Legends of Tomorrow was the only Arrowverse series of The CW's spring lineup that managed to end as intended, so Season 5 closed on a wild cliffhanger at the end of a bonkers episode that saw Sara Lance abducted by aliens. Although the finale ended before dropping details about who has their hands on Sara, it's pretty clear that these aren't Dominators or the kinds of aliens that the Girl of Steel comes across regularly on Supergirl. Fortunately, Legends of Tomorrow co-showrunner Phil Klemmer has weighed in on how Sara's absence will affect the team and her relationship with Ava in Season 6.
Speaking with TVLine, Phil Klemmer explained how losing Sara actually presents some big story opportunities:
Having Sara gone is the most interesting shift in the dynamic. When a family loses a parent, and a bunch of children, Party of Five-style, have to raise themselves, it’s gonna be really interesting. It’s also going to afford Sara a chance to have a separate storyline.
Considering none of the Legends were even paying attention (and were all very drunk) when poor Sara was abducted by aliens, they might have a pretty big mystery on their hands once they realize their captain is MIA. So much weirdness happens around the Legends that I wouldn't even be surprised if "abducted by aliens" isn't at the top of their list to explain what happened to her! Without Sara around to help them focus, her rescue party might not come any time too soon.
That's not to say that Ava isn't a capable leader in her own right, so the Legends didn't lose both parents in this Party of Five-esque situation. Still, Ava isn't the "cool parent" of the Waverider, and she hasn't been a Legends herself very long. Sara arguably held the Legends together and kept them semi-functional, even managing to wrangle Mick. The good news is that Sara being abducted away from the "kids" means that she should get a more Sara-centric storyline.
The bad news is that this is another bump in the course of true love for Sara and Ava. Phil Klemmer confirmed that both women can "function in each other's absence," but that doesn't mean they'll be happy about it. Klemmer elaborated, saying:
They’re totally capable of doing so, but it’s like they don’t want to. It’s not like they can’t. It’s not like Sara can’t survive being taken hostage and taken away to whatever alien dimension. It’s not that Ava couldn’t step up and fill Sara’s shoes. But it’s just like it’s painful, and that’s obviously not what they want to do.
Given everything that Sara has been through since her Arrow days and Legends of Tomorrow becoming steadily goofier over the years, I'm guessing that her alien abduction won't be her worst experience ever, and Ava was already a proven leader before joining the Legends. Based on the co-showrunner's comments, they won't fall apart without each other, but dealing with their situations separately will be "painful." Will Avalance ever catch a break?
Sadly, fans won't find out how Avalance function without each other following Sara's abduction for quite a while. The CW already announced that almost its entire lineup won't be back until 2021. The first five seasons of Legends of Tomorrow are available streaming Netflix if you want to relive the run of the show to date, and experience just how much it has changed from the early days of the Hawks and Vandal Savage.
Stargirl is also releasing new episodes over the summer, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for a superhero fix. Although Stargirl technically doesn't exist in the same Arrowverse as Barry Allen, Kara Danvers, the Legends, and whoever will replace Kate Kane on Batwoman, the changes for Stargirl Season 2 may mean the Arrowverse will get its first new addition since Arrow ended, depending on the timeline of Superman and Lois' release and the status of the potential Arrow spinoff.
If you're in the market for some new viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule!
