The CW series Legends of Tomorrow returned for its third season on October 10th featuring a new superhero who happens to be… Muslim!
Iranian-American actress Tala Ashe plays Zari Adrianna Tomaz, a Muslim hacktivist from the year 2042. According to Entertainment Weekly, “Zari’s world is dystopian and very different from the world the show’s protagonists are used to.” The show’s executive producer, Marc Guggenheim, said Zari’s role was inspired by America’s current social climate. “You might have heard there was this election. Not to get political, but something we all gravitate toward in the writers’ room was the character being Muslim.”
Tala Ashe said that when she was growing up, watching television, she “ didn’t see anyone who looked like me.” She tells BuzzFeed News that she wants to make sure representation is done in a nuanced way. “Because of the climate of our world, I think the depiction in the media and news have been overwhelmingly negative about Muslims and Muslim-Americans. So I think a [positive representation] is even more essential.”
CW airs DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow on Tuesday nights.
