The DC’s Legends of Tomorrow premiere is less than a day away. Based on The CW’s hit comic adaptations The Flash and Arrow, which both just returned from mid-season break, fans have been eagerly waiting for the new crossover spinoff series for nearly a year. The network aired a special pre-season episode of Legends of Tomorrow this week that goes in depth about each character's origin story and some background information about what to expect from the new show.
One new character in Legends of Tomorrow is Rip Hunter aka Time Master. According to CW’s pre-season special, Rip Hunter comes from the future to hand-select and recruit each member of his new superhero group who the producers describe as “a band of misfits.”
“What makes our show unique is that it’s a motley crew,” said Executive Producer Phil Klemmer. DC’s new superhero group will race through time, across different timelines--past, present, and future--to save the universe.
Who are they trying to save the universe from? The one and only Vandal Savage, an immortal Egyptian priest who has been alive for centuries. Over time, this notorious supervillain has acquired different skills which make him a living urban myth. His ultimate goal: To take over the world and decimate time. His powers are closely tied to Hawkman and Hawkgirl who all have a ancient, thousand-year-old feud. He maintains his immortality by killing the two reincarnating lovers in every lifetime.
Hawkgirl was first introduced in The Flash as Kendra, Cisco’s girlfriend. She has only been familiar with her powers for a short time. Carter (Hawkman) came to find her to protect her against Vandal Savage who was, and is, obviously out for blood.
Which Arrow & The Flash Characters Are In Legends Of Tomorrow?
White Canary aka Sara Lance
Sara Lance was introduced in the first season of the Arrow when Oliver brought her on his family’s Yacht, cheating on her sister Laurel who he was dating at the time. Oliver was stranded on the island but Sara was trained as a member of The League of Assassins. She was later killed but reincarnated in the Lazarus Pit. Coming back to life with extreme blood lust, Sara leaves team Arrow. Now, we know her leaving was no coincidence.
The Atom aka Ray Palmer
This season on The Flash, Ray was miniaturized after an experiment with his Atom suit went wrong. Ever since he and Felicity broke up and he was presumed dead, he’s been searching for a purpose. It looks like he’s found one.
Firestorm
Professor Stein is the brains, Jax is the muscle. Dubbed “the odd couple with superpowers” by the producers, Firestorm may be the most powerful character in Legends of Tomorrow. After Ronnie died saving Central City, team Flash needed a replacement. A former high school football star, Jax, was hurt during the particle accelerator accident. However, the explosion altered his DNA making him a perfect Firestorm replacement candidate. The duo can fly, spit fireballs, and is literally made of genius. What else could a time-traveling superhero need?
Captain Cold aka Leonard Snart
Snart and his right hand, Heat Wave, are known by both Arrow and The Flash as supervillains. Snart had a turning point in his latest run in with Barry Allen who tried to convince him there is good inside of him. I’m not convinced just yet, but he does have some redeeming qualities. Every superhero team needs an asshole with a blue Cold Gun.
Heat Wave aka Mick Rory
DC Legends of Tomorrow producers claim Mick is the funniest character on the show. The interactions between Snart and Mick always provide much needed comic relief, especially after Ray’s corny jokes. Heatwave carries a red Heat Gun, literally the opposite of Snart’s. He’s hot headed and a force to be reckoned with in hand to hand combat.
What to Expect
A lot of time traveling on Rip Hunter’s ship, The Waverider. Aside from that, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow is the first real superhero mashup show on TV right now. While the premise is based from The Arrow and The Flash , the producers are confident the series will have a different feel. Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim calls it “superhero crack.”
“People are looking for heroes. They are looking for people who care about making the world a better place. If they are not finding it in reality, they are finding it in these comic book characters,” Guggenheim said in CW’s pre-season special. He adds Legends of Tomorrow will have action scenes unlike that of Arrow and The Flash simply because there are more superheroes. However, he said believes the storyline and character dynamics is what will pull in new viewers and keep current fans interested. With supervillains and superheros working together, who will emerge as the team leader?
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has 16 scheduled episodes, the first will air tomorrow night, Jan. 21 at 8 PM EST on the CW.
