Tom Welling has forged a firm place for himself within superhero media through his role as Clark Kent on the WB/CW series Smallville. For ten seasons, Welling played out Kent’s extensive journey to becoming the Man of Steel and became quite synonymous with the character. With that, Welling eventually became “protective” of the character, though he did opt to reprise it in Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the Arrowverse’s crossovers. Now, the actor is discussing why he returned, and he revealed a keen suggestion he made on the set.
Smallville’s 10-season run ended in 2011, seemingly ending the journey for Tom Welling’s Clark Kent and those in his orbit. So it was a pleasant surprise when it was revealed that Welling would return for 2020’s Crisis event alongside Lois Lane actress Erica Durance. While attending Fan Expo New Orleans alongside Durance and fellow co-stars Kristin Kreuk and Laura Vandvoort, the Draft Day alum was asked about his decision to reprise the role. Welling (as seen in a YouTube video) then proceeded to share a very thoughtful answer:
There had been some calls about me visiting some — when Smallville ended, there were some other shows that obviously started, like Superman-ish. And I’d gotten some calls, but they were all sort of like — they weren’t me acting on these shows, it was me playing Clark on these shows. And I really felt protective of the fact that Clark wouldn’t exist on those shows. And then, finally, someone who’s connected to [Crisis] said, ‘Listen, please just read it. It’s one scene, just please read it.’ And I read it, and I was like, ‘Fuck, that’s good.’ … It was just the one scene, and I was like, ‘Man, this is actually a good idea. This is the way to do it.’
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As for what that one scene (from “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two”) entailed, it saw Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor visit the Kents’ farm on Earth-167. Luthor – who’d been killing Clarks across the multiverse – sought to do the same to Tom Welling’s Kent. However, the villain opted not to do so – due to his ego – after Clark revealed that he’d since given up his powers and settled down with Lois. And, after Luthor’s departure, Lane approached her partner to explain that their daughters were waiting for him. It was a brief scene but also a sweet one that serves as a solid bookend for Kent’s story.
I can still understand why the Cheaper by the Dozen alum would be hesitant just to take any opportunity to reprise his character, though. There’s a lot of love and affection for his iteration of Mr. Kent. And, as has been said by Smallville’s EPs, the Fog actor made for the “perfect” Clark Kent, so why mess with that legacy if it’s not worth it? At the expo, the veteran actor went on to reference Clark’s big superhuman abilities twist and more, but I really love the thoughtful way he approached playing this version of Clark, which led to a subtle suggestion:
Clark didn’t have his powers, and my way into that scene was I wanted to play Clark as if he grew into Jonathan Kent. Like, when I showed up, they didn’t have gloves for Clark, and I was like, ‘Can we get some gloves?’ And I ended up borrowing some gloves from one of the grips. Because I was like, ‘I don’t have superpowers.’ And it’s just like weird things that get you attached to characters, and I tried to walk a little more like John Schneider in a way.
As a fan, I greatly appreciate just how thoughtful the Winchesters alum was when approaching his return as Clark. I also love the fact that he went on to give Erica Durance kudos for her brief appearance and for managing to quickly respark the playful relationship that Clark and Lois possessed for some many years. Fans are still pining to see more of their dynamics and those of the other characters and, if some of the cast get their way, it could happen.
Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum (who played Lex Luthor) have reportedly been attempting to produce an animated continuation series, with the OG creators attached as well. Previously, Welling said that for a spinoff to happen, they’d need a firm answer from Warner Bros. So it’s hard to say whether that project will come to fruition but, at the very least, I’m glad Welling and Erica Durance decided to return for Crisis and managed to give some further sense of closure to their characters.
All ten seasons of Smallville are now available to stream with a Hulu subscription. You can also head over to Tubi to watch Tom Welling’s return as Clark Kent on Batwoman’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two.”
