'Legends' Brandon Routh Talks Cut Felicity Scene, Big Teamup

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow have officially taken flight after tonight’s premiere, but what didn’t make the final cut? We spoke to Brandon Routh himself for some Atom-ic scoop on a missing Felicity reference, Ray’s obsession with legacy, and which fellow Legend makes for Ray’s most heated pairing!

Be warned of spoilers through both the first half of Legends of Tomorrow‘s two-part premiere, as well as last night’s Arrow return “Blood Debts,” but fans of both series may have raised an eyebrow at Ray’s decision to follow Rip Hunter on a quest through time, with nary a mention of Felicity’s current predicament. Ray’s former flame may have long-since moved on, but surely their friendship must have warranted a goodbye, or at least mention, right?

Good news: it did! We had a chance to ask series star Brandon Routh about the slight, as Routh explained that the original conversation with Oliver at least referenced Felicity:

You know, it’s funny, there was a line in there that’s not in there. There was a reference to Felicity, and I’m not sure why they cut that. He asked “How’s Felicity,” is all it was, in that little walk and talk coming down from the fight with Oliver. He still does care.

Moreover, Routh also revealed his intent to stick with Legends of Tomorrow over future Arrow seasons, sadly at the toll of working with Emily Bett Rickards:

The world of Legends is more Ray’s world; the ability to have the comedy and adventure; be fun and frolick-y, to use a strange phrase. It’s more in the world of Legends, for sure. Although I certainly do miss having Emily, all the fun that we had; she’s fantastic.

Routh also explained Ray’s surprising fixation on legacy, noting that the character’s brush with death and obscurity informed his decision to leave:

I feel like that’s something that has always been a driving factor for him, but he didn’t know how important it was. It was kind of a subconscious thing, ‘What will be my mark on history, and the world?’ I don’t think its anything we ever covered in my episodes of Arrow. But when confronted with a scenario where it looked like he was dead, and he came back and saw that life had moved on without him, it just really made him question things.
Not in a ‘woe is me, I don’t matter’ type of way, but ‘Can I be doing more? Is my impact enough’ And instead of coming back to do the same things he was doing, he chose to make the bigger gamble, the more life-threatening choice. To do something that would literally better humanity.

So, now that Ray is off and running, which of his teammates will The Atom most gravitate toward? We saw the character’s disappointment at Stein not remembering Ray as a student, but the answer may surprise you:

I think the most interesting pairing might be Rory and Palmer, which gets developed a little bit more a few episodes in. They’re all really great, because Ray is the polar opposite of every character on the show. He’s so different from everybody else, that it works.
The stuff with Snart, that continues. Definitely episode 3, there’s some great stuff with Stein, where you reveal a little bit more of the history that they might have. But the Rory stuff is really fun, they’re even bigger polar opposites. And Rip and Ray haven’t really had much together yet, so I look forward to that in coming episodes we’re filming.

There’s plenty more to come, as Legends of Tomorrow returns for the second half of its premiere next Thursday, but are we all officially aboard the new adventure? What might Ray unexpectedly bring to the team, now that he’s left Felicity and Star City behind?

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