DC Entertainment

Legends of Tomorrow 2×07 Review: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

DC Week came to a satisfying conclusion with Legends of Tomorrow where our heroes from Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and Legends banded together to save the world and prove that they are Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Legends of Tomorrow’s “Invasion!” hour focused on wrapping up the Dominators arc where this ancient alien species wanted to eliminate the meta-humans on Earth because of the threat they might pose. Why did they think this, you ask. Barry. Allen. Flashpoint. It’s amazing how things come full circle.

Overall this was a solid conclusion to what was an epic crossover event – the best to date. It lived up to the hype in all regards – the action, the emotion, the best team up ever.

The beautiful thing about this 4-night crossover event was how each installment seemed to lead into the next while also maintaining the tone and essence of the series that took center stage. These crossover events should blend seamlessly into each other (much like One Chicago’s crossovers do). But that’s something that the two previous crossover events have failed to do. Luckily this storyline flowed nicely to encompass a complete arc while also maintaining pieces of each show’s individuality.

One of the great things about the Arrowverse is how it’s comprised of different kinds of heroes. You have the heroes with superpowers; you have the heroes with super fighting abilities; you have the heroes with super brains. Being a superhero has never been about having superpowers. It’s been about having the mindset of a hero – looking out for others, taking risks, sacrificing your happiness for others, believing that those your saving are worth it.

“Metahuman or not, superpowered or not, you are Earth’s mightiest heroes.” – Kara Zor-El

While part of that line said by Kara Danvers stems from Marvel’s The Avengers, that line is so important when it comes to this group of heroes that occupies the Arrowverse. There are so many different kinds of heroes – some willing and some reluctant – that in their own way contribute to the well-being of their Earth. No act is too small; no hero is too small; no sacrifice unnoticed. These heroes – whether it’s an Oliver Queen or Barry Allen or a Felicity Smoak or Cisco Ramon – are inspirational and crucial when it comes to protecting their respective cities and in defeating the Dominators.

While we often point to the big action sequences and the epic shots like this one…

…when talking about the wonder of superheroes on television, it’s the characters underneath the masks and the costumes and the tech and the brains that remind us what really defines a hero. It’s not having powers that others don’t. It’s not having a cool nickname. Or a costume. It’s about being that source of hope and inspiration for a people that, frankly, these heroes owe absolutely nothing to. Making sacrifices, putting yourself in harm’s way for strangers, helping people – there’s nothing more heroic. We see it on television – with superheroes – and we see it our real lives – with police officers, doctors, firefighters, etc.

We cling so tightly to superheroes because they’re representative of everything that we want to believe in. We want to believe in the goodness of people. We want to believe that there are people out there watching over us. We want to be inspired by the acts of others. We want to be good.

This crossover event was epic for so many reasons. Even despite the aliens, which I admit took some getting used to. I mean, I watch Supergirl. But watching Oliver Queen, who’s not an alien or a meta-human, interact with aliens was something I never thought I’d see. This crossover event brought together the Justice League of DC Television and showed us the power of heroes and the even greater power of teamwork and family. Each of these episodes brought heart, humor, action, drama, emotion, and a level of thrill that is the stuff of comic books. Now, here’s to hoping it can somehow top itself next year.

Barry’s Fault (And Redemption)

Where there’s an alien invasion there’s usually a motive or a cause. The cause in this case? Barry Allen and his Flashpoint paradox. These Dominators had explored Earth back in the 1950s to determine if humans were a threat. But it wasn’t until 2016 when they returned with one goal in mind: eliminate the meta-humans. These meta-humans were seen as a threat. Why were they seen as a threat? Barry Allen’s decision to mess with time.

Are we actually surprised that this is Barry’s fault? Everything that’s happening this season seems to be. That’s what happens when you change the world as we know it. Things change. Lots of things.

With that said, Barry Allen actually redeemed himself when he made the decision to give himself up to the Dominators to save his meta-human friends and the rest of the meta-humans. All the Dominators wanted was Barry, who they saw as a threat. So Barry had decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for his friends.

But it was his friends – even the ones that were mad at him – that ultimately said hell no. There was no way that they were going to let Barry do this. They’re a team. They do this together. Together they can do the impossible. And so they did. Together our heroes worked together – whether it was on the ground fighting or back at base watching over or in the sky fighting – to force the Dominators to retreat. And it was a beautiful thing.

Felicity and Cisco Steal the Show

Seriously, I’m going to need The CW to give me a series centered around Felicity Smoak and Cisco Ramon. Or even a damn web series. Cause damn it if those two aren’t the most entertaining and charismatic characters and actors in the Arrowverse. Not only do they reign supreme on their respective shows, but together they are literal dynamite. They literally stole the show with their wittiness and nerdy ways.

Cisco’s Guilt (And How It’s Different From Barry’s Flashpoint)

When Cisco, Felicity, Nate, Amaya, and Mick were on their little time travel adventure, they decided to show the Dominators that they are better than them by saving the life of one that was captured. Unknown to them, it altered time. There was a moment where Cisco admitted that he understood where Barry was coming from with Flashpoint, how guilty Cisco now felt.

But the fact of the matter is that those are two completely different things. Cisco accidentally changed time in order to help. Barry purposefully changed time in order to get what he wanted. The difference is clear. While Barry did get some redemption in this episode, it still doesn’t excuse him from the Flashpoint mess if only because we don’t know what other problems are coming as a result.

Stein Faces His New Reality

While there was an epic alien battle going on, we didn’t forget that this was an episode of Legends of Tomorrow, which meant that a character like Martin Stein was dealing with a side storyline. When Stein made the decision to talk to his past self and encourage him to be there more for his wife, things changed. Drastically. As in now he has a daughter that he never knew about.

At first Stein was very standoffish. To him, she wasn’t real. She wasn’t a part of the reality that he had known all of his life. But it was Caitlin that reminded him that this is now his reality. His daughter is real. She exists. And she loves him very much. So Stein eventually realized that this was a blessing in disguise. He’d never been a father, but now he gets to be a father to a truly intelligent woman. So much so that he told Jax to not tell the team about this daughter for fear that they’d try to make him right this time aberration.