LEGION LEADERS AND DEPUTIES Cosmic Boy/no deputy Saturn Girl/no deputy Saturn Girl/no deputy Brainiac 5/Saturn Girl and Superboy Invisible Kid/Superboy Ultra Boy/Mon-El Karate Kid/Mon-El Mon-El/Element Lad Mon-El/?? Ultra Boy/?? Mon-El/Brainiac 5 and Sun Boy
[ December 28, 2009, 12:59 AM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
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BIRON THE BOWMAN Biron of Earth This character was in reality Comet, the Super-Horse, who infiltrated the Legion along with Proty II for the Legion of Super-Pets (Adventure 364) when the Pets suspected the Legion of plotting against them. Comet turned human when a comet passed near Earth, and retained the archery ability he had possessed as a centaur in ancient Greece. He wore a uniform appropriate for a futuristic archer, an orange tunic with green trim. Describing his ability when applying for membership, he said, "My unmatched skill and speed with this ancient weapon makes it formidable, even in this interstellar age." The Legion does not normally allow an applicant whose power rests in a weapon to join, but realizing the true identities and motives of both Biron and "Blockade Boy" (really Proty II), the LSH let them in to trap an alien who had duped the pets into working for him. Biron was a Legionnaire for that issue only.
BLACKOUT BOY Actually a criminal who took a pill giving him blackout powers, "Blackout Boy" joined for one story (Adventure 337) along with two other criminals who gained different powers from other synthesized pills. He had the power to neutralize light and thus cause total darkness. The Legion was aware of the criminals' true identities, so arranged phony marriages of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, and Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl to create vacancies in the roster which these imposters filled. The LSH then trapped the criminal organization to which these three belonged and destroyed the pill-synthesizing machine.
BLOCKADE BOY Proty II of Antares "Blockade Boy" joined with "Biron the Bowman" (see bio of the later for details) to spy on the LSH for the Pets. He was disguised as the brother of a character by the same name that the Legion met in the "Super-Stalag of Space" (Adventure 344-345), who could create an impenetrable barrier with his body. Proty II used his shape-changing ability to simulate this power. He wore a violet uniform with metallic gray trim.
BOUNCING BOY Chuck Taine of Earth An errand boy for a famous scientist, Chuck Taine was carrying a super-plastic fluid to the Science Council. He stopped along the way to watch a Robot Gladiator Tournament. Buying a bottle of soda, Chuck placed it next to the fluid and in the excitement of the match drank from the wrong bottle. He immediately inflated and bounced onto the field, ruining the tournament. His blue, black and white suit, made of stretchable fabric, later became his uniform. It was soon discovered that this fluid gave him the power to inflate and bounce at will. Chuck applied for membership in the Legion almost immediately (Action 276), but was rejected. When he reapplied, he proved his worth to the LSH by stopping a criminal who used electrical power to commit crimes and to evade capture. "The Human Billiard Ball," as he soon came to be known, knocked the criminal out without being shocked because he was in the air and thus not grounded. He was accepted this time. Later on in his career (Adventure 321), Chuck lost his bouncing power by accidentally stepping in front of a matter-shrinking machine in the main lab of the Clubhouse. This nullified the effects of the fluid and slenderized him. By majority vote he was put in the Legion Reserve. He later attributed this loss of power to bad luck resulting from turning the hands of a Planet Clock in the Clubhouse backwards. Twice his powers were temporarily restored, first by a mystery ray that worked for a few seconds (Adventure 328) and later while fighting Computo the Conqueror (Adventure 341). In the latter instance, the computer contemptuously sprayed him with a strange gas that restored Chuck's power temporarily. Evillo later tried to capture all the Legionnaires and turn them evil. One of his henchmen captured Chuck (Adventure 350). Evillo gave the powerless Taine to a scientific "associate" for "experimentation". Evillo had previously disfigured this doctor's face, however, so in vengeance he restored Bouncing Boy's power, as well as aided other maladied Legionnaires. It was never made clear why the original formula was not used to restore Chuck's power. Perhaps it was deemed of no commercial value and destroyed, only to be rediscovered by Evillo's aide. Perhaps after being used once, the user developed an immunity to future usage, and so the doctor developed a new formula with similar characteristics. Chuck had possibly the best sense of humor of any Legionnaire, which he used as a defense against occasional pangs of inferiority during which he questioned his value as a Legionnaire. This jocularity gave him the idea of declaring himself the Legion's "Chief of Morale." He grew to be very close to Duo Damsel, and the two eventually married after he again lost his power, permanently this time (Superboy 200). She was the only romantic interest in his life that we were told of with the exception of Iresa, a rotund girlfriend of his who we saw but once (Adventure 321). When they married, Chuck and Luornu left active status and became Reservists.
