Legends of Tomorrow may only be in its third season, but the team has already had many highly entertaining adventures. Not only have they traveled to some exciting time periods, but they’ve managed to permeate pop culture in a way that other time-travel shows haven’t. Here are six essential Legends of Tomorrow adventures.
Our Only Hope
“Raiders of the Lost Art” is the ultimate love letter to Star Wars fans. Set in Los Angeles in 1967, struggling film student George Lucas quits school, so Ray and Nate beg him to reconsider. Both of them fear they’ll never live up to their full potential if Lucas never makes Star Wars.
It’s fun getting a glimpse, albeit a fictional one, of what Lucas was like as a film student. On top of the many references to the franchise, this episode also does an excellent job of showing how much Lucas’s stories continue to inspire. It forces you to appreciate Star Wars, not just as a series of movies, but as a fandom.
Nate & Ness
“The Chicago Way” sees the Legends traveling to the Windy City in 1927. F.B.I. agent Eliot Ness is about to sleep with the fishes — thanks to a pair of cement galoshes — when the Legends come to his rescue. The incident renders Ness unconscious. Nate must then impersonate Ness to ensure notorious mob boss Al Capone is brought to justice.
The episode gives us a glimpse into the work done by Ness and his team to build their case against Capone. This includes Nate leading a raid of one of Capone’s speakeasies and discovering the ledger that will bring him down. Although Eliot Ness and his work are legendary, Nate’s portrayal of him makes it feel like we’re meeting Ness for the first time, offering a fresh look at the Prohibition Era in Chicago.
Arthurian Legend: Myth Shaping History
In the episode “Camelot/3000,” the Legends land in Britannia in the year 507 A.D. Once there, they ally with Guinevere, Arthur’s wife, to rescue the legendary king and his Knights of the Round Table. Being a historian, Nate, of course, argues that Camelot doesn’t exist.
Arthurian Legend has evolved for many a millennium and historians still have not been able to prove whether it’s real. This episode balances the fantasy-based elements of the legend with the real life of Medieval knights. This prompts Nate to reconsider his hardened stance on myths versus proven historical facts. By the episode’s end, he acknowledges the importance of Arthurian Legend in shaping the history of this era.
Einstein’s Forgotten Love
Usually, any historical figure featured on Legends is well known. This is not the case in “Out of Time.” The Legends arrive in New York City in 1942, at the height of World War II. When Nazis scheme to build an atomic bomb, famed physicist Albert Einstein isn’t the only person they must protect. Mileva Maric, Einstein’s first wife, is every bit as capable of building the bomb for the Nazis.
Though a physicist herself, Maric is not as well known as Einstein. Not only does this episode cast the spotlight on her, it also acknowledges her possible contributions to Einstein’s work. It’s refreshing to watch Mick encourage Einstein to give Maric the credit she deserves. His simple quip, “Don’t be a jerk,” is enough to get Einstein to make Maric an equal partner in his work. History is forever changed but for the better.
Finding Light in Darkness
“Star City 2046” turns the usually good-natured formula of the show upside down. The Waverider crash lands in a hellish version of Green Arrow’s hometown. The city is burning, and crime is more rampant than usual. Worst of all, Oliver Queen has abdicated his heroic mantle.
Amongst all the despair, this episode features some optimistic moments. Leonard convinces Mick to not succumb to his old criminal habits despite being tempted himself. Sara persuades Rip that the team needs to help the city, foreshadowing her role as Captain. Plus, this is probably the only time you’ll see two Green Arrows fighting side-by-side in Oliver and Diggle’s son, Connor Hawke. Even if this is a faux timeline, Star City’s future looks bright thanks, in part, to the Legends.
How Women Won the West
Legends never shys away from tackling social issues. The episode “Outlaw Country” tackles the issue of female leadership in a time before our own. The Legends head for the Old West, specifically the town of Liberty, Colorado in 1874, and team up with Jonah Hex to stop Quentin Turnbull from seizing all land west of Colorado.
Hex doesn’t take too kindly to Sara leading the Legends and refuses to take orders from her. There’s a notion during this period that a woman’s role is in the home. However, several women living during this time break this stereotype. This episode uses Sara’s role as team leader to highlight the important role women played in the Old West. After working together to thwart Turnbull, Hex comes to admire Sara’s leadership skills.
