Crisis on Infinite Earths is this year’s Arrowverse crossover event that will be one of the most unforgettable events of The CW’s DC TV franchise. With a storyline like this, it is allowing the Arrowverse to pull DC characters from past DC media. From Brandon Routh playing a Kingdom Come inspired Superman to legendary Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy playing a live-action Bruce Wayne, there’s a lot out there to play with. More are sure to be announced in the coming months.
However, a show that many have wanted to see a crossover with the Arrowverse is Smallville, the 10-year-long journey about Clark Kent (Tom Welling) before he became Superman. While Arrow may have set up the larger Arrowverse, Smallville really paved the way for the presence that DC TV has today, especially the DC properties on The CW. TPTB in the Arrowverse have stated that they’d love to bring in a Smallville character or two for this crossover.
However, despite some of the (now debunked) reports claiming certain cameos are happening, nothing has been set in stone as of yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make our wishlist of characters we hope to appear from the Smallville universe in the crossover.
Zatanna Zatara
While the Arrowverse has John Constantine (Matt Ryan) as one of the few magic-based characters, there is one that we have yet to see pop up: Zatanna Zatara. While Serinda Swan only appeared in two episodes as the popular DC magician on Smallville, she was one of the most memorable characters to be brought in. Given Constantine and Zatanna’s relationship in the comics, it would be fun to see Swan reprise the role and finally meet the famous Hellblazer.
Tess Mercer/Red Tornado
Supergirl’s Katie McGrath has been one of the standouts in the whole Arrowverse as Lena Luthor, but McGrath was not the first actress to play Lex Luthor’s little sister on The CW. In the later seasons of Smallville, Cassidy Freeman came in as Tess Mercer who was later revealed to be Lutessa Lena Luthor, the half-sister of Lex (Michael Rosenbaum.) The character went on to be one of the more complex figures in the show’s final three seasons before Tess faced her grim faith in the series finale.
However, thanks to the Season 11 comic, she was brought back in a very sci-fi-y way and is now Red Tornado. Ideally, it would be neat for the two Lena Luthors to get to meet up and see how vastly different they ended up being on their respective Earths.
Brainiac 5
Similarly to McGrath, Jesse Rath, who plays Brainiac 5 on Supergirl, wasn’t the first actor to take on the character. In the final season of Smallville, James Marsters, after having portrayed the villainous Brainiac, came in the show’s 200th episode, now as Brainiac 5 after being re-programmed by the Legion of Superheroes. It would be a lot of fun to see Marsters and Rath get to share the screen together as their respective Brainys, especially as Smallville’s version never appeared again after the 200th episode.
J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter
Before David Harewood’s Martian Manhunter on Supergirl, there was Phil Morris’ interpretation on Smallville. The Superman prequel was the first to bring the beloved Martian to life and yes we’re not counting the 1997 Justice League of America version as the show didn’t go beyond its pilot. For anyone who has followed Morris on social media and in interviews will know that he is a massive comic book fan which is always a plus.
To bring him in and have him interact with Supergirl’s version of J’onn would be special in more ways than one. Morris would also be another legacy actor for the Arrowverse when it comes to the Martian Manhunter after Carl Lumbly, who voiced the character in Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, appeared as J’onn’s father in Season 2.
Dinah Lance/Black Canary
The Arrowverse has had its many Black Canaries over the course of Arrow’s run. Before Katie Cassidy, Caity Lotz, and Juliana Harkavy, Smallville had Alaina Huffman as the iconic superheroine. Huffman’s version of the Black Canary was a regular Justice Leaguer who would appear here and thereafter her debut in Season 7.
Since all three of the Arrowverse Canaries will (hopefully) all be together for the Crisis, why not add a fourth one? A quartet of Canaries is something you don’t want to turn down when the fate of the Multiverse is at stake!
Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
While Laura Vandervoort already appeared on Supergirl as the villainous Indigo, the actress is no stranger to the Girl of Steel. Appearing in the seventh season of Smallville, Vandervoort came in as Clark’s cousin who had been on Earth this whole time, but in suspended animation for 18 years until she was awakened. Even if she exists as a now-deceased baddie on Earth-38, that shouldn’t prevent Kara to show up from the Smallville universe in the crossover and share the screen with Melissa Benoist.
Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Before Stephen Amell hooded up as the Emerald Archer on Arrow, Justin Hartley brought the character to life on The CW for almost five years on Smallville. Ever since the Multiverse concept was introduced in the Arrowverse, it has been demanded by a lot of fans to see the two actors together side-by-side as their respective Green Arrow.
With Arrow ending shortly after the crossover, especially as Oliver Queen is destined to die, this is the only time to bring the two Oliver Queens together. Despite Hartley’s busy schedule with his hit series This is Us, maybe TPTB can work some of their magic to get the two Emerald Archers together on-screen for a few scenes at least?
Lois Lane
Elizabeth Tulloch made her Arrowverse debut as the famous Lois Lane in the Elseworlds crossover. Thankfully, she is coming back for the massive crossover along with her Man of Steel, played by Tyler Hoechlin once again, but this time also introducing their child! On Smallville, from Season 4 until Season 10, Erica Durance portrayed the iconic reporter amazingly. She did end up appearing on Supergirl in Season 3 as Alura Zor-El after Laura Benanti couldn’t return to the series to reprise the role. However, with the Multiverse, anything is possible.
If Brandon Routh can be Superman in one universe while playing The Atom on Earth-1, then Durance’s Alura gig shouldn’t prevent her from appearing as Smallville’s Lois. It’s not often that two Lois Lanes gets to interact from two different universes. As a bonus, to make it an awesome quartet of reporters, have The Flash’s Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) along with Kara for some awesome bonding time. Maybe they can all team-up on a massive article? Surely there must be something big to write about after the Crisis has happened.
Lex Luthor
One of the baddies to appear in the crossover will be Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor who was saved by the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) in Supergirl’s recent season finale. However, why only feature one Lex when you could have two? For seven seasons on Smallville, Michael Rosenbaum portrayed the Man of Tomorrow’s biggest nemesis and is one of the best versions of Lex that has ever appeared on the screen. Imagine the endless possibilities of having two Lexes get together for a villainous team-up in a crossover like Crisis on Infinite Earths where anything can literally happen.
Clark Kent/Superman
There is no Smallville without the Boy Scout himself who was one of the major reasons the show went for 10 seasons. This is the character from the show that fans have asked endlessly to appear in the Arrowverse and that is Tom Welling’s Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman. While Welling got to be Superman fully for a chunk of the series finale, fans were left wanting more.
While the crossover will already have two Men of Steel, there is no reason why they couldn’t add a third one, especially when it’s someone as iconic as Welling’s version. Even though Multiverse stories will surely be told again after this crossover in some way, this would be the perfect opportunity for Welling to reprise his role as Superman. Especially when it’s a crossover that is not only celebrating the Arrowverse but the larger DC media that came before it.