Gil Bellows is coming to Smallville.

The actor, best known for his long-running role on Ally McBeal, will portray Maxwell Lord on The CW series, a ruthless businessman with a complicated comic book back story.

According to legend, Lord originally backed the Justice League during its Justice League International days. He was later revealed to be a villain, a role that included the murder of a character named Blue Beetle.

More recently, after being killed by Wonder Woman, Lord was resurrected as a Black Lantern.

This all took place within comic book mythology, of course. It's unclear how the role will play out on Smallville, but we know this much: Bellows will appear on the 19th episode of the season, slated for late April or early May

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.