Esperanza Cruz

Esperanza Cruz, primarily known as Spooner, is a member of the Legends and the daughter of Celso and Gloria Cruz. She was recruited after the team's leader, Sara Lance, got abducted by an alien and the Legends sought Esperanza's help due to her ability to sense and communicate with aliens. She eventually decided to stay with the team, wanting to avenge her mother's death.
Like Spooner stayed with the Legends, she helped them deal with the aliens scattered throughout history, and learned the truth of the source of her powers. When Bishop tried killing the Fountain of Imperium, Spooner collapsed since she was connected to it. When she was stable again, Spooner and the Legends defeated Bishop. 
The Legends headed back to the Waverider when another Waverider appeared out of nowhere and destroyed their Waverider. The team got ready to board the other Waverider and take out the ship's crew, but Nate revealed that his Time courier had no juice left in it, leaving them stranded in 1925. During the time stranded in 1925, Spooner bonded with Astra and assisted Gideon. Spooner also saved the Legends with the help of Astra, and Gideon. 
Like the Legends changed the timeline, Spooner and rest of the Legends were hunted by "evil Gideon" and her Robot Legends. 
==Biography==
===Early life===
Esperanza lived with her mom in Texas, 1925. She didn't speak until she was 6 years old. One day in the woods looking for ingredients for her mom, she met John Constantine. They both talked, with Esperanza bringing him to her home. They offered him and their other visitors food. When the Oil men came, Astra Logue took Esperanza to the Fountain of Imperium. The tabloid Wacky World News wrote an article about her experience, based on a false narrative.
In her youth, Esperanza thought she was abducted by aliens. Ever since then, she wore hats with tinfoil lining inside them to help prevent communication with the aliens. At some point, Esperanza began going by her nickname, Spooner.
===Kidnapped by the Legends===
In mid-2020, Mick Rory and Behrad Tarazi trespassed on Spooner's property as they were trying to recruit her to help locate Sara Lance. She watched them on security cameras as they walked closer. As Mick and Behrad entered the building, Spooner shot them with tranquilizing darts, knocking them out. She later captured them and tied them up on tables.
Spooner threatened the two as they woke up. When Behrad asked her to come help save Sara, she prepared to kill the two with a knife. Noticing Behrad's strange behavior, Spooner took out the communicator in Behrad's ear. As she heard the news about the impending arrival of the Waverider, Spooner took out a weapon and went outside, where she was greeted by the timeship. She shot her weapon and managed to breach through the ship's shields with a blast.
Ava Sharpe then used a time courier to exit the ship, where the two had a conversation. Spooner presumed that the Legends were aliens attempting to abduct her. Like she was angry, she started threatening Ava. Later, Ava told Spooner about Sara being kidnapped and her plan to propose to her, and stated that she'll do anything if Spooner managed to find her. In disbelief, Spooner prepared to shoot at Ava, but quickly was tranquilized with a dart.
In the Waverider, Spooner was convinced to participate in a spell that John Constantine used to connect with the location of Sara Lance; during the spell, Constantine grew sick and tired, so Ava took control. The spell was stopped by Zari Tarazi using the Air Totem because the strain was too much for Constantine. Later, Spooner was taken to the med bay by Behrad to have her implants removed. Gideon revealed that Spooner's brain was normal, without implants. Suddenly, Spooner ran from the med bay to the ship's deck as she "sensed" the aliens that were floating throughout the temporal zone.
===Choosing a new path===
====Joining the Legends====
Spooner insisted that she wanted to return home, but Ava told her to help find an alien to interrogate, and she will be freed. The Legends went to California in the 1950s because of an aberration with Big Bang Burger; Spooner sensed an alien presence but it was hard to pinpoint. Anytime she thought she was near an alien, Spooner would arm herself and get ready to shoot; So, Ava took Spooner's rifle from her.
