Legends of Tomorrow star Brandon Routh says goodbye after starring as Ray Palmer/The Atom since season 1. Legends of Tomorrow debuted in 2016 as the fourth series to join the Arrowverse. It depicts a ragtag band of superheroes as they time travel aboard their Waverider and try not to wreck history in the process. The show's first season struggled with viewers and critics alike, but subsequent seasons embraced a goofier tone that served Legends of Tomorrow well. The series features a mix of characters from other Arrowverse shows and ones created especially for the series. Routh recurred on flagship series Arrow for two seasons before moving to Legends of Tomorrow for its premiere.
In Legends of Tomorrow season 3, Routh's wife, actress Courtney Ford, joined the series as Nora Darhk. Though Nora was initially a villain, Ray helped her on her hero's journey, and she eventually became a Legend. News of Routh's departure, as well as Ford's, broke in August. At the time, the executive producers of the series called Routh and Ford "invaluable members of the Legends family." The two will leave at some point during Legends of Tomorrow season 5, which drops January 2020. The series' first episode back will also be the final episode of the highly anticipated Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. It also marks Legends of Tomorrow's first appearance in a crossover since 2017, as it sat out last year's Elseworlds event.
Routh shared his goodbye to the series yesterday with a message and series of photos posted on Instagram. He addressed the message to his "Legends Family" and acknowledged the show's rocky beginning in his caption. In it, he said "It hasn't always been easy, but I think that's what makes it harder to leave—getting through the growing pains of the first few seasons has bonded us." He also mentioned that those challenges "made the last three seasons a blast!" Routh's photos feature him dressed in The Atom suit, a goodbye cake, and one last look at Ray's puppet from one of the show's alternate timelines. Check out Routh's farewell to Legends of Tomorrow below:
Though fans will be sad to see Routh leave Legends of Tomorrow, they still have part of a season with him to enjoy, as well as Crisis on Infinite Earths. In it, Routh will take on both The Atom and the Kingdom Come version of Superman. Routh originally played the caped crusader in 2006's Superman Returns. He'll join the Arrowverse's usual Superman, Tyler Hoechlin, as well as Tom Welling, who played the character on the TV series Smallville. All three actors have popped up in behind-the-scenes photos for Crisis on Infinite Earths. The CW released the first official look at Routh's costume in September.
It's hard to figure out from Routh's message when his character will depart Legends of Tomorrow and what circumstances may cause him to leave. Since the show's fifth season doesn't debut until mid-season, little is known about storylines for any of the characters. Adding more confusion to the mix is Crisis on Infinite Earth, which was still filming this past week. It's hard to know if Routh's final day as The Atom was for the crossover or a regular episode of Legends of Tomorrow that will air after the series returns. Regardless of when they see it, hopefully fans will be satisfied with Ray Palmer's goodbye.
Source: Brandon Routh