Smallville ended up foreshadowing the new Arrowverse conflict for Superman & Lois after the cameo appearance of Tom Welling’s Superman in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch’s versions of Clark Kent and Lois Lane have finally become permanent members of The CW’s DC TV franchise. This iteration of the famous couple sees them not only as the world’s greatest superhero and journalist respectively but also their challenges of being parents. While they had only one kid pre-Crisis, after the creation of Earth-Prime, Lois and Clark’s new history now involved two teenage sons. But they discovered eventually that one of their kids, Jordan Kent, had inherited Superman’s powers which were one of the reasons they moved to Smallville to live on the Kent Farm.
Superman & Lois focuses on the two of them having to find a balance in being parents for teenage boys, one who is just learning about his powers, while also doing their jobs. For Clark, particularly, it was established that he has had to juggle his responsibilities being the Man of Steel as well as a father and husband. Before they discovered that he was Superman, there was a bit of a rift between them and Clark, particularly from Jordan who bonded more with his mother when his dad was always away. After learning that their father and Superman were the same person, it caused some tension that is now being worked on as they readjust to lives in Smallville. However, Crisis on Infinite Earths may have alluded to this conflict from another version of Superman in the larger Arrowverse Multiverse.
Welling returned to the role of Clark Kent/Superman for Crisis on Infinite Earths almost 10 years after Smallville ended its run on The CW. Erica Durance, who also plays Alura Zor-El on Supergirl, reprised her role as Lois Lane from the series. Hoechlin and Tulloch’s Clark and Lois met Welling’s character briefly in the crossover before they got teleported away by Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor who was on a killing-Supermen-mission spree. But while he thought Kryptonite would kill Welling’s Clark, this Man of Steel came with a surprise. Not only had he given up his powers, but Clark was now married to Lois and had two daughters that are referenced later in the scene. Just like on Superman & Lois, the Kent-Lane family were now also living on the farm in Smallville. Even though Clark’s lack of powers is a big mystery, it does set up a big parallel between Smallville and Superman & Lois.
While he’s no longer Superman, Welling’s Clark did get a different happy ending that Hoechlin’s interpretation may never have. The premise for the new Arrowverse spinoff is that he has to figure out how he can be both Superman and a family man. Despite Earth-Prime’s Superman still being married and having a family, he has a conflict that Welling’s character doesn’t on Earth-167. It’s not impossible that Clark’s daughters, similarly to Jordan, inherited Kryptonian powers even if their dad doesn’t have abilities anymore. Even if that’s the case, Clark would still have more time to help them master their gifts without having to save the world at the same time, or they could’ve had their powers removed the same way Clark did.
From a character standpoint, it can certainly feel overwhelming for Hoechlin’s version to know that he met a Superman on another Earth that got the ideal perfect family life without carrying the world on his shoulders all the time. The only thing Smallville‘s Clark had to do was give up his Kryptonian gifts so he could instead be a personal superman for his wife and daughters. That’s why Superman & Lois have such a compelling journey for Clark because this is a conflict that he’ll have to solve as the series progresses. It would even be a fun Arrowverse crossover idea if Smallville‘s Clark (who is confirmed to be alive post-Crisis) showed up on Earth-Prime one day and got to give Hoechlin’s Superman some fatherly advice as Superman & Lois overcomes their family conflict.
