Legends of Tomorrow, at its inception, revolved around time travel, but it may be time to move away from it. Over the years, each season has included saving time, breaking time, and/or repairing time. However, as the show found its trademark quirkiness, it has ventured further and further away from its original premise. Given that, season 6 would be the perfect season for the Arrowverse’s most unusual show to leave time travel behind for good.
Outlaw time traveler Rip Hunter recruited the nine original Legends in season 1 to help him capture Vandal Savage and prevent a time apocalypse. Season 2 had the Legends appoint themselves guardians of time following the demise of the Time Masters, overseers of the timeline, and traveling to correct time aberrations. Later, the newly formed Time Bureau, also founded by Rip as the new overseer, accused the Legends of breaking time. While trying to fix their mistakes, the Legends’ major encounter with a demon resulted in not only the death of Rip Hunter but the escape of multiple demons and a new mission for the team in season 4.
The fifth season of Legends found them battling “encores,” evil villains released from hell. With recent seasons centered more around demons, demigods, and resurrected villains, the Legends have dealt less and less with time travel shenanigans. As time travel has taken a backseat to the supernatural, the positive impact to the show has outweighed the negative, which begs the question, is season 6 time to lean into the show’s strength, which is its motley crew of characters, and move away from time travel altogether?
Losing time travel could bring more suspense and higher emotional stakes to the show. That is made clear by their first goal in season 6, which is to rescue their inspirational and beloved captain, Sara Lance, who was abducted by aliens. Legends of Tomorrow is, at its heart, more of a buddy road trip show than a time travel show. Time travel increasingly dampens the stakes as there’s always a chance of any catastrophe being undone. The loss of time travel, which has become more of a plot device than a premise, wouldn’t take away from the fun dynamic among the show’s characters or the bizarre antics of their foes.
The show’s unique blend of time travel, fantasy, and supernatural genres has made possible the frequent introduction of compelling new team members. Fans have quickly responded to these superpowered and conflicted characters such as Zari and Behrad Tamazi, keepers of the wind totem. Former Time Bureau chief and clone and co-captain of the Waverider, Ava Sharpe, has become Sara’s partner not only on the ship but in life. Nora Dahrk, witch, daughter of the evilest of demons, found her happily ever after following her transformation into a Fairy Godmother.
Good shows grow and change when they find their footing and rarely end exactly the same as when they began. Legends of Tomorrow is no exception to that. Of the original nine time-traveling Legends aboard their ship, only Sara Lance and Mick Rory remain as season 6 begins. Recently announced cast promotions and additions will only add to the depth of characters aboard the Waverider, further lessening the need to rely on time travel. Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz joins the crew as an alien expert and the team’s new tech geek following the departure of Ray Palmer and Nora. The former “Queen of Hell,” Astra Logue, who unleashed the “encores” on the world before later joining forces with the Legends, now finds herself part of the rag-tag team. They’re simply two more characters who may just become one of the Legends of Tomorrow themselves.
