Representation matters, and DC is proving that in spades. Hard on the heels of Wonder Woman‘s blockbuster first weekend, Legends of Tomorrow has cast the Waverider’s first Muslim-American superhero. And yes, it’s a woman.
Get ready to meet Zari Adrianna Tomaz, a hacktivist from the near future. Like many of DC’s burgeoning heroes, Zari will have underlying powers that will begin to shine through when Tala Ashe joins the cast as a series regular.
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Deadline describes Zari as a “gray hat hacktivist” from 2030, pushed into the hybrid role courtesy of a world dominated by fear, prejudice and a failing ecosystem. Busy channeling Arrow‘s Felicity Smoak, the techie will be taken by surprise when she uncovers her latent powers.
The name Adrianna Tomaz is familiar to comic book fans, as is her sobriquet, Isis. Although we all know the heroine’s alias is derived from the ancient Egyptian goddess, current events will likely cause Arrowverse writers to place that particular name on ice. It remains to be seen if Zari’s comic book connection to Egypt will lead to the return of either Hawkman or Hawkgirl, and the same can be said for the character’s ties to Shazam.
“It is incredible, as we were talking about the potential new characters for season 3, there is this debate about, do you go after one of the canonical DC figures or do you try to invent somebody whole cloth, or do you do what we did where you are sort of inspired by one of the canonical figures but you take your own Legends spin on them?” executive producer Phil Klemmer told Comic Book earlier this year.
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This is a formula that has fueled large portions of the Arrowverse, and one that we hope will keep viewers on their toes as Legends of Tomorrow season 3 fleshes out Zari’s history.
What do you think of the news about a Muslim-American superhero? Are you looking forward to seeing Zari? Do you think Legends of Tomorrow will use the alias “Isis” for the character or is that too controversial? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Legends of Tomorrow airs on The CW. For more news like this, check out BuddyTV’s Legends Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of PNP/WENN)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
