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Crisis On Infinite Earths showrunner on why Smallville’s Superman gave up his powers

April 2, 2020 by EJ Moreno

With plenty of fan-favorite moments in the epic CW TV event Crisis On Infinite Earths, there was one thing that left viewers puzzled. While traveling to different Earths to stop the Anti-Monitor, we go to Smallville, where we catch up with Tom Welling’s version of Superman, except this version is missing the iconic powers of the Man of Steel.

Speaking with Fake Nerd Podcast, executive producer Marc Guggenheim broke down the inspiration for that, calling it an homage to 1980’s Superman II:

“We discussed a nod to, believe it or not, Superman II,” Marc Guggenheim tells Fake Nerd Podcast. “It wasn’t relevant to the story that we were telling in terms of getting into the specifics of it, and there are certain things that I believe are best left for the fans to discuss and debate.”

The showrunner adds, “I don’t believe in giving the fans the entire picture all the time. But the idea that Clark would give up his powers in order to have this kind of life, that really resonated with all of us, and I think it really resonated with Tom [Welling]. It just makes sense.”

Guggenheim did want Smallville fans to know that their beloved version of the character still had a heroic time as Superman, though.

“It was one of the reasons why it was so important for us to show you those Daily Planet articles that Lois wrote. We very much wanted to tell the audience that the promise of Smallville was, ‘He’s going to become Superman.’ We wanted to make it very clear that that did happen, that he did become Superman, that he did have all these adventures, but they are left to your imagination,” says Guggenheim of Tom Welling’s Superman adventures.

SEE ALSO: Tom Welling would have turned down Crisis on Infinite Earths if asked to wear the Superman suit

What did you make of Tom Welling’s appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths? Were you disappointed that we didn’t get to see him as Superman? Let us know in the comments or on our social channels @flickeringmyth…

 

Filed Under: News, Television Tagged With: Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC, Smallville, Tom Welling

About EJ Moreno

EJ Moreno is a film and television critic and entertainment writer who joined the pop culture website Flickering Myth in 2018 and now serves as the executive producer of Flickering Myth TV, a YouTube channel with over 27,000 subscribers. With over a decade of experience, he is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic who is also part of the Critics Choice Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

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