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| Written by Jennifer Chang |
With the success of The Flash and Arrow, it isn’t hard to believe that the CW will launch its third show set within the DC Universe, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which will premiere this Thursday, January 21st. The series will center on a group of heroes who are recruited to travel through time to defeat super-villain, Vandal Savage.
This year’s annual The Flash/Arrow crossover event helped establish the central theme of the new series, as well as introduce a few key characters of Legends who were new to The Flash and Arrow mythologies. Before diving head first into the reality warped, time-travel-based DC thriller, let’s quickly recap The Flash/Arrow crossover event.
Legends of Today (The Flash S02E08) / Legends of Yesterday (Arrow S04, E08)
Vandal Savage arrives in Central City looking to kill the reincarnation of Priestess Chay-Ara, Kendra Saunders, a barista at CC Jitters. After an encounter with Savage, Barry deduces that he is no meta-human, but something far greater. The Flash (Barry Allen) and the rest of Team Flash (Cisco Ramone and Caitlin Snow) travel to Star City to enlist the help of Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) and Team Arrow (Thea Queen (Speedy), Laurel Lance (Black Canary), Felicity Smoak, and John Diggle) to protect Kendra until they can stop Savage.
The newly crowned, Ra’s Al Ghul (Malcolm Merlin) informs the two teams that Savage is an immortal and cannot be stopped. A winged man who turns out to be Carter Hall, a reincarnated Prince Khufu, then kidnaps Kendra, revealing to her that they are soul mates and have been connected for the last 4,000 years.
After Savage locates the Staff of Horus in Central City, Team Arrow and Team Flash decide to regroup in Central City, where they take shelter in a secluded farmhouse just outside the city.
With ties to all things evil, Ra’s Al Ghul manages to coordinate a meeting between Savage, Oliver and Barry. Savage demands that they turn over Kendra and Carter or he will use the Staff of Horus to destroy Central City and Star City. Barry and Oliver devise a plan to deliver Kendra and Carter as a ruse to lure the Staff of Horus away from Savage.
The plan fails; Kendra and Carter are killed and Savage uses the Staff of Horus to destroy everyone in the city. Barry manages to escape, running fast enough to travel back in time to the initial meeting between Savage, Oliver and himself. Barry informs Oliver of his time travel only to persuade him to change his approach in defeating Savage.
This time, Barry, Oliver and all members of Team Arrow are present to deliver Kendra and Carter to Savage. Barry and Oliver are able to separate Savage from the Staff and use it against him, turning him into a pile of ashes.
That were then collected and contained by Ra’s Al Ghul.
Now that we’ve done that, let’s dive deeper into the characters of DC’ Legends of Tomorrow.
WHAT WE KNOW: Vandal is an ancient Egyptian priest who gains his immortality by consuming the life forces of Egyptian Priestess, Chay- Ara (Hawkgirl), and Prince Khufu (Hawkman). As a mortal, Vandal lusted over Chay-Ara, but the feelings of affection were not returned. Vandal kills Chay-Ara and Prince Khufu after witnessing Khufu in Chay-Ara’s bedchambers, tethering their life forces together for eternity.
For 4,000 years, Savage has hunted down Chay-Ara and Khufu, killing them in all of their reincarnations, getting stronger with each kill. Savage reappears in present day Central City to kill the reincarnation of Chay-Ara, Kendra Saunders. Despite finding the Staff of Horus in Central City, Vandal is defeated and turned to a pile of ash. Malcolm Merlin, the newly crowned Ra’s Al Ghul recovers Vandal’s ashes for an unknown purpose.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Staff of Horus
WHITE CANARY
a.k.a. Sara Lance
WHAT WE KNOW: Sara’s path began when she ran away with her older sister Laurel’s boyfriend, Oliver Queen. Following a horrible storm and destruction of the boat, The Queen’s Gambit, both she and Oliver were presumed dead. It is believed that during this five-year span, Sara conducted her training with The League of Assassins, crossed paths with the also still-alive Queen and fell in love with Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul, leader of the League. Sara adopted The Black Canary mantle, and eventually returned to Starling City, reuniting with Laurel, her parents and Oliver; eventually joining and serving with Team Arrow. She was murdered by Thea Queen, Oliver’s sister, who was then drugged and under the persuasion of Malcolm Merlyn, the Dark Archer and member of the League of Assassins.
As a tribute to her death, Laurel took on the Black Canary identity. More than a year after her death, Sara’s body was taken to Nanda Parbat by Thea and Laurel, to be resurrected by the Lazarus Pit.
Unable to control the blood lust that comes from the pit, Lance left Starling City (now referred to as Star City) to pursue new opportunities and find her own path.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Batons
THE ATOM
a.k.a. Ray Palmer
WHAT WE KNOW: Scientist/genius Ray Palmer is introduced into the Arrow-verse as the new CEO of Queen Consolidated, after successfully winning the bid over Oliver Queen. Following the death of his fiancé, Anna, who was killed during Slade Wilson’s citywide attack on Oliver Queen, Ray develops a powerful A.T.O.M Exosuit.
After enlisting the help of Team Arrow member, Felicity Smoak, Ray is able to complete the suit and begins testing its functionality in Star City. While testing out the suit’s shrinking capabilities, Palmer accidentally causes an explosion, wiping out an entire floor of Palmer Technologies (formally Queen Consolidated) and seemingly killing himself.
Through encrypted messages and audio recordings sent to Felicity’s phone, it is revealed that Palmer survived the explosion by successfully integrating his nanotech into the suit, and shrinking himself.
