2001’sSmallvilleis fondly remembered as one of the most influential shows in the superhero genre. Following Tom Welling as a teenage Clark Kent, the CW series ran for 10 seasons, and it remains the longest-running live-action superhero show. Throughout its run,Smallvilleintroduced a lot of Superman and DC lore to the small screen. Major DC characters like Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), Lois Lane (Erica Durance), Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris), Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort), and more play substantial roles in Clark’s journey to become Superman. However,the biggest setup inSmallvilleis the foundation it laid for the Justice League.
The first major DC hero, aside from Clark, to appear onSmallvillewas Bart Allen/Impulse in season 4 episode 5 “Run.” Impulse was followed by Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Victor Stone/Cyborg in season 5 before Oliver Queen/Green Arrow completed the roster in season 6. For all 4 of these heroes,Smallvillewas their live-action debut,and their episodes were sprinkled with hints of their future. Amazingly, the series, which had a reputation in its early seasons for planting seeds that never sprouted, actually followed up on these threads, creatingone of the first and most iconic iterations of the Justice League.
Smallville Season 6 Was Intended To Set Up A New Justice League TV Show
Oliver Queen’s Introduction Set Up The Ultimate DC Team
The arrival of Green Arrow, played by Justin Hartley, onSmallvillerepresented a larger shift in the series. After Clark graduated high school, the series struggled to transition him into adulthood.Oliver joining the cast helped pushSmallvillefrom a teen drama to a young adult action series.No episode better represents this evolution than season 6 episode 11, “Justice.” Oliver enlists the help of Bart, Arthur, and Victor to investigate Lex’s secret “Project 33.1,” leading to both Bart and Clark getting kidnapped. Throughout the episode, the team members reveal how Oliver brought them together.
By the end of the episode, Clark and his allies have successfully united to take out Lex’s secret lab. Oliver extends an invitation for the future Superman to join the team, but Clark declines as he has other responsibilities The heroes shake hands, and Oliver says “Come on boys, let’s go save the world.” Though Clark doesn’t join the League by the end, “Justice” makes two things clear: that he will be a member one day and thatthis is not the last of the Justice League onSmallville.As revealed by writer Steven DeKnight, this was intentional.
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Per DeKnight,Smallvilleseason 6 was written to lead into a Justice League television series.Little else about the project is known, but the writer has teased some details, such as that Hartley would have led the series.
Who Would Have Been Part Of Smallville’s Justice League Spinoff?
Smallville Spent Several Seasons Introducing The Justice League
Beyond Hartley’s casting as Aquaman, DeKnight previously shared a bit about his axedSmallvillespinoff inan interview with KryptonSite. As stated, it would have starred Hartley, with DeKnight on board as the series' co-creator. Additionally,DeKnight wanted to bring over the League as introduced inSmallville.The writer further explained:
“It was going to be basically Green Arrow, Cyborg, Flash, a couple of other DC characters living in Metropolis. The idea was that Oliver Queen was basically giving refuge to young people with superpowers, kind of in a Professor X kind of way, putting together this team and also trying to help out these people, like he says in ‘Justice’ about how he helped out Victor Stone and Bart and Arthur Curry.”
Of note, these plans were halted before the end ofSmallvilleseason 6 was produced. According to DeKnight, the original finale was going to “springboard” the Justice League spinoff by having Green Arrow show up to help Clark and “provide him with an important piece of information.” As for the spinoff itself, the initial plan was to bring back Brainiac as the primary antagonist. DeKnight also revealed that ifJames Marsters didn’t reprise his role as Brainiac, he had plans for a female iteration of the character. Sadly, DeKnight’s Justice League pitch never came to fruition, leaving the potential unrealized.
How Would Smallville’s Justice League Have Compared To The Arrowverse?
Smallville Laid The Groundwork For Arrow’s Success Yet They Are Very Different
The success ofSmallvilleenabled the success of the Arrowverse. In fact, it has long been debated thatArrowwas intended as a spinoff from the Superman series. While Marc Guggenheim debunked that this particular series was originally intended for Hartley, the choice of Green Arrow as the lead of a new superhero series was likely inspired bySmallville. After all, the latter featured Green Arrow as a main character, was very popular, and had recently completed its run whenArrowwas developed.Green Arrow was a recognizable character to audiences of The CW in 2012 because ofSmallville.
Origins aside, the Arrowverse largely stands on its own two feet.Arrowis tonally very different fromSmallville, being a grittier take on the DC mythos. The rest of the Arrowverse trended towards a lighter approach, but it still feels different fromSmallville.The Superman series adopted a slower, character-based approach that focused on themes.Most of the series in the Arrowverse are more plot-oriented, though with occasional moments of character depth. Its treatment of the characters is comparatively more comic-accurate, less in terms of story and more in terms of characterization.
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These differences make sense.Smallvilleis set before Clark became Superman; most of its heroes are at the start of their origins because they’re teenagers. The only significant departure from this is Oliver, who is older and already an active hero. In the Arrowverse, character origins, such as Barry Allen’s, are shown onscreen, but they realize their hero identities earlier than in Smallville. Due to its heroes being “out,” the Arrowverse had a lot of potential for a Justice League of its own.However, the franchise squandered the opportunity, with years of teases and crossovers that built to nothing.
In retrospect, the unmade Justice League series is even more tragic after seeing the Arrowverse also fumble their chance at giving the team its own show. Even so,a Justice League-centricSmallvillespinoff would likely resemble its sister series more than the Arrowverse.TheSmallvilleuniverse is generally campier with heightened emotions, and any spinoffs would likely follow suit.
Why Didn’t Smallville’s Justice League Spinoff Happen?
DC’s Film Ambitions Likely Sank Hopes For A Justice League Series
With the popularity ofSmallville,it’s surprising that the series never received any spinoffs. DC recognized its success, which is why series like the ill-fatedBirds of PreyandAquamanwere commissioned. Yet, none of DC’s other live-action television efforts succeeded at the time. In the case of DeKnight’s proposed Justice League series, the show never made it to the pilot stage. Reasons for this may vary, but the most likely explanation is DC’s desire to “save” certain characters for the big screen. Notably, this policy alsoprevented Batman from being onSmallvilledue toThe Dark Knightfranchise.
The Justice League didn’t appear in a theatrical release in the early 2000s; however, they almost did. George Miller’sJustice League: Mortalwas based onJustice League: Unlimitedand would have been released in 2009 had it not been canceled. As a result,the production is the most likely culprit behind the failure of DeKnight’s Justice League pitch.
While a series based onSmallville’sJustice League would have been awesome, audiences at least got to see the characters a few more times on the Superman series. More importantly, with aSmallvillesequel in the works,this version of the League might get a second chance.
Smallville
Cast
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.
