Grant Gustin’sThe Flashended up making theSmallvilleepisode series star Tom Welling was not game to do, and it led to one of the best moments of the Arrowverse’s most popular show. When it comes to TV series,DChas paved the way for superheroes. Throughthe Arrowverse, DC’s shared TV universe, the comic book giant brought to life some of thebest live-action DC seriesand showed the world just how successful a shared universe on TV could be.Grant Gustin’s nine seasons ofThe Flashmade him the star of the franchise’s longest-running series.
However, it all started before that. For the Arrowverse’s the Flash to run,Smallville’s Superman had to walk.Tom Welling led ten seasons ofSmallville, with the actor telling the story of how Clark Kent went from a teenager to the Man of Steel everyone knows him as.Smallvillemoved forward superhero TV shows in a big way, with great VFX for its time, compelling characters, and gripping storylines.Clark Kent’s journey to becoming Superman was filled with bottle episodes, and the idea for oneSmallvilleepisode ended up givingThe Flashone of Gustin’s best Barry Allen moments.
Tom Welling Refused To Make A Smallville Musical
The Idea Was Only Partly Adapted By The DC Series
Smallvilleexplored genres with quite a few bottle episodes over the course of its ten seasons. Bottle episodes are those that tell self-contained stories, normally not playing into the main events of the show. With 217 episodes and 20-plus episodes per season,Smallvillehad plenty of time to focus on stories that had more fun with characters and were not as serious as the mainline plots. One of those bottle episodes was"Noir," the twentieth episode ofSmallvilleseason 6. As its title states, the episode took inspiration from classic noir films.
Smallvillecould also have made the episode quite unique among the show’s offerings. However,Tom Welling refused to film aSmallvillemusical episode. According to the Clark Kent actor, he was approached about the idea of making “Noir” a musical. That did not interest the DC star, whosaid he would not show up on set ifSmallvillemoved forward with the musical noir idea. In the end, Welling was victorious, andSmallvillekept singing and dancing out of the season 6 episode, with Grant Gustin’sThe Flashseries adapting that idea years later.
While Tom Welling shot down theSmallvillemusical episode, Grant Gustin was not only in favor ofThe Flashdoing it, but also had the help of a major Arrowverse star to make it as good as possible.The Flashseason 3, episode 17, “Duet,“revolved around the Flash and Supergirl being put into a coma by Music Meister, with both having to sing and dance in a musical noir before being able to return to reality. There were a lot of great moments from crossovers between the two shows' casts, but the hour’s strongest came fromThe Flash’s stars.
At the end of the episode, Barry Allen surprises Iris West with one of the most emotional moments of the Arrowverse and superhero series in general. With Grant Gustin singing “Runnin' Home to You,” the gorgeous original song made for the musical episode,Barry got down on one knee and proposed to Iris. She said yes, meaning the Flash would marry the love of his life. It changed the show in multiple ways, with Iris' role in the series only growing from there and her relationship with Barry reaching its comic-book status.
“Duet” Was An Overall Better Entry Than “Noir”
The Flashdoing the musical noirSmallvilleended up not moving forward with worked out for the best. The Tom Welling series used “Noir” as a typical bottle episode, with some nods to the larger plot and where things stood between Clark Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor, but not major events that fundamentally changed the show. As forThe Flash, everything was different. The Arrowverse series had a full-on crossover with Melissa Benoist’sSupergirland ended with Barry proposing to Iris, thuschanging the status of the main characters ofThe Flashforever.
What Grant Gustin & Stephen Amell Have Said About Joining James Gunn’s DC Universe (& Should They?)
Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell have different stances about joining the new DC Universe as their Arrowverse heroes, but should a return even happen?
While Welling’s Clark Kent would go on to end with Erica Durance’s Lois Lane,The Flashsaw Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen and Candice Patton’s Iris West stay together for the rest of the Arrowverse series, dealing with issues as they rose up and moving past them. The marriage storylineallowed DC to bring in Barry and Iris' kids from the future in subsequent seasons, with their stories, particularly Nora’s, becoming integral to the multiverse nature of the Arrowverse series. While aSmallvillemusical could have been fun, Welling’s decision did not cost the show anything, butThe Flashneeded its musical.
The Flash
Cast
The Flash follows CSI investigator Barry Allen, who wakes from a coma with super speed after a lightning strike. Collaborating with S.T.A.R. Labs, he adopts the identity of The Flash to safeguard his city, marking his journey as the Fastest Man Alive in this superhero tale.
Smallville
Smallville chronicles the journey of Clark Kent, portraying his origins from Krypton to his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as the iconic hero, Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.
