CW’s The Flash has hit the ground running this season with cameos of other speedsters and there is good reason to believe there is more to come. With the studio constantly expanding the universe with these characters, it is opening up the realm of possibility of other iconic DC Comics characters to enter the fray.
Apparently there’s some hope we might see Superman in CW’s hit show with Tom Welling reprising his role from Smallville. The rumour broke earlier this year and has now reappeared with the introduction of alternate timelines in The Flash. According to the Inquister, Greg Belanti, executive producer of The Flash went on record to say Tom Welling might show up on Season 2. The details that follow are what adds credibility to this rumour.
“Now, from what I gather, this Superman is going to be played by Tom Welling and his Superman may or may not be tied to Smallville but I think the end of season 1 would introduce an alternate timeline where Superman exists and Caitlin and Cisco are metahumans,” said Belanti.
The mention of an alternate timeline is the most note-worthy thing Belanti brought up. With season 2 introducing the multiverse, it seems like they are trying to bring some familiar characters based from well-received shows of the past. If true, The Flash could be poised to bridge DC’s previous TV series into one interconnecting heaving web.
The best tidbit of this news in my humble opinion is the fact that Tom Welling will dawn the iconic Superman suit and will most likely be fighting alongside Barry Allan. That is exciting considering Smallville was a show based on the journey of Clark Kent becoming the hero fans adore. Through 10 long seasons, they were granted just a short glimpse of the Man of Steel. This only spawned fans to want more before it was all over. Although there was an extra season of Smallville in comic book form, everyone wanted the live depiction to take that extra step. Now it looks like their prayers have been answered. Knowing he will do more than just fly off-screen is sure to wept the appetite fans of the series.
Jumping off the potential of a Superman appearance, just imagine the possibilities that the studio could be planning. This could simply be the tip of the iceberg with future cameos. Smallville did a fairly good job at universe building and introduced characters like Green Arrow, Cyborg and Aquaman. If Superman soars onto the screen, that could open up the door for more characters from his world to fight alongside the Flash. If that happens, we could see their villains or even better, Barry traveling to different Earths.
Obviously Warner Bros. has relied on their biggest character Superman to captivate audiences numerous times, and Tom Welling’s cameo could be the beginning of what could be a nostalgia frenzy. The probability of returning to lesser-known shows could also be feasible. DC has a long history of shows that CW could pull from if they can work out the rights. If they could breathe new life into The Swamp Thing, or even the Birds of Prey, CW could consider new shows if they see a spike in viewership. Bringing the original cast to reprise their roles in later seasons would further reinforce that there is a huge universe filled with stories to be told.
Even though it sounds like a pipe dream, connecting the dots to some of DC Comics previous swansongs, or even attempts is a neat touch for their TV universe. I can only hope that Tom Welling’s appearance is the start of their universe acknowledging each other.
What characters would you like to see appear in CW’s The Flash? Let us know in the comments below!
