While the premise of “Legends of Tomorrow” vastly differs from Marvel's space odyssey “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the promos are starting to show that “Legends” could be DCTV's answer to a superhero space comedy like “Guardians”. If “Legends of Tomorrow” turns out to be even remotely similar to “Guardians,” you'll hear no complaints from me as the latter has become one of my favorite films of all time. And I know I'm not alone in that opinion.
Think about it. My reasoning for assuming so is as follows:
#1. Legendary Band of Outlaws
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was a smuggler, much like Han Solo was in “Star Wars.” At the beginning of “Guardians” Quill wasn't a good guy or a bad guy — he was simply a neutral party willing to work for the highest bidder. In the “Legends of Tomorrow” world, Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) is a lot like Quill. Up until recently, Snart was only seen as a thief. He would do anything for the thrill of the heist, riches, and wealth. Earlier this season Barry (Grant Gustin) discovered that Snart actually had a soft spot, when Snart wanted to protect his sister from harm. Snart also has fantastic one liners, likes to flirt, and seems to want to be a good a person, as long as there is profit in it. I think Leonard Snart could easily be the Star-Lord for “Legends of Tomorrow”.
Mick Rory/Heatwave (Dominic Purcell) is another similar character to someone in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” universe. Rory is a lot like Drax (Dave Bautista). Not a lot goes over Rory's head, he has an unruly temper, he believes in vengeance, and he even sounds a bit like Drax when he's angry.
Sara Lance/White Canary (Caity Lotz) is also a great deal like Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Much like Gamora, Lance was a mercenary, working for a man whom ran a gang of thugs. In this universe, Ra's al Ghul would be likened to Thanos. Imagine Sara and Nyssa working for Thanos, doing his bidding throughout the galaxy. Much like Gamora, Lance is a highly skilled assassin. Her fighting skills are unmatched, she has a troubled past, and after spending time with Team Arrow, Sara Lance is ready to find the light side again, much like Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Disel) aren't represented in the “Legends of Tomorrow” universe, but I'm sure their witty banter will flow strongly between Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), both Firestorms (Victor Garber and Franz Drameh), and between immortal lovers Hawkman (Falk Hentschell) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee).
#2. Space Comedy
“Legends of Tomorrow” doesn't take place in outer space but it does take place on a space ship — Rip Hunter's ship “The Waverider.” “The Waverider” looks a lot like Star-Lord's ship “The Milano,” and will serve as the team's base of operations as they travel though time. “Legends” could even be considered a space comedy, but instead of traveling between planets, they are traveling between decades.
#3. Awesome Mix Vol. 1
The “Legends” crew will first find themselves in October of 1975 — the year of platform shoes, big hair, and groovy music. Most of the music from “Guardians of the Galaxy” was from that time period, including the songs “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Come and Get Your Love.” The last two trailers for “Legends of Tomorrow” have featured popular music tracks, something I don't think “Arrow” or “The Flash” has ever done in a promo. The first song is “Novicane” by Fall Out Boy, albeit a modern song from today. The second song is “Bang a Gong” by T Rex, which debuted in 1971. “Bang a Gong” sounds very similar to the song used in the main “Guardians” trailer “Hooked on a Feeling.”
Are these similarities a good thing? Absolutely. “Guardians” was a fantastic film, and anything the puts us into a similar world as theirs, with blurred lines between good and evil, great music, and an unruly team of heroes taking on bad guys to save the universe is a great thing. As Rocket would say: “Oh, yeah.”
Check out the newest promo for “Legends of Tomorrow” below:
“Legends of Tomorrow” debuts January 21, 2016 at 8PM on The CW.