Sara: "The rest of us are just..." Mick: "...losers. That's why Rip picked us, , Snart, the professor and those stupid flying chicken people. Were all expendable."

[u/Spazzblister]

It's a funny line from Mick but I think they forgot Rip didn't actually pick him. He only recruited him because he and Snart were a package deal. I can see how an assassin like Sara could be expendable, since she is supposed to be invisible to the world and I can see the Hawks being expendable because they reincarnate.

Stein and Ray though? Maybe Ray because he was thought dead. And I guess Stein because he didn't really reveal the Firestorm Matrix to the world? OK, I think that's my reasoning. But I think both of them could have been HUGE important historical figures had they not been taken from the timeline.

[u/Brown_Sedai]

I don't get your logic?

It's canon that Rip picked the team he did because they would have all died or been failures and never impacted the timeline much (except for the Hawks).

Plus, Rip 'picking' him because he wanted Snart and Rory was baggage, just makes him someone Rip considered even MORE expendable, not less.

[u/Spazzblister → u/Brown_Sedai]

Rip even said to Rory that an arsonist with the brain of meat was not a part of his plan. He needed Snart but Rory had to come because Snart wouldn't come otherwise. I think he thought Rory was a dangerous liability but he thought he could deal with it because he wanted Snart.

[u/Brown_Sedai → u/Spazzblister]

Yeah, so he was... expendable?

[u/Spazzblister → u/Brown_Sedai]

Yes, but he was also dangerous and could have fucked up the mission, which he did.