I’ve Only Had Legends of Tomorrow’s Spooner for One Episode and Already I Love This Latinx BAMF

I’ve only had Legend of Tomorrow‘s Esperanza (Spooner) Cruz, played by Lisseth Chavez, for one episode and already I love her to the Moon and back! Seriously, I haven’t connected to a character like this in a really long time. And it’s down to many factors, from her being Latinx like me to her being a counterweight to the ludicrousness that is Legends of Tomorrow.

Spooner being Latinx is *chef’s kiss* and about damn time.

The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow has done and continues to do many things when it comes to representation. They currently have Tala Ashe, who plays Zari Tomaz, and who is Iranian-American. They also have Shayan Sobhian, who plays Zari’s brother Behrad Tarazi, who is of Iranian and Russian Jewish descent. They’re joined by Olivia Swann, who plays Astra Logue, and who is another woman of color that has been promoted to a series regular.

And in the past, they’ve been joined by Ramona Young’s Mona Wu, Ciara Renée’s Kendra Saunders, Keiynan Lionsdale’s Wally West, and Franz Drameh’s Jefferson Jackson. The point being, Legends of Tomorrow has gone to lengths other shows haven’t in making sure that representation is something they think about and keep at the forefront of the show. Keeping all that in mind, they really haven’t had a Latina … well, until now.

That’s why my expectations with Chavez’s Spooner are so high and why I clicked with her almost immediately. She looks and feels like my family. Hell, she also speaks Spanish, just like I do. And if Legends of Tomorrow can make me fall head over heels for Zari and Behrad without erasing what makes them … them, this show can do the same thing with Spooner and then some while making sure that we know she’s Latina. Like me.

I also love Spooner because she almost immediately acted as a counterbalance to the Legends. That role used to be Ava Sharpe’s. But honestly, she’s spent so much time with the Legends that nothing fazes her anymore. She even had a checklist to prove it in “Ground Control to Sara Lance,” the hilarious title for this episode. Ava knows the Legends and is one of them. Spooner isn’t.

Spooner is going to give the team much-needed perspective and ground them. In return, they’re going to show her that it’s ok to be part of a team and depend on others. That’s what always happens with isolated characters who’ve been on their own for so long, and what has occurred to every single Legend on Legends of Tomorrow so far.

My hope for Spooner is that we explore what makes her so defensive, why she’s been alone in the middle of nowhere, and where the rest of her family is. I hope we get to see the soft, weird, and funny sides of her and have her form unexpected connections with the Legends. And I hope that we’re gifted with episodes that explore her Latinidad and what makes it important to her.

Basically, I want to click with Spooner more than I already have. And I’m ready for what may come for her and the Legends when Legends of Tomorrow returns every Sunday at 8/7c on The CW.

(image: The CW)

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