Tom Welling Hates This ‘Smallville’ Storyline — and He Has Good Reason

At the start of the 21st century, Superman returned to television in the form of the hit prequel series Smallville. “No flights, no tights” was the rule early on as a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) learned to master his superpowers, eventually pursuing lofty goals of truth and justice. Though fans knew that the young farm boy would eventually become the Man of Steel, many years were spent with Clark trying to leave that destiny behind. However, in the final three seasons, Smallville morphed into a superhero show proper, giving Clark a dual identity and pushing him further into heroism. Only, it turns out that series star Tom Welling hated the change…

Tom Welling Hated Playing Clark Kent’s “Blur” Alias on ‘Smallville’

When talking with fans recently at the Fan Expo 2025 in New Orleans, Tom Welling revealed that his least favorite Smallville storyline was the Blur arc that ran in its final seasons. Though Clark started acting as a vigilante called first “the Good Samaritan” and later “the Red-Blue Blur” in Season 8, things took a darker turn during the ninth season. Following the death of Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) in Season 8’s “Doomsday,” Clark turns his back on his human identity, instead embracing his Kryptonian heritage after Lois Lane (Erica Durance) goes missing. Thus, our hero traded that iconic red jacket/blue jeans combo for a Matrix-inspired trenchcoat and a black outfit clad with a silver S-shield. No longer was he the “Red-Blue Blur,” but simply “the Blur,” and Welling couldn’t stand it.

“I knew it needed to happen because we were… we were dying!,” the series star admitted about the arc. When Laura Vandervoort (who played Kara Zor-El during Season 7, and then appeared in a handful of episodes in Seasons 8 and 10) asked what the “Red-Blue Blur” arc entailed, Welling had a very direct answer. “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.” Needless to say, Welling wasn’t impressed with the direction that Smallville took in those last few years.

Of course, Welling was right when he noted that Smallville needed a change. It did. The show had lost half of its cast (Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, Kristin Kreuk, and Vandervoort) and its creators, Al Gough and Miles Miller, following Season 7. So, to spark new life into the Superman prequel, Clark Kent needed to take another step closer to his destiny. The Red-Blue Blur/Blur arc (a “pre-Superman Superman,” as Kreuk aptly put it) was what made this possible, with Clark committed to protecting the citizens of Metropolis. Longtime fans of Superman and the greater DC Universe finally got to see Smallville as the superhero show we knew it could be back when Season 6’s “Justice” aired, but it may have overstayed its welcome.

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That Time Christopher Reeve Refused To Leave the Set of ‘Smallville’

The original Man of Steel didn’t want his time with the younger Clark Kent to end.

The Blur Arc Was Overplayed, but Still Important to Clark’s Journey Toward Superman

Clark Kent becoming a vigilante was a necessary step in the character’s development and commitment to his ultimate destiny. However, some of Welling’s criticisms are fair. After all, the Blur arc lasted a considerable amount of time and often repeated the same beat. By stripping Clark of his primary colors and shifting him into a more Neo-like appearance, Smallville‘s penultimate season felt far darker than usual. This worked for a time, but it was clear that the Batman-ish aesthetic couldn’t last given the Man of Steel’s classically optimistic heroism. By Season 10, Clark’s brighter colors are restored, as is his positive view of humanity, though he remains largely in the shadows until the end.

Again, this arc is necessary for Smallville‘s Clark Kent. By embracing his Kryptonian side, he was able to become more effective as a hero and trained with Jor-El (Terence Stamp) to best use his powers. But it’s only through Lois that he is reminded that his human side is just as important. Without his connection to humanity, being a hero means nothing. Even though Clark learns that lesson fairly quickly upon Lois’ return (he’s back at the Daily Planet by the end of Season 9’s second episode, “Metallo”), the show stuck with his black outfit through the rest of the season (and into Season 10’s “Lazarus”), with the Blur moniker itself lasting until “Finale.” While it was great to see Clark Kent finally become a hero, we can understand why Tom Welling felt the show went too far.

Smallville is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.

Release Date

October 16, 2001

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

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