Last time I wrote about one of the most epic ships in the Arrowverse, if not the superhero genre altogether in my opinion. I’m staying in the Arrowverse for this one too. It’s not my fault the producers and crews are so skilled in bringing to life great relationships.
This one is a special one to me. It’s one of those relationships that ended all to soon. It was only beginning when they ripped it away from us.
I’m talking about Sara Lance and Leonard Snart or as they’re known in the fandom CaptainCanary.
The characters
Sara Lance is one of my favorite Arrowverse characters ever. She’s witty and sarcastic, isn’t afraid to be who she is and grew into a great leader. That and how well Caity Lotz builds rapport and the natural chemistry she has with just about anybody. If you want to know more about my opinions of Sara Lance, you can read the articles I just linked. Needless to say with Oliver gone and Arrow over, she’s the natural choice to become the leader of the remaining heroes (my rant about that is still coming).
Since I feel that I presented Sara’s character pretty well already, let’s jump to the other person of this ship Leonard Snart. He definitely started as one of the villains in the Arrowverse: his motivations weren’t exactly pure and heroic, especially in the beginning. He frequently searched for personal gain in the Legends missions.
OFthe two of them, Snart seems to be the more collected and put together one. He has his life in order, his priorities and values are set, and he knows exactly who he is. He’s the Flash’s enemy and the villain in the story. What’s even more important, he’s content with this status and doesn’t want to change it.
So Captain Cold joined the mission begrudgingly, dragging his partner in crime Mick Rory into it. Snart was clearly motivated by material gain and the rush that comes from pulling a successful heist.
Leonard didn’t have a good start in life, with an abusive father that took out his anger on him. Worrying about his and his younger sisters well being, he turned into the only life that could’ve provided for them. The difficult family situation also explains why Snart is so close to his sister. He practically raised her, and she’s the only biological family he cares for.
The only other person Captain Cold cares about is his partner in crime Mick Rory, aka Heat Wave. It was that bond with Mick that motivated him to sacrifice his life, effectively saving his friend and the world and timeline.
Their story
As it is common practice in the Arrowverse, the unlikely pair started slow. Although they clicked, or if you’d rather connected, from the beginning. She was the rebellious hero that came back from the dead, still struggling to reconcile what she once was with the darkness inside her. He was the smug, outcast bad boy who had it all figured out.
He seemed to know what she was going through. She seemed to see through his facade, recognizing that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Both have strong personalities and points of view.
The relationship between Sara and Snart developed gradually. From partners in crime and breaking Rip’s orders, to friends and confidants, to that one kiss.
Captain Cold opened up to the Canary as they were trapped on the ship together. She was the shoulder he could lean on during that time, a sounding board. In return, he grounded her when she struggled with her bloodlust and the complications of coming back from the dead. Ironically, the villain was her first guide on the path to becoming the great captain that Sara is now. He understood her struggle because he went trough them himself, although it may not seem like he did.
That mutual trust and bond could have flourished into a great relationship.
Their flaws
Honestly both Sara and Snart were never perfect, although both grew exponentially throughout the show. They’re closer to the villains than the heroes, especially in the beginning. That being said, the biggest flaw of this relationship (for me at least) is that it never really happened or, rather, it never moved forward romantically.
Snart had to be a self sacrificing idiot. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great way to show growth for his character and complete his arc. It showcased that he started to care about more than himself, personal gain and his partner in crime Mick. He had started to care for his team and the mission and put somebody else’s well being first.
Of course before that both Sara and Captain Cold struggled with their individual demons, which were meant to further their individual stories of growth. Snart had to face the guilt of leaving Mick stranded and the repercussions of that. What with his best friend becoming Cronos and all that. Sara had to face the consequences of being resurrected. While also reconciling that she wasn’t the leader (yet). She was constantly butting heads with Rip, and on top of that, figuring out exactly who she is as a hero.
Ironically these hardships only brought them closer together. Helping form the bond that they shared.
Why I ship them
The thing that caught my attention was the chemistry, not only between the characters in theory but also that between the actors. That’s what made this ship pop for me, what made it so impactful. Even the best scenes and stories don’t really work or catch the audiences’ attention if there isn’t chemistry between the characters.
There was also something about the way that the characters just took a journey together, or rather next to each other. They each went out on their own adventures, not searching for a companion but still leaning on the other, sharing it.
It was really smart that the producers let the relationship breathe and left it lots of free space. The individual stories of the characters were almost more important than the relationship, more often focused on. Which actually seems like a theme in Sara’s love arcs.
Although the focus was on the personal growth of Sara and Leonard, it didn’t diminish the meaning of their moments together. Quite the opposite actually, it reeled the viewers in even more, making each shared scene more important and meaningful.
I’d have loved to see more of this relationship. As it stands, Sara and Snart’s relationship was one of the definite highlights of Legends of Tomorrow early growing pains.
CaptainCanary’s relationship will always be the exemplification of could’ve been’s and what if’s. The perfect open ending that leaves you guessing and gives you countless possibilities. It reminds you of that bittersweet feeling of relationships that never happened or ended to quickly, leaving you with nothing but memories, some regrets and lessons learned. Maybe guiding you on the path of becoming the very best version of yourself, like it happened with Sara.