Ultimately, Spooner, Constantine, and Ava learned that a giant air feeder was transforming in the attic of Rhonda Beeman and the ooze from its cocoon was the special sauce on the restaurant's hamburger sandwiches. Spooner was sensing the food that everyone was eating. After the giant air feeder ate Rhonda and her husband, Ava returned Spooner's gun and permitted her to kill the alien. Ava apologized to Spooner for not taking her feelings into account when drafting her into the mission; Spooner had spent years trying to distance herself from aliens. The two discussed about Spooner's mother who was also missing. After the talk with Ava, Spooner decided to join the Legends in order to get revenge for her mother. Ava allowed it, since her psychic powers were needed to find Sara.
Spooner watched television with Ava as the two hoped that Zari Tarazi would win "Da Throne" to keep the Earth from being invaded by aliens loyal to Lord Knoxicrillion. Meanwhile, Spooner talked to Mick about how he missed Sara's leadership; he felt Sara was better than Ava as captain. Mick revealed to Spooner, that he and Sara were the last of the original team. When Zari won the competition and Knoxicrillion boarded the Waverider, Spooner was stopped from shooting the alien. Spooner witnessed when Mick stepped on and killed the diminutive alien when he revealed his true form. However, he then provided the team with a substantial lead of the alien that kidnapped Sara.
Spooner and the Legends traveled to Cuba, 1962 to find Kayla. She and the others realized that Mick brought them to middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Later, Spooner and Mick returned the missile to Fidel Castro. Spooner sensed Kayla, who was attacking Ava, and Spooner along with Mick saved Ava. Spooner and Mick confronted Kayla and convinced her to help them find Sara and gave her their ship in return, which Kayla agreed to. Spooner stayed with the others to go to Constantine's house to use as a new lair.
Upon arriving at Constantine's house, she and the other Legends started asking Astra Logue questions. Like Astra was frustrated and annoyed, she turned the Legends including Spooner into objects. She turned Spooner into a fork. Astra started casting spells, making Spooner into an animated version of a fork. Spooner and the others were freed to help Astra defeat Aleister Crowley. Spooner managed to escape and freed Astra from the attic. After Astra defeating Crowley by singing a book from her book, Spooner and the others returned to normality.
The Legends started living in Constantine's home, with them messing up everything in his house. After Ava connected Gideon to John's old television, they found out that in 1956 there was a homicide in a nursing home by a hospitalized patient named "Sara Lance". After finding out what happened in the asylum, the Legends suspected it could of been an alien pretending to be Sara. Ava, Nate and Spooner traveled to 1956 to the asylum, where they found "Sara Lance", but were surprised to see that in reality it was Amelia Earhart. Behrad and Spooner decided to go and question Amelia to obtain information about Sara, using the method of "Good cop" and "Bad cop". Amelia started growing suspicious of Spooner, but started talking. Then Ava arrived telling Spooner and Behrad that Amelia had stolen the Waverider. After using her powers on Amelia, they found out she killed Sara, so Spooner used her powers angrily at her. Amelia was about to kill Spooner, but Ava saved her. They later murdered Amelia.
After learning that Sara had died, Spooner and the rest of the Legends travelled to the night of Sara's abduction in 1977 to try and stop her from being abducted. Despite their attempts, Sara was still abducted. The Legends accepted that fact that they couldn't save Sara. After, she showed up alongside Ava, Mick, and Gary. The team celebrated Sara's return and then decided to head back to the Waverider. On the way back to the Waverider, Sara proposed to Ava the rest of the Legends celebrated the proposal.
====Bonding with Astra====
The Legends detected an alien in 1891 in an encampment known as "Fist City", so Spooner and the other Legends traveled there to investigate. Spooner went with Astra Louge, but they both quickly started arguing with each other. Later both went into the look out for the Haverack. While searching, Astra went looking for the gold, making Spooner get frustrated at her. After arguing Spooner and Astra got into an agreement, understanding that they aren't the same as each other. They collaborated to search for the gold while a man kept looking at them. After looking for a while, they found a path of gold and tracked it down to a refugee. They understood that the entire town is securing the outsider. Reeves after watching them, came to them and clarified the circumstances. Spooner later started controlling the alien, with Astra supporting her, obliterating the alien, saving Nate in the process.
