Legends of Tomorrow
DC's Legends of Tomorrow is an action-comedy-drama series that spins off from the Arrowverse, bringing together a team of eccentric heroes and antiheroes to travel through time and correct historical anomalies. The show is known for its lighthearted and often absurd approach to superhero storytelling, blending science fiction, fantasy, and adventure elements. It targets a young adult and adult audience, with its complex narratives, mature themes, and comedic tone. The series explores themes of found family, personal growth, and challenging destiny, often with a unique, self-aware humor. Overall, due to consistent mature content across several categories, it is generally considered appropriate for older teenagers and adults.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighDC's Legends of Tomorrow features prominent and celebrated LGBTQ+ representation, with central characters openly identifying as bisexual and engaging in significant same-sex relationships. This representation evolves across seasons, becoming a core aspect of the show's character development and narrative.
Sara Lance is explicitly bisexual, and her sexuality is frequently explored through romantic encounters, including casual hookups with women in Season 2, such as the Queen of France and women in Salem. Her long-term relationship with Ava Sharpe, a canonical same-sex pairing, culminates in their engagement in Season 6, Episode 7 ("Back to the Finale: Part II") and marriage in Season 6, Episode 15 ("The Fungus Amongus"). John Constantine is also an openly bisexual character who becomes a key member of the team.
Violence
HighThe series contains frequent action violence, typical of a superhero show, involving hand-to-hand combat, weapon use (lasers, guns, mystical powers), and large-scale battles against various threats. A significant number of violent acts, including deaths and torture, have been documented.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) reported 785 instances of violence in 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow,' which included 67 deaths and 11 scenes of torture. Combat often involves characters like White Canary (Sara Lance) engaging in choreographed fights, with opponents being struck, thrown, and incapacitated, and the team frequently faces life-threatening situations against powered individuals, monsters, and historical villains.
Witchcraft & Occult
HighWitchcraft and occult themes are highly prevalent, especially with the introduction of John Constantine as a main character. The show regularly features magic, demons, spells, and other supernatural elements as central plot devices and threats.
John Constantine is a central character who is explicitly a 'cig-smoking demon-slaying warlock, master of the dark arts who goes to hell and back'. The Legends frequently battle mystical creatures, demons (such as Mallus and Neron), and magical aberrations throughout history. Plotlines often revolve around the use of spells, rituals, and supernatural powers to either combat villains or resolve time-traveling crises.
Disrespect & Rebellion
HighDisrespect and rebellion are central themes, as the team itself consists of 'misfits' and 'antiheroes' who routinely disregard rules and challenge authority figures, including governmental bodies like the Time Bureau. Sarcastic and defiant dialogue is a hallmark of the show's humor.
The core premise of the series involves a team of 'misfits' and 'antiheroes' who often operate outside conventional rules and directly defy authority, particularly the Time Bureau, which seeks to enforce time travel regulations. Characters like Sara Lance and Captain Cold exhibit frequent sarcastic remarks, backtalk, and rebellious attitudes towards rules and those in positions of power.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumThe show includes various romantic relationships, both heterosexual and same-sex, featuring kissing and implied sexual activity. While generally not explicit, the frequency and nature of the content warrant a moderate severity rating.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) reported 77 instances of sexual content in 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow'. Sara Lance, for instance, has multiple romantic and sexual encounters, including a significant long-term relationship with Ava Sharpe, which involves romantic gestures, kissing, and implied intimacy. Prior to her relationship with Ava, Sara also had numerous casual sexual encounters with both men and women across different time periods.
Profanity
MediumProfanity is regularly present in the series, including mild to moderate curse words, contributing to the show's mature tone. The frequency of strong language has been noted by parental monitoring groups.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) reported 368 profanities in 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow'. Characters frequently use common curse words and expletives in dialogue, particularly during stressful situations or for comedic effect.
Substance Use
MediumThe series depicts substance use, particularly through the character of John Constantine who is a consistent smoker. Other characters are also occasionally shown consuming alcohol in social settings.
The character John Constantine is consistently portrayed as a 'cig-smoking' warlock. Additionally, characters are occasionally shown drinking alcohol in casual social settings, such as bars or during celebrations on the Waverider, reflecting typical adult consumption without glorifying heavy intoxication.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumWhile often comedic, the show features elements that can be scary or intense for younger viewers, including monsters, demons, supernatural threats, and life-threatening situations. The comedic tone can sometimes soften the impact, but the underlying peril remains.
The Legends regularly confront frightening entities such as demons (e.g., Neron, Mallus) and various magical creatures that are often depicted with menacing appearances and intentions. Characters are frequently placed in high-stakes, life-or-death scenarios where they face physical harm, psychological manipulation, or the threat of temporal paradoxes, which can be intense, even if presented with humor.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumWhile not overtly anti-Christian, the show's heavy reliance on witchcraft, occult magic, and demonic entities as central to its narrative and character abilities can be perceived as conflicting with Christian worldviews. The show explores these elements without explicit Christian theological frameworks.
The prominent character of John Constantine is a warlock who actively practices magic, summons spells, and regularly confronts and interacts with demons and hellish forces, which may be seen as contrary to Christian teachings. The series often presents magical solutions and supernatural battles as primary plot drivers, without necessarily condemning the practices from a religious standpoint, which could conflict with Christian perspectives that view such practices negatively.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
15+ (Older Teens and Adults) - The series frequently features mature themes including significant LGBTQ+ representation, substantial violence with deaths and torture, implied sexual content, regular profanity, and pervasive occult themes. These elements are consistent throughout the show's run, necessitating an older age recommendation.
Additional Notes
The show's tone often oscillates between serious action and irreverent comedy, which can sometimes make intense or mature themes feel less impactful. Parents should be aware that the comedic approach does not negate the presence or frequency of these concerns, but rather presents them within a unique narrative style. The content intensity tends to be consistent across seasons, with particular escalations in occult themes from Season 4 onwards due to character additions.
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