Smallville deserves to become an official part of the Arrowverse's canon. The CW's longest-running superhero series (to date) about a teenage Clark Kent (Tom Welling) premiered in a totally different cultural landscape in the fall of 2001. It predated the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, and even The CW itself (it premiered on the WB Network before it rebranded as The CW). After 10 seasons and 218 episodes, Smallville concluded in May 2011 with Clark finally donning his iconic costume and becoming Superman, and, despite its flaws, the series remains beloved by a generation of fans.
This year's Arrowverse crossover, Elseworlds, is poised to shake up the Multiverse in new and exciting ways. Not only will Elseworlds introduce Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Gotham City into The CW's shared universe, but leaked photos from the set reveal John Wesley Shipp is suiting up as the Flash once again. Shipp starred in the fondly remembered The Flash TV series on CBS in 1990, and his role as TV's original Barry Allen is one of the reasons why he was cast as Henry Allen, the father of Grant Gustin's version of Barry, in The Flash (and as Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-3 as well). Originally, the Arrowverse's 53 Earths were alternate versions of Earth-1, but by including The Flash 1990, Elseworlds is opening the door to something grander: other DC superhero shows can now become part of The CW's Multiverse - and even appear within the Arrowverse!
Related: What Elseworlds Means For The Arrowverse And Batwoman
For fans, one of the best things about the Arrowverse is how each series respectfully pays homage to its predecessors and makes sure to cast former actors in key supporting roles. For example, Supergirl has honored its past by casting Helen Slater, who played Kara Zor-El in the 1984 Supergirl movie, as Melissa Benoist's Kara's adoptive mother Eliza Danvers. Supergirl has also created major roles for Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, the stars of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Erica Durance, who played Smallville's popular Lois Lane. But Elseworlds is now going beyond recasting former DC actors in new roles. If The Flash 1990 is joining the Arrowverse then Smallville deserves no less of an honor, and it can happen the exact same way:
- This Page: Smallville Should Have Its Own Earth In The Multiverse
- Page 2: How Smallville Could Join The Arrowverse
Smallville Should Have Its Own Earth In The Multiverse
The easiest and best way to make Smallville a part of the Arrowverse is to acknowledge that it exists as one of the 53 Earths in the Multiverse. It would be that simple: the Arrowverse can establish that Smallville's Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), and all of the other characters exist in their own Earth with its own self-contained continuity. This would also guarantee that Smallville's canonical future (which has now become our present) is uninterrupted: DC's official Smallville Season 11 comics introduced Batman and Wonder Woman into their universe, and in Smallville's series finale, fans learned that Clark had been saving the world as Superman for 7 years and finally married Lois in 2018.
The added benefit to giving Smallville its own Earth is that it creates the possibility for a monumental crossover that would be sure to boost ratings. In fact, before Tyler Hoechlin was cast as Supergirl's Man of Steel in season 2, fans clamored for Tom Welling to be cast in the role so that his Superman could become a part of the Arrowverse. However, Welling joining Supergirl was never more than mere fan-casting, and the actor felt his version of Superman wasn't a good fit to be retconned into the Arrowverse (also, a few of his fellow Smallville actors have been recast on Supergirl, and Welling coming aboard as Clark Kent might create unnecessary confusion). But the tantalizing idea of Welling's fully-formed Clark from Smallville possibly meeting Kara Danvers in National City could be a different story altogether - or if not Clark himself, then other major Smallville characters like Lana Lang or Lex Luthor.
Speaking of Superman's bald-headed arch-foe, when Supergirl announced Lex Luthor is finally being introduced in the series, fans urged producers to cast Michael Rosenbaum as Lex to honor his status as arguably the best live-action Alexander Luthor ever. Indeed, some fans even suggested Tom Welling to be cast as Lex so he can be the only actor to play both the Man of Steel and Superman's greatest enemy. Overall, the passion for Smallville to join the Arrowverse has not abated and a groundswell of support certainly exists for Tom Welling's Superman series to be officially acknowledged by the Arrowverse.
Page 2: How Smallville Could Join The Arrowverse
Can Smallville Be Retconned As Supergirl's Past?
