Will Lex Luthor rise from the grave for Smallville's season nine?
Michael Rosenbaum's departure from Smallville in season seven should have been a heavy blow to a series already suffering from flagging ratings and a bad batch of still-born stories. But the following season turned out to be one of Smallville's best, introducing a fine female successor to Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor and edging us closer into Superman territory.With season nine on the horizon, and the show getting its best reviews and ratings in years, the big question is coming up again: Will Rosenbaum return to Smallville?
Last season we watched a disfigured Lex, played by a different actor whose face was hidden, apparently die in an explosion. Of course, fans knew instantly that Superman's nemesis was still kicking somewhere (as confirmed by exec producer Brian Peterson at Comic-Con).
CW exec Dawn Ostroff recently said that fans shouldn't rule out the possibility of Rosenbaum's return, but it might not happen next season. "I don't know that we've had a conversation with Michael, but I think the idea was to keep the character alive and make his presence really felt." she said. TV Guide says Lex will definitely be back in an upcoming episode, but will it be Rosenbaum or Faux Lex?
I'd love to see Rosenbaum return to the role, but the show is doing fine without him. His absence isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me. Smallville has lost five major cast members over the last few years, not to mention its creators, but shedding some of that weight has only sharpened the show's creative focus. Now we're really riding on Clark Kent's hip on his epic journey to become the man in tights.

7 Comments