In its debut season, "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" took the "Arrow"-verse up, up and away -- as well as back and forth through time. The Waverider and its host of heroes will stay the course in Season 2, which promises to include more familiar heroes and historical figures as well as a mysterious new villain and a little romance.

In anticipation for this time-bending season of "Legends of Tomorrow," CBR breaks down everything we know (so far) to prepare you for the next adventures of Rip Hunter and his team.

9 Introducing Hourman (and Friends)

Just when the Legends of Tomorrow regrouped to find a new adventure, the new adventure found them: A Wiverider from the future came crashing down onto the dock where they stood, and a man they had never met before emerged -- Rex Tyler, aka Hourman.

If Hourman sounds familiar, that's because The CW intended him to be the subject of his own television series, which never quite got off the ground. While it looks as though that "Hourman" show isn't coming to fruition quite yet, The CW has plans for him on "Legends of Tomorrow."

Although we haven't met any of his friends, Hourman assured the Legends he wasn't acting alone -- and his group will be familiar to DC Comics fans: the Justice Society of America, an elite group that has counted among its members Jay Garrick, Power Girl and the original Sandman. In fact, there are plenty of heroes that could fill the television roster when the team appears in Season 2.

8 Hawkgirl, Hawkman & Captain Cold Depart

Before "Legends of Tomorrow's" first season reached its conclusion, the show lost some series regulars: Hawkgirl and Captain Cold.

Wentworth Miller, ho plays Captain Cold across the "Arrow"-verse, has signed a contract to appear on "Legends of Tomorrow," "The Flash" and potentially other DC TV series in a recurring capacity -- all despite the fact that Cold met his untimely end in the penultimate episode of "Legends of Tomorrow" Season 1. However, the "Arrow"-verse has a penchant for resurrecting dead characters, and death is always up in the air when there's time travel involved. So it's possible for Cold to make a comeback, just not as a series regular on "Legends of Tomorrow."

Captain Cold wasn't the only one to bow out, though. Ciara Renee's Hawkgirl also left the team, although this was a decision she made willingly. Now that Vandal Savage is dead, the Hawks hope to establish a life free of the evil that haunted them throughout the centuries.

As to why the Hawks were written off the show, Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim explained, "We went through the team, made a list of all the characters and started to think of stories for them. When we got to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, we had trouble coming up with stories. The bow was tied so tightly and neatly with their story in the finale, that everything we thought of felt very forced. After 4,000 years, they were no longer under the specter of Vandal, and we felt they need some time off. Bringing them back to the team as soon as the beginning of Season 2 felt premature."

Of course, a rotating cast was always in the cards. As early as March, Guggenheim teased some changes for the show's roster, although "the poster is going to look fundamentally the same as it did" -- and, well, he wasn't wrong.

7 Vixen Roars onto Season 2

Hourman and the JSA won't be the only newcomers in Season 2. Vixen will be a series regular, but she won't be Mari McCabe, the incarnation played by Megalyn E.K. in "Arrow" Season 4. Instead, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" actress Maisie Richardson-Seller will play Amaya Jiwe, McCabe's grandmother and holder of the Tantu Totem.

According to the character description, "Amaya Jiwe -- better known as Vixen -- is the newest superhero to board the Waverider and join the ranks of the 'Legends of Tomorrow.' Like her granddaughter, Mari McCabe, Amaya's powers are derived from the mysterious Tantu Totem, which allows her to magically access the abilities of animals."

E.K. played the DC Comics heroine first in animation, in the CW Seed short-form series "Vixen," and then in live-action on an episode of "Arrow." Due to her schedule, she's unavailable to return as the character, so while "Legends of Tomorrow" will have a Vixen , she's a different, earlier incarnation of the character, which fits with the show's time travel-heavy motif.

6 Enter Citizen Steel

Citizen Steel will also enlist with the Legends, but it's unclear whether he'll don the stars and stripes straightaway. "Minority Report" alum Nick Zano will play Dr. Nate Heywood, the historian who becomes the hero Citizen Steel in the comics.

The show's producers are tight-lipped about whether Heywood will become Steel on the series -- but, based on the trajectory of the show after the Justice Society reveal at the end of Season 1, we can guess he'll be wearing the star-spangled armor in no time.

In the comics, Nate is the third person to hold a "Steel" mantle, after the WWII-era Henry Heywood, who was a member of the original Justice Society, and his grandson Hank Heywood III, who was a member of the Justice League. Nate was created in 2007 as the other grandson of Henry Heywood, who assumed the identity of Citizen Steel during Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham's run on "Justice Society of America."

