Smallville Is Better Than the Arrowverse Shows for One Simple Reason

The Arrowverse had plenty of unique heroes and villains. Yet, no matter how many shows are created, Smallville stands above them all.


Smallville was a trendsetter for modern superhero TV shows. It went through phases of freak of the week to progressive, connected storytelling. Clark Kent battled villains like Brainiac, Bizzaro, Doomsday and the recurring fear of Lex Luthor finding out his secret. Smallville also acted as a blueprint for a live-action team-up of the Justice League, bringing in Justin Hartley's Green Arrow, Alan Ritchson's Aquaman and other League members. That set the stage for things like the Arrowverse, which took DC TV beyond what anyone could've imagined.


But Smallville is better than its successors, having valued character development more than crossovers. Of course, Smallville wasn't perfect, as it dealt with its fair share of issues, such as Lana Lang's character motivation. However, regardless of any issues, there's one aspect that Smallville nailed throughout -- it didn't rely on secondary characters to progress. Even after two decades, no other DC superhero show has managed to balance this aspect like Smallville.


The Arrowverse's Love Interests Failed Their Cities


In Smallville, Clark had his fair share of women lining up at his barn door. Some love interests lasted for an episode or two, while others stayed uncomfortably in the friend zone, like Chloe Sullivan. Even Lana may have overstayed her welcome. But in the end, Lois Lane was the rock Clark needed.


In comparison, shows like Arrow and The Flash made it seem like Oliver Queen and Barry Allen couldn't function without the help of their romantic partners. This is not to say that Lois Lane doesn't act like an anchor for Clark, but she's more of a guide than anything else. And, sure, friends and family helped Clark in Smallville throughout the show, but it never felt like he was dependent on them. He made mistakes but overcame them. Meanwhile, characters like Barry were constantly relying on Team Flash to call the shots.


Smallville's Subplots Were Done Perfectly


Smallville was notorious for its supporting cast, but these characters didn't need to depend on Clark to have a story. Oliver Queen, for one, had his own plot line dealing with drug addiction, training his version of Speedy and revealing his identity to the public. These stories intermingled with Clark's journey perfectly.


The Arrowverse never really kept up with interesting subplots for their recurring characters. Sure, there were moments of Caitlin Snow trying to figure out her issues with Frost, but it felt like the character didn't really progress. Even when Cisco was around, he was adamant about getting rid of his powers, only to create technology that did the same thing but would malfunction when needed for conflict in the script. It all felt unnecessary. Characters also came and left in all the Arrowverse shows. But no one in Smallville left without a good reason, and there was always a proper send-off for them.

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