5. Zari Tomaz / Zari Tarazi
A tale of two halves is extra special when both of those halves are as wonderful as Zari. One of Legends of Tomorrow‘s best ever introductions, Tala Ashe first appeared as Zari Tomaz in the third season of the show. A Muslim-American hacktivist from a dystopian future in the year 2042, she harnesses the power of the Air Totem and is hoping to change the timeline to bring back her brother Behrad. When she ultimately accomplishes that goal, her timeline is wiped from existence.
From the fifth season onwards, Zari becomes Zari Tarazi; a social media influencer from a much safer future, whose brother is the Legend who wields the Air Totem. That is, until she joins the team and begins sharing her influence, hashtags and one-liners with the crew.
Both versions of Zari are so wonderful, so memorable that it wouldn’t be right to rank either one above the other. Of course, the original incarnation was a much stronger character from the get-go, hardened by a life of loss and determined to save her brother (while she eventually learned to love the Legends). But that simply meant that Ms. Tarazi had much more room for character growth, which we saw throughout the course of the fifth through seventh seasons, as the influencer moved on from her vacuous lifestyle and become an incredible (and hilarious) superhero.
Zari is an inherently good person and a great Legend regardless of the timeline. Ashe was nothing short of spectacular in the role and we’re so glad that both Zaris got to live their best lives (even if that meant one of them had to live it inside a totem).