Tom Welling shares his dream scene he would have loved to have with Batman ifSmallvillehad been allowed to use the iconicDCsuperhero. Before the Arrowverse was even a thing on The CW,Smallvillewas the big DC property to help carry The CW as one of the network’s biggest flagship series. While the Welling-starring drama introduced a lot of iconic DC superheroes along the way, there were always a handful of players that the show was never given access to by the time the series ended in 2011, including havingBatman onSmallville.
At 2024’s Terrificon,Welling shared about how he wishesSmallvillehad been given permission to use Batman in theSupermanprequel series. While Welling stressed what caused them to not be able to use him, the Superman actor gave his ideal dream scene between Clark and Bruce, sharing the following:
I always thought that we should have had Bruce Wayne pass through somehow. That would have been really cool to see. You know how Clark always got into the Luthor Mansion with no problem? But like, if he had gone into Lex’s office, and it was just as simple as Lex being like ‘Good to meet you, Bruce’ or ‘I’ll talk to you later, Bruce’ and have him just walk out. I think that would have been cool! But one of the challenges we had is DC movies and DC television don’t talk to each other, and it’s very difficult as a television show to attempt to use - it’s a big deal, even using the Superman soundtrack.
How Smallville Eventually Introduced Batman
AfterSmallvilleended its decade-long run in 2011, it didn’t take long until the series came back, but this time as a tie-in comic book event. Between 2012 and 2013, DC Comics was publishingSmallvilleseason 11, written by Bryan Q. Miller, who had worked on the series for several years as a writer and executive story editor, allowing The CW series to expand its larger DC mythology. One of the big “episodes” that they had inSmallvilleseason 11 was “Detective,” which finally brought Batman into theSmallvilleuniverse.
Throughout “Detective,” Clark and Bruce begin their dynamic while also establishing whatSmallville’sversion of Batmanhas been up to throughout the years when the show was still airing. Without having to worry about the constraints of a TV budget,Smallvilleseason 11 was able to give the fans of the beloved DC TV series a proper team-up between Batman and Superman.Smallvilleseason 11 also featured Batman in later stories with Welling’s Justice League.
As frustrating as it was to never be able to see Batman on the show,Smallvilleseason 11 was still a great opportunity to finally see Welling’s Superman cross paths with the Caped Crusader. Ifthe animatedSmallvillesequel TV showever moves forward, perhaps that will be a time when Welling will get to play alongside that continuity’s version of Batman, even if it is in the world of animation. But until then, the audience can relive every season ofSmallvilleon streaming or Blu-ray/DVD.
Smallville
Cast
Smallville chronicles the journey of Clark Kent, portraying his origins from Krypton to his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as the iconic hero, Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.
