From 2001 to 2011, “Smallville” had a beloved 10-season run. However whereas each fan and critic might have their favourite season, just one clearly stands out as crucial: season 7. After its seventh outing, “Smallville” virtually transforms into a special present. That is when the sequence strikes from its shiny rural countryside setting to a dirty and darkish Metropolis, dropping so many acquainted faces within the course of.
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Kristin Kreuk departed “Smallville” round this time and would solely return in season 8 for a five-episode arc to shut out Lana Lang’s story. Michael Rosenbaum additionally left the present after finishing his contract obligations however made a unbelievable cameo within the sequence finale. Even authentic showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar made their exit after season 7, and together with them went the good John Glover, who performed Lex Luthor’s sensible and morally complicated father, Lionel.
Seeing as there was such a dramatic and big solid overhaul after season 7, it may be surmised that Glover’s contract was merely over. That is particularly plausible since not solely was his character killed off, however the actor additionally didn’t seem within the present’s subsequent two seasons. He did, nevertheless, come again for a four-episode visitor arc in season 10 … which, in response to Glover, did not show to be all that nice.
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Lionel Luthor’s last run in Smallville didn’t impress John Glover
Through the first seven seasons of “Smallville,” Glover’s character is the one which receives arguably essentially the most character improvement. Lionel goes from the world’s worst father and evil company overlord to one thing of a trusted advisor to Clark Kent (Tom Welling). Lionel’s rollercoaster of a storyline involves a dramatic finish when he is killed by his personal son in episode 16, “Descent.” That is some Shakespearean drama proper there.
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Followers wouldn’t see Lionel once more till the present’s last season. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the identical Lionel; this was when a Lionel from an alternate world (that is proper, “Smallville” did variants earlier than they have been cool!) confirmed as much as wreak some havoc. Sadly, this final hoorah, which culminates in Lionel being possessed and used as a vessel for Darkseid, didn’t examine to Lionel’s earlier tales. A minimum of, to not Glover. As he defined to Michael Rosenbaum on the latter’s podcast in 2023, he felt the ultimate season turned Lionel, a morally gray character, right into a “stereotypical villain” and drained all of the nuance from him. Nonetheless, with criticism there additionally comes reward, as Glover absolutely admitted that his preliminary run on the present was unbelievable. “I had seven nice years,” he advised Rosenbaum. “I had a ball. It was the longest I performed one half.” He is positively not improper about that. For over 140 episodes, Glover completely embodied the function of Lionel Luthor.
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For followers eager to learn extra, you should definitely take a look at our rankings of every “Smallville” season from worst to finest, and which “Supernatural” actor misplaced the function of Clark Kent to Tom Welling.
