Smallville actor Sam Witwer wasn’t shy about voicing his disappointment regarding the direction writers took in the show’s eighth season, but now the star says that he regrets criticizing Doomsday’s storyline. Smallville depicted Clark Kent’s younger years up to his transformation into the beloved DC hero, Superman. The television series had an impressive run on air, lasting ten seasons and inspiring the CW to produce other comic based shows like the ones that now comprise The Arrowverse.
Witwer ed Tom Welling and the Smallville cast as Davis Bloome, a paramedic destined to become Superman’s nemesis Doomsday. Bloome struggles to retain his being while transforming into the monster, but he’s ultimately freed from his alter ego by black kryptonite. Sadly, Bloome proves he isn’t much different from Doomsday when he murders Jimmy in a fit of rage. Witwer had conveyed his discontent about his character’s end, but he recently informed STARBURST that he regretted his actions. Read below to see why Witwer thinks he made a mistake:
“I talked about how I was unhappy with how that character ended, and that level of honesty in interviews at the time, when Smallville was airing, doesn’t really accomplish anything. What you’re doing is putting a bit of a rainy day on an entertainment product, that you want people to enjoy, you worked hard so that people would enjoy it. I think my honesty there was maybe a little uncalled for, because overall, I thought that the Davis arc was fantastic.”
Criticism Surrounds Smallville’s Doomsday
Splitting Bloome from his Doomsday persona allowed Clark to stay true to his character and avoid killing as a means to stop his enemies by sealing Doomsday deep within the earth. Although the plan appears to work, Bloome’s obsession with Chloe persists. After overhearing Chloe confess to her husband Jimmy that she didn’t have a romantic interest in Bloome, he mortally wounds Jimmy and attempts to kill Chloe as well. However, his rampage ends when Jimmy uses the final moments of his life to deliver a final blow to Bloome. Doomsday himself has limited screentime compared to Bloome, which drew criticism at the time. The epic villain at killed Superman in the comics was reduced to something less grand in scale.
Witwer may have taken issue with how Smallville writers handled Bloome’s fate, but he says that he is grateful for the opportunity to have played the role. Even so, he is far from being the only person to criticize the show’s handling of the villain. Many Superman fanatics have taken issue with Smallville’s portrayal of Doomsday. The story feels more akin to a typical werewolf saga or even that of King Kong where beauty is able to subdue the beast. The villain's depiction is a far cry from Doomsday's comic book origins.
Davis Bloome Was Destined To Fail
Although Witwer may have been unhappy with Bloome’s demise, his death was a necessity. Viewers may feel some empathy for Bloome during his Doomsday struggles, but it is hard to root for the character. His antagonism toward the Smallville characters mixed with the impossible task of getting Doomsday done right on TV at the time meant the character was never going to succeed. His introduction alone causes a divide among one of Smallville’s most beloved couples. Even if Bloome had been given a full redemption arc apart from Doomsday, he would still be received negatively for his role actions.
Source: STARBURST