10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Smallville

10. It Was Originally Intended To Be A Batman Show

Before Smallville became the Smalllville that audiences knew and loved for ten seasons, the original plan for the series was for it to actually be an exploration of the younger days of Bruce Wayne and his ascension towards becoming Batman.

Of course, that series would not have been called Smallville, for Smallville is a Superman-driven title. Regardless, loose plans were in place for a show shining a light on Bruce's journey to the cape and cowl. Those plans, however, were shelved after Warner Bros. decided to move forward with a new Batman film.

At this point in time, Warner Bros. and DC Comics put in place restrictions that become known as the Bat-embargo. Basically, with plans afoot for a silver screen return for the World's Greatest Detective, the powers-that-be didn't want to muddy the waters by having several different versions of the Dark Knight in play across different mediums. So much so, that even animated series The Batman was restricted in the use of certain characters.

With the Caped Crusader off the table, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar would take the concept of a hero's younger days and spin it into what became Smallville. And the rest, as they say, is history.

As for that new Batman movie, that would eventually go on to be Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. For a look at the formative years of Bruce Wayne and his taking on of the Batman moniker, that idea would be revisited over a decade down the line with Gotham.