Despite playing Clark Kent for ten seasons, Tom Welling never got to wear Superman’s iconic suit in the series, and there is an important reason why.

•  Tom Welling never wore the full Superman suit in Smallville due to the show’s focus on Clark Kent’s journey of self-discovery and becoming the best version of himself.
•  Smallville’s “No Tights, No Flights” rule ensured that Clark Kent never suited up or flew in the series, maintaining the character’s identity drama and distinguishing it from later Arrowverse series.
•  It is unlikely that Tom Welling will ever wear a Superman suit in the future, as the opportunity to do so in Crisis on Infinite Earths has passed and there are no current plans for a live-action Smallville revival.

Despite getting close, Tom Welling never wore the full Superman suit in Smallville. Starting in 2001, Smallville would go on for ten seasons, chronicling the adventures of a young Clark Kent as he discovered his powers while still in high school and then had to grapple with what they meant, discovering his Kryptonian heritage, cementing his role as Earth’s protector, and becoming Superman. Smallville starred Welling as Clark Kent, with the actor managing to perfectly bring to life Superman’s Boy Scout attitude for the comics, with an earnest performance that grounded Clark despite the many changes that were happening around him throughout Smallville.

Smallville saw many characters from Superman’s world be adapted, with some notable cases, such as Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor, Kristin Kreuk’s Lana Lang, and Erica Durance’s Lois Lane. While Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor was one of the series’ main characters, which allowed the show to flesh out Clark and Lex’s friendship before their famous rivalry finally began, he was not the only Superman villain to appear in the series while Clark still hadn’t suited up as the Man of Steel. Among the harsh realities of rewatching Smallville is the fact that the show appeared to be holding back Clark from becoming Superman, and there is a reason behind that decision.

Tom Welling Never Wore The Superman Suit Because Smallville Wasn’t That Kind Of Show

The only moment that Welling was seen with part of the Superman suit was in Smallville‘s very final shot, with Clark running and opening his shirt to reveal the House of El crest on his chest. Why Welling never wore Superman’s costume in Smallville can be explained by the show’s most important rule. The “No Tights, No Flights” rule was created by Smallville showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to ensure that the series always maintained its focus on the journey of a young Clark Kent learning about his special abilities and controlling them in order to discover who he really is, then becoming Superman.

Smallville‘s most important rule made it clear that Clark Kent was to never suit up or fly in the series, or it would undermine the character’s journey, as suiting up as Superman would make things easier for Clark. Welling’s character had a set journey of understanding where he came from, accepting his origins and destiny, and working to actively become the best version of himself. If Clark had become Superman before the series ended, that journey of self-discovery would have been tampered with, as there would be little identity drama to be had. Plus, Smallville was never about the big CGI fights that Welling as Superman would have needed.

How Smallville Would’ve Been Different With A Proper Superman Suit

Smallville was the precursor for the expanded DC TV universe that followed it: the Arrowverse. Welling’s final season as Clark Kent, Smallville season 10, concluded in 2011, just one year before the first show of the Arrowverse began airing, with Stephen Amell suiting up as Green Arrow — the hero that had been played by Justin Hartley in Smallville — in 2012’s Arrow. Smallville was very much a show about Clark coming to terms with who he is as both a person and a hero and had he become Superman earlier than Smallville‘s final episode, then the show might have become too similar to the Arrowverse series that followed it.

After Clark moved to Metropolis and started working at the Daily Planet, Smallville was telling a Superman story without Clark putting on the suit. If Welling had donned the suit, then the last three seasons of the show might have delved deep into comic book territory, with a nice balance of drama and cinematic fights between Superman and the iconic villains that appeared in the later seasons of Smallville, similarly to Superman & Lois. Clark’s progress in Smallville was actively hindered by the lack of a Superman suit, with him operating as the Blur, and the show’s final few seasons could have thrived as a full-on Superman series.

Why Tom Welling Didn’t Wear A Superman Suit In Crisis on Infinite Earths

The Arrowverse became famous for its crossover events, with multiple shows coming together so that heroes like Amell’s Green Arrow, Grant Gustin’s The Flash, and Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl could save the DC TV universe. In the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, the most ambitious one possibly in television history, several actors came back to reprise their roles from past DC movies and TV shows. Eight years after Smallville ended, Welling returned as an older version of his Clark Kent alongside Durance’s Lois Lane in 2019’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two.” Even though the Arrowverse fully embraced superhero costumes, unlike Smallville, Welling did not suit up as Superman.

There is a big explanation behind Welling not suiting up as Superman in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In Smallville, Clark’s arc was all about him going on the journey of self-discovery that would lead to him becoming Superman; however, when the Arrowverse catches up with Welling’s Clark Kent years later, it is revealed that he gave up his powers. With Welling’s Clark not having powers, there was no reason for the actor to finally don a full Superman costume. While the Crisis on Infinite Earths reveal might have felt anticlimactic, it at least kept up with how Smallville operated and revealed that Clark and Lois are living happily with their daughters.

Will Tom Welling Ever Return As Clark Kent And Wear The Superman Suit?

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths’ reveal, it is unlikely that Welling will ever wear a Superman suit. Given the scope of the Arrowverse crossover, with Brandon Routh even returning to play an older version of his Man of Steel from Superman Returns, if there ever was a project for Welling to come back as Smallville‘s Clark Kent and finally appear as Superman onscreen it was Crisis on Infinite Earths. With Superman & Lois running up for possibly a couple more seasons before David Corenswet’s Superman from James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy becomes the sole ongoing live-action Superman, the window seems to have closed for Welling to wear the Superman suit.

Gunn’s new DC Universe could end up doing its own version of Crisis on Infinite Earths in the future, and Welling could get to suit up as Superman there, which is a long shot. A Smallville revival could have been another possible road, but with there being plans for a Smallville animated series with Welling, Rosenbaum, Durance, and others returning to continue the story of the show, a live-action Smallville revival does not seem to be in the cards. If he never suits up as Superman in live-action, DC fans might at least get to hear Welling’s voice as Superman if the Smallville animated series moves forward.