Legends of Tomorrow EP Explains How They Choose New Characters For the Show

04/04/2017 06:28 pm EDT

When fans and critics write about DC's Legends of Tomorrow, phrases like "ragtag band of misfits" tend to creep their way into the stories. What, though, actually goes into deciding who fits into the lineup? Well, executive producer Phil Klemmer told ComicBook.com that they're still working out the kinks, but that be thinks they've found their sweet spot.

That is to say, the longtime Chuck writer/producer believes that Legends of Tomorrow characters are at their best when they are inspired by or faithful, but not slavish, to the comic book source material.

"It is incredible, as we were talking about the potential new characters for season 3, there is this debate about, do you go after one of the canonical DC figures or do you try to invent somebody whole cloth, or do you do what we did where you are sort of inspired by one of the canonical figures but you take your own Legends spin on them?" mused Klemmer. "I think that's really the sweet spot for us, where you can kind of please the hardcore DC fans, but as writers we want to feel empowered to come up with the backstory. We want Nate to be a weird, hemophiliac conspiracy-theory historian, and to be able to add and to have all of our embellishments work in concert with the comic book version is our sweet spot."

Characters like The Atom and Firestorm are good examples of this philosophy; while the most popular iterations of those characters were Justice League members during the revered "Satellite Era," Klemmer shies away from reverence on Legends, as a rule.

"I think the Silver Age era is simply too square-jawed and squared off and a little too perfect; they don't really belong with the Legends. So we have to find ways to make them less than perfect," he said.

The DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 2 finale will air tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, followed by the season 3 premiere of iZombie.

More DC's Legends of Tomorrow:

• Legends of Tomorrow's Season 2 Finale Won't Introduce New Cast Members
• Who Will Die in the Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Finale?
• Legends of Tomorrow EP Klemmer Compares Season 3 To Game of Thrones
• Characters We Want to See in Legends of Tomorrow Season 3

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