DC Comics build its own TV superhero squad : Legends of Tomorrow

Everyone's favorite superhero team is back again! They're all here — there's the tech genius with a metal suit, the hyper-accurate archer dude, and the mysterious backflipping assassin woman. That's right, it's the heroes from DC Comics' upcoming Legends of Tomorrow, the first trailer of which was shown off by TV network The CW today ahead of the show's premiere early next year.

Of course, The Avengers are hardly the first selection of superheroes to band together, but for viewers whose only exposure to comic book superheroes has come via TV and movies, some of Legends of Tomorrow's stars appear on first glance to have borrowed particularly liberally from Marvel's crew. The Atom, in particular, shares traits with not one but two of DC's rival's creations — using his red metal suit, ex-Superman actor Brandon Routh can both fly like Iron Man, and shrink like Ant-Man.

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW PREMIERES EARLY NEXT YEAR

But there are some distinct differences. Where Tony Stark has both charm and smarm in equal measures, The Atom, is almost dopey and eager to please. The Legends also have one up on the Avengers in terms of gender parity, featuring two female characters in Hawk Girl and resurrected assassin White Canary. Importantly, the show is set to beat Marvel's own small-screen superhero team — The Defenders — to air, something of a victory for DC as the competing comic companies work to flesh out live action versions of their own intricate universes with movies and TV shows.

The show should also benefit from featuring Arrow and The Flash, two heroes who've established themselves in their own successful shows. Their success has allowed The CW to renew both for the fall season, keeping both Arrow and the The Flash in their current positions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the process. The CW's only new show for the fall slate is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which stars Rachel Bloom as a woman who gives up her career and her life to move to suburban California, and will air on Mondays.