5 Characters Who Should Appear on 'Legends of Tomorrow'

Over the years, I have written a series of articles detailing different DC characters who I wanted to see appear on the "Supergirl" TV series (you can read said articles here, here, and here.)  Rather than do a fourth edition, I thought I'd change things up by switching to "Legends of Tomorrow".  It's in the same wheelhouse, still being DC and Arrowverse related, but it should still change things up to bring at least some degree of freshness to the table.

Now, this one differs from the others in that I'm not currently up to speed on the series. At the time of this writing, I've only gotten to the second episode of the fourth season.  As such, it is possible, though not likely, that these characters have appeared.  From what I've read, I've seen nothing to indicate that they do.  As such, I'm operating on the assumption that they haven't, but I could be proven wrong.  In any event, let's get on with the list, shall we?


1. Legion of Super-Heroes

This team has made its way into the Arrowverse via Supergirl, but to my knowledge, the Legends have not come across them. Rather than have the Legion come to the past, it would be no small thing for the time traveling band to venture to the 30th century and cross paths with them there.  It would allow Legion members who haven't been featured yet to be introduced and it would give the Legends a chance to visit a future that wasn't dark and dystopian.

Where the JSA was brooding and moody, this team can be bright and hopeful.  They'll likely mesh with the Legends better, but it would also show how the Legends aren't complete paragons either.


2. Booster Gold

One of DC's most prominent time traveling heroes seems like a logical pick for the show.  He's also one of the more light-hearted DC heroes, meaning that he'd fit right in with the goofy band of misfits.  Sadly, he doesn't have Ted Kord to bounce off of, but I'm sure the writers could make do.  If I recall correctly, he's Rip Hunter's son, so the show could also use that as a nice nod to the now departed character.



3.  Terry McGuinness

With Batman becoming a more prominent fixture in the Arrowverse, why not include the second iteration of the character?  Even now, the "Batman Beyond" franchise still has its fans and it still has appeal.  It's another recognizable DC Comics time period for the team to visit.  While the future is a bit darker, it isn't completely dystopian.  The Legends could even meet up with some members of that period's Justice League for added measure.



4. The Big Hand

No, we're not crossing over with the Defenders here.  This is a being that has appeared in the comics (notably in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mini-series) as well as in an episode of "Justice League Unlimited".  Whenever a character has made an attempt to witness the beginning of time (a fundamental law of existence dictates that this can't be done,) said character would see a giant hand opening up with a galaxy inside it.

Seeing as the Arrowverse has already had its "Crisis On Infinite Earths", this is the character that (oddly enough) has the biggest possibility of already appearing.  As noted above, I've read nothing to indicate that it's appeared, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility.

Does it have a whole lot of depth or complexity? No, but it would be a cool moment for the team to come across it.  The series could even mirror JLU and have the team racing to stop a villain from going back to claim reality as their own.




5.  The Thanagarians


Hey, remember how the time masters said that Earth is eventually invaded and conquered by the winged alien species?  Yeah, the team should probably do something about that.  Dangling plot threads are bothersome and it would be nice to see this acknowledged after all this time.



So, there you have it.  It covers a lot of ground, giving the team various established DC periods to visit and heroes to encounter while also bringing some fan favorites into the fold.  I'm not sure I can get two more lists from this show like I did with Supergirl, but this one turned out pretty well in my opinion.  We'll have to see how well things fare as far as success rate goes. 

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 2: 'Witch Hunt'

It turns out that John's encounter at the end of the last episode convinces him to have a change of heart and join the Legends in their quest to cleanse the timeline of magical creatures.Sure, he tries to paint it like he's doing them a favor, but viewers know the deal.

Most everybody's happy to have him aboard, though he and Mick do butt heads.  I was kind of surprised by it.  You'd think that the two snarky loners would bond over booze and sports.  The way it plays out, you can see the logic, but it was still surprising to me.

It's not quite as surprising as the Legends's adversary-du-jour.  Where the team faced a unicorn before, now they face off against a fairy godmother.  As was the case before, the episode juxtaposes the bright cheerful imagery normally associated with the figure with grim violence.  Admittedly, she's not quite as gruesome as the unicorn, but she does express a desire to rain down hellfire and brimstone.  At the same time, though, she lambastes previous hosts for being self serving (making a blatant and yet nonsensical reference to Cinderella in the process) and actually seems to like that Prudence, a young girl who's mother has been accused of witchcraft, cares about other people's well being.

Oddly enough, she's not really the villain.  I mean, she's not a hero by any stretch, but the real villain here is man.

It makes sense given the setting and, sadly, the lingo still resonates.  Still, the writing here was solid.  Zari chastises the townsfolk, but she also spends a lot of time appealing to the tenets of their faith, rather than lambaste them for it.  It doesn't work, but it was still a strong and sincere effort that is well sold by Ashe. 

