Fans of “Smallville” may have been mystified earlier this month, when Clark Kent (Tom Welling) finally accepted the iconic costume of Superman… and then proceeded to never actually appear in the full outfit aside from some CGI shots in the distance.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if Tom Welling had actually worn a Superman costume during the final episode, “Smallville” executive producer Kelly Souders “coyly” replied “That is a great debate that’s going on.”
Souders’ fellow executive producer, Brian Peterson also weighed in on the subject.
“What we wanted to do all along was show hints at where he was going because that is a whole different story that is yet to be told,” related Peterson. “It felt like it gave just enough without starting to tell a whole different story that is left for all the other media.’
“[Showing Tom in the full suit] to me is just not super relevant and not what we were trying to do,” added Peterson. “We were actually thrilled that everybody came together and was on board with the shots that we specifically picked. We all wanted it to be the end of Clark Kent’s journey because it’s a show about Clark Kent. In the days when we saw him in a flannel shirt, the [Superman] suit was the furthest thing from his mind.”
Alright, usually I save the editorial for reviews. But I can’t let this pass without comment.
“Smallville” was unequivocally about Clark Kent’s (incredibly slow) transformation into Superman, one of the greatest superheroes of all time. Somehow, the producers got ten years (TEN YEARS!!!) out of this premise; which is an incredible run for any TV series.
But “Smallville” constantly let us down after building up our expectations. Take Clark’s final confrontation with Doomsday in season 8, which was largely handled off-camera after an entire season of buildup. Or even in the finale, when Clark’s “epic” battle with Darkseid devolves into a clip show before ending with Clark simply flying through Darkseid’s body in an anti-climatic way.
The very least that the producers could have done is thrown the show’s fans a bone and given us one full shot of Tom Welling’s Clark Kent in the Superman costume. Welling has now played Clark Kent longer than any actor before him, but this was his one chance to actually be Superman and it was largely a letdown.
So, I reject Peterson’s notion that this was a creative decision to withhold that moment. He may try to justify it that way, but it’s ultimately one last way for the producers to thumb their noses at the comic book fans and metaphorically say “Ten years, suckers! So long and thanks for all of the meteor rocks.”
Of course, feel free to weigh in with your own opinions in the comment section below.
