John Glover left Smallville during season 7 for what reason?
On the DC drama Smallville, John Glover portrayed Lionel Luthor, the head of LuthorCorp and father of developing villain Lex Luthor, seven seasons. As Lex Luthor's father, Glover offered an absolutely warped performance. Though much of the foundations that worked in Smallville's Lex were sown by Michael Rosenbaum's interaction with his controlling father, seeing his Lex grow over the season was dramatic and powerful. Over the series, Glover portrayed a nuanced and meticulous persona that alternated between sympathetic and monstrous. Glover's acting really helped much of his character's impact.
Contract for John Glover most likely ended with Smallville Season 7
Contract changes caused Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk to leave Smallville following season 7; John Glover's exit most likely followed similar circumstances. Over its lifetime, the show underwent a number of alterations. Still, the change from season 7 to season 8 held maybe the most important ones. The program turned and changed most of its location to the metropolis of Metropolis when so many contracts came to an end. For a few last seasons, these adaptations helped the show to reinvent itself.
Season 8 saw a major overhaul in the series behind-scenes as well. Showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough left the show at this point. For actors like Glover, who had been associated with Smallville from the start, this represented a radical shift in all circumstances. Although it is unknown whether Glover received a contract renewal, with major cast and crew changes it is doubtful that Lionel would have had much more narrative in next seasons.
Michael Rosenbaum's exit most likely caused Smallville to not bring back John Glover.
Smallville has a history of eliminating characters it wasn't sure about what to do. One of the most obvious casualties of this was Pete Ross, Sam Jones III's character taken off following season 3. Given Rosenbaum's departure, Lex Luthor had to be written off the show at the end of season 7, hence there probably were few narrative reasons to retain Lionel on the program. This probably means there wasn't much of a push to keep Glover on the program given a different environment and showrunners.
Conversely, once Tess Mercer arrived in Smallville, Luthor issues persisted. In season 8 Tess took over LuthorCorp, and dramatic developments at the end of the show revealed her to be Lionel's daughter. Given this, there were surely tales over the next seasons that might have included the relationship between Tess and Lionel. But given so much of his earlier screen time connected to Rosenbaum, killing Lionel off probably made more sense.
John Glover asked Smallville creators to have Lex Luthor kill him off.
Glover discussed his tragic death on the series on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast Inside of You. Following a link between Clark Kent and Lionel, Lex discovers in season 7 that his father is keeping stuff from him and gets furious. In a remarkable sequence, Lex pushes his father across the window of his office building to land dead. For the Lionel Luthor persona, this dramatic climax of the relationship between the two men offered a great ending and gave Lex interesting growth.
Talking with Rosenbaum, Glover recalled earlier in the series discussing his ultimate death with the writers. "I said when you write me off, let Lex kill me. That would truly be who [Lex] grew to be, he remarked. On the podcast, he pointed out how fantastic their chemistry was together and how crucial it would be for Lex Luthor's character to at last conquer his father in the most brutal and twisted manner. Glover was a giving actor whose last scene strengthened the part of his co-star.
Why did John Glover come back for Smallville Season 10?
John Glover returned to Smallville in season 10, just like many other stars who left the show, including Michael Rosenbaum and Aaron Ashmore did. Examining multiverse storylines, Lionel Luthor from Earth-2 showed up on the show in a regular capacity. From developing a relationship with Ultraman in Earth-2 to offering his body up to Darkseid to save his son, Glover's last season presented a lot for him to do. Perhaps these narrative chances were sufficient to draw Glover back.
Additionally brought back for parts in the last season were John Schneider, Annette O'Toole, and Laura Vandervoort. Given the series's lengthy past, Tom Welling and the rest of the crew had to make sure they could incorporate as much of the history of the show as feasible toward its finale. Glover seems attracted back for a few last episodes to solidify his Smallville legacy with strong narrative arcs, friendly working relationships among the performers, and the opportunity to bid farewell to the venerable series.
