in a place where could finally wear the cape. However, Welling was much younger when he appeared on the show, and there are already two other canon Supermans currently in the role on TV and the big screen. However, that doesn’t mean the actor is completely out of luck.
Tom Welling’s Superman legacy means even DC’s multiversal movie setbacks shouldn’t stop him from returning
DC Movies and Shows Handled Welling’s Superman Poorly
Before the birth of the DCU, led by James Gunn, the DCEU and adjacent properties had a volatile history. This has led to some huge successes and some incredible failures, but on a more personal level, it has led to a lot of mistreatment of fan-favorite characters. For me, two of the Most Disappointing Moments Where Welling Could Have Appeared in DC Multiverse came in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, and in The Flash. While Welling appeared in Crisis, the actor was seen back at the farm, having given up his powers for good.
This felt like a strange betrayal for such an iconic iteration of the hero, and just a very strange way to bring him back. While in The FlashWelling was nowhere to be found, along with dozens of other characters who played no appearance in DCEU’s biggest multiversal movie of all time. Instead, we got a strange reel of CGI heroes revolving around Ezra Miller’s Flash, which felt like a huge missed opportunity. But despite these fatal flaws, the DCU has a chance to set things right and give Welling’s version of the hero a moment to shine.
The DC Universe Is Set to Let Tom Welling Way Return as Live-Action Superman
DC Elseworlds is the perfect place to bring good back
With the DCU establishing a core Universe, or Earth Prime storyline, it makes sense for them to have their own Superman, David Corenswet, who will lead the heroes in this storytelling world. Over time, many other DC heroes will join him, but Gunn was sensible enough to construct a way for other stories to continue to exist alongside the main DCU. By adopting the comic book title, DC Elseworlds, and labeling films on the fringes of the DCU in this way, films like Matt Reeves’ Batmanand Todd Phillips’ Clown can still coexist with Gunn’s DCU.
However, Elseworlds opens the door to many more opportunities outside of the primary DCU, with the potential to bring back major DCEU and other stars for unique stories. Within this scenario, it could be the perfect place and time to bring Welling back for a Smallville specialor a holiday special similar to Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special. There’s no denying that Welling delivered one of the most popular live-action versions of the character, so it could be a great idea for big fans like myself and I’m sure countless others to bring Welling back, dress him up, and film a feature. special.
Tom Welling’s Smallville sequel hopes it can still bring its hero back in a different way, no matter what
There’s still a future for Smallville
However, with the way Gunn has his focus, like Superman’s heat ray vision, focused purely on his connected DCU, it seems unlikely that he’ll be tackling many DC Elseworlds projects in the near future. The reason why Clown and Batman have had expansions is due to their previous success, and both appear to be being developed with almost no involvement from Gunn. If this is the case, it may not be realistic to expect a Smallville reboot, or a special project where Welling wears the cape but there are other alternatives.
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For years, Welling and his close friend, Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in Smallvillewe have been working hard behind the scenes to get a Smallville animated show done. The show is expected to bring back most of the original cast to voice its characters, and the original Smallville creators are also backing the project. However, according to the latest Smallville Update from Rosenbaum in 2024, it could be a while before this show gets made. Whatever comes next, with Tom Welling finally on board to don the cape, it seems like something needs to happen for his Superman to finally debut.
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