Out of all of the Arrowverse shows, Legends of Tomorrow had arguably the roughest entry out of the gate. Part of this was having to justify the show's premise using the disparately related cast, all of which were under the banner of a completely unrelated obscure DC property. Another issue was the show's choice of its Season 1 big bad. The Arrowverse had already had great villains like Deathstroke and the Reverse-Flash, but unfortunately, Vandal Savage wasn't nearly up to that level.

For a variety of reasons, the Arrowverse version of the classic DC villain was disappointing. Meanwhile, the version of Vandal Savage on Young Justice was much more accurate to the character's stature in the comics. So, let's look at how the cartoon succeeded in making Savage one of its most formidable bad guys.

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Vandal Savage in the Arrowverse

Vandal Savage from Legends of Tomorrow

Played by Casper Crump, the Arrowverse Savage first appeared in the second crossover between Arrow and The Flash. In his debut, however, many of the elements that the character would be criticized for were already present. Despite being one of the narratively strongest characters in the DC Universe, this version of Savage was essentially combined with Hawkman villain Hath-Set. This saw him written as creepily obsessed with Kendra Saunders, with his infatuation for her being his main motivation.

Likewise, the character's amorphous magical abilities, which are able to stump both the Flash and Green Arrow, simply come off as a plot contrivance. Used to justify spinning off a new show with Savage as the main villain, his magic is simply an excuse to explain how he keeps getting away when he should logically be outmatched. When combined with his poor motivation, this made the character quickly wear out his welcome, even with Legends of Tomorrow's shorter seasons.

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Vandal Savage in Young Justice

In Young Justice, on the other hand, Savage was far more accurately depicted. The character's far-reaching influence throughout history was actually well portrayed, with the villain having imitated ruthless rulers such as Genghis Khan, Sun Tzu and Atilla. This also saw him having a connection to the tyrannical Darkseid in the ancient past, an alliance that was used to hype up the character in the Season 2 finale.

Savage's survival of the fittest mentality made him ironically similar to X-Men villain Apocalypse and made his crusade against the Justice League entirely logical. This motivation was far better than the jilted non-lover from the Arrowverse, and his comic accurate healing factor did a much better job of explaining his longevity than that version's nebulous magic. By keeping the character in the background for much of the series, Young Justice also kept Savage from wearing thin within his first few appearances, something that failed to happen on Legends.

Since his death in the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, Savage has had barely any role in the Arrowverse, especially compared to fellow villains like Damien Darhk. Meanwhile, the version on Young Justice seems to be poised to remain a central part of that show's universe, continuing to threaten both the show's teen heroes and the DC Universe at large.

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