One of the more exciting stories in the run-up to the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event this fall has been the on-set photos of different Supermen. Just this week we’ve seen Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh suit up, as well as Hoechlin with Tom Welling’s version of the character. Now, Brandon Routh has revealed that he’ll be appearing as Clark Kent in the Arrowverse event, and that the reporter has had a major promotion at the Daily Planet.
Routh shared a photo, available below, on Instagram of himself as Kent, standing in front of a sign reading “Clark Kent: Editor-in-Chief.” The actor also followed this up with the caption: “Look who I found during a recent visit to the #DailyPlanet.” Although Routh’s appearance as Clark may only be a cameo, given that he’ll presumably be in Superman mode for most of the special, it does raise some questions as to the version of the Man of Steel he’s playing.
We’ve already seen Routh in his “Kingdom Come” Superman suit, which may or may not tie into a dual role as editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. In “Kingdom Come,” Kal-El retreats to the Fortress of Solitude after the Joker attacks the Planet and kills Lois Lane. Some time later, Kal-El returns as Superman to fight alongside the Justice League. If “Crisis on Infinite Earths” is faithful to the “Kingdom Come” storyline, one possibility is that the Joker attack happens while Clark Kent is editor-in-chief at the newspaper.
The latest photo from Routh also shows what appears to be a younger version of Clark Kent than the previous images we received of him as Superman, implying that this may be a flashback. We’re expecting there to be more “Crisis on Infinite Earths” news coming soon as well, including a shot of Tom Welling appearing in the iconic suit that he didn’t quite get to wear on Smallville. Or, you know, they could just save that reveal for the event itself. Time will tell, but as always, watch this space for more.