By Jarrod Jones. One thing’s for sure: the debut season of Legends of Tomorrow was definitely sixteen episodes of television. The very idea that eight bonafide superheroes traipsing through the realms of time and space within the confines of the ever-growing DC TV Universe was certainly an appealing one — so how did it all get so mucked up?
If you signed up to watch the likes of The Atom, Captain Cold, and Hawkgirl (Hawkgirl!) head off on a wild vengeance quest against the nefarious immortal Vandal Savage, I wouldn’t blame you if you felt a bit gypped when you ended up watching Ray Palmer, Leonard Snart, and Kendra Saunders loiter around a passively detailed spaceship in smart cardigans and perfectly coiffed hairdos. (Seriously. TV can be such bullshit sometimes.) Sixteen episodes of relationship angst, major-league deaths, and betrayals so obvious you could see them coming from next week — it’s safe to say that Legends of Tomorrow needs to work on itself a bit if we’re gonna strap in for another season of this wildly vapid nonsense.
So here are eight things — people, actually — who would make the prospects of taking another trip on The Waverider all the more tantalizing. Oh, and there are definitely spoilers for the first season of Legends down there. Be brave and behold.
Sorry, Jax. We love you, but you’re not invited.
Rip Hunter. For better or worse, Legends is Rip’s show. Besides, The Waverider is a ship he stole fair and square — and Gideon, the ‘Rider’s own personal omnipresent Siri, seems to have a pretty darn good rapport with him. Rip’s character might be a duplicitous ass most days, but that certainly ain’t Arthur Darvill’s fault. If anything, Darvill’s natural charm (and immaculate hair, swoon) is one of the primary reasons why I kept tuning in every Thursday for another frustrating episode, even when it was nice outside. (Or, to spite that it was nice outside — I don’t go outside.) Another feather in his cap: he’s the only character that hasn’t been poached by another CW DC show, making Legends kinda Rip’s home turf.
White Canary. The Knight’s Watch needed Alliser Thorne (sorry, mate!) like The Waverider needs Sara Lance. Both are adorably grumpy people who could pull our hearts through our chests if need be, and both can smell a traitor coming from a mile away — primarily, because they’ve both been one themselves! (You can take the girl out of the League of Assassins, etc etc.) Sara Lance was a consistent highlight of Legends in its infant season, picking up the slack where other CW vet’s like Ray Palmer and Martin friggin’ Stein frequently faltered. While Thorne’s watch has ended, Sara’s is as vigilant as ever — just don’t go leaving her alone for too long this time around, okay, guys?
Batman Beyond. Either I’m a 13th level intellect for thinking this up, or Legends is in worse shape than I thought. Putting Terry McGinnis on Legends of Tomorrow makes so much sense my brain is beginning to hurt. Of all the superheroes in the DC Pantheon who currently reside in the future, Batman Beyond might be the most popular one out there. (Sorry, Bouncing Boy.) Let’s run down a list of his qualifications, shall we? 1) From the future. 2) Superhero. 3) Batman. If The CW is looking to reignite interest in their least interesting DC show, letting Batman Beyond in on all the temporal fracas would be right at the top of my list. Also: Terry’s a package deal with Ace the Bathound. Make it happen, The CW.
Natasha Irons. I may be reaching a bit too deep into The CW’s own plans for Supergirl, but with the dreaded Cadmus right around the corner, is it too unreasonable to assume that the Irons family isn’t far behind? Natasha Irons is not only the niece of John Henry Irons (aka Steel), she’s a bonafide superhero in her own right — and her family knows their way around technology. No disrespect to Jefferson Jackson, but Natasha’s inherited smarts would whip the frequently shot-at Waverider into shape. And as for her superhero moniker? Seeing’s though Kendra could scarcely hold onto her trademark mace in Season One, give Nat the hammer of Steel. The show will be better for it.
J’onn J’onzz. There is no way that Legends should go one episode further without poaching from The CW’s newest, bluest series, Supergirl. And since the prospects of getting Alex Danvers on the show as a series regular are next to nil (cool Kryptonite sword, Agent Danvers; don’t think you’ll be running into too many Kryptonians in the timestream), David Harewood’s Martian Manhunter is our huckleberry. Shrewd, stoic, cape-y, green — J’onn’s a natural leader for this hard-scrabble crew. Besides, it’s all a part of my devious plan to covertly turn Legends of Tomorrow into Justice League International. (More on that in a bit.) Why? Because… it’s time. (No, I don’t apologize for puns.)
Vixen. If you’re anything like 100% of the DoomRocket staff, you’ve been casually glossing over Arrow for about two years now. (And if you are anything like the DoomRocket staff, you probably also wear ankle socks in the winter… right?) If anything could stamp our apathy towards Arrow into a thick, hearty paste, it would most certainly be The CW’s tie-in animated web series, Vixen. Megalyn Echikunwoke not only provided her vocal talents to realize the Queen of the Animal Kingdom, she donned the oh-so chic leathers commonplace in the CW DC TV Universe for her live-action debut on Arrow. Echikunwoke would be a perfect fit for Legends, in a perfect, fan favorite role.
Booster Gold. Come on, now. You saw this one coming. There are so many reasons why Booster Gold should be on Legends of Tomorrow, my teeth are quivering at the very idea of me articulating them in full. So I’ll keep it brief: if there’s any shot of DC Films tying its cinematic ambitions with the incredibly popular CW Multiverse, Booster is the key. (We’d also have to find a way to sneak Vibe on this show too, tbh.) Even if his presence was a seasonal one-off (considering he’d have to show up for Greg Berlanti’s upcoming Booster Gold film), Michael Jon Carter’s arrival would mean huge things for Legends of Tomorrow, particularly for one Rip Hunter. (I’m getting dizzy just thinking about it.)
John Constantine. Why The CW hasn’t gone and greenlit a Constantine revival series already, I’ll never know. His guest spot on Arrow this past year solidified the fact that the Hellblazer is a part of the Berlantiverse (are we calling it “the Berlantiverse” now?). And with Matt Ryan reprising his role, Rip Hunter wouldn’t be the only sassy blonde Brit aboard The Waverider. (Ooh, rivalry!) Constantine’s presence on Legends would open up so much story potential for the series — come on, you mean to tell me you wouldn’t watch Legends of Tomorrow literally go to Hell? With Johnny Boy on board, Neron and Blaze and all sorts of perplexingly-named demons would be chomping at the bit to get on television. I say: let them.
Agree? Disagree? Who would YOU like to see in the next season of ‘Legends of Tomorrow’?
