29. Mick Rory / Heat Wave
Heat Wave? A superhero? Yeah, he doesn’t think so either.
When Mick Rory made his debut on The Flash‘s first season back in 2015, he didn’t really have much to offer. Sure, he was one of the more famous members of the Scarlet Speedster’s infamous Rogues, but other than being a great recurring menace, there wasn’t much below the surface. However, that all changed the following year.
One of the many outcasts and/or misfits recruited by time-traveler Rip Hunter, Rory became an integral part of spin-off show DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The show didn’t just give him a starring role, it allowed the writers to really explore his relationship with criminal colleague Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold. Though things got rocky between the pair, Cold’s sacrifice ultimately made Rory see the good in being a hero and, slowly, he began to enjoy playing by the rules.
In a shocking turn of events, he has since gone on to become the funniest member of the Legends, stealing almost every single scene that he is in. With his moody attitude, dry wit and previously unknown passion for writing romance novels, Mick has become one the show’s most beloved characters – not bad for a character that most of us thought wouldn’t make it past the first season.
The writers have done a phenomenal job developing the character while Dominic Purcell has delivered every one-liner, grunt, threat or glare with perfection. An unlikely hero in every sense of the word, Mick surprised us all, evolving from heartless arsonist to the father of 48 human-alien hybrid babies. Now that‘s growth.