Smallville Mystery Solved: Why Tom Welling Refused to Wear the Iconic Suit
The Superman suit is iconic. That giant "S," the colour scheme, and the cape, are all instantly recognizable.
The Man of Steel needs no introduction. Ever since he first appeared on our screens, we have been captivated, knowing exactly what that symbol means. And that Superman stands for truth, justice, and the American way.
He may have needed no introduction, but he was given one with Smallville. First premiering in 2001, it took the audience on a ten-season journey through the formative years of Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling ), who would grow up to become Superman. He struggled with the usual teen problems but also had the added stress of developing strange superpowers. As he navigates his way through his teen years and early adulthood, everyone watching knows exactly where his story is headed, and yet remained glued to his tale.
But the audience was expecting to see Clark finally become Superman at some point. At the very least, they were hoping for one scene with him being the Superman we all know and love in the final episode. But it was not to be. We would never see Tom Welling's Clark Kent wearing his iconic blue tights in Smallville. And now, years later, we finally know why. Turns out, it was Tom's decision.
The idea was for Smallville to focus on Clark before he became Superman, and to keep him in that phase of his life right through the end. Welling saw the series as Clark Kent trying to discover who he was and where he fit within the world.
Once Clark put the suit on, that would make everything too easy. The struggles he endures as a teenager and young man would be over and he would need to commence facing the journey of Superman. Welling felt that this would betray everything Smallville stood for.
Fortunately, he was supported in his decision by the show's creators and producers. They agreed with how Welling saw the show and Clark as a character, and they were immediately on board with his refusal to wear the iconic suit. He talked about this in-depth with EW back in 2017:
"We did things on that show where we didn't call them powers, we called them abilities — you weren't allowed to say powers; you just weren't because Clark didn't know they were powers, he just knew he had those abilities, so little things like kept us grounded and kept us faced onto the story we were telling about this character, not what he could do with these abilities."
Some fans expressed frustration at not seeing Clark finally become Superman. But that was part of the magic of Smallville. It did not just want to give viewers what was expected. It wanted to depict Clark at a certain stage of his life, to paint a fuller picture of the hero, and show us how he came to grow into one of the most beloved superheroes of all time.