Later, Spooner and the others went to 2023, and there, Spooner fired at the cryochamber before it fell, but the shot missed and the alien landed on the set of the comedy Bud Stuy. She went to the set with the others to catch the alien which they called "Gus-Gus" and when Gus screamed, Spooner started bleeding because she felt Gus's pain, and they had to leave the place. Spooner accepted the idea of Nate going to Bud Stuy to find Gus. After completing the mission, Spooner joined the others to celebrate Behrad's birthday.
While on the ship, John came to Spooner, asking for her help on a mission to find the Fountain of Imperium. Spooner agreed to help him, so she and John traveled to Spain in 1939 to find the Fountain. During their adventure, John and Spooner met a boy named Fernando. John and Spooner met "El Gato", who told them about the Fountain, but were interrupted by Captain Noriega, who demanded to know the location of the Fountain. Spooner and Fernando weren't lucky in escaping, but John did.
Meanwhile, Spooner was communicating with Fernando till John arrived and rescued them to find the Fountain. John, Spooner, and Fernando managed to locate the Fountain of Imperium in a cave and tried to use it, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Later Esperanza with the help of John's powers were succesful of giving Fernando's powers back to the Fountain. Seeing Noriega approaching, John stayed at the Fountain while Spooner and Fernando fled. John used the vial Noelle gave him and temporarily regained his magic by defeating Noriega and his soldiers, killing each one. Saying goodbye to Fernando and El Gato, John and Spooner returned to the present. Like John wasn't worthy of the Fountain, he errased Spooner's memorys of everything that just happened.
When Spooner and the Legends were tracking another alien pod, they found a device to a cosmic bowling alley. Later they make a bet with the reigning champs for a ride back to the Waverider. They later found out that Earth was in it. Once saved, she and the rest of the Legends took a picture together at the alley.
Since Constantine overloaded Gideon, the Legends and Spooner had to go on low energy for around 3 weeks. To pass the time, Gary suggested they should play a Murder Mystery game, Beast/Slayers, which Constantine used his magic on to make it realistic. Spooner's game character was a "Big Game Hunter." Spooner and Astra were killed by the Beast, but when Zari managed to kill the Beast, the Legends managed to exit the game and come back to life.
After Bishop crashed the Waverider, the legends and Spooner confronted Bishop on the med bay. Zari and Astra later came asking Spooner about Spain, mainly about when John drank from the fountain. Making Spooner think John erased a memory since she didn't remember him doing that. After Astra made a spell on Spooner they realized John wasn't worth of the fountain and where curious on how he had his powers. After confronting John they all found out he was using Blood to get his powers. Later they all saw how Bishop helped give birth to Mick Rory's children.
====Learning the truth====
Spooner and Astra where on the Waverider just when John Constantine and Bishop rerouted Gideon's directory protocols. Like they where on the ship they heard both Bishop and John talk, so Astra made them into a snow globe; They were talking about looking another place in time where the Fountain of Imperium existed in. Like neither could drive the ship without Gideon they decided they would both stop them. 
Once they got off the Waverider, they realized they were on Texas, 1925. While walking a man badly hurt was asking for help when a woman came running to help him, while seeing this Spooner started to think the woman might be her mother. While Gloria was helping the man, Spooner started telling him, he would be ok. Then a man came telling Gloria about buying her land, As Gloria refused he showed her his gun, at the same time Spooner showed him her's and Astra and her told him to leave. Gloria thanked both Astra and Spooner for their help.
Gloria offered Spooner and Astra a hot meal, while Astra was reminding Spooner that they needed to find Bishop and John, Spooner was sure this woman was her mom. After talking with Astra they both decided to go, and maybe find out if she knows of the fountain. Once they arrived to Gloria's house Spooner asked Gloria if she had lived here for a while, to what she answered saying that she came here at a young age and built her house by herself, and started telling some of her family;s history. After learning she did had a daughter, Spooner started realizing that the aliens might off kidnapped her here and sent her to the future with her mind wiped.
