"Legends" Brings Fun to the Arrowverse

Legends of Tomorrow, which premiered during the 2015-2016 TV season, began as a dual spinoff of the CW network's Arrow and The Flash, featuring characters introduced on both of those series, as well as some additional heroes and villains from the DC universe. The team included White Canary, The Atom, Captain Cold and Firestorm, as well as Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The first season of the show saw the super-team, led by Time Master Rip Hunter (played by Dr. Who veteran Arthur Darvill) face off against Vandal Savage, an immortal villain who is manipulating the timeline so he can control the world. They chased Savage across time in order to stop him, having adventures in both the past, present and future. The series was generally well-received by fans, but many felt the main storyline was weak, and that a subplot regarding Hawkman and Hawkgirl's reincarnation (and their connection to Savage) was never properly developed.

For its second season, the series re-tooled a bit, dropping some cast members and adding a couple of new ones. The show also brought in some villains from the other "Arrowverse" series, including Damien Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn, who team up with the Reverse-Flash to form the Legion of Doom, a nice in-joke for Justice League fans. As the villains searched for the mystical artifact known as the Spear of Destiny, which has the power to re-write the timeline, the team followed them across history, interacting with real life figures like George Washington, Al Capone, and in an inspired and very funny episode, a young filmmaker named George Lucas! Legends of Tomorrow really hit its stride in its second year, playing to its strong points; the dysfunctional family aspect (and offbeat chemistry) of its rag-tag cast of heroes, a healthy dose of humor, a devil may care attitude, and a stylish sense of adventure amid the science-fiction and fantasy elements.

For year three, the series continued embracing its strengths, as the team searched for disruptions in the timeline which had been caused by their actions in the previous seasons, running into characters like P.T. Barnum, Blackbeard the Pirate, Elvis Presley and Helen of Troy. The main villain or "big bad" this time out was a powerful demonic figure known as Mallus, which allowed the team to bring in John Constantine (a DC Comics magic-based character who had appeared in a short-lived NBC series) as a recurring member of the team. The show's playful sense of humor, and the series writers penchant for a host of meta-textual references continued as actor John Noble (of Fringe and Lord of the Rings fame) played himself in a terrific episode entitled "Starring John Noble!"

The fourth season of the show, which completed its run this past May, featured the Legends' wildest adventures yet, as it showcased the team searching for magical creatures who have been displaced in time, and allowed the characters to visit Woodstock, the Salem Witch trials and even pay a visit to 1950s Japan, where they met up with Ishiro Honda, the legendary director of the original Godzilla. This past season's main storyline allowed the show's writers to pen some marvelous parodies of Disney's fairy godmothers, Charlie's Angels, The A-Team and turn our heroes into singing puppets at one point - yes, you did read that right. To add to the fun, Tom Wilson (Biff from the Back To The Future films) appeared as the father of one of the team members, and he even got to sing a James Taylor song - you'll have to watch to find out how that figures into the plot!

All in all, Legends of Tomorrow is a whole lot of fun. It's certainly the wildest, most inventive and pop culture aware of the CW series. The cast is terrific, anchored by Caity Loitz as Sarah Lance/White Canary, Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory/Heat Wave and Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/The Atom. Routh (who portrayed Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns) has a nice sense of comic timing; he's perfect in the role. The concept of keeping the core of the team intact while bringing in new characters and guest stars from across the DC Comics Universe really works in the show's favor. If you're looking for some light-hearted superhero action with a touch of the offbeat and bizarre, Legends of Tomorrow is worth a try. The series is currently streaming its past seasons on Netflix. Here's a link to the trailer for season four: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqRZJgA_IqM. The show returns next year, and will be part of the epic "Crisis on Infinite Earths" cross-over on the CW superhero series in the upcoming season.