The CW is going to be down two legends. Married couple Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford are exiting ‘Legends of Tomorrow’. Routh has been a series regular since the start of the show, which is moving into its fifth season. He portrays scientist Ray Palmer, a.k.a. the armored, size-changing superhero The Atom. Ford plays Norah Darhk, who started off as a villain in Season 3. She was bumped up to a regular in Season 4, and her character had a change of heart and began helping the Legends and, in an art-imitating-life maneuver, began a romantic relationship with Ray.
In a joint statement, executive producers Phil Klemmer, Grianne Godfree, and Keto Shimizu expressed:
“Brandon and Courtney have been invaluable members of the Legends family. They have always brought a level of 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.
“As one of the founding Legends of Tomorrow, Brandon is extremely beloved by the fans and everyone on the show.”
Routh’s Ray Palmer was first introduced on ‘Arrow’ before spinning off into ‘Legends’. Nora Darhk was also first introduced on ‘Arrow’, but with Tuesday Hofmann in the role. Ford took over when the character was shifted over to ‘Legends’.
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It is known that Routh will play two roles in the upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event– The Atom and the ‘Kingdom Come’ Superman. The ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ episode of “Crisis” is a special, not the series premiere which will arrive afterward in January.
Routh and Ford are expected to film their last episode in October, but it is unclear where that will fall in the season once it kicks off in January. From the sound of things, Ray and Nora won’t have a tragic departure.
As Klemmer, Godfree, and Shimizu said:
“Of course, when we have had main characters in the past whose journeys take them away from the Waverider, it’s never truly goodbye. We love these characters and hope to check in with them in future seasons, to see how life off the ship has transformed them for better or worse.”
