Although the recent “Crisis on Infinite Earths” managed to pack a lot of cameos into its five-part event, there were apparently many other ideas that didn’t make the final cut. You can see the full list of dropped concepts over on FandomWire via the link below, but one that stands out to us is that Smallville‘s Michael Rosenbaum was originally down to appear as Lex Luthor in the series. If this had happened, the actor would have joined Tom Welling and Erica Durance in returning for the crossover event.
The relationship between Rosenbaum and “Crisis” is intriguing, given that We Got This Covered was the first outlet to break the news that he would be returning as Lex Luthor for the special. However, Rosenbaum then explained that while he’d been approached to appear in the crossover, due to a combination of personal timing, there being no script at the time, and next-to-no compensation, he decided to turn the part down. According to FandomWire, though, Rosenbaum’s Lex was included in a draft of the original script and may have been closer to appearing in the crossover than first believed, meaning that our original scoop was correct. At least, at the time. Unfortunately, though, the actor ultimately passed on the part.
“There were also rumors that Smallville’s Lex Luthor, portrayed by Michael Rosenbaum, was going to appear in the crossover in person. These rumors were true as CW’s original script for the event had him involved,” says FandomWire.
In the end though, we still received a satisfying coda to the Smallville story, with Tom Welling appearing as a de-powered Clark Kent who’s retired to a farm with Lois Lane and their two daughters. Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor, meanwhile, shows up looking for another version of Superman, but is baffled by Clark Kent’s decision to give up his Kryptonian powers. According to Arroverse producer Marc Guggenheim, if Rosenbaum had signed on, he would have shared a scene with Cryer’s Luthor, made more intriguing by the former’s Lex being the US President.
The final scene just gave us a quick reference to Rosenbaum’s character as Commander in Chief, with Guggenheim also confirming that Clark and Lois’ family, and presumably Lex, survived the Multiverse reset. It’s a shame, then, that Rosenbaum couldn’t join in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” action, although his personal reasons for doing so are understandable. With a Brandon Routh Superman series reportedly on the cards though, here’s hoping we get another follow-up to Smallville that could expand upon the glimpses we saw in “Crisis.”
