There could've been more to Lex Luthor's story originating from the Smallville team, but according to the actor who portrayed him on the show, the WB passed on the idea. Michael Rosenbaum is arguably best known for playing Superman's most notorious villain on the series for 154 episodes. He hasn't had an opportunity to reprise his character since leaving the show after its seventh season, however, outside of a guest appearance on the series finale in 2011.

It wasn't long ago when Smallville was back in the news, as some of the characters and cast members were brought into the fold for the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover on the CW this season. Tom Welling and Erica Durance, who played Clark Kent and Lois Lane on Smallville, respectively, returned for the first time in years to reprise their roles. Rosenbaum didn't return, however (possibly due to financial and creative differences, he has intimated) and the role of Lex Luthor was instead played by the Arrowverse's Jon Cryer.

This may not be the first time Rosenbaum has missed an opportunity to suit up as Lex Luthor once more. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Rosenbaum claimed Alfred Gough and Miles Millar - the creators of Smallville - had a new and interesting take on the character. The actor stated that the WB decided to pass on this idea, though, without giving a reason for the studio's rejection of the premise; it's also unclear if he was referencing a potential television pilot or some other form of content. Rosenbaum said:

People are like, 'would you play Lex again?' I'm like, 'sure -- like Al and Miles who created Smallville, we had an idea and it was brilliant but for some insane reason, the studio wasn't interested in that, which was bonkers, I won't say what it is, but it was bonkers, it was brilliant, it was like there's no way this couldn't happen and especially with them 'cause they're brilliant writers and creators, and it was just the perfect team and I'm like 'wow, this is like a slam dunk,' and I finally go 'all right,' but it didn't happen. I always say it's the hand of fate.

The timing of when this rejection took place is also important. Rosenbaum left Smallville in 2008, as did Gough and Millar. The two creators actually wound up in years of litigation with the WB regarding the amount of profits they were receiving from the studio. That lawsuit was eventually settled privately, with details of the settlement remaining undisclosed. The relationship between the studio and the Smallville creators may not have been strong enough to pursue future content with one another.

In his interview, Rosenbaum expressed interest in potentially playing Lex Luthor again down the line. It's possible there would be a place for him in the Arrowverse if a different version of the character is introduced. Regardless, fans are never going to get the story of Lex Luthor that would've been told by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. All they can do is hope Michael Rosenbaum shines a brighter light on what would've happened if the Smallville creators had a chance to do something new with the character.