Legends of Tomorrow changed the superhero scene on The CW in a big way when it premiered earlier this year since it, unlike Arrow with Oliver Queen and The Flash with Barry Allen, revolves around a heroic ensemble. Maisie Richardson-Sellers joined that ensemble as comic heroine Vixen for Season 2, and she recently spoke to CinemaBlend about what we can expect in the coming months. When asked about a possible future for Rip Hunter on Legends of Tomorrow, she told me this:
He does come back, just not necessarily the Rip that we remember. That's sort of what is a big part of the second half of the season.
Maisie Richardson-Sellers' reveal should come as very good news for fans who have been crossing their fingers for actor Arthur Darvill's return. Rip was the driving force behind the time travel adventures of Season 1, so it came as a shock when he disappeared from time and space after saving New York City, and his fate has remained ambiguous ever since. News that we'll see Rip again could mean an answer to one of the biggest mysteries of Legends of Tomorrow so far. That said, Rip Hunter's return may raise even more questions than it answers, going by that clue from Richardson-Sellers.
If it won't be the same Rip that we lost, that means there will likely be some time travel and/or universe jumping shenanigans at work. Legends of Tomorrow has already featured past and future versions of characters, so the Time Master that turns up in the second half of Season 2 could just be a Rip from before his disappearance. Alternately, the show's Season 2 connection to The Flash means it could be a Rip from a different universe. Thanks to Barry's message from the future, we know that Rip gave him a message that Barry wants him to keep a secret, so maybe there's a future version of the character involved. Who knows? Maybe the new Rip will be an evil version from a parallel Earth who wears a goatee and gets up to all manner of villainy.
Another possibility is that Rip's disappearance is something that has not yet registered in a set timeline. If one of the Legends makes a certain change in history, he could simply pop back into existence in some form or other. We've already seen that the Legends' meddling in history is taking a personal toll this season; Martin Stein's memories are being rewritten to include a woman he doesn't even recognize! Maybe what happened to Rip will be rewritten as well.
As it turns out, Rip Hunter isn't even the only past character who will return in the second half of Legends of Tomorrow Season 2. I asked Maisie Richardson-Sellers whether we could count on seeing any more of Vixen's teammates from the Justice Society of America, and she gave me this answer:
There is someone coming back. That's all I can say, that there is someone coming back you will see in the next episode we're shooting, that's...12.
Vixen made her grand debut on Legends of Tomorrow as a member of the JSA. The team was a well-organized unit made up of Rex Tyler, Obsidian, Stargirl, Commander Steel, and Dr. Mid-Nite. She left the JSA behind after the death of Rex Tyler in 1942 and has been traveling with the Legends on a quest to bring his killer to justice ever since. Not to knock the others, but the best scenario here would be to get Patrick J. Adams back as Rex Tyler in some way, since Adams is the man. But barring that, there are other options.
The only non-Vixen JSA member we've seen since 1942 is Lance Henriksen's Obsidian, who came out of retirement to help Vixen during a mission in 1987. The others' fates are currently unconfirmed, although Obsidian did tell Vixen that the rest of the JSA perished after a mission to Germany in 1956. If Vixen reunites with Stargirl, Commander Steel, and/or Dr. Mid-Nite, she'll likely either travel back to a time between 1942 and 1956, or else discover that they didn't actually all die in 1956. Either way, Episode 12 could be a game-changer for the Legends in Season 2.
We still have a while to wait before we see the returns of Rip Hunter and a mystery member of the JSA in the second half of Season 2. Luckily, the first half of Season 2 is still going strong. The ginormous crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow kicks off next week, and the Legion of Doom will finally come together in the midseason finale. Be sure to tune in to The CW on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET to see more of Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Vixen on Legends of Tomorrow.
