Why did Michael Rosenbaum choose to quit Smallville after a successful seven-season run as Lex Luthor? In the following article, we’ll uncover its causes.
When the first season of Smallville premiered in 2001, Michael Rosenbaum took on the role of Superman’s archenemy Lex Luthor, following in the footsteps of actors such as Gene Hackman and John Shea.
Smallville viewers watched as Rosenbaum’s friendship with Tom Welling’s Clark Kent deteriorated over the course of the show’s seven seasons as the villainous playboy gained power.
The Reasons Why Michael Rosenbaum Left Smallville
One of the best TV shows of the 2000s was Smallville, which followed Clark Kent as he went about his daily life before becoming Superman, the most powerful superhero in the DC Universe.
Although their once-promising friendship would eventually turn bitter over the period of the television program, the venerable supervillain was reinvented as an odd friend for a teenage Clark Kent. As Clark’s adversary Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum played a significant role in the show’s first seven seasons.
So now we will see what led Michael Rosenbaum to leave Smallville. In a 2016 interview with Empire, the actor claimed that he had spoken with Warner Brothers president John Roth, who was eager to have him stay on Smallville for a few more seasons but believed that it was finally fair to walk on from his role of Lex after seven years and attempt a fresh role.
He added that he did not want to sign a two-year extension to the character’s follicular needs because he had already exceeded his six-year contract’s duration.
He believes that he has played this character for a sufficient amount of time; he doesn’t feel the need to shave his scalp for an extra two years after playing this role for seven years.
American Actor Michael Rosenbaum (Credits: TV Insider)
After them, Rosenbaum, who had committed to the show until Season 7, departed as well after discovering the character he played had nothing more to say. The actor came to the conclusion that this was their final opportunity. They ran out of tales to share.
However, he did not condemn the authors and producers who carried on with the project after Millar and Gough ceased production. The three discussed the projects of their coworkers and agreed that it was the right time to proceed because their respective artistic journeys had naturally split.
Lex Luthor was eliminated from the show, per the actor’s choice, in the seventh season’s Arctic finale. The Arctic finished with Luthor facing Clark in the Castle of Solitude, having become a more evil character throughout the duration of the season.
Lex begins to destroy the Fortress because he views Clark as a danger to mankind, along with himself as its savior. The two ex-friends are buried in cold rubble as he confesses his love for Clark as if it were a brotherly bond.
Since the show’s creators have been seeking ways to spice up the narrative and present fresh difficulties to Superman in what may be the show’s final season, rumors of Rosenbaum’s departure have been circulating. Doomsday, who is infamous for murdering Superman in the DC comic book Superman universe, is one of the new antagonists.
