Arrow’s Stephen Amell Perfectly Sums Up Why Smallville’s Tom Welling Is in Crisis on Infinite Earths

After weeks of rumors and reports that the Arrowverse would finally crossover with Smallville in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new report confirmed that Clark Kent actor Tom Welling would be reprising his role in the event coming to The CW. This marks the first time Welling has returned to the role that helped launch his career since Smallville ended in 2011, and he’ll likely be meeting two other versions of Superman played by Brandon Routh and Tyler Hoechlin respectively.

Now Arrow star Stephen Amell is speaking out on Welling’s comeback, explaining that everything comes from the foundation Smallville laid with one succinct GIF file.

Welling previously confirmed his involvement in the crossover in a comment on Instagram, but since had to backtrack because it wasn’t publicly announced. He and co-star Michael Rosenbaum both said that no one had contacted them to appear in the Crisis crossover, though now it’s clear that one of them was lying.

All of the major characters from The CW’s shows will make major appearances in Crisis on Infinite Earths, which will be a five-part event with episodes from Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and the new series Batwoman.

The Flash showrunner Erik Wallace explained that the crossover will disrupt the entire multiverse in the The CW’s DC Comics shows, but that The Flash would see a huge disruption when Crisis begins.

“It’s like stepping on a landmine,” said Wallace. “All of a sudden the future is today, and that turns everything upside-down. You’ll see each member of Team Flash react in their own unique, and sometimes tragic, way.”

The Flash star Grant Gustin also teased how the series would affect his character during an interview with ComicBook earlier this summer.

“I can’t spoil too much because I haven’t read it yet,” Gustin explained.. “I’ve been teased a lot from our guys what it’s going to be. The Monitor shows up at the end of our first episode and says the universe is in jeopardy and in order to save the universe, Barry Allen has to die. And Barry Allen doesn’t know about this deal Oliver made with the Monitor, either, so someone’s gonna die.”

Crisis on Infinite Earths will begin on The CW this December.