Legends of Tomorrow fans will get to see more of Astra Logue when The CW series returns next year.
Olivia Swann, who guest starred as Astra in the last two episodes of season 4, has been promoted to series regular for season 5, which will put her in the spotlight as the show’s newest big bad.
Let’s raise some hell ? https://t.co/OIXlMfz8My
— Olivia Swann (@liviaswann) July 11, 2019
Also known as John Constantine’s (Matt Ryan) Achilles heel, Astra was accidentally sent by the occult detective to hell when she was only a child. As revealed in the very first episode of the now-defunct NBC series Constantine, John attempted to save Astra when she was possessed by a demon. John summoned the greater demon, Nergal, to expel the lesser demon out of Astra’s body. Though the lesser demon got out of her body, Nergal violently killed Astra afterwards and ultimately dragged her soul to hell for eternity.
Years later, when John went to hell to save Ray Palmer’s (Brandon Routh) soul in season 4 of Legends of Tomorrow, the First of the Fallen (Beau Daniels) gave John a chance to save Astra’s instead. Though John chose to save Astra’s soul, Astra, now a grown woman, refused to leave hell.
In the season 4 finale, Astra assisted him and Nora Darhk (Courtney Ford) in breaking into the Soul Exchange to get Ray’s soul token. But while John and Nora were looking for Ray’s, Astra secretly stole sixteen evil souls — including Caligula, Charles Manson, Genghis Khan, Grigori Rasputin, John Wayne Gacy, Joseph Stalin, Lizzie Borden, and Mary Tudor — and released them from hell, offering them a second chance.
“We’re so excited about having Astra back this season as our big bad,” executive producer Keto Shimizu told Entertainment Weekly, before adding that a lot of what John is going to be dealing in the upcoming season is connected to his “very complicated” relationship with Astra and his desire to save her despite all the pain and trouble that she will be bringing to the Legends.
Though executive producer Phil Klemmer jokingly said that Astra will “probably be rehabilitated by episode 4” because the show’s writers have a tendency to “always chicken out” when it comes to developing big bads, Shimizu is certain that they can keep their love for Astra at bay at least until episode 14.
Legends of Tomorrow season 5 is expected to premiere on The CW in January.