While “Smallville” ran for ten seasons from 2001 to 2011 and introduced a handful of major players in the DC Universe on the small screen, including Green Arrow, Zod, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman, the show wasn’t allowed to use some of the comic book world’s most prominent heroes and villains.
Besides Batman never appearing on “Smallville,” Wonder Woman also didn’t show up throughout its long run. Writer Bryan Q. Miller said in an interview with CBR that there were plans to have Diana Prince in the series, but another project led to those storylines being nixed: “If memory serves, we were in preliminary discussions as to how to introduce her as a character for a short arc on the show. Then, right in the middle of that, the [David E.] Kelley pilot popped into existence, and access to Diana fell away.”
Additionally, Miller mentioned in a separate conversation there were hopes to introduce the villain Vandal Savage, portrayed by former “Superman & Lois” actor Dean Cain. However, at the last minute, production was told someone else planned on using the character in some fashion: “We had to change it to a generic character named Curtis Knox and it was inferred that he was probably Vandal Savage. Stuff like that would come up all the time, not just with Batman.”
DC handcuffed what characters “Smallville” could use, so Batman, Wonder Woman, or Vandal Savage didn’t appear in live-action. The strict rules are also why Clark Kent never transformed into Superman until the Season 10 finale. Ultimately, Ian Somerhalder’s Adam Knight not becoming Batman represents one of the show’s greatest missed opportunities.
