Legends of Tomorrow’s Dominic Purcell Bids Farewell to Longtime Co-Star Brandon Routh

It seems as though Stephen Amell is not the only Arrowverse actor who has filmed his final scenes with the cast of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. According to an Instagram post from series regular Dominic Purcell, it seems as though Brandon Routh is preparing to leave the series, too. Routh’s departure was known in advance, although exactly when he would be leaving the series was unclear. It seems possible that his final episode of Legends of Tomorrow might be “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” in which he won’t be playing his character of Ray Palmer. Of course, “Crisis” will be the first episode to air this season, since Legends got kicked back to a midseason launch and will begin after the crossover has ended.

Earlier this year, reports emerged that both Routh and his wife Courtney Ford are stepping down as series regulars during the upcoming fifth season of the cult-hit series. The Atom has become a very familiar face over the show’s run after having been introduced in an episode of Arrow, while Ford’s Nora Darhk has also carved out her own space since joining the team in Season 3.

“Brandon and Courtney have been invaluable members of the Legends family,” series executive producers Phil Klemmer, Grainne Godfree and Keto Shimizu told Deadline. “They have always brought a level passion and collaboration to their characters and to the show — both on and off the screen – that we deeply admire and for which we are eternally grateful.”

There is reason for optimism among Legends of Tomorrow fans though, Routh will be playing a big role in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover events. The star will reprise his role as Superman, but not as the same one he played in Superman Returns. Routh will be playing the version of the hero from Kingdom Come. A tiny bit of information that has fans of the Arrowverse excited about the scope of this event.

Routh’s time as Superman has been referenced in this shared universe before during the “Invasion!” crossover. When the heroes of Earth-1 met Supergirl for the first time, Ray Palmer joked that Kara looked a little bit like his cousin. The moment ended up being a definite crowd pleaser at the time, and now the possibility exists for the two to battle side by side as Superman and Supergirl.

Arrow airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW. Legends of Tomorrow will return in January of 2020, with the first episode being part of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.