Todd Helbing On The Biggest Differences Between Writing Clark Kent For Smallville And Superman & Lois - Exclusive
"Superman & Lois" producer Todd Helbing is no stranger to the Arrowverse. Before his work on "The Flash" was a blip on DC fans' radars, Helbing wrote an episode of "Smallville," the Super show that paved the way for the Arrowverse on The CW. Alongside his brother Aaron, the Hollywood brother duo penned the Season 7 "Smallville" episode "Hero" back in 2008. This was Helbing's first professional writing gig — which sticks with him today.
It wouldn't be until the second episode of "The Flash" in 2014 that Helbing would head back to his DC comics roots as an executive producer on the Grant Gustin-led series. And though Helbing left "The Flash" in 2019 before the "Smallville" cameo on "Crisis on Infinite Earths," he moved on to produce "Superman & Lois," which debuted in 2021. Both Clark Kent-centric shows are on opposite ends of the "Superman" spectrum. "Smallville" is a prequel that chronicles Clark's rise to Superman, while "Superman & Lois" fast forwards through most iterations to shine a light on his married life with Lois and their kids.
During an exclusive interview with Looper, Todd Helbing revealed the most significant differences between writing for a young Clark in "Smallville" versus the "Superman & Lois" iteration we've come to love on The CW.
These two Smallvilles couldn't be more different
On the biggest challenges and differences between writing for that younger "Smallville" Clark Kent, as opposed to the "Superman & Lois" Clark Kent/Superman, Helbing said, "There were so many challenges. First, that was [with] my brother [Aaron] and my first professional script, so we were very nervous." He added, "On top of that, to write Superman and all the characters in [the "Superman" mythos] was a little intimidating, but generally, it was because Clark is now a father and Lois is a mother, and they're married — that dynamic is completely different than writing teenagers." While the framework is still the same, Helbing noted, "That was the biggest difference: the type of stories, the type of relationships, and the complexities of being [adults and] working parents."
Helbing still gets to tell the tales of teens with Lois and Clark's teenage boys, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). Even better, their school mascot remaining the Crows is a wonderful homage to the series that came before.
The season finale of "Superman & Lois" is now streaming on The CW website.