Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Clark Kent’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor on The CW’s Smallville, has announced that he will be leaving the show as a full time regular.
In a statement released by the network, the actor outlined his reasons for the departure. “It is time for me to start the next chapter of my life and career,” he said. “I hope that I gave you some enjoyment over the years, and that you found my portrayal of Lex Luthor to be satisfying. I am truly grateful, as Smallville fans are the best fans out there.”
Not only is this the second big departure to rock the long-running origin series, with the showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar leaving a few weeks ago, but it also removes the primary antagonist from Smallville’s plot. The producers believe that they have a solution in the form of two new villains, however. One is familiar to comic book fans as the character who actually killed Superman, Doomsday. However, the powers that be are keeping quiet about the other. “She will be familiar to many fans and will set her sights on Clark in ways Lex never could,” reveals another release from the CW. “Intelligent, brilliantly manipulative, and dangerously sinister, our gorgeous new villain has one more weapon in her arsenal: her mutual attraction with Clark may prove to be as deadly as Kryptonite for him.”
Smallville returns for an eighth season this autumn on The CW in the States and E4 in the UK.
