Entertainment

8 Historic DC Moments 'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2 Should Visit

From 'Gotham by Gaslight' to 1990s 'The Flash,' no place should be off-limits for the Waverider.

by Eric Francisco
The CW

Adding Legends of Tomorrow to the Arrowverse was a genius move by DC and the CW. A time-traveling sci-fi drama in the vein of Doctor Who infused with superheroes from Arrow and The Flash allows DC to do whatever the heck it wants within its popular TV universe.

During the first season, the show took full advantage of its premise: From raising hell in the ‘80s Soviet Union to playing cowboy with Jonah Hex in the 19th century, there are few places — and times! — that Rip Hunter and his Waverider crew can’t go.

But where to next? With The Flash opening up the possibilities for alternate universes, what crazy corners of DC should Legends of Tomorrow excavate when the show returns this fall? We’ve got eight great vacation spots.

8. Gotham by Gaslight

While Legends of Tomorrow can’t strictly adapt Elseworlds comics panel for panel (it was outside DC canon), 1989’s Gotham By Gaslight written by Brian Augustyn with art from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is one of the finest examples of an alternate universe that is strong enough to be its own story. The book reimagines Batman in a Gotham City (stylized like Victorian England) chasing down Jack the Ripper, who has traveled all the way to continue his murder streak across the pond.

For Legends of Tomorrow, it’d be a lot of fun to see Firestorm and White Canary wearing bonnets and derbies while in pursuit of the infamous serial killer.

'Gotham by Gaslight'

DC Comics

7. Leatherwing

Another Elseworlds story focused on Batman, the Dark Knight features as a vigilante pirate of the high seas in this volume, which was published in 1994 in Detective Comics Annual #7. Whether Legends of Tomorrow merely time travels to the 1600s or it’s a parallel universe where the Green Arrow is sailing for King James II, a pirate fantasy is too good for Legends of Tomorrow to pass up.

Leatherwing in 'Detective Comics Annual' #7

6. The Crime Syndicate of America

In DC continuity, Earth-3 is home to the Crime Syndicate of America, where the heroic Justice League are inverted into super-criminals like Ultraman, Power Ring, Sea King, and Owlman.

In the show’s second season, the Legends of Tomorrow will be going up against the Legion of Doom, another team composed of super-villains like the Reverse-Flash and Damien Darhk. But that’s the final battle. Before they can take down the Legion of Doom, it’d be thematically resonant if the Legends fought evil versions of themselves in an alternate universe.

5. The Flash (1990)

Before Grant Gustin, John Wesley Shipp was Barry Allen in the short-lived The Flash on CBS. Already referenced to be its own universe in The Flash — Shipp now plays Barry’s father Henry Allen, as well as Earth-3 Jay Garrick — it’d be a great tribute to the series if Legends of Tomorrow stopped by for a quick visit.

Oh, and speaking of Flash…

4. Barry Allen’s Flashpoint

It was mentioned in passing at Comic-Con that the ongoing “Flashpoint” arc in Season 3 of The Flash won’t drastically affect Legends of Tomorrow, but it’d be a little wrong if Rip Hunter didn’t park the Waverider over to The Flash for awhile. Jax still has to visit his mother anyway — that’s enough of an excuse to get the crew exploring Barry’s alternate Central City.

Besides, Flashpoint is perfect for the next world. A world where…

3. Robert Queen is the Green Arrow

In Geoff Johns’s Flashpoint comic, Batman is the alter ego of Thomas Wayne, who vows to fight crime after his son’s murder one fateful night. More violent than his son, Bruce, Thomas Wayne exists in a dystopian world without Superman and Wonder Woman and Aquaman’s broken love leads to catastrophe.

Again, there is no Batman in the Arrowverse, but Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow is a pretty close analog. With The Flash series aping after Flashpoint, there is totally room for Robert Queen to have survived five years on Lian Yu and not Oliver. Imagine how impactful it would be for the Legends to live in a world where it’s not the Ollie they know and love that is Star City’s hero, but his father.

2. Wherever in the literal hell Constantine is.

“He’s in hell,” is all we heard Oliver say about John Constantine’s whereabouts. “No, he’s literally in hell.” Wait, what? Thanks to Ra’s Al Ghul in Arrow Season 3 and the guest appearance of Matt Ryan’s hero from Constantine last fall, the Arrowverse is prepared for an immediate detour into the horror/supernatural.

With DC fans clamoring for a full revival of Constantine (it had one season on NBC), it’d be nice if the Legends could help Constantine out of whatever trouble he’s gotten up to. Maybe he could fall in a favor. He’s owed one for resurrecting Sara back to life, after all.

1. Zack Snyder’s Cinematic Universe

Just kidding! But seriously, could you imagine?

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns October 13 on the CW.

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