BRAINIAC FIVE Querl Dox of Colu [also known as Yod] Scientists of Colu [Yod] long ago created huge computers with tenth-level-effector brains (as opposed to our inferior sixth-level-effector brains). These machines revolted against their creators and took over the planet as the first step in a cosmic plan of conquest. To spy for them, they created a humanoid computer which they named Brainiac. To reinforce the illusion of Brainiac's humanity, they imprinted the name "Brainiac II" on the palm of a Colutian boy, Vril Dox, and forced him to masquerade as Brainic's son. When Brainiac left on his espionage mission, Vril escaped from the computers, taking with him many of Brainiac's secrets. He used these scientific secrets to build a brain stimulator that raised his brain to twelfth-level-effector and led his people in a successful revolt against the computer regime. He lived a long, happy life, honored by the people he freed. (The life span of these people is far greater than that of Earth people.) The brain stimulator affected Vril's genes, passing his mental prowess down to his descendants, Pran, Kajz, and Querl Dox. His twelfth-level-effector brain allows Querl to perform intricate calculations in seconds and gives him a strong resistance to hypnotism. He applied for membership in the LSH (Action 276) and immediately fell in love with another applicant, Supergirl. (Both were accepted.) He even gave her his force-field belt to protect her from a Kryptonite meteor. This belt was later rendered useless, although Querl created another for himself. He never got over his crush on the Girl of Steel. Brainiac's original force field secret was lost when he was destroyed in a fight with Superman, but Brainiac 5 devised a similar field, which he put in a belt-device. It also breaks down carbon and oxygen, allowing him to stay in the field indefinitely without suffocating. He has used his great brain countless times for the Legion. He reconstructed Brainiac's shrinking ray (Someone else apparantly reconstructed the growth ray, as Kandor is no longer miniaturized), Mon-El's life-saving serum, the flight ring (using an element created by Mon-El which is activated by the wearer's will), and innumerable other essentials. He was also responsible for the creation of Computo the Conqueror, who menaced the Legion and almost took over the Earth (Adventure 340-341). Querl finally destroyed it with an anti-matter device found in the deserted Batcave. "Brainy" was elected Legion leader (Adventure 337) and had two different deputies, Saturn Girl and Superboy. He was also deputy under Mon-El until recently. An orphan, Brainiac 5's birthday is spent with his closest friends, the Legionnaires. It is celebrated according to the customs of Colu. He is toasted with Kono juice in ivory chalices. Querl will remain in the LSH as an adult, undergoing few changes. By then, he will pick up the habit of smoking a pipe.
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CHAMELEON BOY Reep Daggle of Durla Durlans evolved the power to change themselves into any form they desired as a means of survival. Their physical appearance changed and evolved to suit this new ability. Although basically humanoid, the bald, gold-skinned beings developed antennae which tingle when near an unfamiliar thing, sending out invisible radar-like pulsations that bounce off the object and return as distinct sound waves which the large, pointed ears pick up, absorbing all details of the structure so it can be duplicated whenever desired. Because their ability causes non-Durlans to be wary of this race, Durlans seldom leave their planet. However, Reep Daggle was determined to enter Earth society and gain respect for his race. To this end, he went to Earth with his parents’ permission and joined the Legion. Colossal Boy, who joined at the same time, likened Reep’s ability to that of the Earth chameleon. For this reason, he chose the name “Chameleon Boy.” Durlans’ powers have their limits. For example, “Cham” cannot become a phantom (although he can take on the appearance of one), nor can he become invisible. He can only adapt the power of something he copies to a limited extent. For example, he could become a bird and have the power of flight, but even as a female bird he would not be able to lay an egg. He cannot become as hard as steel, but can become as soft and pliant as foam rubber. Reep can make part of his body a separate, inanimate object, but it requires a great deal of effort and is presumably painful. It is rarely done. Suspicious non-Durlans have invented many devices to thwart the powers of people of this race. A blue spray can “lock” Reep into whatever shape he is in at the time (Adventure 321), and Supergirl invented a Cancellite Spray that permanently removes these powers in Durlans and Proteans unless treated with an antidote (Adventure 326). Brainiac 5 invented Inhibitor Spray, a modification of Supergirl’s formula, that cause the shape-changer to resume its original form and temporarily removes the transmutation ability in both Durlans and Proteans (Adventure 334). An image-filtering device can be used to spot a Durlan in another shape. Because of his power, Reep was made head of the Espionage Squad (which consists of himself, Invisible Kid [while living], Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, and Shrinking Violet), a title which he will retain as an adult. Cham adopted Proty, a young Protean beast of Antares with powers similar to Cham’s own, having found him in a zoo on the Thieves’ Planet (Adventure 308). When Proty sacrificed himself for Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad (Adventure 312), Cham went to Antares and got another young Protean, who he named “Proty II.” (Adventure 314) In Adventure 376, Reep met and fell in love with Princess Elwinda of Nadir, a planet in another dimension. He was going to marry her when the Legion brought him back to our dimension. He later met a friend of Princess Projectra, one Janice Warren, who was identical in appearance to Elwinda (Action 383). He fell in love with her at first glance, but she feared him because he was different. (This points out that even in this time period, although exposed to many different beings, appearance is still used in making judgments, good or bad, by some people.) He changed into her idea of a perfect man and used it as a “secret identity” for that story. (Pretty strange behavior for a boy who was trying to gain respect for his people and remove suspicion and prejudice of Durlans, yes?) He revealed his identity when it proved necessary to save her life, and she was grateful. She had fallen in love with his Earthian identity and was equally in love with his true self. They began dating. Until recently (Superboy 193), Cham wore the same black-and-blue uniform he came to Earth in. At that time, he received a new red-and-violet uniform, complete with Spock/devil-suggesting headpiece.
