3 Reasons You Should Be Watching Legends of Tomorrow

Three episodes in and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow continues to prove itself as a more than welcome addition to the Arrow/Flash universe. This week’s episode wrapped up the 1975 storyline, further advanced each character’s relationship with one another and also dropped several exciting Easter eggs. If you haven’t yet delved into this series, allow me to present you with a few reasons for why you should.

The Characters

I’m a sucker for B-list superheroes, so I may be a bit biased here. But when you think about it it is a major accomplishment for the DC tv universe to be able to deliver a show comprised of relatively unknown characters, at least in terms of mainstream audiences. A couple years ago, most non- comic readers wouldn’t know the first thing about Firestorm, The Atom or the Hawks. Yet thanks to Greg Berlanti and company, each of these characters get to be in the spotlight.

There’s also the fact that the show has done a flawless job of transforming two of Flash’s greatest adversaries into heroes. As much as I love The Flash, the show is notorious for featuring one-note villain of the week antagonists. Yet next to Reverse-Flash and Zoom, the baddies that everyone loves to see are Captain Cold and Heat Wave. In Legends, the story of this dastardly duo takes a dramatic turn when Rip Hunter recruits them to help save the world. This week in particular added an extra layer to Cold’s arc by revealing his more humanistic side. The moment where he confronts both his younger self and his father in an attempt to change the past is one fans will remember. Plus, the character’s relentless wit makes his scenes all the more entertaining.

Then there’s Rip Hunter and White Canary, who paired up this week to go after Vandal Savage’s bank account. In my review of the premiere, I wrote about how much Hunter impressed me, and particularly Arthur Darvill’s stellar performance. Whether it’s his Doctor Who-esque personification or his moral complexity as he will do anything to stop Savage, in many ways this character carries the show. And with White Canary, she’s certainly evolved over the past couple years. When Sara first appeared on Arrow, I admit she was pretty annoying. Now however, she’s come to develop her own protagonist, or anti-hero I should say. Both the writers and Caity Lotz have done a great job of portraying her as a born-again assassin who has left her life in Starling City behind her. Plus, she’s already had several scenes of ninja-style action.

The Element of Time Travel

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact rules for time travel in this universe. We’ve seen in Flash and in this week’s episode of Legends that the time stream will correct itself if a character tries to alter it for personal gain. While this is a bit unclear, it’s nice to know that our heroes can’t easily defeat Savage by traveling back to a certain moment and ending him.

Beyond this, it’ll be a fun to see the team travel to various time periods and meet characters from across the DC universe. The producers have already announced that Jonah Hex will appear, and I can only imagine what other heroes and villains we’ll see this season.

The Impact on the DC TV Universe

Ever since the multiverse came into play on Flash, the entire scope of these shows has changed drastically. With Legends, the team’s mission to prevent Savage’s post-apocalyptic future will definitely have significant ramifications. There’s also the fact that Hunter dropped a major Easter egg this week with the “I’ve seen men of steel die and dark knights fall” line, which is undoubtedly this universe’s most blatant reference to Superman and Batman. Whether or not this means we’ll see a version of them in the future remains uncertain, but it’s impossible not to speculate about what Berlanti and company have planned.

What do you think of Legends of Tomorrow so far? Sound off in the comments!