After young Esperanza came back to the house she started talking about another healer she met, talking about John who later entered the house. While Gloria was giving them a meal, Spooner was talking to Little Spooner about a book she had. After making everyone unconscious, John grabbed Spooner hands making her see how her Mom died and how the fountain saved her when she was little. So Spooner decided she's staying so that never happens, while Astra noticed Spooner gave her blood so John activated the fountain.
When the oil men came, Esperanza decided she would fight, since she didn't want to lose her mom again and told her about everything. They later decided young Esperanza did have to go with Astra to the Fountain. Later, Spooner used her powers to make the oil men feel pain, anger about losing everything. Right after Bishop poisoned the Fountain, Spooner felt it and collapsed since she was linked to the fountain.
====The Zaguron invasion====
After Esperanza collapsed, Gloria tried healing her but nothing worked. Esperanza still in bed started saying that the Fountain was dying. After help from a young Bishop, Spooner waked up being surrounded by the legends; right after she waked up a lot of Zaguron pods felt from the sky. Young Bishop said Spooner was fine now, and her mom gave her some food. The legends started asking her if she could read what the Zagurons where thinking but she said she got nothing and what she did learn was that the fountain didn't want to help them.
After Ava and Sara announced their wedding, Spooner asked her mom to leave since she didn't want her to get hurt. Right when they were about to get married, Bishop arrived on Kayla's Spaceship. All the legends were ready to fight the Zagurons, like there where to many Zagurons they all went inside Gloria's house. Like Behrad was hurt, Sara and Zari started to fight since Sara wanted to cut his arm, to this Spooner found her new abilities and gave Sara's healing to Behrad, and helped other legends with her new found power. Like Ava and Sara finally got married the fountain was healed and the Zagurons where killed, after that Bishop arrived, later killed by Mick Rory and Kayla's children. When all the Legends where heading back to the Waverider, another Waverider appeared destroying the ship leaving them stranded on the 1920s.
===Stranded in 1925===
After the destruction of the Waverider, the Legends went into Gloria's house to get ready to fight the other Waverider crew, sadly enough Nate's time courier ran out of juice. So the Legends realized they were stuck in 1925. Later Ava and Gary told them about a safe that was in the Waverider incase of emergencies, so they all decided to go look for it. Spooner and Astra went together to go look for it but it led them to the Sheriff's station.
Once back they went to tell the Legends the news, about the safe. A bit later Astra tried casting a spell to bring back the Waverider, but it started hurting her, making Spooner worry about her. After Astra collapsed Spooner took her to Gloria's house so she would get better. Just the sheriff's men entered the house, the Legends had to use the key Zari got from John so they didn't find them, while Spooner stayed behind with Astra and her mom. After all of this Astra and Spooner were outside by the rock, Astra's magic went into the ground making a naked woman appear, which made Astra and Spooner freak out, the lady ended up being Gideon. 
====Assisting Gideon====
They took Gideon to the house, and Gideon started eating apples giving them smiles. Astra and Spooner were talking about their new human Gideon, while Gideon came giving them apples, making Astra get annoyed. Spooner realized Gideon was trying to tell them something with the apples and the box. Later they went out of the house to find Gideon using the cables, making her fall. After putting her on a bed to rest, Spooner got some advice from her mom. She used her powers on Gideon to communicate, and short after Gideon talked. Astra, Gideon, and Spooner left the house to go save the Legends.
