‘Smallville’s Tom Welling recently shared his least favorite storyline from the show’s ten-season run during an appearance at Fan Expo New Orleans. Welling explained why the arc was necessary for the story and why he wouldn’t change it, even if he had a chance.
The storyline Welling didn’t enjoy was the Red-Blue Blur arc. On the storyline, Welling said, “I hated it! You saw me being just disgruntled.” He added that he understood its purpose in developing Clark’s character, though. “I knew it needed to happen because we were… we were dying!” he said, laughing.
Welling also shared that he found certain parts of the storyline awkward to play, such as scenes where Lois Lane (Erica Durance) praised the Red-Blue Blur. Welling said it felt strange for Clark to have an alter ego so different from his role as Superman. “It was this stupid thing where Clark had this Alter Ego where he dressed in black, and he was like Batman,” he explained. “It was just like, ‘What are we doing?’ It was just Clark being a vigilante at night.”
Durance, on the other hand, said she liked the arc. She joked, “I was going to say it’s my favorite because you hated it so much!” Laura Vandervoort, who played Kara (Supergirl), admitted she didn’t remember much about the Red-Blue Blur storyline and needed it explained to her during the panel.
Looking back, Welling noted that he was often too focused on his busy schedule at the time to think deeply about the creative choices behind the show. But he said he now appreciates certain scenes from the Red-Blue Blur arc. “I look back and I see why they had to do it,” he admitted. “The one thing I do like about the Red-Blue Blur character is he was a lot of times by himself on a rooftop making phone calls on a cellphone. I love those scenes.”
The Red-Blue Blur arc took place during ‘Smallville’s ninth season. This phase of the show followed Clark Kent as he shifted into a darker version of himself, wearing a black costume and acting as a vigilante at night. This came after season eight, where Clark metaphorically died during the Doomsday saga. Clark distanced himself from his human life during this time and focused entirely on protecting Earth.
The Red-Blue Blur phase ended in season ten, where Clark transitioned into the hopeful hero he was always meant to be.
