Legends of Tomorrow Proves The Arrowverse Doesn’t Need The Wonder Twins

The Arrowverse has teased the Wonder Twins since Crisis On Infinite Earths, but DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has something much better: the brother/sister duo of Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) and Zari Tarazi (Tala Ashe). The Wonder Twins — Zan and Jayna — are a brother/sister superhero duo introduced in the classic Super Friends cartoon. In Crisis “Part 5,” which took place on Legends of Tomorrow prior to season 6, the Wonder Twins’ pet monkey Gleek was referenced — with the implication that he could be running loose in the Justice League’s Hall of Justice.

Meanwhile, the history of the Tarazi siblings, who both wield the Air Totem, is quite complicated. It starts with Zari Tomaz, a fugitive from the dark future of Star City 2046. After her younger brother Behrad was murdered by ARGUS, Zari joined the Legends in season 3 and became a key member of the time-traveling superteam. In “Hey World!”, Legends of Tomorrow‘s season 4 finale, Zari was wiped from existence when the Legends changed the timeline after defeating the demon Neron. Instead, Behrad blinked into Zari’s place and replaced her; in the revised timeline, Zari never joined the Legends and it was Behrad who had all of her adventures with the Legends in season 3 and 4.

Behrad and an alternate version of Zari were seamlessly woven into Legends of Tomorrow season 5. To the credit of the actors and the show’s creative team, it was like the Tarazi siblings were part of the series all along. Zari 2.0 was even a completely new character who was the polar opposite of the original Zari; a social media influencer who has been famous since she was a child (thanks to the events in the season 4 finale), Zari 2.0 was hilariously prissy, self-obsessed, and initially, she wanted nothing to do with the Legends’ time-traveling mishaps. But as Zari 2.0 settled into life aboard the Waverider, she began experiencing flashes of the previous Zari’s life, like her love for donuts and video games. Perhaps the most surprising development was Zari 2.0 developing romantic feelings for John Constantine (Matt Ryan), which the British warlock reciprocated. After the reveal that original Zari was still alive in the Air Totem in Legends of Tomorrow season 5, Tala Ashe remarkably juggled performing both Zaris — including giving them each a different voice — and, sometimes, even in the same episode.

For his part, Behrad has also been a fantastic addition to the Legends; the younger Tarazi smoothly inherited the original Zari’s job as the Waverider’s technician, and his laid-back, stoner attitude fit right in with the Arrowverse’s crew of misfits. Behrad grew close to Captain Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), was best buds with Nate, and he even had a romantic fling with Charlie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). In less than a season, Behrad became so integral to Legends that his shocking death at the hands of Atropos (Joanna Vanderham) in “Zari, Not Zari” was a gut-punch for fans.

But, more importantly, bringing Behrad back became Zari 2.0’s main motivation; she learned that she can also wield the Air Totem, and Zari stopped at nothing to bring her baby brother back, which fulfilled the original Zari’s mission. Zari and Behrad also bring a refreshing sibling dynamic to Legends of Tomorrow, which hammers home that the team itself is a makeshift family. Nate and Behrad joked that the Tarazi siblings, who now share the Air Totem’s powers, are like the Wonder Twins, but Zari and Behrad are much more interesting and endearing characters than Zan or Jayna ever were in their cartoon and DC Comics incarnations.

Moreso, Legends of Tomorrow is a show about second chances, and the Tarazis are the epitome of this. Through magic and the love of his sister (both versions of Zari), Behrad got a second chance at life while the new Zari gets to be the hero her original incarnation was. Since season 6 will take them into outer space to save the kidnapped Sara, Legends of Tomorrowcould still introduce the Wonder Twins in season 6 — but even if that never happens, Behrad and Zari prove that the Arrowverse is better off with their own homegrown superhero siblings.

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