If there has been one thing that fans of The CW’s Arrowverse has been asking for since Arrow first debuted on the network in 2012 it’s this: that Smallville star Tom Welling appear on one or more of the Arrowverse’s shows. To that end there have been seemingly endless rumors and conjecture about how it could happen, but to date it simply hasn’t happened. Welling has repeatedly suggested that he isn’t necessarily interested in playing Clark Kent/Superman again, but there may be another character he’d be willing to take on in the Arrowverse if the opportunity presented itself — Batman.
In a recent episode of Welling’s Smallville co-star Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast Inside of You, Rosenbaum asks Welling if there is any character he’d be willing to take on, Batman seemed like one the actor would have interest in.
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“Yeah, I do like Batman and I think there is some room to grow there,” Welling said. “And, yeah, it would be different.”
Different might be a bit of an understatement. Tonally-speaking, Superman and Batman are very different from one another, both on the pages of comics and even within the Arrowverse itself. While we haven’t actually had Batman introduced (more on that in a moment) we have had various mentions of the vigilante that paint him to be darker and rougher than the universe’s Superman. Even the glimpse we’ve gotten of Gotham in the Arrowverse during last fall’s “Elseworlds” crossover is quite different than the lighter, brighter places viewers are more accustomed to seeing Superman in over on Supergirl. Playing Batman after such a long time as Clark Kent on Smallville would certainly be a departure.
That said, it’s not likely it would even happen. With things ramping up on Matt Reeves’ The Batman film it’s unlikely that Arrow would get the green-light to even incorporate Batman on the series even in a limited capacity as it heads into its final season. Beyond that, though, there’s the matter of The CW’s Batwoman show. With that series being set in a post-Batman Gotham with both the vigilante and his public persona Bruce Wayne having been absent for some time, Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) steps up and suits up as Batwoman as the city’s hero. It simply wouldn’t make sense for Batman to appear as Batwoman works to establish herself — both in context of the series’ plot and in context of the series itself more generally.
Still, even if the chances of Welling as Batman are slim, it’s still an interesting concept to ponder and, who knows. With Crisis on Infinite Earths just around the corner maybe viewers will get another nod to Smallville when the multiverse-shattering events debuts this fall.
What do you think? Would you like to see Welling take on the role of Batman in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below.