In his messages to Felicity, Ray reveals that Damien Darhk, the leader of H.I.V.E., a rogue criminal operation, has captured him in his miniature form. Felicity Smoak and the rest of Team Arrow would eventually rescue Palmer from Darhk. Unwilling to reveal that his is alive to the public, Palmer leaves Felicity in control of Palmer Technologies, allowing him to live in secret.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: A.T.O.M Exosuit.
CAPTAIN COLD
a.k.a. Leonard Snart
WHAT WE KNOW: After dropping out of high school, Snart became one of Central City’s most wanted criminals.
Snart caught the attention of The Flash when he and his crew hijacked an armored car in an attempt to steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond.
After escaping his first run-in with The Flash, Snart launched several schemes to draw out The Flash in order to reveal his identify, thus making his hobby as a hero much harder to pull off.
Unable to lure The Flash out, Snart and partner, Mick Rory kidnap Caitlin Snow. Despite their efforts, Snart and Rory are quickly defeated when The Flash tricks them into crossing the stream of their weapons, cancelling them out.
The two were then sent to jail, but were rescued by Snart’s sister, Lisa (Golden Glider).
Upon his third return to Central City, Snart strikes a truce with The Flash, in which he promises to not reveal Barry’s secret identity or kill innocent people, in exchange for Barry not locking him up in the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R Labs.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Cryonic Gun
RIP HUNTER
Time Master
WHAT WE KNOW: Aside from the Legends of Tomorrow trailer, Rip never makes an on screen appearance in either of The Flash or Arrow series.
As a Time Master, Rip has witnessed first hand the terrible string of events that will unravel if Vandal Savage is not defeated.
To stop those events from happening, Rip travels to the present day to assemble a group of heroes to help him defeat Vandal Savage once and for all.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Time Sphere
HAWKMAN
a.k.a. Carter Hall; Prince Khufu
WHAT WE KNOW: Carter Hall is a reincarnation of the Prince Khufu. Carter emerges in Central City after regaining his memories from past lives and has come to retrieve, Kendra Saunders, the reincarnated Priestess Chay-Ara. Carter kidnaps Kendra, just as she is talking to Team Flash member, Cisco Ramon. Hunted down and defeated by the Arrow and Flash duo, Carter is chained up and help captive.
When confronted by Kendra, Carter reveals that they are soul mates and have lived 206 lives, all cut short by the immortal Vandal Savage.
With Savage closing in and danger imminent, Carter attempts to help Kendra tap into her powers. With the help of Team Arrow, Team Flash, and Kendra, Carter is able to defeat Savage, leaving him to live the rest of his life in peace with Kendra.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Wings, Mace
HAWKGIRL
a.k.a. Kendra Saunders
WHAT WE KNOW: Before discovering that she is a reincarnated Egyptian Priestess, Kendra leads an unassuming life as a barista at CC Jitters in Central City.
It isn’t until the arrival of Carter Hall, a reincarnated Prince Khufu that she learns of her past lives and her impending fate if she does not manage to tap into her powers.
After remembering her first death, Kendra reveals that there is a way to defeat Savage by using the same metal from the meteor shower that killed him in his first life.
With the help of Team Arrow, Team Flash, and Carter, Kendra is able to defeat Savage, leaving her to live the rest of his life in peace with Carter.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Wings
FIRESTORM
a.k.a. Professor Martin Stein
WHAT WE KNOW: Professor Martin Stein is a physicist and one-half of the meta-human fusion, Firestorm. Stein was present at the particle accelerator during the explosion, working on his own research, Project F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.
The explosion fused particles of Ronnie Raymond and Martin together, forcing them to live within the same body, fighting for control. It wasn’t until members of Team Flash developed a Quantum Splicer, that the two were separated. Despite being separated, the two needed to merge together periodically to prevent their bodies from becoming unstable.
After the death of Ronnie Raymond, who scarified himself to save Central City from the singularity, it becomes clear that Stein’s body is becoming unstable due to not merging with his other half regularly. It is clear that Stein needs to find a new match to merge with in order to stay alive.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Firestorm Matrix
FIRESTORM
a.k.a. Jefferson “Jax” Jackson
WHAT WE KNOW: Jefferson “Jax” Jackson is a mechanic and one-half of the meta-human fusion, Firestorm.
Jax’s career as a football player was cut short due to a knee injury he sustained during the particle accelerator explosion.
Barry Allen and Martin Stein approached Jax because his molecular structure made him one of two perfect matches for the now unstable Martin. After declining to fuse with Martin, Caitlin Snow berates Jax for not living up to his potential.
Snow later apologizes and tells Jax about her late husband Ronnie, Martin’s old fusion partner who saved Central City from the singularity as Firestorm.
The other candidate to become Firestorm, Dr. Henry Hewitt, attacks Caitlin and Jax and they flee to S.T.A.R Labs where Jax agrees to merges with Stein, resulting in the new Firestorm.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Firestorm Matrix
HEATWAVEa.k.a. Mick Rory
WHAT WE KNOW: Mick Rory, nicknamed Heat Wave by Team Flash member Cisco Ramon, is a pyromaniac and known accomplice of Leonard Snart (Captain Cold).
Half of Rory’s body was burned in a fire while working a heist gone bad with Leonard.
Years later, Snart and Rory would reunite, plotting several low-key heist to lure out The Flash and reveal his true identity. Failing to capture his attention, Rory and Snart kidnap Caitlin Snow and take her to their hideout where they place a bomb underneath her seat. Rory and Snart encounter the Flash upon their departure, but not before The Flash tricks Snart and Rory into crossing the streams of their weapons together, cancelling them out.
Snart and Rory were subsequently taken off to jail, but escaped with the help of Snart’s sister, Lisa Snart (Golden Gilder).
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Heat Gun
