WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the third season of Lucifer.


Most people know Tom Welling from his days playing Clark Kent on Smallville, the WB/CW series that gave us Superman before he became the superhero we all recognize from the comic books. That role defined Welling's career, which is why it's so refreshing to see him extend his repertoire with another show based on a DC Comics series: Lucifer.

When Welling takes a role, he is committed to it, as you can see when looking back at his career. He served as a director and executive producer for Smallville, fighting against changes he felt went against the character the series had developed over the course of a decade. When the show ended, we didn't see much of Welling, but after six years, he has returned to television, this time as the no-nonsense Lieutenant Marcus Pierce.

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Smallville did a fantastic job at exploring Clark Kent's growth and struggle in accepting his role as something of an outsider in human society. Welling made the character his own, refraining from reading the comics or watching Christopher Reeves' portrayal in the Superman films, and yet there was something familiar and fitting in his portrayal. This is a near god-like character with very human struggles and small town values, and Welling played him almost perfectly.

Superman is a famously optimistic, good-hearted superhero, written to embody all the virtuous qualities one would expect from their heroes. He's a force for good and a role model -- but Welling didn't always play him that way. The compassion and small town values were all there, which allowed audiences to feel that sense of innocence emanating from the character, but for the most part, Clark Kent as depicted in Smallville was still finding his way. He was struggling to find his place between his sense of responsibility and the fact that even with all his power, he would never be able to save everyone.

Welling's Clark Kent was still sorting himself out and growing into the superpowered kryptonian guardian that would save the Earth from the likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac and Doomsday. The bottom line is, Clark Kent is wildly different from the character Welling plays in Lucifer.

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In 2017, Welling appeared as the mysterious Lieutenant Pierce in the third season of Lucifer. Initially, the character appeared to be just another run of the mill silent, strong character. Lucifer brings his devilish eccentricity and energy to a scene and it appeared that Pierce's role seemed to be that of Luci's antithesis. As it turns out, this was the perfect way to introduce Pierce, because it made his mid-season twist that much more shocking, which in turn added to his steadily growing complexity which audiences are sure to find fascinating.

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He's not just a no-nonsense cop, he's the world's first murderer: Cain, cursed by God to wander the Earth for all eternity, as punishment for murdering his brother, Abel. When you look back at Welling's performance after this revelation, it all seems so perfect. You'll start noticing his subtle hints of regret and the emotion from his dark past occasionally bubbling up. There's a compelling reason for him to appear grounded, silent and mysterious, one that Lucifer understands, despite his willingness to reveal his own divine nature to the world.

Welling's performance as Cain thus far is already superior to his performance as Clark. Aside from the fact that the nature of Cain's character allows for more depth, Welling has clearly matured and refined his talents since we last saw him.

Tom-Welling-Pierce

He remains just grounded enough that we believe his internal struggle, and confident enough that we also believe that Cain genuinely doesn't fear death. He has become jaded by everything he has experienced over the last several thousand years.

If we compare that to Welling's performance as Clark, we can see that Clark, while a great character, was nowhere near as impactful on-screen as Cain has already proven to be. That's partly due to the fact that everything about Clark's world was created for action and drama. Clark was an admirable character and he certainly had his relatable moments, but given his nature, Welling could only ever play him as being an extraterrestrial, physically superior to humans, something no one will ever really be able to understand on an emotional level.

On the other hand, Cain may be immortal, but he's still human.

His purpose is to aid in the show's attempt at offering entertaining commentary on the whole human experience. It works because Welling is arguably able to do more with the character than he ever could with Clark and with noticeably more finesse. In fact, in a recent interview, Welling says the character was partially what drew him back to television, and his enjoyment of his new role is increasingly apparent. We cannot wait to see where Cain, or Lieutenant Pierce go next.