The superheroes are back and they are here to stay. The arrival of an alien from Krypton, a time traveller from the future, a masked man from obscurity and the (emergence of) the fastest man alive have changed the dynamics of American television.

These favourite superheroes (and sometimes villain) of TV go out of the way to save the world and then live on as their alter egos, as if nothing has happened. Let’s take a look at four DC characters bracing themselves for a future where they will be responsible for peace and harmony.

Supergirl

It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s Supergirl! The first ever TV series on the Girl of Steel ended recently and was loved instantly for being better than expected. Melissa Benoist as Supergirl managed to capture the imagination of comic fans and whenever she donned the costume, she managed to save the world ­­— except for a few occasions.

The series follows Supergirl’s arrival from Krypton as a 13-year-old; her parents Zor-El (Robert Gant) and Alura (Laura Benanti) wanted her to protect her infant cousin Kal-El but since her landing on Earth was delayed, she came to the planet only after Superman had established himself as Man of Steel. She continued to live with her adopted parents (Dean Cain and Helen Slater as Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers) as Kara Danvers, but when her adopted sister was in trouble, she saved her and revealed herself as Supergirl.

In the first season of the series, Kara Danvers saved the Earth in general and National City in particular, with the help of Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), headed by Hank Henshaw (David Harewood) who is assisted by Alex Danvers, Supergirl’s adopted sister (Chyler Leigh). Superman’s buddy James ‘Jimmy’ Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) as well as sister of Lois Lane, Lucy (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) also appear in pivotal roles but none is as important as billionaire Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli), who has his own agenda against the girl from Krypton.

What makes the series worth watching are the special effects, the countless number of times where DC Comic villains appeared to take control and the few occasions when Supergirl was assisted by friends with superpowers, including Martian Manhunter and The Flash, to name a few.

The only drawback of the series is the absence of Superman due to some contractual issue; yes there is Clark messaging his cousin or Superman making an appearance without revealing his face but that should change. The crossover with The Flash — where Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) entered the Supergirl universe — was one of the most loved episodes as the duo combined their powers to save National City from those who wanted to take over.

The Flash

Meet Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), the ‘fastest man alive’ who takes on the mighty super villains once a week for our sake. Yet he isn’t much different from us — he lost his mother when he was young, his father (John Wesley Shipp) was sentenced to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, he was raised by Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) and likes his daughter Iris (Candice Patton). Then there is the issue about being very fast, and he is helped in his quest by Star Labs and its inhabitants Dr Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) and Dr Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh).

What makes The Flash a must-watch series, you ask? Well wouldn’t you like to watch your favourite superhero beat the crap out of super villains, some of whom are quite ‘talented’ themselves. So far in the first two seasons, The Flash battled it out with equally faster men — The ‘Reverse Flash’ and Zoom — while Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Weather Wizard, The Trickster and Black Siren have fought with the Scarlet Speedster but you know who wins the battle, right?

What if he gets help from The Arrow, The Atom and Firestorm … that’s what friends are for! There is also the presence of characters from the old series, John Wesley Shipp, who was The Flash in the 1990 series; he plays Barry’s father here. Amanda Pays and Mark Hamill also make appearances and prove to be a treat for loyal fans.

Green Arrow

His name is Oliver Queen and he wants to clean his city, the Starling City. With a powerful script backing this Superhero, Arrow has become one of the most loveable Superhero Shows on TV with the fourth season ending recently.

In every season, he has a different agenda and despite personal losses here and there, he continues to grow stronger. Fans of the masked vigilante are treated to action sequences that are at par with Hollywood and maybe that’s the reason why Arrow-star Stephen Amell was cast as Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel in cinemas right now.

The story is the same as in the comics — billionaire bad boy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), his father Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) and girlfriend Sara Lance (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood in pilot, replaced later with Caity Lotz) are presumed dead in a boating accident; Oliver survives with the help of friends and foes, gets to live on an island where he trains himself into a master archer. After five years, he returns to his city, only to find it in the hands of the unworthy.

Together with his band of vigilantes John Diggle (David Ramsey), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), sister Thea (Willa Holland) and girlfriend Laurel (Katie Cassidy), as well as Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Green Arrow saves his city, week by week, villain by villain.

Legends of Tomorrow

They are bad … yet together they are the only reason we feel safe in the present. In Legends of Tomorrow, timekeeper Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) goes back in time to save his family in general and the world in particular with the aim of capturing the immortal Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) in the process.

In order to succeed, he gathers the world’s finest and/or worst superheroes and super villains and take them along. There is Firestorm (Victor Garber and Franz Drameh), White Canary (Caity Lotz), Hawkman (Falk Hentschel), Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée) and Atom (Brandon Routh) from the Good team whereas Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) represent Evil. To get Savage, they are in it … to win it!

There is a back-story that one must know … Vandal Savage and Hawkman-Hawkgirl have been fighting each other since the days of Pharaohs and their rivalry gets renewed when they are killed.

Then there is Sarah Lance, brought back from the dead and trained by the League of Assassins; the Atom gets to show his skills whereas FireStorm — Dr Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson — keep others in check with their wise and worldly ways! As for Captain Cold and Heat Wave, they are integral to the plot because when they are bad, there is nothing that can stop them from achieving their goals!

Travelling through time is not a new phenomenon anymore thanks to the many films and TV shows that viewers have watched, but the way time travel happens in this series is worth mentioning. You get to meet many historical figures including a young H.G. Wells, Jonah Hex and even an aged Oliver Queen.

If you have missed any of these on TV, you can always turn to DVDs while you still have time before school reopens and so fasten your seat belts … go back in time with these legends and rewrite history!

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 16th, 2016