Smallvillestars Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum have long teased a return of their hit series, and I am ready for DC to make that a reality. The Superman show ended its run almost 15 years ago, leaving fans like myself wanting more. While there hasn’t been a shortage of Superman content since then,Smallville’scharacter-centric approach is unique and sorely missed.Because the series followed Clark before he was a hero, we spent a lot of time getting to know him on an emotional level. Likewise, characters such as Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen, and Lois Lane received similar treatment.
Smallvilleended as soon as Clark became Superman, meaning that we never got to see Welling fully suit up and take on the mantle. Though the story did continue with theSmallville Season 11comics, I feel likea television sequel would fulfill the promise thatSmallvillemade audiences: that we would see Welling’s Clark as Superman. Now, with Rosenbaum and Welling publicly discussing an animated sequel, my hopes are up. More formerSmallvillestars have mentioned returning for a sequel, and it’s looking like fans could get the continuation that we have always wanted.
Erica Durance’s Smallville Comments Give Me Hope For Lois Lane’s Future
The Actress Understands Lois Lane On A Fundamental Level
Though she didn’t joinSmallvilleuntil season 4, Erica Durance’s Lois Lane is an essential strand in the series' DNA. Her sassy, energetic presence captures Lois perfectly and makes her a wonderful scene partner for Welling’s straight-laced Clark.ASmallvillecontinuation without Durance wouldn’t hit the same, but thankfully, the actress is game to return. In a recentinterview with Screen Rant, Durance expressed interest in returning, while also discussing what she would want for Lois' story. She further explained:
“I’d love to have explored where she would have gone further in her career. Whether it was for her to be a mother, how she balanced all of that. I’d like to delve a little more into her past, her experiences with her dad, and how her upbringing shaped her a little bit more and just seeing her grow into another person, a grown up version of herself. But I’d love to keep her complicated and full of conflict and not always doing the right thing and not always saying the right thing, because there’s more people like that out there, I think, in the world, than the ones that seem to be super slick.”
Durance’s comments demonstrate a solid understanding of Lois; she’s by no means a bad person but a flawed one. She cares about the truth, she cares about getting the story, and she often lands herself in trouble as a result. Those central tenets of her characterization exist throughout DC media, butSmallvilleput them on full display. Durance’s interest in exploring Lois' history is also intriguing.Smallvilleintroduced her father and sister, and her late mother appeared in a flashback, but we didn’t get a lot of development on how her military upbringing affected her.
Smallville’s Erica Durance Looks Back On The Legacy Of Lois Lane
Smallville actress Erica Durance looks back on her legacy as Lois Lane in the Superman TV show and celebrating the show with Salute To Smallville.
A sequel could rectify that and perhaps show how her childhood affects her as a parent, if the writers choose to introduceher and Clark’s children. Moreover, Durance’s performance portrayed Lois with nuance.Her casting is irreplaceable for the series, no matter what direction they take her character in.If Durance is in theSmallvillesequel, my excitement level will triple.
I’d Love To See More Of Smallville’s Brainiac After James Marsters' Comments
James Marsters Reveals Why Smallville Succeeded
Another key element of Smallville is its villains. Though Rosenbaum’s Lex gets the most screentime by a mile, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other memorable antagonists.One of the best examples is James Marsters as the Brain InterActive Construct, or Brainiac.He first appeared in season 5 under the alias Milton Fine and gained Clark’s trust to manipulate him. Marsters then recurred for the remainder of the series as Brainiac and later as Brainiac 5. Marstersrecently told Screen Rantabout his experience withSmallvilleand why he felt the series stood out among other Superman media:
“I think that Smallville was the most intelligent character version of Superman that I’ve ever seen. Superman is a very difficult character to write because he’s invulnerable. Heroism is when I help somebody, even when I have to sacrifice something to help them. That’s the definition, and when you have a hero movie, you have the very most exciting part [which] is when the hero has to risk his life to save someone or help someone. And that’s just impossible with Superman. He’s invulnerable. He’s going to be fine unless you pull out Kryptonite. Every Superman movie does that.
