'Smallville' Star Tom Welling Reportedly Appearing in 'Arrow' Season 8

If there is one thing that fans of The CW's Arrowverse have been pretty much begging for since, well, since Arrow debuted back in 2012 it's that Smallville star Tom Welling would make an appearance. As the network's DC universe expanded, so did fan request: it doesn't matter which Arrowverse show or even what character -- though Superman would, of course, be preferred -- fans just want Welling. Now, it looks like that wish may finally be granted.

According to a fan attending the Armageddon Expo in New Zealand, Welling reportedly confirmed during his panel that he will be appearing on Arrow next season. He did not, however, indicate who he would be playing or how extensive his role will be.

Thus far, Welling's casting for Arrow's eighth and final season remains unconfirmed. While the fan notes in their Twitter thread that they do have footage of Welling confirming his appearance, they are unable to share it due to the terms and conditions of the convention. Footage of the panel has surfaced elsewhere on social media, but it is only partial footage -- and did not include the Arrow comment.

Welling famously portrayed Clark Kent on Smallville from 2001 until 2011. With the series focused on Clark Kent's teen years and his development into the hero Superman, Welling never really suited up as the hero. The most fans got was a few brief seconds of Clark opening his shirt to reveal the iconic "S" on his chest. It was disappointing for fans, but when Supergirl debuted, fans started hoping that Welling would suit up for as Superman on that series. While Welling was offered the opportunity, he turned it down with the role ultimately going to Tyler Hoechlin. The Arrowverse has since gone on to reference Smallville in other ways, specifically in last fall's "Elseworlds" crossover which saw use of not only the Kent farmhouse from Smallville but the show's theme song in one episode, while there was also a brief look at Smallville's Green Arrow as an unfortunate victim of The Monitor on Earth-90.

While in theory there is an opportunity for Welling to play Clark Kent/Superman on Arrow -- thus far Earth-1 hasn't been shown to have a Kryptonian hero and Hoechlin's Clark is a resident of Earth-38 -- it's pretty unlikely that we'll see him in that capacity. It's also unlikely that we'll see him in a significant role. Arrow's final season is set to be an abbreviated one with only ten episodes to wrap things up for the fan-favorite series. Still, if the rumor ends up being true and Welling does appear on Arrow, it will certainly be a way to go out on a high note giving fans something they've long-wanted just in time to say goodbye to Arrow.

Arrow airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Are you excited that Welling might be making an appearance on Arrow for its final season? Let us know in the comments below.

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