Brandon Routh & Courtney Ford Are Leaving Legends of Tomorrow As Series Regulars

Two fan favorites – including one who has been with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow from the very beginning – will be leaving DC’s Legends of Tomorrow during Season 5.

Deadline broke the news tonight that real-life husband and wife Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer) and Courtney Ford (Nora Darhk) will be leaving the show as series regulars, though they will be filming through October (which sounds like something that will tie in to the upcoming crossover, where Brandon will be reprising his role as Superman from Superman Returns). It is said that the departure is a creative decision to wrap up their storyline.

“Brandon and Courtney have been invaluable members of the Legends family,” series executive producers Phil Klemmer, Grianne Godfree and Keto Shimizu said in a statement posted at 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.”

“As one of the founding Legends of Tomorrow, Brandon is extremely beloved by the fans and everyone on the show,” they continued. “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.”

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns in January as part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. With Routh’s departure, only Caity Lotz and Dominic Purcell will remain from the series’ original cast.