At one point, Jensen Ackles came really close to playing Clark Kent in Smallville, before losing out to Tom Welling. Ackles is most well-known for playing Dean Winchester on Supernatural, a role that he’s maintained since 2005. Ackles stars alongside Jared Padalecki – two brothers who work together as they hunt all sorts of ghosts, demons, monsters, and sometimes even angels. What’s interesting is that, because of losing out on the role, Ackles managed to land a longer-running gig on The CW with Supernatural.
Before Supernatural, though, Ackles did star as a series regular on Smallville in season 4. He portrayed Jason Teague, Lana Lang’s boyfriend and Clark’s high school assistant football coach. Jason was largely involved in the main storyline for the season, as he helped Lana (Kristin Kreuk) search for the Kryptonian Stones of Power to solve the mystery of the mysterious symbol on her back. But by the end of the season, Jason’s obsession over the Stones caused him to evolve into a villain. He was killed off in the Smallville season 4 finale so that Ackles could join Supernatural.
But of course, things would have been different if Jensen Ackles landed the part of Clark Kent, because Tom Welling wasn’t the only actor in the running for the role. According to Ackles, the actor was seriously being considered for the role, and it came down to him and Tom Welling (via KryptonSite). Ackles said it “got pretty close“, but the network ultimately went with Welling. At the time, Ackles said that looking back at the first three seasons of Smallville, the WB did make the right choice.
After Welling was cast, the actor played Clark for ten seasons and was one of only two characters – the other being Alison Mack’s Chloe Sullivan – to be credited as a series regular for the show’s entire lifespan. Eight years after Smallville‘s ending, Welling is set to return to the role for the Arrowverse crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Though Welling never officially suited up as the Big Blue Boy Scout, he remains to this day one of the most popular live-action Supermen, which is why fans have been requesting him for years to reprise to the part in some capacity in the Arrowverse. While a solid argument can be made that Jensen Ackles would make an excellent Batman, it’s a good thing that Ackles was never Smallville‘s Superman. Tom Welling delivered one of the most memorable portrayals of the Man of Steel, and in doing so, it allowed Ackles to deliver an equally iconic performance on Supernatural, which is why that show has been on the air for a whopping 15 seasons. The WB’s decision worked out great for both actors – and shows – in the end.
