Michael Rosenbaum, considered by many as the greatest version of the DC Universe villain Lex Luthor put on screen, departed Smallville after season 7. This places him in a long legacy of performers, including Jensen Ackles, who left Smallville early. A prequel to traditional Superman stories, the CW drama Smallville evolved significantly throughout its 10-season run. The show began as a high school drama in the titular town, and spent its final seasons in a hero-populated Metropolis with Clark Kent working as a budding journalist.

DC is well-suited to long-form television, and Smallville was the precursor to the Arrowverse, which expanded the scope of superhero storytelling with cross-pollinating series including The Flash and Supergirl. These series owe a great deal to Smallville, which itself had plans for a DC Justice League spinoff that were never realized. In recent years, Rosenbaum has spent a great deal of time reflecting on Smallville and its legacy on podcasts Inside of You and Talk Ville. These conversations have provided great insights into the series’ past and potential future.

Michael Rosenbaum Originally Signed On For 6 Seasons Of Smallville

Rosenbaum Extended His Contract For An Additional Year

In an interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Rosenbaum revealed the reasoning behind his departure from the series. The actor was contracted for six seasons and wound up staying for a seventh before leaving. “I’m just ready to move on, and I’m just ready to take a new step,” Rosenbaum said about his departure. The actor had an option to remain on the series, but he was looking for new opportunities and wished to grow as an actor and performer. As such, Lex Luthor only reappeared in the series finale.

Rosenbaum has since continued working, with much of his experience being in providing voices to video games. The actor has voiced other DC characters, including The Flash, in the Lego DC Super-Villains and Infinite Crisis video games. He also led the short-lived series Impastor and has appeared briefly in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3. Rosenbaum even plans to continue Smallville in another medium sometime in the future.

Michael Rosenbaum Left Smallville When The Original Creators Exited

Kristen Kreuk Also Left The CW Series At The Same Time

Smallville was set to undergo several changes after the end of season 7. On his podcast Inside of You, Rosenbaum spoke with Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar about his departure, saying, “part of that reason is two other people left after season 7,“ referring to Gough and Millar. With a desire to move on to other projects, and after already extending his contract an additional year, it seems that changes to the makeup of the show created the perfect opportunity for the actor to move on.

Smallville season 8 saw substantial changes to its cast. Kristin Kreuk and Laura Vandervoort left Smallville in addition to Rosenbaum, and characters like Oliver Queen became more integral to the series. Tess Mercer and Davis Bloom were introduced as new villains to replace Lex, and – taking a substantial shift away from the titular city – most of the season instead took place in Metropolis. With a primarily changed cast and a different creative team behind the series, the end of season 7 gave Rosenbaum an ideal place to leave.

Why Michael Rosenbaum Turned Down A Lex Luthor Return In Crisis On Infinite Earths

The Crossover Event Featured Tom Welling And Erica Durance In Their Smallville Roles

“Crisis on Infinite Earths” was an enormous event for the Arrowverse that featured character returns from across the DC Universe. In addition to a Brandon Routh appearance as Superman, the Smallville universe was briefly visited and featured cameos by Tom Welling and Erica Durance. Disappointingly, Smallville‘s Lex Luthor rejected an offer from the studio and Rosenbaum did not appear. He claims that he was given a very vague offer, and it was insufficient for him to sign on.

The plans for Rosenbaum’s appearance were later revealed, detailing that the character was intended to interact with Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor during the event. This did not align with Rosenbaum’s desire for the character. In an interview with Screen Rant, the actor said: “There’s only room for one Lex. If they’re doing this multiverse story, I don’t want to be with other Lexes.“

How Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor Can Return After Smallville’s Ending

The Sequel Comic Book Smallville: Season Eleven May Be Followed By An Animated Series

Rosenbaum has recently spoken about plans for a Smallville animated sequel. While this is not likely to happen anytime soon due to the launching of the DC Universe, the Lex Luthor actor’s sequel pitch would follow the end of the series, which saw Clark Kent finally donning the Superman uniform. While Smallville was already followed by a sequel comic book called Smallville: Season Eleven, it is unclear if the events from the book will be considered canon to the proposed animated series.

Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are both involved with the series, and Rosenbaum has said that the series’ original creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, are as well. He also claims the bulk of the main cast are willing to return to voice their characters. With a relationship established between Rosenbaum and DC co-CEO James Gunn, the pieces are there for an animated sequel to come around for the studio if and when the time is ever right.

Lex Luthor has been and will likely always be an important part of Superman stories. With the launch of the DCU ahead, Nicholas Hoult is cast to play the iconic villain. Still, with Rosenbaum being James Gunn’s favorite Lex, some ideas could be borrowed from Smallville. Rosenbaum’s contribution to the Lex Luthor character has helped define the villain, and the actor leaving the series when he did looks to have potentially helped solidify his status in the role. Lex Luthor’s future is now as exciting as ever, and the prospect of an animated return to Smallville is a promising one.