Lex Luthor Leaves Smallville, Makes Way For Two New Villains

Lex Luthor must be out of diabolical plots, because actor Michael Rosenbaum will no longer be a part of the CW series Smallville. After seven long years of tirelessly love/hating Clark Kent, mysterious trips around the world, obsessions over the meteor shower and opulent gestures, Lex is taking a break. What new characters will step into his shiny bald shoes? Details after the jump.

Two new villains are stepping up to take the place as the antagonist in Smallville. Expect to see the DC Comics' character Doomsday (notorious for slaying Superman) along with an unknown female baddie. But this may not be the last you hear from Luthor. Although he's no longer a series regular, producers of Smallville released a statement that hinted at a few cameos later in the year saying, "He is one of the best actors on television and has never failed to bring a new layer to the character of Lex Luthor in every episode. While Michael won't be a series regular and we won't have the pleasure of working with him on a weekly basis this fall, we like to think that we haven't seen the last of Lex Luthor."

But the real question is, now that Doomsday is coming to the show are they going to try and kill Superman only to bring him back as four other versions of Superman, like in the comics? Or will young Clark Kent kick Doomsday's ass? [Hollywood Reporter]

10:49 AM on Fri May 2 2008
By Meredith Woerner
3,747 views
28 comments

Comments

Plague at 10:53 AM on 05/02/08
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I think the real question is: does anyone care?
BadThingUS at 10:55 AM on 05/02/08
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Oh, for the love of mike. Just end this damn show already!
moff at 10:59 AM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 583

I hope they change his appearance a little, or Doomsday's gonna look really out of place in Smallville. Or I guess they could just move the show to the West Village.
Log1c at 11:15 AM on 05/02/08
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@BadThingUS: You got that right. I watched this for whatever reason because Scrubs was on commercial, and Holy God wtf did they do! Small town superman was cool, now its just fucking weird.
ElijahDProphet at 11:17 AM on 05/02/08
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That is about the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time. Rosenbaum should have bailed from this sinking ship much sooner. Nobody will recognize him with hair after this long...
dirtybacon at 11:27 AM on 05/02/08
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I'd imagine michael will be happy just to be able to grow his hair out.
dirtybacon at 11:27 AM on 05/02/08
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@ElijahDProphet: crap, you beat me to it!
Dead Air ummm Dead Air at 11:32 AM on 05/02/08
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@moff: He'll just be a body builder with tats. Bet on it.
Meredith Woerner at 11:38 AM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 9

Moff: There is a homeless guy around the corner from my house that could easily pass as Doomsday.
darcymcgee at 11:39 AM on 05/02/08
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Perhaps he hasn't run OUT of diabolical schemes, perhaps he ran INTO good taste.
Priam at 12:17 PM on 05/02/08
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@Dead Air ummm Dead Air: Has the Rock done smallville yet? I would imagine they would go with a WWF wrestler or former WWF wrestler.
MickyK at 12:28 PM on 05/02/08
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Smallville never really caught my attention. I'm suprised there even enough people to keep the ratings for 7 years
TheAlmanac at 12:29 PM on 05/02/08
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I keep holding out hope for Smallville (which should've renamed itself Metropolis a long time ago), as it has a fascinating tendency to be both a good series and a bad series at the same time, but I still think having Doomsday on is a ridiculous idea...
Fwiffo at 12:31 PM on 05/02/08
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I had a passing interest in Smallville back when it was Dawson's Creek With Really Fast Running. Now it's as bad as a comic for fanwank and convoluted plotlines.
Gospel X at 12:48 PM on 05/02/08
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Maybe they'll end the series with Doomsday slaying Superman and Luthor getting the materials together to clone the Man of Steel with aspects of his own DNA in it...
JennaW at 12:51 PM on 05/02/08
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I have so much hate for this show. It is such an appalling mediocrity--AND it's a case study in why thinking in terms of "franchise" is fatal to both creativity and quality.
Dead Air ummm Dead Air at 12:51 PM on 05/02/08
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@Priam: I got a hunch Smallville is a little below The Rock's career right now, oddly enough.

All of the previous wrestler guest spots were sort of synergy when Smackdown was on the CW. Now that Smackdown is leaving the network next season I'd imagine they'd get some Vin Disel rip off to play Doomsday.

Unless you're being sarcastic and I totally missed the point...
JennaW at 12:51 PM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 236

PS -- I hope the rest of the series is one episode long.

Doomsday kills Clark.

Fade to black.
Spoony Bard at 12:56 PM on 05/02/08
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Connectedness Index: 929

@JennaW: We can only hope. I'm so goddamn sick of this show. So were Gough and Millar, apparently.
donkeyjote at 01:05 PM on 05/02/08
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Emo Prime anyone?
TheKeyMaster at 01:34 PM on 05/02/08
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here's a question...who's Clark gonna fight once he eventually becomes Superman??? Doomsday? Are you kidding? They're gonna totally cock this up. They're gonna put him in human form and make him a gigantic terd burger. Boooo!
darcymcgee at 06:03 PM on 05/02/08
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@JennaW: Perfect, Jenna. Absolutely perfect.
br4nd0n at 07:41 PM on 05/02/08
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@TheKeyMaster:

and what's so messed about this is that you're probably right!
ithidet at 09:30 PM on 05/02/08
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@Plague: nope
markcheng at 03:11 PM on 05/03/08
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i really enjoy smallville. wonder how it'll do without Lex. I wish Lana left the show a long time ago tho.
Torley at 04:12 PM on 05/03/08
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I don't this *this* particular continuity's Clark/Superman is experienced enough to fight Doomsday, yet! Doomsday's supposed to be uber-adaptive and resilient; wonder if they're going to CG him up significantly. *Not* that it would be a bad thing, necessarily, but I can't see a man in a rocky-looking suit pull it off convincingly without some assistance.
LicenseFarm at 07:23 PM on 05/03/08
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The biggest mistake Warners ever made was that they thought they could have two Superman franchises at once. The sensible thing would have been to eventually have Tom Welling become Superman in the movies, but WB was so anxious to have movies that they jumped the gun and now we have two mediocre versions thereof.

I knew it was over for Smallville halfway through the third season in the episode that Lex loses his shit and Clark has to save him in full view. When it was done I turned to my old roommate and said, "This show will never have an episode better than this one." All subsequent eps to which I've been subjected have borne out this suspicion.

I don't know how I'd make Doomsday work on the show, but if Welling wants out his "death" might be the ideal transition. They could even do a Reign of the Supermen storyline to reboot the whole series with Kon-El/Conner Kent as the second Superboy.
newstarshipsmell at 09:23 PM on 05/03/08
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I really hope Welling lacks the dignity/needs the money bad enough to don spandex this fall so I can stop watching.