Despite what happened in “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, Superman (Tom Welling) could secretly still have his powers, thanks to a plot device introduced in Smallville season 7. In Smallville’s world, there exists a form of meteor rock called blue Kryptonite, which negates Clark’s power whenever he’s near it.
The Arrowverse 2019-2020 crossover event, “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, revisited Smallville’s Clark Kent years after his evolution into Superman. It was revealed through his “Crisis” cameo that he gave up his powers in order to live a normal life and raise a family with his Earth’s Lois Lane (Erica Durance). As for how such a thing could be possible, it has been assumed by many that Clark accomplished this with gold Kryptonite. The villains of season 10 tried to use it as a weapon against him, because if it came in physical contact with him, he would have been stripped of his powers forever. Given that gold Kryptonite does possess this capability, it makes sense that this is how Clark walked away from being Superman.
An alternative theory is that Clark used blue instead of gold Kryptonite. They have similar effects on Clark’s abilities, but there’s an important distinction. Gold Kryptonite takes away his abilities and leaves him with no chance of ever getting them back, but the blue kind only renders him powerless for as long as it’s touching his body. In a season 7 episode, Clark met Dax-Ur (Mark McClure), a Kryptonian scientist who was living on Earth with a human family. He was able to enjoy a peaceful existence only because he wore a blue Kryptonite bracelet. It’s possible that Clark remembered this and took inspiration from Dax-Ur when he made his big decision.
If Clark found a way to keep a piece of blue Kryptonite on his person at all times, he’d be able to live without his powers for as long as he wanted. Many have wondered if he could have pulled that off with his watch, but it really could have been hidden anywhere. The good thing about doing it this way would be that he’d be able to become Superman again if he ever really needed to. Using gold Kryptonite could have had huge consequences, especially if the Earth faced a threat that Smallville’s Justice League couldn’t handle without his help. If that happened, it would be too late for Clark to take back his choice. But with blue Kryptonite, the Earth could still depend on him as a last resort.
The scenario of Clark’s powers only being negated would explain a few things about his “Crisis” ending. First of all, it seemed surprising that he was willing to tolerate a Lex Luthor presidency. He knew Lex was out still out there when he gave up his abilities, but it may be that he was always prepared to go back into action against Lex if it came to that. Also, there’s Clark’s reaction to Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor. He didn’t act threatened by Lex’s presence, and that could be because he knew he had a way of instantly getting his powers back. Regardless, the issue of whether Smallville’s Superman used blue or gold Kryptonite is likely a question that will go unanswered, and is better left up to the interpretation of the viewer.
