The Arrowverse likes to have its serious hat on most of the time. It all starts with Oliver Queen, who spends five years on an island in the North China Sea in Arrow before returning home to rid Star City of corruption. Even Barry Allen, who is everything that Oliver is not, has to go to some dark places after running into Reverse-Flash and Zoom, who kill his mother and father, respectively. Being a superhero isn’t supposed to be easy, but don’t tell that to the residents of the Waverider on Legends of Tomorrow. The B-list Arrowverse heroes travel through time on their show, and they always find a way to make the timeline a bit more ridiculous.
The later seasons of Legends of Tomorrow are when it really jumps the Beebo, having Heatwave have alien babies and creating an evil Gideon, but Season 2 also features its fair share of wild moments. There’s even an episode where the Legends nearly ruin arguably the biggest movie franchise in history.
The Arrowverse Tries to Ruin Star Wars for Its Inhabitants
Legends of Tomorrow sees the titular team face off against the Legion of Doom, led by Eobard Thawne. The Reverse-Flash recruits fellow Arrowverse villains Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk, using them to track down the Spear of Destiny, which will allow him to rewrite reality and secure his spot on the timeline. The Legion’s mission proves difficult, but they have a breakthrough when they discover a piece of the weapon is in the 1960s. The Legends follow the evil team to Los Angeles and confront them on a film set, where they discover their former captain, Rip Hunter, who doesn’t remember who he is.
Before a reunion can take place, the Legends and Legion battle, catching the attention of local police, who arrest Rip. He’s not the only person to be affected by the situation, though, as his crewmate, George, is upset about the altercation and decides to give up filmmaking. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but once Ray Palmer and Nate Heywood start dealing with memory issues, they realize that George is, in fact, George Lucas. It turns out the time travel shenanigans ruin any chance of Star Wars being made, and because the franchise is so important to Ray and Nate, they’re different without its influence.
The Legends return to LA to save George from the Legion, who are using him to find a piece of the Spear of Destiny. While it takes some convincing, the film student eventually agrees to return to school and give making movies another shot. The timeline corrects itself shortly after, and Ray and Nate’s heroic sides return. But they aren’t the only people to benefit from the development, as the Arrowverse is full of characters who dream of living in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars Is a Major Part of the Arrowverse
All major franchises these days owe a debt of gratitude to Lucas and his collaborators. However, few of them show as much appreciation as the Arrowverse, which never misses an opportunity to shout out Star Wars. Cisco from The Flash frequently references events from Lucas’ films, including wearing a “Keep Calm and Han Shot First” shirt during his interview with Harrison Wells, which, of course, touches on the controversy surrounding Harrison Ford’s character’s introduction in Star Wars: A New Hope.
The Flash doesn’t stop there, though, because Season 1, Episode 17, “Trickster,” sees Mark Hamill reprise his role as the Trickster from the 1990s Scarlet Speedster series. The Trickster teams up with a copycat villain, who turns out to be his son. Once Hamill’s character realizes this, he embraces his new family member by saying, “I am your father.” It’s a fantastic callback, but it wouldn’t be part of the timeline if the Legends hadn’t corrected their mistake and put Lucas back on the right path. They really should have fought for some of the backend after they finished dealing with the Legion.
Legends of Tomorrow is streaming on Netflix.
Did you know about George Lucas’ appearance in Legends of Tomorrow? What is your favorite Star Wars reference in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!
