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that smallville The series finale included the surprise return of Lex Luthor. Michael Rosenbaum left the show after season 7, and Clark Kent finally broke the show’s infamous “no flying, no stockings” rule.
Tom Welling donned Superman’s suit, but was only seen as a small CG figure from afar before ripping off his shirt to reveal the iconic emblem in the final scene. It’s a moment that disappointed fans at the time, but it’s no secret that the actor didn’t want to put on the costume and be forever remembered as Superman.
However, Welling has now revealed: smallville No matter how he felt, there was no time to put him in a suit. “We crossed the line a few times, don’t get me wrong, but they couldn’t do it without saying, ‘Okay, this is going to be okay.’” He said the contract had a “no flying, no tights” mentality.
“We didn’t even rehearse. [the shirt rip scene]Because we didn’t want anyone to see it if it wasn’t right.” Welling repeatedly asked for assurances that there would be no suits, and recalled being told this by the wardrobe director. “No, no, no. It’s too expensive.”
“I had to make plans for that day, but they only gave me a t-shirt and there were no sleeves to wear under it. Because they couldn’t afford a suit and weren’t going to see it anyway. We can’t go together.” [Superman]. But he’s out there.”
This explains why Welling wore this costume. superman returns costume; At that point, there was absolutely no budget to create something new that fit the actors from head to toe.
Rosenbaum originally left. smallville Due to contract dispute. He explained, “It was like, ‘We want you to come back for three years. We want you to sign a three-year contract and not give us a raise.’ And anyone in any business thinks, ‘Oh, I’m indispensable to this show or this business,’ or I work at Kmart or whatever.”
“And you think, ‘I’m part of the success, don’t I need to be rewarded?’ And I said, ‘Yes, no, thank you.’ And that was it.”
However, Rosenbaum agreed to return in the finale for a handful of scenes and to play President Luthor in the episode’s closing moments. He was added at the last minute, but I remember thinking: “We’ve got to come back and package it for the fans. I think they’ll love it. And I didn’t know how much I would love it, so I’m glad I did.”
You can hear more from Welling and Rosenbaum in the X post below.
Tom Welling calls the idea of a “Smallville” reboot “unimaginable” and says “never say never.” Michael Rosenbaum: “They’re rebooting everything.” Watch the full video: “>https://t.co/IJ2MOeonby
— Variety (@Variety) October 19, 2026