Calling Michael Rosenbaum: Smallville needs you!

      When Smallville first hit the airwaves in September 2001, in the series pilot, a tortured Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is standing on a bridge, pondering everything he has been discovering about his true identity.  This is also the scene in which Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor is introduced into the storyline: Lex is seen driving at a fast rate of speed, losing control of his porsche, hitting Clark, breaking through the bridge's siderail and catapulting into the river below.  Clark saves Lex from drowning in his mangled Porsche...and from this intervention, the two become fast friends in the beginning.

     As the subsequent seasons explore the Luthor/Kent friendship,  Rosenbaum's portrayal of Lex grows: at times, he's tortured by the early death of his mother (who tried to shield him from his father's egomaniacal business dealings); in other instances, he befriends both Clark and his high school buddies (Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross); and yet, still remains highly inquisitive of just how a farm boy named Clark Kent could have saved him from such a devastating auto accident.  By the end of the third season, the friendship between Clark and Lex is pretty much gone, tattered by the fact that Lex had been investigating Clark and his family---actually had a whole room devoted to his obsession with them.

     This was just the beginning of Lex Luthor's descent into the abyss, and, Rosenbaum's portrayal was just as gradual, with an almost steady-eddie feeling to it.  At times a sympathetic business owner (i.e. helping Lana Lang save the "Talon"), at times a ruthless mad-scientist (in one episode, "irradiating" seeds with kryptonite; in another, building a weapon for the defense department)--Rosenbaum portrayed evil in a wholly different aspect from others who had played the Lex Luthor role  (Gene Hackman in the first Superman Movies with Christopher Reeve; Kevin Spacey in the 2007 version).

      Between seasons six and seven of the series, Rosenbaum's Lex hopelessly graduates to the evil side: some of the highlights of his evil descent was to "tricK" Lana Lang with a false pregnancy, which made her succumb to Lex's marriage proposal; killing his megalomaniac father Lionel Luthor over information regarding "the traveler".  Again, Michael Rosenbaum played the evil Lex rather deeply, as if he could be Lex's long lost twin. 

           At the end of season seven of Smallville, fans received word from Michael Rosenbaum that he would not be returning for season eight.  For the first seven years of the series, Rosenbaum's portrayal of Lex Luthor was a penultimate performance: as the role became more evil, Rosenbaum's performance was made believable due to the vulnerability and determination he infused into the role.   It was a very sad moment for the shows millions of fans, when a letter from Michael was posted on the Smallville fan site http://www.Kryptonsite.com which stated the following:

     "Well, it's been seven wonderful years.  Your support is what has made Smallville so successful, and I appreciate you all more than you know.

     That being said, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life and career.  I hope that I gave you some enjoyment over the years, and that you found my portrayal of Lex Luthor to be satisfying.  I am truly grateful, as Smallville fans are the best fans out there.  I sincerely hope that you will continue to follow my career through my hair growth period and beyond...

    Thanks crew. Thanks fans. Thanks Smallville.

I love you all,

Michael Rosenbaum".

     Millions of fans---including myself---just knew we would miss Michael's presence on Smallville, however, I believe all of us wanted to give the writers and producers of the show "the benefit of the doubt".  The eighth season (which just recently concluded) introduced Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) which took over the Luthors' empire and "Davis Bloome/Doomsday" (Sam Witwer) as the new threat to Clark's well-being.  Tess is purportedly a "Lex Luthor" wannabe, while Davis is fighting off the beast within, a.k.a. "Doomsday".  Both storylines were strong at first, but, as the season progressed, became mediocre at best. 

     By the end of season eight, "Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow" (Justin Hartley) has supposedly done away with the "evil" that is Lex Luthor, by detonating a bomb placed in his transport.  Yet, as a fan of the mythology ---everyone knows that Lex Luthor is a man that mimics a cat's nine lives.  So, as a fan of the show "Smallville", I write this article in hopes of beginning a grass roots movement to plead with the show's writers, producers, and the CW---to BRING BACK MICHAEL ROSENBAUM AS LEX LUTHOR.

     Though the writers, producers, and the CW may believe that this is unnecessary (due to the fact that "Smallville" next season, season nine, may be it's last), I tend to disagree with them on this notion.  The show has been under-performing in the ratings (season finale rating was only 3.40), and, bringing back Rosenbaum's tortured, determined, and vulnerable portrayal would be well worth what he would ask for a salary.  Not to mention that we'd all be able to re-acquaint ourselves with our favorite bald, scheming, mad scientist villain.  If season nine were to be the last, let it go out with a bigger bang---for the show's sake, and, for fan's of the mythos.

     Writer's memo:  Quotations from Michael Rosenbaum's letter to his fans were copied and pasted into this article and originally appeared in whole on the website www.Kryptonsite.com , with Craig Byrne as the site's resident webmaster.  Craig Byrne is also author of the "Smallville"  Official Companion series of books.   Picture of Michael Rosenbaum courtesy of www.Wikipedia.org & www.cwtv.com.