Even when Zari lets her anger get the better of her, it still comes off as a genuine character moment.  Her subsequent realization that she was turning into what she hated and what the people feared made for a poignant moment in the episode.

Zari gets quite a lot of character here.  This episode follows up on the scene where she laments her inability to save her mom by putting her in a similar situation here.  It turns out that Prudence's mother is set to die and there's nothing the team can do if they want to keep the timeline intact.  It was a logical way to draw some conflict between the team and Prudence.

The episode doesn't really address this by the end.  Zari just tells Jane and Prudence that they need a change of scenery.  I thought Zari was going to send them both to Themyscira, but it isn't really explained how they managed to skirt that particular issue.

There's also a sub-plot where Nate tries to reconnect with his dad.  It seems like the progress made in the premiere is undone as the two can't really click.  The fact that both do work that requires secrecy doesn't help matters.

It's made worse when it's revealed that Ava has to go to him to ask for funding for the Time Bureau.  It's a bit of a contrived coincidence, but having Nate point out that he just had told his dad that he doesn't need his money before they go in validated it.

I never thought of the Time Bureau as a government thing.  It just seemed like one of those things that just exist in the show.  Actually, now that I think about it, didn't Rip put it together in the future?  I guess the Legends have changed the timeline enough that it now exists in the present as a government operation. Interesting note: the Time Bureau's budget is less than the Stargate program's.  It's a little strange, but there you go.

In any event, Nate's dad is skeptical.  It's played for laughs, but given that this is the Arrowverse and the agency has been approved funding before, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  It never even occurs to Nate to go into "Steel" mode until the last second and even then it seemed like it was done on accident after pig-Ray turned back into a (nude) human. What? It makes sense in context.

I'm getting the impression that Nate is leaving the show in the near future.  He opts to stay in the present and continue building his relationship with his dad.  True, his newfound position as a member of the time bureau (which is paid, unlike being a Legend) would allow him to continue to help, albeit in a different capacity, but it's just the vibe I'm getting.  It's a shame too, as his bond with Ray gets to shine here and he also clicks pretty well with Ava.

Overall, this was a solid episode that managed to balance humor, drama, and character rather effectively.  I am starting to worry that the show is getting a little too goofy, but it's still pretty entertaining overall.  I have to admit, I did get a kick out of Nate's inexplicable ability to communicate with Ray when he was still a pig.  So far, though, the fourth season is turning out pretty well.  We'll see how things play out going forward.

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'The Punisher' Episode 10: 'Virtue of the Vicious'

Lewis continues to wage his war by setting the pro-gun control senator from the last episode in his crosshairs.

Rather than pick up where the last left off, this jumps to the resolution and then proceeds to describe what happened via interviews and flashbacks.  It's a little disorienting at first, especially if it has been a while since you sat down to watch the show, but once you get the hang of it, the structure actually works out very well.

Sadly, a lot of Lewis' nuance is gone for most of the episode. He spends a majority of it nonchalantly headshotting random personnel and holding Karen hostage.

Thankfully, this is somewhat mitigated by the final standoff and the dialogue Frank has as he's trying to talk Lewis down.  The episode doesn't really have time to analyze Lewis, Frank, or their similarities and differences in great detail, but at least they weren't completely forgotten.

The tragic nature of Lewis' arc is brought to an abrupt, but still somewhat poignant end.  It was nice to see that degree of sympathy was still shown at his last moments.  Some reviews I read weren't too crazy about the opening scene where he tries to set a man's pet birds free after killing said man,but I thought it was a nice reminder that even in his crazed state, he's not pure evil.

It was also nice to see Frank and Karen's connection shine.  The two clearly get each other and care a great deal for one another. Both are able to say a lot with few words and it makes for some great scenes between the two.

Speaking of great scenes, the episode delivers on the action front. There are plenty of shootouts and explosions to keep the tension up.  Frank himself also shines.  Not only does he get to show off his badassery more than once, but he does so whilst taking quite a bit of punishment himself.  It shows just how much willpower the guy has when he has a need to get something done.

While the episode does wrap up the Lewis subplot, it also advances the main plot quite a bit.  Both Frank and Madani know about Russo's nefarious exploits.  The guy does try to deflect and use his charm (which the episode shows he has in spades while talking to Karen) but it is too little too late.  With only a few episodes left in the season and the show's side plot being wrapped up, it'll be interesting to see how things play out.

As noted, this episode does pick up where the last one left off.  At the same time, I thought it worked rather well as a stand alone.  Sure, Lewis' motivations were established in the last episode, but you can still watch this and pick up on that over the course of the episode. Said self containment also helps if you've been away a while and are just jumping back in.

All in all, this was a solid outing.  Both from a technical and from a casual viewer's standpoint, this episode worked well and brought a healthy dose of everything to the table. 

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