Tom Welling recently spoke out about his least favorite storyline in Smallville
, and honestly, he makes a great point. For the generation that grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, Tom Welling became the face of Superman years before the DCU
began. After Christopher Reeves’ remarkable performance in the early film series, there was a long period where he remained the most recognizable version of the hero. However, Smallville tackled a different side to Superman, with a greater focus on his life before the very public Superman debut.
Smallville saw Clark Kent grow up and become a man, as he endured the challenges of growing up, finding love, having his heart broken, and losing loved ones. However, on top of the regular teenage drama, Clark also had to deal with blossoming powers. And while the show occasionally featured some less than stellar storylines, the star, Tom Welling, has pointed out that his least favorite Smallville story actually came once Clark left high school and moved to Metropolis. And having taken a closer look at that arc, the criticism makes perfect sense, despite the arc being vital to the larger narrative of the show.
Tom Welling Revealed His Least Favorite Storyline From Smallville
Tom Welling Has A Sour Memory Of This Smallville Arc
Welling spent roughly a decade playing the part of Superman, but in all of that time, the character only embraced the alter ego identity of the Man of Steel in the series finale. And even then, the image of Clark as Superman is extremely brief with Clark unbuttoning a shirt to reveal the suit underneath. In the run-up to this transformation, Clark initially finds himself the subject of headlines for the Daily Planet when he begins moonlighting as the Red-Blue Blur, a mysterious, faster-than-lightning superhero who is cleaning up the streets of Metropolis. But Welling was no big fan of the Red-Blue Blur storyline.
It was this stupid thing where Clark had this Alter Ego where he dressed in black, and he was like Batman. And then, as much as I hated it, and Clark really didn’t like it – I had to do scenes with Lois who keeps saying how great the Red Blue Blur is. It was just like, “What are we doing?” It was just Clark being a vigilante at night.
In a panel at Fan Expo New Orleans, Welling stated: “I’ll tell you my least favorite was the Red-Blue Blur stuff.” He then went on to make the above quote, further expanding on his disdain for the storyline that took Clark Kent from his boyhood heroics to the point of becoming a superhero. Evidently, the silly nature of the story was a boon to the actor, but it also makes sense that after dedicating so much time to playing this part, having his superhero debut be as this moronically named figure who amounted to essentially some colorful camera flare, Welling was right to be upset.
Smallville’s Red-Blue Blur Storyline Had Some Key Flaws
The Red-Blue Blur Is A Far Cry From Superman
The thing is, the storyline doesn’t even organically fit into the world of Superman. The Daily Planet is a huge, iconic newspaper that features top talent and reports on all the biggest events. Those reporters and editors like Perry White do all they can to ensure their papers deliver top tier journalism with snappy headlines, catchy nicknames for heroes, and the best pictures possible. However, plastering a blurry photo on the front page and officially calling the newly dubbed superhero, Red-Blue Blur feels like the least creative or interesting title possible.
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In addition, it degrades the character of Superman to have their story start out as this nameless, faceless, superhero. In every other iteration, Clark Kent wears glasses, and he removes them as part of the disguise to be a hero. In Smallville, Clark was not typically seen sporting glasses, so they had to get creative about kicking off the superhero arc, but Red-Blue Blur was a weak introduction. And beyond that, the show made a huge effort to avoid Clark becoming Superman until the end, but just using a stupid nickname for the character that everyone understood would soon be Superman was pointless and weird.
Tom Welling Is Totally Right About A Key Issue With Smallville’s Season 9 Story
Superman Should Have His Own Unique Style
But by far, the most egregious issue with the whole plot is another excellent point raised by Welling, it made the character too like Batman. Superman has always been a hero that operates in the light. Where crime strikes, or people are in danger, Superman is there. Batman, on the other hand, is a masked vigilante who needs to keep his identity under wraps. Superman boldly stands without a mask, and continues to lead a double life thanks to the absurdity of the idea that plain old Clark Kent from Smallville could be the incredible Superman.
However, when it comes to the Blur, a figure who comes out at night, fighting crime, and concealing their identity with other tricks, it feels like Clark stopped being who he is in order to pursue a path that echoes a different member of the Justice League. Batman and Superman are two completely different heroes, who operate in different ways, and represent different things. Superman being a hero who works in the shadows and essentially becomes a vigilante felt wrong and absurd, and it led to a less favorable story arc because of it.
Why Smallville’s Red-Blue Blur Storyline Was Important To The Series
It Did Clear The Way For Clark Kent To Grow In Smallville
But despite the lack of imagination in this bizarre nickname, and the corny way the Red-Blue Blur arc is presented, it was a vital step in Smallville’s progression. As mentioned above, the show put the focus on Clark before Superman. It marks his growth and choices, as he slowly embraces the idea of being a hero, and the responsibilities that come with his powers. And it couldn’t simply happen with Clark being Clark one day, and Superman the next. Instead, the show tried to lean into his first years in Metropolis, and the way that he begins using his powers to help others on a regular basis.
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In the big city, there appear to be even more problems than the Kryptonite infested Smallville, but Clark still didn’t have a full handle on his powers. He needed more time to develop his hero persona, and become the kind of Superman that fans were already familiar with from the moment the show began airing. And providing a lead into the story, where Clark becomes this vigilante, and it inspires evil rivals like Doomsday to appear, it helped shape Clark Kent into the man that would be Superman. But surely Smallville could have tried to find a better nickname for the hero than the Red-Blue Blur.
Smallville is a Superhero television series based on the Superman Comic Book series created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This television release was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The premise revolves around a young Clark Kent as he arrives on Earth and attempts to live his life while simultaneously keeping his friends, family, and those around him safe thanks to his superpowers.
- Release Date
-
October 16, 2001
- Number of Episodes
-
217
- Finale Year
-
November 30, 2010
- Cast
-
Sam Jones III
, Annette O’Toole
, Jensen Ackles
, Eric Johnson
, Erica Durance
, Cassidy Freeman
, Michael Rosenbaum
, Laura Vandervoort
, John Schneider
, Kristin Kreuk
, Sam Witwer
, Aaron Ashmore
, Allison Mack
, John Glover
, Justin Hartley
, Tom Welling
, Callum Blue - Seasons
-
10
- Characters By
-
Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
- Cinematographer
-
Glen Winter, Barry Donlevy
- Creator
-
Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
- Distributor
-
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
- Filming Locations
-
Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Main Characters
-
Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent / Superman, Martha Kent, Oliver Queen, Lionel Luthor, Lois Lane, Jonathan Kent, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang
- Production Company
-
Tollin/Robbins Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Millar Gough Ink, DC Comics
- Sfx Supervisor
-
Michael Walls
