Smallville actor Tom Welling to return as Clark Kent in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths mega-crossover

Smallville
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Smallville actor Tom Welling is returning as Clark Kent – a role he hasn’t played in eight years – for the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.

As revealed by EW, Welling will guest star in the major event encapsulating all of the CW network’s current live-action comic book shows. We will even reportedly find out what Clark Kent has been up to in the years preceding the events of Smallville. Famously, the Smallville series finale ended with only a glimpse of the iconic Superman ‘S’ before he flew off to battle Darkseid.

“When we first started talking about Crisis on Infinite Earths,” producer Marc Guggenheim recalled, “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.”

He's not the only Supes in town. Brandon Routh is also back, reprising his role from 2006’s Superman Returns. Arrowverse’s own version of Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, will also be present.

That, when coupled with the likes of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Kevin Conroy as an older Bruce Wayne, and even ’66 Batman actor Burt Ward (who starred as Robin) playing a part, makes this a television event for the ages.

Crisis on Infinite Earths will begin in December with three shows (Supergirl, Batwoman, and The Flash) on consecutive nights from December 8-10. It will then return on January 14 for its two-part conclusion: an episode of Arrow, immediately followed by Legends of Tomorrow.

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Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.