Welling: Why no Superman?

[Dick Whitman]

That and he did flying seasons ago, effectively breaking that promise (or part of it).

That was a huge mistake.

Its one thing if Clark has no idea of his potential to fly. I think they could have stretched it out that way for a while. But now he knows he can fly but does not know how to. Along with the knowledge of Kara and other Kryptonians having flown makes him look slow. A late bloomer.

Plus the impact of his learning to fly has been nullified. They held nothing back in the effects when he flew as Kal-El. They could have hinted at it. Shown more as a blur. If that had been early in the last season, fine. With him actually learning to fly shortly after as a payoff. But now its been 4 years later and counting....
The showed all those sequences of him flying and then aspect fans to be impressed with running/blur effects. Its all just poor planning.

 

[Praetor]

I think 'It's all just poor planning' effectively summarizes season three onward.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I often speculated about editing the whole series. Paring it down to its essential episodes. Of course I have never been its biggest fan, so I would cut it WAY down! To about 4 or 5 season or around 100 episodes. Which is being generous.

But more than mere editing, rearranging plot lines as well. Considering how much things went in circles before this season it would be much easier than it would first seem. With Clark's limited wardrobe it would be easy to take strong action sequences from an otherwise weak episode and use it in a different context.

This idea may be worth a thread of its own....

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I think 'It's all just poor planning' effectively summarizes season three onward.

Or prolonged foreplay.

 

[Praetor]

I think 'It's all just poor planning' effectively summarizes season three onward.

Or prolonged foreplay.

Touchee. But bad foreplay.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Honestly, I don't care if he doesn't put the suit on yet, I don't think he actually should until he completes his "training" in the Fortress and becomes Superman for reals.

The two things I DO care about, and that he SHOULD be doing right now in the series is:

1.) Wearing glasses as Clark
2.) Be able to fly

There's also a "no eye-glasses, no bare asses" clause in Welling's contract.

 

[Praetor]

Honestly, I don't care if he doesn't put the suit on yet, I don't think he actually should until he completes his "training" in the Fortress and becomes Superman for reals.

The two things I DO care about, and that he SHOULD be doing right now in the series is:

1.) Wearing glasses as Clark
2.) Be able to fly

There's also a "no eye-glasses, no bare asses" clause in Welling's contract.

Seriously? Because I could believe it. The evidence is piling up. Just what does he have (or not have ) to hide?

 

[Broccoli]

That and he did flying seasons ago, effectively breaking that promise (or part of it).

Well, technically, that was Kal/Evil-Clark/Jor-El Clark (take your pick) and not "real" Clark (or so say the producers).

 

[Gaith]

... But we did see his bare ass... :-P S3, the baseball episode.

Maybe, since they've changed/modified so many elements of the traditional Supes mythos already, they could overhaul the suit to Welling and the WB's satisfication in the final scenes - no tights, but leather pants and top, sort of like an X-Men (movie) costume with a cape.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I have noticed there seems to be two reactions to Welling's unwillingness to wear the Superman costume.

1 Screw Tom Welling! Recast the part! (that is never going to happen within the context of this series folks!)

2 Adjust the costume to Welling's whims! Show it briefly!!! YEah that will do the trick! (But that misunderstands his reasoning. It appears that he does not want to actually be seen as Superman in any shape or form. A blur flying away maybe all we get)

Unless he has been bluffing all these years or drastically changes his mind, few fans are going to be satisfied about with how this series will end.

That is my prediction at least.

 

[darkshadow0001]

Honestly, I don't care if he doesn't put the suit on yet, I don't think he actually should until he completes his "training" in the Fortress and becomes Superman for reals.

The two things I DO care about, and that he SHOULD be doing right now in the series is:

1.) Wearing glasses as Clark
2.) Be able to fly

He can fly. He's done it already, when he had the red Kryptonite. He just refuses to fly. I think it would be silly to see Clark flying without a suit anyway, it was done on Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman, so we don't need to see it again. Wearing the glasses is only symoblic... I guess the reason why he hasn't really put them on is because he isn't Superman yet.

In Superman:The Movie, when Clark was young, he didn't have glasses on, either.

It's just the premise of the show now. I'm not saying he needs to be Supes all the time, maybe just when he's fighting with the Justice League or something.

 

[RandyS]

There's also a "no eye-glasses, no bare asses" clause in Welling's contract.

Now, THIS I agree with. After all, who would want to see Welling's bare ass??

Durance, Mack, even Kruek, sure. But not Welling.

As for him appearing as Superman in the series finale, yes he should. But if he doesn't want to, there is a way for us fans to have our cake and eat it too. Simply use the shot from the 1978 movie where Superman flies out of the Fortress of Solitude just before we cut to Metropolis, but digitally put Welling's head on Reeve's body.

 

[CorporalClegg]

What I don't understand is, who was it that was so hell-bent on signing him that they agreed to all of these stipulations? He's not even that good.

Did Milfred's creepy crushes extend past Kreuk?

 

[Starbreaker]

^^ I second that!

Surely you don't find the 8 year tease to be wearing thin?

No, I mean I agree with the post:

I think you just missed a joke there.

 

[Dick Whitman]

What I don't understand is, who was it that was so hell-bent on signing him that they agreed to all of these stipulations? He's not even that good.

Did Milfred's creepy crushes extend past Kreuk?

Explains a lot doesn't it! I am not implying any gay subtext by the way. Just that they seem to allow those two actors tailor the show and their characters however they want. Which implies that Gough and Millar thought they were some great casting finds that needed to be pleased. Or are like parents wo let their kids walk all over them.

 

[Von_Steinwehr]

Surely you don't find the 8 year tease to be wearing thin?

No, I mean I agree with the post:

I think you just missed a joke there.

Dang, I hate when I do that!

 

[Skywalker]

What I don't understand is, who was it that was so hell-bent on signing him that they agreed to all of these stipulations? He's not even that good.

Did Milfred's creepy crushes extend past Kreuk?

Well, no matter what you think of Welling's acting (my opinion of him isn't all that high, either, but then again, it's not like they're giving him very challenging material), without him, there'd be no Smallville.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Still blows my mind that he got the part over Ackles.

 

[Aragorn]

That Welling is a control freak when it comes to his wardrobe but is a total yes man when it comes to all the crappy scripts says it all.

 

[Skywalker]

Still blows my mind that he got the part over Ackles.

Eh, I'd say it worked out pretty well for him in the end. Dean is a far more rewarding and challenging character than Smallville's Clark has been or ever will be.