Tom Welling’s older version of Superman from Smallville has another showdown with one of his biggest villains, Brainiac, in new DC Universe fan art.

•  Smallville fans want to see more of Tom Welling’s older Superman, especially in a confrontation with the DC villain Brainiac.
•  Welling has expressed interest in reprising the role and the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover would further justify a reappearance.
•  The possibilities for Welling’s return include guest-starring on the show Superman & Lois or continuing his story in the Smallville animated project. Fans hope to see more of this iteration of the Man of Steel in the future.

Brainiac returns in new DC Universe fan art to fight Tom Welling’s older Superman from the Smallville TV show. When it comes to Superman adaptations in live-action, Smallville is regarded as one of the Man of Steel’s most prominent projects, as the prequel drama explored Clark Kent’s origin story in how he became the world’s greatest hero. Smallville ran for ten seasons and even continued in comic format as its official season 11, which expanded upon Clark’s Superman adventures.

While Smallville ended all the way in 2011, Welling’s Clark and Erica Durance’s Lois Lane did return in 2019 as part of the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. However, fans have been left wanting more of Welling’s older Superman and what he could be up to at this point.

One scenario that fans have in mind is if Welling’s Superman took on the DC villain Brainiac, as Buffy2Ville shared art on her Instagram of the Man of Steel against the Coluan foe. Smallville fans will remember Brainiac as one of the bigger antagonists of the series during season 5, where he was played by James Marsters, who returned for several guest episodes in later seasons. The final time Marsters appeared on Smallville was in season 10 during the 200th episode, where he was now operating as Brainiac 5 after the Legion of Super-Heroes programmed Brainiac.

Could Tom Welling Ever Return As Superman?

With various TV shows making comebacks in the form of limited series or full-on revivals, the question of whether Smallville fans have seen the last of Welling as Superman is mpre pertinent than ever. Over the last few years, the actor has expressed interest in wanting to reprise the role in one way or another, especially after getting to take part in Crisis on Infinite Earths, where viewers got to see Clark and Lois’ lives several years after Smallville ended. Given that Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the DC multiverse, it’s unclear if Clark is still powerless on Earth-167 or if he became Superman again as Oliver Queen resurrected multiple realities.

While there are many ways for Welling’s Superman to return, Superman & Lois would be the natural project for the actor to guest star on down the line. Given that Superman & Lois has tackled multiverses already, having Welling cross worlds for an episode or two would be a lot of fun, especially if he got to team up with Tyler Hoechlin’s version of the character. Even if the Clark on Superman & Lois isn’t the same one that Welling met during the Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths, it would be intriguing to see how he would react to seeing this other version of Hoechlin.

There is also still the Smallville animated project that Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are working on that they intended to serve as a continuation. Whether or not that series has been scrapped or not is unclear, as neither Welling nor Rosenbaum have shared any updates lately. Hopefully, whether it be in a revival or through a different DC property, Welling’s Superman will ideally be back in the future, giving Smallville fans more adventures with this iteration of the Man of Steel.