Tom Welling: ‘Smallville’ Superman Should Join ‘Supergirl’ Season 2 Cast In 2016? [Spoilers]
Even before 2016, Tom Welling as the Smallville Superman has become as iconic as Henry Cavill in the recent Superman movies, or Dean Cain from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman. So, when it was announced that a Superman appearance in Supergirl Season 2 was in the works, many fans jumped straight to the conclusion that Welling would be the best option. But, while it does make sense to feature Welling in a sort of cameo role, should the CW really even consider the idea of having the Smallville actor join the Supergirl Season 2 cast?
In the past, Tom Welling’s Smallville success has led to news reporters asking about Supergirl. If anything, Welling seemed to think Smallville was more similar to other DC Comics properties like Supernatural, The Flash, and Arrow.
“[Supergirl has] got a different angle, a more comedic angle, of course,” Welling explained back in February 2016. “It’s telling the story in a different way, and I don’t think it’s a world that I ever existed in with Clark because they’re two different shows. There’s really nothing in common, there are no parallels at all. I say that being a fan of what they’re doing. I think they’re doing a great job.”
#Superman will appear in #Supergirl Season 2! I hope that they picked Tom Welling pic.twitter.com/1hu5JWdcha
— Melissa Benoist News (@NewsBenoistM) June 6, 2016
In April 2015 the rumor started that Tom could join the Supergirl Season 2 cast as Superman based upon discussions on Reddit.
“Now, from what I gather, this Superman is going to be played by Tom Welling and his Superman may or may not be tied to Smallville but I think that the end [S]eason 1 would introduce an alternate timeline where Superman exists and Caitlin and Cisco are metahumans.”
The rumor persisted, and by 2016 Tom Welling felt he needed to respond to the idea. Welling spoke to BuzzFeed, via Bustle, and gave his thoughts on the subject.
“There’s people who would like it… there’s people who don’t like it, but I will tell you that no one has actually asked me to do it. So, I don’t know. It would be kind of odd. I don’t know who he is at that point. He would obviously be Superman.”
And that’s the main point. Does it even make sense to make Tom Welling Superman, again, for Supergirl Season 2? Smallville fans may remember Welling fondly as a young man, but he has changed his appearance dramatically over the years. While the Superman of the comics ages very slowly, time has caught up with Welling and his hair is speckled with grey. In addition, even his facial structure is noticeably older looking, which does not fit in at all with the Supergirl TV show’s need for a younger man.
“Yes, that’s a better way to put it. I don’t think the character I played and the character that is being playing on “Supergirl” are in the same universe. I think it’s a great show. I think it’s very funny and very light. It looks like they have a great time but I don’t think the character we had in ‘Smallville’ lives in that world.”
On the other side of the discussion, it could be argued that an older-looking Superman does, in fact, live in the Supergirl world. It is possible that Supergirl‘s Clark Kent is in his mid-thirties, and it just so happens that Tom Welling’s age is 39.
Regardless, there is precedence for having older Supermen taking on a cameo role within the CW’s Supergirl TV show. Dean Cain pulled it off, and perhaps they should find a fitting role for Welling within Supergirl Season 2.
Do you think Tom Welling should be cast as Superman in Supergirl?
#Supergirl @TheCW Yeah… I want Tom Welling back for Supes???? pic.twitter.com/t3HpLKdWgv
— Ryan Danny Smith (@RyanSmith616) June 6, 2016
[Image via The CW]
