posted
Okay, putting people's personal preferences aside, my belief is that if there is any one Legionnaire who must be part of the LSH in any version or reboot or cartoon or whatever, then that Legionnaire is Brainy.
I would go so far to say that absolutely any other Legionnaire is expendable except for him. If you take Brainy out for an extended period, kill him off or whatever, The LSH is not the LSH without its Brainy.
So any other Legionnaire can be killed off, depowered or otherwise done away with. Bar none.
As my evidence, just name any incarnation of the Legion or any prolonged period of time where Brainy was absent. Can we honestly name any other Legionnaire that applies to?
Agree or disagree? If agree, why do you think this is so? If disagree, make your argument as to who is the one essential Legionnaire if it's not Brainy?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Before I explain why, let me just put this out there - I do NOT like the character of Brainiac 5. Once upon a time I might've said I hate him, but that's not true. I don't hate any of the Legionnaires and certainly none of the classic pre-Crisis members. He's been involved in SO MANY Legion stories over the years that it's impossible not to recognise the fact that his presence has had a big impact on this team. And he's even had some cool moments along the way.
But all that said, I still don't like him. And I certainly do not think he is the one indispensable member of this team.
First of all, I don't think there are ANY indispensable members of this team. The closest this book ever had to an indispensable member was probably Superboy (Kal-el) - and we all know that life carried on after he left.
Secondly, there has been a time when Brainy was more or less absent from this book and IMO the book did not suffer for it at all - in fact I think it was only strengthened by his absence.
That period is of course the post-Emerald Vi 'Legionnaires' book which focused on those members still in the 30th Century, while Brainy's 20th Century exploits were documented in the 'Legion of Super-Heroes' book.
IMO 'Legionnaires' was BY FAR the better book during this period (and not only did it shine without Brainiac 5 but also without those other two claimaints for his 'indispensable' crown - Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy). And at no point did Brainy's absence make me feel like I wasn't reading a 'true' Legion book or whatever.
IMO a 'true' Legion book is a book that recognises and realises the potential in every member of this team and gives them all an equal showcasing. Unfortunately, for whatever reason (but usually just the personal preference of whoever the writer is) that is often not the case, and this book instead becomes something more like 'Brainiac 5 and the Legion of Super-Heroes' or 'Brainiac 5 and Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy and (insert whoever the current writer's favourite is) and the Legion of Super-Heroes' than the book it should be - and shines when it is.
In fact, I would say that a lot of the time, the presence of Brainiac 5 (and the other panel-hogs) is actually a detriment to this book. Instead of the writers falling back on those same old characters out of either preference or habit and giving them their umpteenth line of dialogue or characterisation or storyline, they could instead be giving all that to some of the more under-utilised members of this team, a lot of whom could easily fill the roles that those panel-hogs do. The times the writers did do that we got instant fan-favourite characters (for example Dream Girl, Element Lad and Sensor Girl).
This is also what occurred in the 'Legionnaires' book during the Team 20/Team 30 split period. Without Brainiac 5 there, the writers were able to show that Invisible Kid is just as intelligent and interesting a character as Brainy is and more than capable of filling in not only his "smart guy" role on the team but also the team's leadership.
And if it hadn't been Invisible Kid then it would've been someone else. This is because it isn't Brainiac 5 they're replacing - it's his role on the team, his position in the group dynamic. When you break them down to their barest characterisations, every hero team in comics is made up of the same personalities and traits. I'm gonna use the Satellite-era JLA, the Legion, the Wolfman/Perez Titans and the X-Men for examples -
* Strong Leader type (usually male) - Superman, Cosmic Boy, Nightwing, Cyclops... * Strong but Nurturing Deputy Leader type (usually female) - Wonder Woman, Saturn Girl, Troia, Phoenix... * Aloof Knowledgeable type - Batman, Brainiac 5, Raven, Professor X... * Comedic Hot-head type (usually has self-worth issues) - Firestorm, Changeling, Wildfire, Iceman... * Stoic but Silent type (usually male and usually powerful) - Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, Mon-el, Colossus... and so on.
But any new character (or any old character with a new spin) could come along and fill any of those character's places on their team. The problem the Legion has is that the core membership of the book has stayed so unchanged over the many years and reboots and so on, that most people find it hard to imagine anyone other than Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 (and all the rest) in the roles they have been traditionally given.
And yet the JLA has seen Superman and Aquaman and Batman and Captain Atom and Martian Manhunter and who knows who else all successfully fill the 'Strong Leader type' position on that team and at no point did that book ever stop being the JLA. In fact nearly all of those above mentioned JLA and Titans and X-Men characters have come and gone from those teams over the years and while I'd say that there were plenty of people who considered those characters indispensable while they were there, those books all still did perfectly fine without them. Sure, some of those characters may be back on those teams now but I blame that more on the cyclical nature of comic books than any type of "This book will die without X" reasoning.
IMO the fact that Brainiac 5 and the others have been spotlighted so heavily over the years (and have therefore become more popular) doesn't mean the book would fall apart without them. Instead new characters would get spotlighted and soon enough they'd become popular and then one day the book would become unimagineable without them.
But this all just IMHO.
From: Australia | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Blacula makes a strong case with his Team 20/30 example. The Brainy-less LEGIONNAIRES was definitely the strongest title at that time.
