DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

HONORING

Phil Klemmer, Showrunner, Writer (developed by)
Sarah Schechter, Executive Producer
Grainne Godfree, Executive Producer, Writer
Keto Shimizu, Executive Producer, Writer
Tala Ashe, Actor, Zari Tomaz
Shayan Sobhian, Actor, Behrad Tarazi
Ubah Mohamed, Writer

We are so pleased to honor DC Legends of Tomorrow for shifting the narrative toward more inclusive portrayals of Muslims on screen.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, based on the characters of DC comics, is the fourth series set in the Arrowverse, after Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. Immediately following the 2016 presidential election, the show’s writers and creators gravitated toward the idea of including a Muslim character. They created Zari Tomaz (played by Iranian-American Muslim actor Tala Ashe), an intelligent, highly skilled team member who doesn’t hesitate to speak truth to power. 

Zari Tomaz, and her brother Behrad Tarazi, are authentic, nuanced Muslim characters that are now forever members of the Arrowverse. We are so pleased to honor DC Legends of Tomorrow for creating these characters and shifting the narrative toward more inclusive portrayals of Muslims on screen.

“I’m really grateful for [Executive Producer] Marc [Guggenheim] and [Showrunner] Phil [Klemmer] that they had this brainchild. I think it’s really important that we have representation in the media and specifically we have Muslim-American representation that isn’t just positive in a sort of rosy, un-nuanced way, but is a real person. And there’s so much of the other right now and there’s so much making Muslims ‘the other’ that I’m excited to play this character in what I hope will be a very nuanced and sensitive, accurate way.”

— TALA ASHE