‘Legends of Tomorrow’: What Is Going On With Ava?

There is something going on with Ava Sharpe on Legends of Tomorrow. First, Rip Hunter ordered Gideon to delete a file so that Sara couldn’t discover the truth about Ava, and that’s lead to fans coming up with all kinds of theories as to what might possibly be going on with the Time Bureau agent who stole Sara’s heart.

While the preview for next week’s episode, “I, Ava”, has likely just steered most of the theories towards one specific direction there really is no way to know where Legends is going to take us. After all, the show has taken some very unexpected turns in the past, so the reality of Ava’s identity might just be one of those turns. So, as we wait for next week’s episode, here’s a rundown of the major fan theories about Ava’s secret identity, including an explanation as to how Ava could be a clone as is hinted at in the preview and still fit with any number of the other popular theories.

Robot

One theory as to what the truth about Ava could be is that she’s a robot or, at a minimum, some form of artificial intelligence. Some fans feel that the idea of Ava not being a human being would explain her personality in her earlier appearances this season while it would also explain why Rip wouldn’t want Sara to find out — after all, finding out you’ve fallen for a robot would likely be unsettling, something that just can’t happen considering the danger Mallus poses.

The idea of Ava being some sort of artificial intelligence would also somewhat fit with things we’ve seen previously on the series. After all, Gideon is technically just fancy artificial intelligence, but she’s been seen in the flesh twice now, including a time when Rip directly interacted with Gideon by kissing her. If Ava is a robot or an AI, though, it spawns some larger questions, one of them being curiosity about her purpose.

Clone

Another possibility is that Ava is a clone. Agent Sharpe being a clone of someone else would explain Rip not wanting Sara to know the truth about her. Like the robot theory, finding out your girlfriend is a clone might not be the best news ever. However, if Ava is a clone who is she a clone of? One heartbreaking theory is that she’s a clone of Rip’s late wife. Fans of Legends of Tomorrow may recall that the entire Legends adventure kicked off because Rip — who is from the future himself — was trying to stop Vandal Savage to prevent the deaths of his wife and child. While Savage was stopped, Rip was unable to save his family. It’s possible that a deeply grieving Rip may have somehow decided to clone his wife, but ultimately decided it was wrong and let Ava have her own life. 

Anachronism

Since the Legends have spent this season thus far seeking out and correcting various anachronisms, another theory posits that Ava herself is one. While that would lead us to question why the Time Bureau or Gideon hadn’t picked up on that fact, one thing that the Legends haven’t really explored is the idea that not all anachronisms are problematic. Considering that we know that the anachronisms thus far have weakened the fabric of time and made it easier for Mallus to escape his prison, it’s possible that Ava could be around as a way to help ultimately defeat Mallus. She might even be the key to locking Mallus away again by her personal anachronism being corrected at just the right time.

Michelle Carter

We’ve covered this theory a little more in depth here, but the gist is that Ava is really Michelle Carter, the twin sister of the hero Booster Gold and Rip Hunter’s aunt in comics. In comics, Michelle travels back in time to the present day and tries her hand at being a superhero. However, while in the present she dies, though she is “saved” at the last moment by Rip, leading to a situation where she may never have died at all.

Interestingly, if Ava is Michelle, her existence by having survived her death very well could be an aberration or, perhaps, even an anachronism as she would exist in a place in time where she shouldn’t.

Aberration

As was mentioned with the Michelle Carter theory, if Ava is Rip’s sort-of deceased aunt, Ava’s very existence could be considered an aberration. If she was supposed to die, but somehow didn’t it would have a similar impact on the timeline as, say, Stein’s daughter Lilly existing when she initially wasn’t supposed to. Time can be a weird thing, even for agents of the Time Bureau.

Demon

This one is admittedly a little bit out there, but there are some who have wondered if Ava isn’t a demon or similar entity. After all, if Mallus exists and is connected to the totems, couldn’t there be other spiritual entities out there? If Ava were a demon or a spirit of sorts, we’re not sure what her purpose would be but considering that tonight it was her love that drew Sara back from Mallus’ clutches, we do know that she is very powerful in her own right if for nothing else than her heart.

A combination of theories

Now that we’ve seen the preview for next week’s episode, “I, Ava”, it looks that among the major theories we’ve outlined the one where Ava is a clone seems to be most likely. After all, the promo reveals multiple Avas and if that doesn’t say clone, we don’t know what else does. However, it’s important to keep in mind that previews don’t give everything away about an episode. Yes, we are seeing multiple Avas but it’s possible that those copies could be robots, could be actual clones, or could even be variations of Michelle Carter plucked from different points in the timeline. Whatever Ava ends up being, we’re curious to see what it means not just for Ava, but for Sara as well who, as we saw tonight, genuinely cares about Ava.

What do you think Ava’s real story is? Let us know in the comments.

Legends of Tomorrow airs Mondays at 8/7c.