Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment requests we note that it provided a free copy of the titles featured below. The opinions I share are my own.
Out just in time to get you ready for their fall premieres are four titles whose characters have super abilities—- some aimed at doing good, some at evil, and some who struggle in between.
First up is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the story of Time Master Rip Hunter who seeks to avenge his murdered family and stop the machinations of their killer, Vandal Savage, along with the corrupt Time Masters who support him. Helping Hunter in his quest are superheroes The Atom, White Canary, Firestorm, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Captain Cold, and Heat Wave. In Season Two, following the successful destruction of the Time Masters, the team (now including new members Citizen Steel and Vixen) must not only guard the timeline from aberrations but also face a new enemy in the form of the Legion of Doom. This team of time-traveling super villains (which includes the Reverse Flash along with past versions of Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darkh, and Captain Cold) seek the Spear of Destiny so that they may re-write their own fates. With the prospect of facing their own alternates, the Legends will have to fight harder than ever before to protect Time itself and ensure their own survival.
Now out on Blu-ray and DVD is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Second Season. Bonus features include a ten-minute featurette (“Allied: The Invasion Complex – DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”), the 2016 DC’s Legends of TomorrowComic Con Panel, a few deleted scenes, and a gag reel. On Amazon, you can snag the DVD for $29.99 and the Blu-ray for $33.39. Amazon and iTunes both offer streaming options for a season price of $24.99 and both include the Comic Con panel as an extra (iTunes also includes the “Invasion Complex” featurette). Since iTunes includes the bulk of the bonus content, it might be worth considering if purchasing the season in disc form (which features-wise just gets you the addition of the deleted scenes and the gag reel) is worth paying $5 – $8 more, or if it’s better on this one to just go for the streaming option and save some coin.
From the DC Universe we also have The Flash. The series follows Barry Allen, a socially awkward crime scene investigator who is hit by radiation-charged lighting and gains the ability to move at superhuman speed (consequently dubbed “The Flash”). The Flash (played by Grant Gustin) uses his abilities to protect the city and to hunt his mother’s murderer, Reverse Flash. Rounding out the main cast are Danielle Panabaker (as Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost), Carlos Valdes (as Cisco Ramon / Vibe), Tom Cavanagh (as Harrison Wells), Candice Patton (as Iris West) and Jesse L. Martin (as Joe West). In the third season, Barry is enjoying living a peaceful alternate life in the Flashpoint universe when he discovers it may cost him both his memory and his powers. With new threats looming from the God of Speed, Savitar, and innocent lives hanging in the balance, Barry must decide which universe is more important to him and take action before it’s too late.
Available on September 5 on Blu-ray and DVD is The Flash: The Complete Third Season, which has all twenty-three episodes plus extras. They’re not messing around with the bonus content on this one— fans get two hours (two hours!!) of special features. First in the long list of extras are multiple featurettes (“Villain School”, “The Flash Rogues”, “Allied: The Invasion! Complex (The Flash)”, “Rise of Gorilla City,” “The Flash: Hitting the Fast Note”, “The Flash: I’m Your Super Friend”, “Harmony in a Flash”, and “Synchronicity in a Flash”). Along with those you get a special covering the 4-show crossover (with Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl), the 2016 The Flash Comic Con panel, a 21-minute feature on the part time travel plays in the story, and a conversation with Andrew Kreisberg and Kevin Smith. To top things off, they also include some deleted scenes and a gag reel. If looking to purchase, you can get the DVD or the Blu-ray on Amazon (for $32.99 and $39.99, respectively). For $29.99 you can also get the season streaming on both Amazon and iTunes (iTunes also includes all the bonus features, whereas Amazon only has the Comic Con panel). For this one it’s kind of a toss up since the pricing is so close, so weigh the options and see what’s best for you.
