Legends of Tomorrow is a show that would have been totally unthinkable even two years ago. A DC Universe time travel show featuring B, C, and D level heroes? But man, is this my jam. This, to me, feels as much like DC as anything they’ve ever put on a screen – right up there, tonally, with Superman and Superman II. Was the show perfect? Hell no! It was corny at times, and predictable at others, but the essence of the show was something really, really special.
Keep reading for my five favorite moments of the series thus far.
5. All the Easter Eggs
To list them would be insane, but the show tied in so many tiny bits of DC lore into the show, it was practically woven into its fabric. Every trip gave a wink and a nod to something in DC’s past or future, and the show easily teased 10x what it could actually deliver, even if it ran for 10 seasons. But the big moments – Jonah Hex, Connor Hawke – gave comic fans a giddy jolt, and made the series feel even bigger than it already did.
4. Firestorm
While The Flash did a nice job of introducing Firestorm last year, Legends really brought the character to the forefront, and gave Jax and Stein a relationship that feels both earned and natural. It could be so easy to ruin the chemistry, either by making Stein too stodgy or loose, or by making Jax a stereotype of a young person, but the show walked that razor’s edge pretty adeptly, and always righted the ship when it went too far in one direction.
It also gave a really interesting juxtaposition of their lives at home – Stein has everything to lose, and Jax has nothing. Jax is all future, Stein is all past. And it is precisely that fact that motivates each of them. Stein wants Jax to have what he has, and Jax is fearful that Stein will lose what he’s worked so hard to attain (mainly, his marriage).
This show is the perfect outlet for these characters – left to their own devices, the stories would probably get cheesy and predictable. But, as part of an ensemble, they work perfectly to form the beating heart of the team.
3. KendRay
Poor Ray Palmer. His fiance got dead, then Felicity left him for Ollie, and now Kendra chose her eternal lover over him. But the Ray/Kendra romance served a few different purposes, and stuck the landing on all of them. Most importantly, it shows the audience why both are the way they are. Ray adapts and works with what he has, so when he and Kendra are stranded in the past, he makes it work. For Kendra, life isn’t something lived once, and so each new reincarnation brings a different sense of purpose and risk taking. So, she’s going to fight all out, every time, because fear isn’t really a part of her DNA.
2. Snart
The star of this season was Captain Cold, Leonard Snart. Aside from his brief romance with Sara (which, c’mon dude, we saw you flirt with Ray literally the entire season – no need for a Lance beard), everything about Snart was pitch perfect. We saw him move from Rogue to hero slowly, and with purpose. We saw how his past shaped him, and how his heart was never really as black as it may have seemed at times.
The fact that he sacrificed himself (seemingly – he’s back on all the DC shows next season) for the team just furthers his legend – in fact, he’s the first on the show to live up to that title. From his less than stellar start on The Flash, Wentworth Miller has really embraced the character, and grown him into something special.
1. The infinite nature of time and multiverse travel
This season ends with the Justice Society of America revealing itself to the crew. This season, we were in the Old West, the distant future, post-apocalyptic wastelands, World War II, and everywhere in between. This show can do anything it wants, and find an excuse for it.
Continued belowThat, my internet friends, is why I fell in love with comics in the first place. I love the idea of limitless travel and exploration through imagination. There is almost nothing this show can’t do right now – with Superman coming to Supergirl, now a network partner with Legends, why can’t there be trip to the 31st Century to see Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes? We’ve seen flight rings twice already in this universe. Just imagine how crazy an idea that would’ve been at the time Man of Steel was being released – well, we’re there now.
Because the show can go anywhere and do anything, it is the least predictable of the DC shows, and also the one that is able to take the most chances. I implore it to do both.
What were your favorite moments? Let me know in the comments!
