AirLockAlpha.com

When Michael Rosenbaum took his character of Lex Luthor out of "Smallville" after The CW's seventh season, many fans thought it was the beginning of the end for the show that was also soon to lose its creative team.

But the eighth season of "Smallville," complete with a new mission and some new characters, was a hit with fans, averaging a 2.6 rating/4 share in Fast National overnight ratings from Nielsen Media Research -- dead even with the show's performance in the seventh season -- and has become The CW's highest-rated show.

Now that a ninth season is a lock, it seems the new showrunners want to lock in one more other character: Lex Luthor.

While it's not clear whether Rosenbaum has been approached for the ninth season, it seems that some of the ideas floating around the writers room at "Smallville" is that it would make a powerful statement to bring Luthor back into the fold full-time, sources tell Airlock Alpha.

The problem would surround how to do it so that Rosenbaum wouldn't have to totally adjust his life off-set. During his seven years on "Smallville," Rosenbaum kept his head shaved -- the defining mark of the Luthor character in every generation -- instead of opting for a bald cap, and that has not been the ideal way Rosenbaum has felt he should continue to live.

But writers have some ideas on how to circumvent that. One plan is to have Luthor follow in the footsteps of Gene Hackman in "Superman" in 1978 -- wear obvious wigs, and only show his bald head on occasion ... and even then, he could wear a bald cap. It's a similar technique that actress Mary McDonnell used in the final episodes of "Battlestar Galactica."

Rosenbaum's return could be a boost to the show that has already done well without him. It's not clear whether or not Sam Witwer's Doomsday will return for the ninth season, as no word has been released about the actor's signing, so a void could be forming on having a bad guy.

Of course, none of this has been confirmed by The CW or Warner Bros. TV, so until it is, it should be treated as any rumor would.