The Legends of Tomorrow are set to face some extreme trouble when the show returns in October, but they will face it together with a new recruit, Zari Adrianna Tomaz. DC fans may recognize Zari as the alter-ego of the heroine Isis, but if you haven’t heard of her, here’s everything you need to know about the newest member of the team.
An Unusual Beginning
Unlike most DC characters, Isis made her debut on TV rather than in the pages of comics. The Secrets of Isis was a short-run show with two seasons in 1975-6. It starred Joanna Cameron as Andrea Thomas, a high school science teacher who found an Egyptian amulet during an archaeological dig and gained the ability to call upon the powers of the goddess Isis. The character also crossed over several times to its equivalent show, Shazam!
A year later, Isis made her first comic appearance in Shazam! #25, which portrayed Isis as identical to her TV counterpart. Because of the success of her appearances in the Shazam! comics, she later fronted her own comic series.
Isis later returned in the New 52 comics as an Egyptian named Adrianna Tomaz. A refugee who is enslaved by Intergang, Black Adam frees Adrianna. Later, she helps convert Black Adam into a hero, and in return, she is gifted with the Isis amulet.
When transformed using the amulet, Adrianna gains physical abilities similar to other members of the Marvel family. She is superhumanly strong, on par with Wonder Woman, and able to easily withstand Darkseid‘s Omega Beams. She has super speed and intelligence, and all the other characteristics of a Marvel superhero. However, that is where the similarities end.
Unlike the other members of the Marvel family, she has control over the elements – water, fire, earth, air, and electricity, which means she can control Earth’s weather. These powers, however, are tied to her emotions – tears cause rain, anger causes destruction, and so on.
What She Means for the Legends
As can be expected with a show revolving around time travel, the writers of Legends have decided to play a bit with Isis’ origins – especially what time period she hails from. The official description of the character tells us she will be a “Muslim-American woman from the year 2030,” which is a time period that the Legends haven’t yet visited.
We also know that Zari will have “secret, latent powers derived from an ancient, mystical source.” Whether this is the Amulet of Isis, we will just have to wait and see. Regardless, it looks like we will almost definitely be having another bumbling superhero this season. Reports suggest that Vixen will be returning for Season 3, and as a hero that draws her powers from an ancient, mystical source, we could see Zari develop her abilities under the guidance of Amaya.
The Legends of Tomorrow version of Zari will also no longer be an Egyptian refugee nor a schoolteacher. Instead, she will be “a computer nerd,” and a “gray hat hacktivist.” Flash has their Cisco Ramon, Arrow has their Felicity Smoak, and even Supergirl has Winn. But a computer expert has been noticeably absent from the Legends crew since the beginning. And until now, they haven’t needed one. Could this be pointing towards some extreme technical difficulties for the Legends for next season?
Will Isis Launch the Legends Into the Future?
Zari’s home time period (2030) could point to a more future-oriented season. Season 1 and 2 of Legends dealt mostly in the past, whether it be the medieval times or prehistoric. Season 3 could go the opposite direction, with the Legends facing a threat from the future.
Including Isis opens up a range of new storylines we could see play on in Season 3. Nobody expected the Justice Society of America to make an appearance on Legends. And even though it sounds farfetched, could we see a version of the Marvel family show up on the show?
While DC is already making a Black Adam film, and Shazam is in the works as well, that didn’t stop them from having Flash on both TV and the big screen. Bringing Isis into the fold opens up the potential for more characters from that side of DC, and Black Adam would certainly make a unique threat to the Legends.
Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 returns in October 2017.