Astra, Spooner, and Gideon were on their way to get a train, they both gave Gideon multiple commands making her faint. When Gideon was knocked unconscious, She and Astra did not know what happened, so Astra cast a spell for both of them to enter Gideon's mind. In Gideon's mind, the duo met Jefferson "Jax" Jackson, who was an original member of the team. Astra and Spooner had to save Gideon's memories with the help of Jax. After Gideon woke up, the trio traveled to a memory of Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Leonard Snart, and Carter Hall fighting until Gideon stopped them. The trio then saw a memory of Martin Stein singing alongside Gideon. The girls realized that a virus wanted to erase all of Gideon's memories.
Astra and Spooner watched as the original Legends argued again, but the memories came to life, and they were going to attack the duo, but Jax saved them. To save Gideon, Astra and Spooner had to face off against Nate Heywood, Zari Tomaz, Zari Tarazi, and Behrad Tarazi. Astra and Spooner accompanied Gideon to see old memories where she had fun with the Legends on Thanksgiving and sang karaoke with them, making Gideon a Legend from head to toe. After Gideon defeated the virus, Spooner and all the Legends welcomed Gideon to the team. Upon awakening, the trio began a strong friendship and continued their journey to save the team.
====Reuniting with the Legends====
The trio made it to the train, but they had no tickets and were going to be kicked out until Maude Beaumont helped them, as the girls had to be together and asked the three of them to join her band. Spooner and the girls arrived in Chicago, but they found out that Maude had problems with Ross Bottoni's mob, so they tried to help her put on a great show, but Gideon confirmed that in the timeline Maude was murdered by Ross. Spooner used her powers to make him feel his deepest fear, after Astra revealed it was spiders. Shortly after, the trio were thanked by Maude and upon learning that the team was here, the girls immediately went looking for them, but the Legends were already gone. The trio were still far from reaching New York, so Astra made a spell for drivers to take them with the help of a stone, which gave him luck, but every time they traveled, a policeman would stop the car. After Gideon was left alone in a car, Astra and Spooner tried to reach New York before the Legends traveled back in time, but as time was running out, Astra cast a powerful spell to remove the energy from the entire city. The duo arrived in time to save the team, but Gideon had already saved them and everyone was glad to see that they were reunited. The team celebrated the reunion. The Legends modified Gwyn Davies's time machine to properly travel back home, but they accidentally traveled to 1986.
Spooner and the Legends arrived in an unknown period with the time machine. Everyone started panicking, so Nate gave everyone orders and told Spooner and Astra to go with the captians to calm them down. Spooner went with Sara to get the needed food to survive, so they killed a squirell. Once back the captains where more calmed. When they sat down next to the fire they heard a car, making them realise they weren't in the dinosaur period. Gwyn, Tomaz, and Behrad came out of the car and told Spooner and the Legends the news about the decisions they took, and the period they were in. With the Legends now knowing they were on Chernobyl, the team helped fix the time machine. When they got on it, "evil" Gideon arrived with her Waverider, but the Legends managed to escape safely.
===Hunted by "evil Gideon"===
The Legends escaped the rouge Waverider, but thanks to the toilet Bishop arrived on and the damage the time machine got, the Legends got stuck again in time. Some military men arrived, so the Legends started running to the closest door they found and entered the pocket dimension. There, they questioned Bishop and learned about the evil Gideon. To fix the time machine, Ava and Sara went to investigate where to get them. Once they returned, the Legends reunited and celebrated Nates and Tomaz moving in together. Astra, Sara, Ava, Spooner, and Gideon arrived at the manufacture. When Astra and Spooner got discriminated against by E. Staples, Sara told them it was okay if they wanted to quit the mission.
Once they entered the factory, one of the Rosies showed them around. After Astra got irritated by E. Staples, she accidentally used a spell on him. After helping the Rosies build the Airplane, they celebrated. Since the Legends accidentally changed the timeline, "evil Gideon" found them and sent robots after them. The Legends were able to escape when Bishop sacrificed himself.
==Personality==
Tough and self-sufficient, Esperanza "Spooner" Cruz lives off the grid, devising ingenious tech for the detection of, and defense against space aliens. And while some might call her paranoid, she calls it being prepared. To what she though was a survivor of a childhood alien encounter, Spooner has had the ability to communicate telepathically with aliens. She struggled with feeling like an outsider on the team, but found her place after bonding with Astra, who felt a similar way.
