Supernatural and Smallville: The Crossover That Never Was

by

I remember hearing back in 2016 that the writers were actually thinking about a crossover episode! It would have been amazing – both shows were huge hits for The CW, running for fifteen and ten seasons. Considering how great The CW was at doing crossovers, it felt like a really missed chance to bring these two worlds together.

The show Smallville explored the teenage years of Clark Kent, and Supernatural centered on the thrilling monster hunts of brothers Sam and Dean Winchester. While Smallville had a bright, picturesque setting in the American Midwest, and Supernatural leaned towards a darker, more intense fantasy world, a crossover between the two could have been incredibly successful.

The Idea for the Smallville/Supernatural Crossover Is Based on an Urban Legend

In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Supernatural writer Jackson Stewart shared a funny idea that came up during a brainstorming session. The writers had pitched an episode where a curse plagued every actor who played Superman, ultimately leading to a plot where they needed to save Tom Welling, the star of Smallville. Stewart thought it was one of the most amusing concepts he’d ever heard.

The “Superman curse” is a popular story about bad luck befalling actors who have played the iconic hero, most notably George Reeves and Christopher Reeve. George Reeves, who starred in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman, died unexpectedly at the age of 45, just a year after the show ended. Christopher Reeve famously portrayed Superman in four films throughout the 1970s and 80s, but was tragically paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995 and later passed away in 2004 at age 51.

The plan was to turn this legend into a genuine curse that needed to be stopped before it killed Tom Welling, the star of Smallville.

Supernatural Had the Perfect Set-Up for a Smallville Crossover

Although we don’t know exactly what a crossover between Supernatural and Smallville would have been like, we can still guess at some ideas. Examining how Supernatural depicted the world of filmmaking might give us hints about the potential plot. Many fans will remember the humorous episode, “The French Mistake,” but the Winchesters actually first dealt with Hollywood in the season two episode, “Hollywood Babylon.”

In the episode “Hollywood Babylon,” the Winchester brothers travel to Hollywood to investigate reports of ghosts on the set of the horror movie Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning. They pose as production assistants to blend in and uncover the source of the haunting. Dean quickly adapted to his new role, easily picking up the film industry jargon, befriending the crew, and even charming the leading actress.

The first death the brothers investigated was initially a publicity stunt for a movie, but they soon discovered the screenwriter was actually using supernatural means – summoning real ghosts – to get revenge on people he felt had damaged his work. This incident demonstrates a possible method the Winchesters could have used to get involved in a case.

I absolutely loved “The French Mistake!” It was so clever to see Sam and Dean suddenly transported to a world where they were just actors – Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles – playing characters on a TV show. The episode was packed with fun cameos and it didn’t take itself too seriously, even making jokes about the show and the people who make it. It was a really brilliant and self-aware episode!

The potential crossover episode could have brought Sam and Dean back to the alternate reality, allowing them to disguise themselves as their counterparts. Dean would have easily fit the role, having nearly played Clark Kent himself. This setup would have been a fun opportunity for the actors, Jensen Ackles and Tom Welling, to playfully interact as fictionalized versions of themselves, perhaps even teasing each other about Ackles’ audition for Clark Kent or his quick exit from Smallville.

There’s an interesting idea about how Supernatural could have incorporated references to itself! It suggests the show might have been able to cleverly feature the Winchester brothers within its own universe, potentially through humorous nods to its own history, similar to the self-aware moments in the episode “Hollywood Babylon.”

In that episode, Sam is anxious to leave before arriving in Stars Hollow, the town where the show Gilmore Girls was filmed. However they got involved in the case, it would have been an entertaining experience, and Dean would have almost certainly tried to flirt with one of the beautiful actresses from Smallville.

Supernatural and Smallville Had Some Major Overlap

Before he became a household name with Supernatural, Jensen Ackles almost landed a different role on Smallville. Interestingly, he wasn’t their first choice, actually! He’d even auditioned with Kristin Kreuk for the part. When they needed someone to play Lana Lang’s new boyfriend in Season 4, the producers remembered the chemistry he and Kristin had and brought him back as Jason Teague. It’s funny to think how close he was to being a regular on that show instead of Sam Winchester!

Jason and Lana first connected in Paris when Lana was studying overseas. After Lana went back home to Smallville, Jason decided to join her, taking a job as an assistant football coach at Smallville High.

Jared Padalecki recalled how he landed the role after being on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast. He humorously pointed out that he played a football coach to Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling) on the show, despite being younger than Welling in real life – something the producers didn’t seem to mind. Padalecki joked that he was happy to take any role they offered, even saying, ‘I’ll play Kristin Kreuk’s boyfriend, or the football coach, or even the janitor!’

Originally, the plan was to bring Jason Teague back in Season 5, but the actor was chosen to star in Supernatural instead. This change forced the writers to quickly wrap up Jason’s storyline, giving it a more dramatic and tragic direction before he died in the Season 4 finale during a second meteor shower on Smallville.

Beyond shared actors and crew members between Smallville and Supernatural, Tom Welling and Jared Padalecki have talked about fun, mischievous moments that happened while filming. One of Tom Welling’s pranks on his fellow actors was almost included in Supernatural’s blooper reel. It’s clear that a combined episode would have been a blast for everyone involved.

Read More

2026-02-26 06:08