Fans of the hit new series Supergirl have likely been delighted that veterans of past Superman movies and TV series have appeared or will appear at some point during the first season. Dean Cain, Helen Slater, and Laura Vandervoort are among the most recognizable, but many a fan have wondered if Tom Welling could ever appear on the show. After all, many of us spent ten years with him when he inhabited the role of Clark Kent on Smallville, which chronicled the character’s journey from teenage farmboy to Superman.
Welling recently sat down for an interview with Buzzfeed to reflect on his Smallville days, among other things, but what was perhaps the most interesting thing he had to say was left out of the interview. Here’s what he said when asked if he would reprise his role of Superman/Clark Kent on Smallville, which was later tweeted by journalist Jarret Wieselman:
“There’s people who would like it… there’s people who don’t like it, but I will tell you that no one has ever 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…”
Although that incarnation of the character’s adventures continued in the comic book series Smallville Season 11, it would be rather enticing to see Welling reprise his role, albeit in an entirely separate continuity. Superman has appeared a few times on Supergirl, but has been draped in shadow and portrayed by an unknown actor. The reasoning has been twofold: it avoids stepping on the toes of WB’s film division and it maintains the series’ focus on Supergirl herself.
While we cannot rule out a guest appearance by Tom Welling in the future, it seems far more likely that he will end up playing another character, much like the aforementioned Cain, Slater, and Vandervoort.
Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST on CBS.