Smallville begins by following the life of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in his hometown of Smallville, viewers got a glimpse of the (relatively) normal life of a young superhero.
Although Smallville ended in 2011, its huge impact supported and laid the foundation for the future of other superhero television shows can still be felt today, particularly with The CW’s Gotham and Arrowverse.
However, over time, Smallville’s history has come to light, revealing dark secrets that dedicated fans were unaware of. From behind-the-scenes troubles to the tragic future of some of its stars.
Tom Welling refused to wear the suit
Early in planning the show, the showrunners wanted to focus on his humble beginnings as a young man growing up in a small town. As such, they incorporated a “no socks, no flights” rule for the overall story of the show.
Unfortunately, at Welling’s request, that idea was completely rejected. When approached with the idea of wearing the suit in the Smallville series finale, Tom Welling revealed, “I said, ‘That’s not our show.’ He said, ‘No, it’s going to be great.”
Was he going to look like a Bruce Wayne?
Instead of showing Bruce Wayne on the show, the producers opted to add Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) to Smallville. Played by Justin Hartley, his inclusion in season 6 also led to the formation of the Justice League on Smallville.
The curse of Superman
Popularly known as Superman’s Curse, urban legend says that actors who have taken on the role as in Smallville have not achieved the same success in later roles. The curse even extends to other artists who had major roles.
In the case of Smallville, the curse appeared to have affected the careers of Tom Welling and Allison Mack. Since he played the superhero, his career has been pretty uneventful with some appearances in movies and television. For Mack, his career has been limited to just guest roles.
