Tom Welling’s Older Superman & Smallville’s Justice League Get Costume Upgrades & Their Own Watchtower In Epic DC Art

Tom Welling's Superman and the other heroes in Smallville's Justice League return in exciting DC art that gives the team updated suits and a comic book-accurate headquarters. While Smallville's 10-season run was focused on Welling's Clark Kent more so than his time as the Man of Steel, the series did have time to tease his future as DC's biggest hero. One of the most important came in the form of an early version of the Justice League, with the team appearing in multiple episodes of the live-action DC show. Years later, new art updates Smallville's JLA.

On Instagram, @buffy2ville shared shots of Smallville's older Justice League with full-on superhero suits at the Watchtower.

The heroes depicted in the Smallville fan art are Welling's Superman and the Smallville versions of Supergirl, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and the Flash. Chloe is also present, which is a fun nod to how the Justice League is now at the Watchtower, their most famous headquarters in the comics. In Smallville, Chloe went by the codename Watchtower while assisting the Justice League, with the building the team operated out of later borrowing that name. The DCU's upcoming movies could introduce their own Watchtower.

Could Smallville’s Justice League Ever Return

There Are Plans In Place For The DC Franchise

Smallville Justice League Team Roster walking in front of an explosion

As far as a full-on live-action return goes, Smallville fans should not hold their breath. That is because James Gunn's new DC Universe is unlikely to leave space for other live-action franchises that could harm it in any way. While director Matt Reeves' The Batman universe can exist under the Elseworlds label, Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight and his world are much more grounded than what the DCU has in plan for Batman. A Smallville Justice League return would likely conflict with the DCU's own plans for the popular superhero team.

James Gunn’s Reveal Of How Many DC Releases Will Debut Every Year Has Raised My Hopes About Smallville’s Sequel Plans

James Gunn's reveal about DC Studios' expected annual release schedule does have me hopeful about the potential Smallville sequel in development.

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However, there is a way for the exciting fan art to come true in the future. Tom Welling and Lex Luthor star Michael Rosenbaum are working on a Smallville animated series. Their plan is for the show's creators to write the sequel series, with most of the cast reprising their roles. However, the project has not yet been pitched to DC, with Welling revealing to ScreenRant in November 2024 that they had not yet managed to get DC's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, to give them permission to move forward with the Smallville animated series.

Our Take On Whether Smallville’s Justice League Could Ever Return

An Older Version Of The Team Has Potential

I would love to see more of Smallville's Justice League. Welling and Rosenbaum's plan of picking back up with the heroes after the original series is exciting. Through an animated series, the Smallville world would not have to deal with the kind of budget constraints involved in bringing superhero fights to life. As such, the heroes would be able to live up to their full potential. Given how Marvel can do Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in parallel with the MCU, I can see the Smallville sequel happening despite the new DCU's live-action plans.