- Spoiler alert
“The Legion of Doom” is showing their true colours in this latest episode of CW’s Legends of Tomorrow. Viewers almost got to see them torture poor Rip Hunter to death. Although most of it was handled off-camera, actor Arthur Darvill had to put himself into the right psychological head-space to sell those scenes. I was cringing when it came time to pull his tooth out.
But this group of deviants is not really keen on each other since day one. The divide has been obvious since their introduction and the question of why Eobard Thawne has always been so dodgy is finally revealed. This later half of season two is far more satisfying to follow but I’m starting to find a few weaknesses in the handling a massive all-star cast. Darhk wants to prevent his death in the future but his one-sided nature of wanting to kill everyone is reminding me of the days Vandal Savage was the stock villain. Malcolm wants to change his past and he’s doing fine on screen. Thawne, the least visible, is running away from … well, I won’t spoil that detail. You just have to see it. In this universe, the question is if anyone’s destiny can be changed at all.
I’m beginning to wonder if showrunners Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and Phil Klemmer can not think of any other story arcs to use. Trying to alter destiny is a big thing, and sadly DC’s Vertigo universe is most likely not part of this universe. Can you imagine any superhero going up against Destiny or any member of the Endless? We can’t have an appearance unless other mystical connotations are made.
Hints were offered in the past to include magic in this world, but as this latest episode shows the Legends gang using their brains to figure out how the medallion they stole works. Instead of relying on magical answers, they are turning to science and bring Lily, Martin Stein’s daughter, to the Waverider to figure it out. This character played by Christina Brucato brings a breath of fresh air to the show. There’s an exuberance that I really like and I hope she will become a regular. Even though she is technically a temporal aberration and something might be done later in the series to wipe her from existence (altering history/destiny/hope) I’m hoping this direction will not happen.
After this episode’s cliffhanger, the Legion of Doom shows that they are going to mess with history in one big way. Just how the Legends team can undo it will require some creative timeline re-engineering if what happens does take place. The group can’t bring back presidents from the dead, or can they?