Also in the DC crossover bundle-o’-shows is Supergirl, the tale of Kara Zor-El (a.k.a Kara Danvers), a Kryptonian sent to Earth by her parents with the mission of protecting her infant cousin Kal-El. With her spacecraft knocked off course and delayed for two decades, Kara arrives at earth after her cousin has already grown up and adopted his superhero identity as Superman. After hiding her own powers for years, Kara finally decides to embrace her Kryptonian heritage and become Supergirl. Starring in the title role is Melissa Benoist, who is joined by Mehcad Brooks (as James Olsen / Guardian), Chyler Leigh (as Alex Danvers), Jeremy Jordan (as Winslow “Winn” Schott), David Harewood (as J’onn J’onzz / Martian Manhunter), Calista Flockhart (as Cat Grant), Chris Wood (as Mon-El), and Floriana Lima (as Maggie Sawyer). In Season Two, Kara has left her “day job” at CatCo Worldwide Media and is now focusing on her work with Hank and Alex at the Department of Extranormal Operations. In addition, she also continues to protect National City, search for her missing father and the secret research lab Project Cadmus, keep up with friendships with James and Winn, navigate a new romantic relationship, and work with her cousin Kal-El to battle new supervillains. The Girl of Steel is a champion multi-tasker (but then again, she is a woman—-would we expect anything less?)
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD is Supergirl: The Complete Second Season, which has all twenty-two episodes from Season Two along with a few bonus features. Starting off the extras are some featurettes (“Supergirl: Alien Fright Night”, “Supergirl: Did You Know? – Facts for Fans”, and “Supergirl: Aliens Among Us”). Kevin Smith and Andrew Kreisberg also give their insights in both a shared conversation about the show and on a commentary on Episode Nine (“Supergirl Lives”). The 30-minute 2016 Supergirl Comic Con panel is included as well, along with some musical pieces and a gag reel. If you want the season in disc format, you can get both on Amazon (the DVD currently goes for $39.99 and the Blu-ray for $44.99). Streaming options for the season are available on both Amazon and iTunes for $29.99 (extras-wise Amazon only has the “Did you Know?” featurette, while iTunes offers over an hour of the bonus content). Keep in mind, through, that neither offer the commentary track from Smith and Kreisberg, so if that is really important to you, one of the hard copy formats is the way to go.
Not quite as closely related to the above three shows but still originating in DC Comics, Lucifer is the story of Lucifer Morningstar, a rebellious archangel who, unhappy with his post as the Lord of Hell, decides to resign and leaves his kingdom to move to Los Angeles. With his demonic acolyte Mazikeen (“Maze”) by his side, Lucifer starts a chic nightclub (“Lux”) and is reveling in all the earthly pleasures he can find when his path crosses that of Chloe Decker, a detective with the LAPD. Intrigued as to why Decker seems immune to his powers, Lucifer uses his supernatural skills of persuasion to join her investigative team, which in turn makes him begin to have doubts about his own relationships with good and evil. In Season Two, Lucifer must again re-evaluate things when his mother Charlotte escapes from Hell, bringing complications and lots of emotional baggage with her. Lucifer and his older (angel) brother Amenadiel must work together to solve this latest problem, all while dealing with their existing rivalry. The main cast includes Tom Ellis (as Lucifer), Lauren German (as Chloe), Kevin Alejandro (as Detective Dan Espinoza), D. B. Woodside (as Amenadiel), Lesley-Ann Brandt (as Maze), and Rachael Harris (as Dr. Linda Martin).
Now available on Blu-ray and DVD is Lucifer: The Complete Second Season, which includes all the episodes of Season Two (only eighteen on this one) as well as some bonus content. Special features include the 15-minute featurette “Reinventing Lucifer: In the City of Angels” (where the cast and producers discuss why Los Angeles is the ideal city for Lucifer’s reinvention of himself), the 2016 Lucifer Comic Con panel, some unaired scenes, and a gag reel. The DVD is on Amazon with current pricing at $25.86 and the Blu-ray is priced at $42.99. Again, Amazon and iTunes both offer the full season with a streaming option priced at $29.99 (Amazon does at least have the Comic Con panel as a bonus feature, but iTunes still beats it out by including all the extras except for the deleted scenes). To me, this one is kind of a simple choice— the DVD is the lowest price by a fair margin and includes all the bonus content, whereas the Blu-ray is currently $17 more on Amazon (why?) and both streaming options have less features for more money. So unless you’re really really low on shelf space, you might want to go for the DVD on this one.
