Smallville Star Tom Welling Defends Decision To Not Appear As Clark Kent In The Arrowverse Before Crisis On Infinite Earths Crossover

After appearing in the Arrowverse as Clark Kent from Smallville, Tom Welling addresses what prevented him from showing up on the other DC TV shows before his actual appearance. While most fans thought they had seen the last of Welling as the Man of Steel after the Smallville ending in 2011, the Arrowverse gave the world a treat when he and Erica Durance reprised their roles for Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, that wasn't the first time the Arrowverse producers had tried to get Welling back as his Smallville character.

At this year's Fan Expo New Orleans (via Kelsey Krogman,) the Smallville cast was present, including Welling, where he brought up his visit to the Arrowverse. However, the Smallville lead also explained why he didn't do any guest spots as his character in the Arrowverse before 2019, as he gave the following response:

I [had] gotten some calls but they weren't [about] me acting on these shows, it was me playing Clark on those shows, and I really felt protective of the fact that Clark wouldn't exist on those shows.

What Tom Welling's Smallville Comments Meant For The Arrowverse

Even though Smallville's success is a major reason why the Arrowverse even became a possibility on The CW, it makes sense for a number of reasons why Welling would pass on appearances prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Smallville had already established a universe where many of the Justice League characters existed, and many of them would go on to get re-imagined in the Arrowverse, with other actors playing them. While retroactively fitting Smallville into the Arrowverse timeline would, in theory, have been possible, it would have led to many creative complications.

Had Welling been used as Superman for the Arrowverse when Clark was introduced in Supergirl season 2, it would have likely meant a limited run with his version of the DC icon. Not only would it have prevented Tyler Hoechlin's Arrowverse casting, but Superman & Lois would have likely never happened in the first place. It is also clear that Welling was very observant of how bringing his Superman into the Arrowverse would take away so much of what Smallville accomplished, which is why the Crisis on Infinite Earths cameo was a far better decision for him as an actor.

Our Take On Tom Welling's Smallville Arrowverse Comments

Clark Kent reveals the Superman costume at the end of the Smallville finale

Welling being protective of his Smallville character arguably benefited his version of Clark in the long run, especially as it avoided a big headache for the Arrowverse in terms of revising the franchise. It's also worth taking into account that by declining appearances on the other Arrowverse shows, there is more creative freedom left for Welling's Superman to be used in the future, especially if the Smallville animated sequel TV show goes forward. While Smallville and the Arrowverse may be over, fans can always relive all of the shows through streaming and home media releases.