“With the television series, you can’t pull out Kryptonite every week. It gets redundant so fast. It gets cheesy. They sidestepped all that by not focusing on Clark’s physical vulnerability, which there is almost none of. It was all about the fact that he was a teenager, and he was vulnerable to everything, and they could explore [the] emotional vulnerability for Superman. I just thought, ‘Okay, you’ve solved it. That’s what to do.’ And they were able to go ten years on that show and not be redundant, not be repetitive.”
Marsters then added: “I would love to do more of that.“Given Brainiac’s status as one of Superman’s biggest bads, there’s a lot aSmallvillesequel could do with him.Marsters plays Brainiac with a menacing confidence that properly conveys the character’s immense intellect, and he would be an asset to a continuation. Moreover, casting Marsters could also lead to the return of the benevolent Brainiac 5, who only appeared in one episode ofSmallville.
Brainiac 5 did return for theSmallville Season 11comics.
Using Brainiac 5 could open the door for time travel shenanigans, more Legion of Superheroes stories, and perhaps most intriguingly, the return of Supergirl. Marsters played Brainiac 5 with the same hint of arrogance as Brainiac but with a touch more conviction and a genuine willingness to help Clark.Bringing Marsters back toSmallvillemakes me all the more giddy about the story potential of Brainiac and Brainiac 5.
Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum’s Smallville Sequel Has The Potential To Be Great
Series Creators Alfred Gough And Miles Millar Want To Write More Smallville
Since 2021, Rosenbaum has openly discussed bringingSmallvilleback to the small screen, with friend and costar Welling also on board. The continuation would be an animated television series, which would be a good choice of format given the real-life passing of time sinceSmallvilleended. Moreover,Rosenbaum has kept the details close to his chest, but he stated “that it’s a great idea” and thatSmallvillecreators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are involvedas well. He then continued:
When it’s the right time, we’d like to go and do this; pitch to Warner Bros. It has to be the right time, and right now is not the right time. We had the strike, we had a change of executives at DC — one being one of my best friends in the world, James Gunn. When the time’s right, I think it’s something that’s a no-brainer, unless they have other ideas. We’d like to do it — the whole cast would like to do it. They would voice their own character from the show, and we have a concept of what the show is.
Welling alsomentioned that the stars have made progress in developing the series, but DC has yet to green-light it. The actor explained: “We’ve already got an artist and we have a poster and we haven’t been able to share it yet, but [it is] like Lionel Luthor looming over everybody.“Though the cast and creators want to continueSmallville, Welling stressed that “it’s not [their] property until [DC says they] can do it.“Regardless,the mere possibility of aSmallvillerevival has me excited, especially with Gough and Millar in the writer’s room.
I Really Hope DC Greenlights The Smallville Sequel Show
Smallville Needs To Come Back
After the former stars' comments, one thing is abundantly clear:DC needs to invest in aSmallvillecontinuation.As a lifelong fan of the series, I can’t help but see all of the possibilities of a sequel show, especially with so many talented cast members willing to return.Smallvillespent 10 years setting up its own version of the DC universe and preparing Clark to become Superman. With the wealth of characters and lore to draw on, the setup of a sequel writes itself. Selfishly, I need to know what a Superman series from Gough and Millar would look like.
10 Ways The Smallville Sequel Show Could Perfectly Continue The Original DC Series
A Smallville animated sequel is in the works, and it could easily build on the perfect foundation the original DC Comics series created.
Aside from my personal interest in seeing my favorite characters onscreen once again, I do think aSmallvilleanimated series makes sense. The original show is the longest-running live-action superhero series, and it still has a huge fanbase. ASmallvillesequel with the same cast would likely be a hit based on nostalgia alone. With Welling and Rosenbaum at the helm, I think that green-lighting aSmallvillecontinuation is a no-brainer for DC.
Smallville
Cast
Smallville chronicles the journey of Clark Kent, portraying his origins from Krypton to his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as the iconic hero, Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.
