Right now, the Arrowverse is expanding faster than the actual universe. Originally The CW planned to only make one DC Comics superhero show, but pressure from fans has lead to not only one, but two spin-offs. If you’re not a huge DC fan who already has the Green Lantern Oath memorized, then here’s everything you need to know about DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
1. Legends of Tomorrow is Justice League-lite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kwD4sDSI1Y
Legends of Tomorrow is an ensemble superhero team featuring some lesser known DC characters like The Atom (played by Brandon Routh), Firestorm (Victor Garber/Franz Drameh), Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee), Hawkman (Falk Hentschel), and the White Canary (Caity Lotz), as well as villains like Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell), and the their time traveling leader, Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill). Why the team needs two fire-based heroes as well as two hawk people is a mystery to us, but maybe redundancy is a good thing.
Executive Producer Greg Berlanti said the show was designed to feel epic, saying it’s “most similar to our crossover episodes, where you feel that ‘event-iness’, but all the time,” adding “I compare the shows to old Westerns; we have a lot of lone gunmen and sheriffs in town, and this one is very much an ode to things like ‘The Magnificent Seven’ or those great heist pics like ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ where you get all of those colors at the same time, and a true ensemble, and that was the fun of it.”
2. The team contains some familiar faces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NctqV7imCCg
Loyal fans of both Arrow and The Flash will recognize some recurring characters from the Arrowverse. Brandon Routh will reprise his role as The Atom (think Ant-Man meets Iron Man) from Arrow and Arrow fans might also recognize Caity Lotz who played the vigilante the Canary (now the White Canary). The team’s leader Rip Hunter has been mentioned before in The Flash, but Legends of Tomorrow is the first time we’ll see him in action.
From The Flash, Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell will reprise their roles as anti-heroes Captain Cold and Heatwave (the two are best known for playing the main characters and brothers in Prison Break). The Flash fans will also remember Victor Garber who plays Martin Stein, one half of the dual superhero Firestorm. Stein’s better half will now be played by Franz Drameh who replaces Robbie Amell.
3. Don’t worry, there will be cameos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXmSz2HQF-8
Legends of Tomorrow is obviously set in the same universe as both Arrow and The Flash, which means your favorite heroes will be dropping by, but only occasionally. Legends of Tomorrow is already packed with more superheroes than a Batman v Superman trailer, so the crossovers will hopefully be kept to a minimum in order to let the show breathe.
The Flash actor Grant Gustin (aka the dreamiest man alive) has already talked about his level of involvement in an interview with Screenrant saying, “I’m going to be a part of that right out of the gates as well. So I don’t really know what to expect from that show yet, I don’t think anybody does, but I’m excited to be a part of it. I get to be Flash on three TV shows. I was unemployed a year-and-a-half ago, so that’s pretty cool.”
4. There will be references to DC films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi66bxmPq78
While the Arrowverse has no official connection to the DC cinematic universe, in a trailer for Legends of Tomorrow trailer, Rip Hunter warns, “I’ve seen men of steel die and dark knights fall,” obvious references to Superman and Batman. Speaking of Superman, Legends of Tomorrow will be Brandon Routh’s second role as a DC Comics hero, after playing Clark Kent in 2006’s Superman Returns.
5. Think of Legends of Tomorrow as DC’s “Dr. Who”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JlXb7NYhHk
Mark Pedowitz, President of The CW, has described Legends of Tomorrow as “Guardians of the Galaxy meets Doctor Who.” Arthur Darvill (who plays the time traveling Rip Hunter) played another time time traveler, Rory Williams, on the BBC program.
Darvill will be the third Doctor Who actor to appear in the Arrowverse after John Barrowman (who played Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow) and Alex Kingston (who played River Song on Doctor Who and Dinah Lance on Arrow).
Legends of Tomorrow premieres January 21st at 8pm ET on The CW.