Another possibility for Smallville's Arrowverse prospects is to retcon the series as Tyler Hoechlin's Superman's canonical past on Supergirl... but this scenario is vastly more complicated and ultimately wouldn't work with Supergirl's continuity. There is just far too much conflict between Supergirl's canon and Smallville, not the least of which are all of the Smallville actors who have appeared on Supergirl. Along with Erica Durance, who recurs as Kara's Kryptonian mother Alura, Laura Vandervoort, who played Smallville's Supergirl, appeared as the villainous Indigo in season 1. Also, Sam Witwer, who played Doomsday in Smallville season 8, is now National City's newest villain, Agent Liberty.
Meanwhile, the sheer amount of Supergirl canon at odds with Smallville is staggering, and that starts with James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), who is African-American (as opposed to Smallville's Jimmy Olsen played by Aaron Ashmore). Supergirl's Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) is more influential and powerful than Smallville's gossip columnist (Keri Lynn Pratt) ever was, and Supergirl's Legion of Superheroes is very different from Smallville's, with Alexz Johnson's Imra on Smallville totally conflicting with Amy Jackson's Saturn Girl on Supergirl. Also, General Zod (Callum Blue) was Smallville season 9's Big Bad, and he's totally different from Supergirl's Zod (Mark Gibbon). Then there's the entire Luthor family, who have all appeared on Supergirl (with Lex on the way) and are established to be different from Smallville's nefarious clan. In fact, Lena Luthor's (Katie McGrath) life story diverges quite a bit from Cassidy Freeman's Tess Mercer, whose real name was revealed as Lutessa Lena Luthor.
Related: Supergirl Theory: Lex Luthor Has Been The Villain Since Season 1
Supergirl has definitely given shout-outs to Smallville, however, and has woven aspects of that show into their Superman's past. The most notable mention was "Clark's friend Chloe" in season 3 - a sly reference to Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and her Wall of Weird. Perhaps the biggest reference is still to come in Elseworlds, since set photos reveal Kara visits Clark and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tullock) at the Kent Farm in Smallville, Kansas. And while the possibility exists for other major aspects of Smallville to become part of Supergirl's lore - it could be fun, for instance, for Justin Hartley's Green Arrow to be Earth-38's Emerald Archer as opposed to Stephen Amell - a straight-up retcon that merges the two canons together just wouldn't fly.
Why Smallville Deserves To Be Part of the Arrowverse
Smallville is one of the most groundbreaking and influential live-action superhero shows ever, especially to the Arrowverse series that followed it. Before Smallville, DC's superhero shows were mostly campy affairs like Adam West's Batman or Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman, while the Tim Burton-inspired The Flash 1990 only lasted one season. By contrast, Smallville endured for a decade as the WB/CW's signature show. By making the characters young, hip, and sexy (a strategy the Arrowverse has echoed), the series redefined Superman for a generation, all without Tom Welling actually donning the Man of Steel's colorful costume.
Also, it's Smallville that pioneered the kind of fan service the Arrowverse regularly exemplifies. In season 2, Tom Welling's series openly acknowledged their predecessors when they cast Christopher Reeve as Dr. Virgil Swann and brought with him the iconic John Williams score from Superman: The Movie. Other actors from film and TV followed and soon, most of the Superman films' iconography became official parts of Smallville canon, including the ice crystal Fortress of Solitude, the Phantom Zone, and even Margot Kidder guest starring as Dr. Swann's assistant Bridget Crosby. When Welling's Clark Kent finally received his Super suit, it was the same uniform worn by Superman Returns' Brandon Routh (who's now the Atom on DC's Legends of Tomorrow).
When it comes to honoring the superheroes that blazed the trail, Smallville did it all first and its success made the Arrowverse possible. Now the Arrowverse has the means to follow suit and make the iconic series a part of their Multiverse. Although there could be legal issues regarding Smallville's rights that may have to be overcome (it's notable that Smallville isn't currently offered on the DC Universe streaming service), the Arrowverse's producers have proven adept at working such miracles - see John Constantine (Matt Ryan) moving beyond his failed NBC series and joining the Arrowverse. Establishing that Smallville is one of the Arrowverse's 53 Earths would only enrich the existing CW series while offering new and exciting creative possibilities. Most importantly, it's something fans definitely want.