[s1e5] Fail-safe Apr 2026

The episode title is a reference to the 1964 film Fail-Safe , which dealt with a potential nuclear confrontation between the US and the USSR. Critical Reception

After Martin Stein, Mick Rory, and Ray Palmer are captured and taken to a high-security Russian gulag (the Koshmar Gulag), the remaining Legends must execute a daring prison break.

is the fifth episode of the first season of the DC Comics-based series Legends of Tomorrow , which originally aired on February 18, 2016. Plot Overview [S1E5] Fail-Safe

Picking up immediately after "White Knights," the team remains in 1986 Soviet Russia:

As the team escapes in the Waverider, they are attacked in the temporal zone by the bounty hunter Chronos. The ship is knocked out of time and crashes into Star City in the year 2046 , where they encounter a new, younger Green Arrow (Connor Hawke). Key Trivia The episode title is a reference to the

Reviews at the time were mixed to positive. Some critics praised the character dynamics—particularly the unlikely bond between the optimistic Ray Palmer and the hardened Mick Rory. Others found the writing for the villain Vandal Savage to be a weak point, though the cliffhanger ending was widely cited as a series highlight that built significant excitement for the following episode.

Valentina Vostok attempts to force Stein to help her create a Soviet version of Firestorm. She eventually merges with Stein against his will, creating a "Soviet Firestorm," but Jax is able to reach out to Stein to help him regain control and break the fusion. Plot Overview Picking up immediately after "White Knights,"

Rip Hunter gives Sara Lance a contingency order: if they cannot rescue Stein, she must kill him to prevent the future knowledge of the Firestorm matrix from falling into Soviet hands.