All roads lead to Crisis on Infinite Earths for the upcoming seasons of The CW’s Arrowverse series. While Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and the newly-debuting Batwoman all have their season premieres in a matter of weeks, the fifth show in the line-up, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, won’t be returning until after the first of the year, and it looks like there’s some change in the air for the post-Crisis iteration of the series. Deadline is reporting that actors Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford will no longer be series regulars on the show as it enters its fifth season. It’s unclear at this point in how many episodes the pair, who are real-world husband-and-wife, will appear during the upcoming season.
Routh made his debut as Ray Palmer during the third season of The CW’s Arrow. The head of Palmer Technologies and a romantic interest for Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Palmer would eventually develop the Atom suit as an ‘Iron Man’-like suit of armor, later equipping it with the dwarf star technology that allows him to shrink while wearing the suit. After a season and a half as a recurring guest star on Arrow, Routh became one of the original cast members on Legends of Tomorrow when it launched in 2016. Ford joined Legends during its third season, in a guest role as Nora Darhk, the grown daughter of villain Damian Darhk (Neal McDonough) (the character had previously appeared as a child). Over time Nora and Ray have grown closer, Ray helping sway Nora away from darkness, and the two developed a romantic relationship as the fourth season of the series concluded. With Crisis looming, who knows what the future holds for the pair.
Routh’s departure from Legends leaves only actors Caity Lotz (Sara Lance/White Canary) and Dominic Purcell (Mick Rory/Heatwave) from the show’s original cast. The series has featured a somewhat rotating cast almost from the beginning, with characters coming and going since the end of the show’s first season.
Routh is slated to appear during the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths as an alternate Earth’s Superman, a version of the role he played in 2006’s Superman Returns feature film. The fifth season premiere for Legends of Tomorrow is also the show’s Crisis crossover episode; what the future holds for Ray Palmer and Nora Darhk post-Crisis is anyone’s guess. Routh’s departure may also create additional drama for the character Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), Palmer’s best friend, who also just lost love interest Zari (Tala Ashe) after she was erased from existence at the end of last season.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow‘s fifth season debuts in January on The CW.
