DC’s Legends of Tomorrow promises to be one of the most unique superhero series on TV as it assembles a motley team of heroes and villains who made their live-action debuts on Arrow and The Flash. Time traveler Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) is bringing the legends together to defeat Vandal Savage (Casper Crump), an immortal villain whose actions threaten to destroy the world.

Nerdist’s very own Amy Ratcliffe was on the set of Legends of Tomorrow in Vancouver this week and she sent us an intriguing tidbit from her visit. Rip Hunter’s time ship is going to be called Waverider. She also added “we’re not allowed to take pics, but holy crap this set is gigantic and amazing!!”

First, some background on the name Waverider. In 1991, Archie Goodwin and artist Dan Jurgens introduced Matthew Ryder during DC’s Armageddon 2001 storyline. Ryder wanted to prevent the rise of a hero-turned-villain named Monarch, so he volunteered for a time travel experiment that transformed him into Waverider, and he emerged with the ability to time travel and see a person’s potential future by touching them.

Two different versions of Matthew Rider have been Waverunner, but the current Waverunner in the post-New 52 DCU is actually Booster Gold, Rip Hunter’s son! Hunter also worked with Matthew Ryder’s Waverider as a member of The Linear Men, a group dedicated to protecting the time stream from paradoxes. The hero known as Waverider may not be appearing on Legends of Tomorrow, but the name of Hunter’s ship appears to be a direct reference to that character.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is expected to premiere on The CW in January 2016.

Comic fans, do you appreciate Legends of Tomorrow’s nod to Rip Hunter’s past? Leave a comment below and let us know!

—
Image Credit: Warner Bros. TV/The CW/DC Comics