Since joining the Legends, she has had growth with studying the Legends and learning from each other. She found out she was given powers thanks to the Fountain of Imperium when she was with Astra in 1925. She has also started a friendship with Astra Logue after fighting in Fist City. They now consider each other best friends. Apart from her tough personality, Spooner cares about others. She helped Gideon with her human body, and assisted her with her memories while the virus attacked them.
During their time without the Waverider, and when the Time machine was failing, Astra and Spooner dealt with racism a way they never did since both lived their lives either in Hell, or the 2020s. Spooner calmed Astra with missions and her bond grew even more.
During the episode The Fixed Point she spends time with Zari in the bar in 1914 where during a game of "smash marry kill" she reveals that she is not attracted to either guys or girls and explains how she thinks that she is broken because of it. Zari then explains Asexuality, and Spooner comes out to Zari introducing the Arrowverse's first cannon Ace character.
==Powers and abilities==
===Powers===
*Connection to the Fountain of Imperium: All of Spooner's powers come from her connection to the Fountain of Imperium.
**: Having absorbed the Fountain of Imperium as a child, Spooner has developed a form of telepathic powers that activate when she is in the presence of aliens. Spooner powers have grown to the point that she can talk to people that aren't aliens; such as Fernando. Spooner was also able to help John telepathically transfer Fernando's powers back to the Fountain. Spooner was able to read the mind of a newly resurrected Gideon who is now fresh and bone.
***: Spooner can feel and detect the minds of aliens in her presence.
***: Spooner can psychically translate other languages of other aliens and understand what they are saying. After sometime of using her powers, Spooner is capable of speaking the same language as the aliens she translates like the Zaguron that took of Amelia body.
***: Spooner is capable of sense the feelings of aliens when using her powers.
***: Spooner is capable of making others feel her pain.
***: Spooner is able to send mental images to other people; she showed Ross Bottoni his greatest fear, spiders.
**Power transferal: After Spooner figured out from where her powers originated, she was able to transfer powers between individuals, allowing the Legends to use one another's powers in the battle against the Zagurons.
===Abilities===
*Skilled markswoman: Spooner is skilled in using guns as she used a dart gun to shoot Nate and Mick when they were on her property and when facing the alien she shot it while it was in the air.
*Multilingual: Spooner is capable of fluently speaking English and Spanish, and can also read at least two alien languages. She is also able to speak alien languages she translates via her powers.
*Skilled hand-to-hand combatant : While we have yet to see Spooner in any physical combat, her past self told John Constantine her mom taught her how to fight. Spooner was able to hold her on against Ava for a little while but was soon was pinned down by Ava until Astra knocked her over the head.
*Bowling: Spooner is a skilled bowler.
===Weaknesses===
*Magic: Spooner is susceptible to the effects of magic.
*Connection to the Fountain of Imperium: When the Fountain was destroyed, Spooner felt it and collapsed.
====Former weaknesses====
*Power instability: Due to Spooner thinking that she had alien tech in her head, she couldn't control her powers and they seldom work to the way she wants them.
==Appearances==
===DC's Legends of Tomorrow===
===Comics===
====EARTH-PRIME====
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==Gallery==
===Promotional images===
====DC's Legends of Tomorrow====
=====Season 6=====
Legends season 6 promo.png
Esperanza Cruz Promotional Image.png
==Trivia==
*Esperanza is Catholic.
*Her best friend is Astra Logue.
*She is the first Latina and Earth-Prime member of the Legends.
*Esperanza was born prior to 1925, but was sent to the future by the Fountain of Imperium.
*Epseranza is the first canon Asexual character in the Arrowverse, having come out in the episode during a conversation with Zari Tarazi.
==References==
Category:Legends members
Category:Characters with psychic powers
Category:LGBT+ characters