And Brainy has never been on any of my personal favorite Legionnaire lists.
BUT... despite all that, I've also always felt in the back of my mind that he really IS one Legionnaire that should and must always be around in some fashion.
The "Only essential" member... maybe not, but definitely ON that list of most essentials (which probably would not match my "favorites" list at ALL).
But I see where Lard Lad is coming from. If you ask me to best describe the Legion using one member I would say B5.
I think there is a reason that the main character in L.E.G.I.O.N. is Coluan.
Essential? I think essential in the overall mythos yes. Essential on the team at all times? No. While I don't think any member is essential...B5 comes closest.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Blacula makes an excellent case that there are no essential Legionnaires, only essential roles that must be filled in any team.
It's somewhat disappointing to see how easily comic book characters can be reduced to a category (the strong leader, the nurturing deputy, etc.). I've always liked to think of the above mentioned characters as well rounded personalities, not character types.
Perhaps this is why certain characters seem essential to the Legion: because they fill those roles so well.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Hmm... I actually think that Brainiac Five becomes far less "essential" to the team once you take out Superboy and Supergirl, and actually kind of loses his importance to the Legion dynamic once they're gone. Once you lose the whole "friendship/romance with his hereditary enemy" aspect, Brainy becomes little more than the generic "aloof smart guy" that Blacula suggests, and has generally been portrayed as a kind of annoying one at that.
[ May 15, 2007, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: Eryk Davis Ester ]
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I agree with you completely, EDE. The Superboy/Supergirl dynamic is a very important factor with B-5.
I just wanted to add that in many of the past Elseworlds tales (Superboy Legion, the Camelot Legion, Wildfire as the Last Legionnaire) Brainiac 5 plays a minor roll or none at all.
That said, if you had to pick one of seventy-plus Legionnaires who has had the greatest impact on the group to date, Brainiac 5 would have to top the list (with Superboy).
-------------------- "My dance card was getting fuller than a contestant's at a Jandan shurg-off." - Exnihil, The Lost Klordny
From: Frederick, MD | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I have to agree with everyone that Blacula made a powerful case that there is no essential Legionnaire including Brainiac 5.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
In my case I have found I lose interest without brainy. The legion is a team and any team works like a body. someone is the eyes someone the legs someone is the heart and Brainy is of course the brain. I would argue that every story needs a brain and a heart or it just isn't as interesting.
posted
Brainy's arguably the most *recognizable* Legionnaire apart from the Super-Cousins. His intellectual power is unique, his emotional range is vast and he almost never fails to intrigue.
Maybe he's not "essential" but he's pretty dang cool.
From: Reimagined Trom | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
The thing about Brainy is that he's so useful from a storytelling point of view. You can always use him to come up with a solution, a potential solution, or, if all else fails, a whole new problem.
posted
Brainy is certainly useful and interesting, but that's not the same as essential.
I think what the Legion has often needed is a strong viewpoint character, someone who is more or less in the center of the action. Even TV shows with ensemble casts have that one character who is the "head" or the focus. (I'm thinking of Capt. Furillo on "Hill Street Blues" or Dr. Westphall on "St. Elsewhere.") With the Legion, Superboy filled that role for many years. Without him, whoever was the leader filled that role to one degree or another. But sometimes even the leaders haven't been the most interesting or useful characters. Perhaps this is why Brainy seems essential to some.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I think the real question is would you read the Legion without Brainy. and thinking about it... I tend to lose interest in storyilines that don't at least include a frame or two of Braininess. Any ideas why? And I am talking all Brainy versions.
posted
Blacula does make good points. Yes, Legionnaires was the better title during that storyline, and Lyle did fill the "smart guy" role very well. But let's say, if Brainy was killed before the Team 20 LSHers returned, would Lyle have filled that void indefinitely?
But I'd venture to say that Brainy's importance goes beyond filling his "smart guy" role in so many ways it's hard to put them all into words.
For one, on the most superficial level, he stands out as the 'green guy' in what has still been a dominantly caucasian humanoid super-team. I remember noticing an LSH cover for the first time as a kid (I think it was the Space Circus issue with the purple background) and my eye being drawn to Brainy. "Wow, a green man! Cool!" I thought. Let's face it, there's been the occasional Gates, Blok, Tellus and Jacques Foccart, but Brainy has always been there to present at least some visual diversity along with Cham. Maybe he's essentially a white guy painted green, but he stands out.
I suppose you could replace him with another Coluan or a purple guy like Jed Rikane, but I don't think it would be the same.
But on a deeper level, Brainy's often had one of the more defined personalities among the Legionnaires. The pre-Crisis Brainy was emotional, childish and occasionally insane. Post-Zero Hour, he was a bit of a misanthrope who hid behind his intellect but had a soft side. WaK-boot he's been Macchiavellian but with a definite humanity underneath.
Often other Legionnaires could be indistinguishable from each other personalty-wise, but Brainy's always been watchable and distinct.
So I argue vehemently against Brainy being expendable on Blacula's basis of another being able to fill his archetype.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
But aren't we talking about essential not expendable?
I would say that the legion would be less without Brainiac 5, but I think there would be a Legion and a Legion we would all read.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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