Part of the fun of the first season of Legends of Tomorrow was watching the ragtag group of heroes and villains trying to work together. Kendra and Jax were both still adjusting to their new powers and not getting along with their partners Carter and Martin. Ray Palmer was enthusiastic but not very experienced, Sara Lance had recently returned from the dead and Mick Rory and Leonard Snart mostly wanted to cause trouble. Attempting to find order in the chaos and focus on the mission was leader Rip Hunter.
While not always an honest or patient leader, Rip somehow managed to keep the team from destroying history (more or less) and eventually they even achieved their goal of stopping the villain Vandal Savage. As the series moved to season 2, most of the Legends stayed on board Rip's ship, The Waverider, in order to help him stop time aberrations (changes to the timeline), but when Rip went missing in the second season premiere, the team found itself without a leader for awhile. While Sara has settled into that position, and the group has continued traveling through time to stop aberrations, they have also never stopped trying to locate Rip.
As it turned out, revealed in the last minute or so of 'The Chicago Way,' Rip is in Hollywood in the 1960s, his British accent is gone, and he is a student filmmaker -- making a movie about the life of Rip Hunter. How he ended up there and who he thinks he is has mostly remained a mystery, until a new trailer revealed a few details about what happened to him.
Apparently Rip's memory was wiped and replaced. He believes his name is Phil and he has no idea who the team is, or that time travel exists. Seeing the Waverider, which is essentially his home, is enough of a shock to make him faint. He also does not appear to trust the Legends.
It looks like finding Rip was only the first step for the legends. Next they'll have to find a way to help him get his memories and identity back. As Phil, he is clearly a liability for the team. Under normal circumstances Rip's a skilled fighter; though without actual superpowers, he still manages to fight alongside a team full of actual superheroes. But now that Rip's not Rip at the moment, it seems as though the Legion of Doom may present an even greater threat to the team (and the world) than previously thought.
The questions of what happened to Rip and how he will get back to being himself should present the second half of season 2 with a solid storyline to kick things off. There's no telling how long Rip's memory issues will last, but hopefully their resolution will see the Legends take down the Legion in due time.
Legends of Tomorrow returns to The CW on a new night with 'Raiders of the Lost Art' on Tuesday, January 24.
Source: The CW