“Legends of Tomorrow” Gets Muslim Superhero

VANCOUVER – The upcoming third season of “Legends of Tomorrow” will see a new Muslim superhero to support the religious minority who has been facing increasing hate attacks since the election of president Donald Trump.

“You might have heard there was this election,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim said at the Television Critics Association press tour (via Variety).

“Not to get political, but something that we all gravitated toward in the writers room was making this character Muslim.”

Iranian-American actress Tala Ashe will be joining the show to play Zari Adrianna Tomaz, a Muslim superhero  from the year 2042, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Ashe commented on the importance of representing people from different backgrounds, cultures, and religions, according to Variety.

“When I was growing up watching television, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. When I think of the kid version of myself, I think it broadens your perspective. What I think is so lovely about this show is that the Legends are this tapestry that represent America today,” she added.

She also told Buzzfeed News she wanted to make sure the representation was done in a nuanced way.

“I think it’s very powerful to see yourself expressed in media and speaking specifically to the Muslim-American thing. Because of the climate of our world and what’s going on, I think the depictions primarily in media and of course in the news have been overwhelmingly negative about Muslims and Muslim-Americans. So I think it’s even more essential, ” she said.

Tomaz is not the first Muslim superhero.

The Ms. Marvel series, launched in 2013, is very popular among both readers and critics. It has won a large number of awards, including the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2015, along with a number of Eisner and Harvey awards.

When she is not fighting the bad guys and saving the world, Khan, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants from Karachi, is a typical American teenager.