5 Season 2's Slow Burn of a Villain

Even before "Legends of Tomorrow" premiered, we knew exactly who Season 1's big villain was and what he wanted. However, that won't be the case in Season 2.

"What we're going to do in Season 2 of 'Legends' will be more similar to what you've experienced in the first three seasons of 'Arrow' or the first two seasons of 'Flash,'" Guggenheim explained, "where it's more of a slow reveal and a little bit of a mystery."

"The season two big bad is actually not going to be the [alien race of] Thanagarians," he added. "It's going to be something else entirely. All I'll really say about the nemesis in season two is Vandal Savage looks like a walk in the park compared to what the Legends will be facing. This will be a much, much bigger threat. I'm going to leave it at that because when we do reveal it, it's going to be pretty big. People will be asking, 'Vandal who?' once they get the full picture of what our team is up against. It's going to be way bigger than what you can even imagine, I can guarantee it."

But that doesn't mean you should count the Thanagarians out entirely. In an interview about the Season 1 finale, Guggenheim added, "The Thanagarian threat is a threat that is very far out in the future. Vandal Savage presents the clear and present danger... The Thanagarians are certainly something that are relevant, and will remain relevant in Season 2."

4 The Return of Jonah Hex -- And More?

Saddle up, partner! Jonah Hex will be back for more in Season 2, at least according to Guggenheim.

"I also think that Johnathon Schaech was an incredible Hex, and we were talking last night about doing another episode with him already," he said as recently as May. "We really -- when it comes to something like having Jonah on the show, we didn't look at it as something that would thrill the fans -- we look at it as a bucket list. We wanted to do Jonah."

And Jonah Hex may not be the only DC Universe character to make a small-screen debut on "Legends of Tomorrow." "We love the idea that the show is a gateway to the whole of the DC Universe, and we have an actual opportunity to go to every corner of the DC Universe, any time or any place that the story makes sense," Guggenheim said. "I will say that you'll see even more DC characters in Season Two. By a large margin."

3 Love Is in the Air for White Canary

Caity Lotz's White Canary will return for Season 2, and it seems she'll get to show more of her romantic side this time.

"I think Sara might get a new girlfriend!" Lotz shared, although she didn't reveal any other details.

Sara Lance has had three significant romantic interests over the course of her history in the "Arrow"-verse: Oliver Queen, who led her to become a member of the League of Assassins thanks to their boat-trip-gone-wrong; Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra's and fellow Assassin; and Captain Cold, whom she kissed just moments before he died. She also flirted briefly with a nurse in "Night of the Hawk," but that lasted only for the span of the episode. It's unclear whether Sara's new girlfriend will be in it for the long haul.

2 Expect a Visit from Albert Einstein

The Legends will pay a visit to another famous figure in Season 2, but he isn't someone explicitly tied to DC Comics. This year, the team will run into none other than Albert Einstein.

A "disillusioned" and "snarky" version of the real-life physicist will appear in one episode of "Legends" Season 2. According to the report, "The Legends of Tomorrow crew will cross paths with a circa-1942 Albert Einstein in Season 2, but they're disillusioned to discover that the legendary scientist is a snarky, brusque skirt-chaser. Needless to say, he proves to be quite a handful when they attempt to save his life."

Casting for the Einstein role has yet to be announced.

1 Crossing On Over

With "Supergirl" joining "Arrow," "The Flash" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" on the network next season -- all shows under the purview of executive producer Greg Berlanti -- the time is ripe for a massive crossover. And "Arrow" star Stephen Amell predicts that the superhero team-up will air across one single week as a four-night extravaganza.

"I think what we'll end up seeing is one giant four-night crossover. This is kind of an unprecedented moment in terms of the history of network television. To have four shows [with the] same showrunner," he explained, referring to Berlanti.

The CW President Mark Pedowitz would tend to agree with that. "Our annual crossover event this fall [will] be the biggest one ever," he shared.

However, Amell draws the line at a musical crossover: "No. I'm out! I'm the first one. I get to draw the line, and I draw the line at musical."

Meanwhile, "Legends" star Brandon Routh wants a smaller-scale crossover -- for himself. "I hope to be on 'Arrow,' 'Flash,' and 'Supergirl'... make the trifecta!" he said, adding, "I wish ['Supergirl's' Superman Tyler Hoechlin] the best and hope to meet him if Ray gets to crossover to 'Supergirl!'"

Starring Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Arthur Darville and more, "Legends of Tomorrow" returns to The CW for its second season on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.