Smallville Lex Luthor Actor Reveals He Initially Had A Much Bigger Role In His MCU Debut

Smallville Lex Luthor actor Michael Rosenbaum initially had a bigger role to play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Rosenbaum has become well-known for playing the iconic Superman villain Lex Luthor over seven seasons of Smallville, with the actor’s take on the character being arguably the best yet in live-action. However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his Ravager character, Martinex, only has small roles, but that was not always the plan.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Michael Rosenbaum revealed that his character Martinex would have used his powers and more in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. According to the actor, “the role was supposed to be a lot bigger,” but it was eventually cut down due to the film already having too many moving pieces. While Rosenbaum was part of multiple Guardians of the Galaxy movies, his role was never as big as the Smallville actor deserved. Check out the full quote below:

“I mean, the role was supposed to be a lot bigger. They cut a lot out. Well, you were supposed to see, it was written in the script to see Martinex’s powers, which were really cool. But they had so much to talk about in the script that they ended up cutting it out in the end. And there was some other stuff.”

How Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum Could Still Have A Major MCU Role

There Are Multiple Villains For Him

Rosenbaum’s work in Smallville puts him alongside actors like Green Goblin star Willem Dafoe and Joker actor Heath Ledger as the best live-action villains in comic book adaptations. His Lex Luthor was a tragic figure that eventually became his villain self from the comics and made the life of Tom Welling’s Clark Kent hell. Rosenbaum could continue that incredible villain work with another character of such caliber. As Martinex was a CGI cameo role, he is free to be recast in the MCU.

Currently, after the firing of Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has its villain plans up in the air. With The Fantastic Four arriving next year and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, it would make sense for Marvel Studios to finally introduce Doctor Doom. The character would be perfect for Rosenbaum, who, at 51, would be close in age to Reed Richards actor Pedro Pascal, who is 49 years old. Rosenbaum could bring a quiet intensity to Doom, making the character the nuanced and frightening villain he must be.

The Smallville star could alternatively leave villain roles behind and play a major superhero in the MCU. With a recent update on the MCU’s X-Men movie reboot, Rosenbaum would make for an excellent Charles Xavier, as the actor showed in Smallville that he would nail the character’s demeanor and impactful dialogues to motivate and lead the X-Men. While Michael Rosenbaum‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 role was cut down, there is still hope for a bigger role as a new character in the MCU for the Smallville actor.