In June, producers of U.S. TV series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, announced they were adding a Muslim superhero to the show's list of characters.
The show's third season will be coming back to The CW TV network this fall; it features a futuristic Muslim-American character named Zari Adrianna Tomaz.
According to Variety, "in the comics, Adrianna Tomaz was a citizen of the fictional nation of Kahndaq who fights against its corrupt government, specifically against the country’s leader Black Adam. Eventually, she becomes the hero named Isis."
The character is named after Egyptian goddess, Isis, and is set to be played by Iranian-American actress, Tala Ashe.
In a statement she recently made, the actress spoke out about the importance of her role, saying:
“Representation is a really powerful thing. When I was growing up watching television, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. When I think of the kid version of myself, I think it broadens your perspective. What I think is so lovely about this show is that the Legends are this tapestry that represent America today.”
Inspired by the current U.S. political climate?
Over a month after the new character was announced, the show's executive producer, Marc Guggenheim, hinted at the reasons why the show's team of creators decided to make the latest character addition.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, he explained that the decision came at this point of the show's run as a response to the current political climate in the U.S.
Guggenheim stressed that though the show's writers "make a point not to define a character by their race, religion, or sexual orientation," they felt the need to make a rare statement with the latest character addition.
“You might have heard there was this election... not to get political, but something that we all gravitated toward in the writers' room was making this character Muslim," he said.
Guggenheim explained that his personal experiences also played a part when it came to making the decision.
Sharing a story about his sister-in-law, who happens to be Muslim, the producer said:
“She was talking about how difficult it is to be a Muslim-American in the current political climate. Having a character who’s a computer hacker and is from the future but also happens to be Muslim, it’s a nice, important aspect of her character.”
According to Variety, "Guggenheim also said that aside from bringing on a Muslim character, the writers were interested in bringing on another female character."
“There weren’t enough women quite frankly... it’s something we were looking to address," he said.