Smallville Star Still Disappointed Batman Never Showed Up

As a dedicated fan of the DC Universe who grew up watching Smallville, I can’t help but feel a pang of regret that Tom Welling’s dream of Batman gracing our screens never came to fruition. The series, with its intricate storylines and captivating characters, was the perfect platform for the Dark Knight’s introduction. Imagine Clark Kent casually bumping into Bruce Wayne in Lex Luthor’s office – the tension, the suspense!

In about four weeks, The CW’s last DC series, Superman & Lois, will resume for its final season, marking the end of a television era that, in numerous aspects, began with another memorable Superman depiction – specifically, Clark Kent. The show Smallville aired on the network (originally on The WB in 2001) until 2011 and chronicled Clark Kent’s growth into the Man of Steel. Over its 10 seasons, Smallville integrated numerous iconic DC characters, but for lead actor Tom Welling, there was one character he consistently desired to see on the show. That character was Bruce Wayne/Batman, and even over a decade later, Welling still expresses regret that Batman never made an appearance

At Terrificon (as reported by Screen Rant), Welling shared that he regrets Smallville not being allowed to incorporate the Bruce Wayne/Batman character into the show. He discussed the reasons behind this decision, delved into what a dream sequence featuring Batman might have entailed

Welling expressed that it would have been intriguing if Bruce Wayne had somehow made an appearance. He added that it would have been fascinating to imagine a casual encounter between them, like Lex saying something as simple as “Good to meet you, Bruce” or “I’ll talk to you later, Bruce,” allowing Bruce to leave easily. Welling felt this interaction would have added an interesting twist. However, one of the hurdles they faced was that DC movies and TV shows operate independently, making it challenging for a television show to incorporate elements like the Superman soundtrack

In a more recent statement, Welling has once again expressed his wish that Bruce Wayne could have been part of the Smallville series, mentioning this as one of his regrets about the show. As far back as 2019 during Fan Expo Canada, he also shared that it would have been exciting to include Bruce Wayne in the series

Welling stated, “It would have been great if there was a Bruce Wayne character who could blend with our storyline. That would have added an interesting twist.”

Batman Did Eventually Appear on Smallville… Sort Of

Back in 2012, the TV show “Smallville” experienced a new chapter through a comic book series from DC Comics. This continuation, titled effectively as “Season 11”, followed the narrative thread from where the television series ended, focusing on Clark Kent’s journey as Superman. In one of the comic’s story arcs, Bryan Q. Miller, the series writer, introduced Batman into the plotline, along with a female iteration of Nightwing, portrayed by Barbara Gordon in her costume

A Smallville Animated Series Could Be in the Works

Since Smallville concluded, discussions about an animated adaptation have persisted, although it hasn’t been realized as of now. However, at this year’s Nashville Comicon, Smallville actor Michael Rosenbaum revealed that he and Welling are still actively working on the project, but it may take some time to materialize

Rosenbaum stated, “Tom and I are developing an animated version of ‘Smallville’. We’re putting effort into making it a reality, but it may take some time. The original creators of ‘Smallville’ are involved and eager to contribute. When the timing is right, we’ll present our idea. We’ve already produced some initial animation with a talented artist, and it looks fantastic. If we can bring this project to life, that would be amazing!”

2024-09-06 01:03

Batman Did Eventually Appear on Smallville… Sort Of

A Smallville Animated Series Could Be in the Works

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