At long last, Tom Welling is making his return to the DC universe in exciting fashion. The formerSmallvillestar will reprise his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the upcomingCrisis on Infinite Earthscrossover event in theArrowVerse. Welling joins two other actors who have already been confirmed as various versions of the iconic hero, with Tyler Hoechlin (Supergirl) and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) both set to suit up as Superman for the event.
According to several reports, The CW has closed a deal withTom Wellingfor the multi-part small screen adaption of the beloved DC Comics storyline. It’s not yet clear how many episodes Welling will appear in or how sizable his role will be, but this is undoubtedly going to be music to the ears of fans who have been wanting to see the actor appear in the ArrowVerse.Arrowexecutive producer Marc Guggenheim had this to say about the casting news.
“For eight years, Arrow has stood on the shoulders ofSmallville. Simply put, there would be no Arrow, and no Arrowverse, without it. So when we first started talking about Crisis on Infinite Earths, our first, second and third priorities were getting Tom to reprise his iconic role as Clark Kent. To say that we’re thrilled would be a Superman-sized understatement.”
Indeed, the success ofSmallvilleultimately paved the way forArrowand the shows that followed, which have gone on to become big hits for The CW. The series aired for ten seasons from 2001 to 2011 and traced Clark Kent’s transformation into the Man of Steel. Just two years later,Arrowdebuted and kicked off this interconnected universe that also includesThe Flash,Supergirl,Legends of TomorrowandBlack Lightning, as well as the upcomingBatwomanseries.
For those who may not be familiar,Crisis on Infinite Earthswas initially published in 1985 and has gone on to become one of the publisher’s most well-known and well-liked crossovers. The event was written by the legendary Marv Wolfman and illustrated by the equally legendary George Perez. The event centers on a villain named Anti-Monitor, the reverse of The Monitor, who was introduced in last year’sElseworldson The CW. Anti-Monitor hopes to wipe out all life across the multiverse and on his journey he fights it out with many of DC’s most famous heroes. The event is famous for including the deaths of both Barry Allen and Supergirl.
In addition to the various Supermans, It’s also been confirmed that longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy will finally be playing Bruce Wayne in live-action during the crossover.Crisis on Infinite Earthswill span five shows,Supergirl,Batwoman,The Flash,ArrowandLegends of Tomorrow. The event kicks off withSupergirlon December 8. Unlike previous ArrowVerse crossovers, this one will feature a break before returning for a two-part finale on January 14. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