CHEMICAL KING Condo Arlik of Phlon Chemical King was first introduced as a trainee in the Legion Academy (Adventure 371). A mutant, he had the power to speed up, slow down, or otherwise alter chemical reaction, somewhat like a catalyst. For example, he can speed up his own metabolism for a limited period of time, increasing his physical power. He was used in the next issue in an assignment, an unusual thing for a trainee. At the completion of the mission, he was awarded his diploma from the Academy, along with Timber Wolf, and they became Legionnaires. Hew was very friendly with Invisible Kid until the latter’s death. Inexplicably, his power recently underwent a major change (Superboy 195). He is now apparently similar to Metamorpho. He can “create” various elements from his body and project them as a force. Between the current Legion stories and the time of the Adult LSH, he will die to prevent World War VII.
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COLOR KING Ulu Vakk of Lupra Ulu was assisting a scientist in an experiment when a ray of multi-colored light from another dimension struck him, giving him the power to change the color of anything at will. As a teenager, he tried to join the Legion (Adventure 342), but was rejected. Instead, he joined the Legion of Substitute Heroes. When the teens grow up, the two groups will merge and Ulu will be a full-fledged Legionnaire.
COLOSSAL BOY Gim Allon of Earth While on Mars, a meteor crashed near Gim and emitted a strange radiation, giving him the power to grow to various sizes. Returning home to his parents on Earth, he decided to apply for membership in the LSH. He joined on the same day as Chameleon Boy. Gim was expelled when he was caught stealing training secrets from the Legion Academy to give to blackmailers who held his parents hostage (Adventure 371). In the next issue, he was forced to become an instructor at a similar school for Super-Villains. When the Legion discovered his motives and whereabouts, it broke up the school and reinstated him in the Legion. Included with the new, larger Clubhouse (Adventure 367) was a gigantic set of weapons for Gim, which he has never used. He recently (Superboy 195) got a new blue-orange-and-brown uniform. As an adult, Gim will lose his power and lead the Cosmic Directorate.
COMMAND KID from the planet Preztor A boy of Preztor landed on that planet’s Taboo Island when his ship was disabled and became possessed by an evil demon. This entity gave the boy the power to make hypnotic illusions and made the boy join the Legion (Adventure 328), planning to destroy the Club. The demon was exorcised by gold when the Legion found out the truth, the boy lost his power, and the demon flew away, never to be seen again.
COSMIC BOY Rokk Krinn of Braal Although he told Superboy he got his “magnetic eyes of super-power” from special serums in the first Legion story (Adventure 247) in reality his parents were responsible for Cos’ magnetic powers. On Braal, his parents’ birthplace, dangerous species of living metal monsters menaced the humans. To combat them, the inhabitants developed magnetic powers which they used to repel the beasts. His parents, Hu and Ewa Krinn, were on Earth when Rokk was born. Apparantly, they soon moved back to Braal, because in Rokk’s teens a tremendous depression struck that planet and he, his parents, and his brother Pol were thrust into poverty. Since people on that planet are considered adults at age 14, Rokk went to Earth to use his magnetic power in industry to raise money for his family. On the ship to Earth, he met Garth Ranzz, with whom he later shared a room. With the aid of Imra Ardeen, the two boys stopped an assassination attempt on billionaire R.J. Brande. This led to their forming the Legion of Super-Heroes with Brande’s support and encouragement. Brande gave each Legionnaire money to support both themselves and their families (this later became the “Legion Living Allowance”), so Rokk brought his family to Earth, where the Legion was headquartered. They live in a cottage in a suburb of Metropolis. He frequently visits them and often plays Magno-ball with his younger brother. This is a type of ping-pong native to Braal played magnetically with an iron ball. His parents have been married for more than fifty years. He gave them a golden statue of the Clubhouse for their Golden Anniversary (Adventure 328). On the cover to the first Legion story, he had a pink and black outfit similar to the current one, with baggy sleeves and a purple-tinted space helmet. In that story, as previously stated, he had magnetic eyes. (Apparantly, the magnetic emanations can come from any part of his body.) He was also leader of the Legion, a title he was to hold until Adventure 304. By the Legion’s second appearance, (Adventure 267) his costume was identical to the current one in design but was colored violet and pink instead of pink and white. His powers became those we normally associate with Cos soon after (Adventure 293), and his costume became the standard one. Rokk has mastered Ku-Jui, a fighting technique of Braal similar to Earth’s Karate. A Mento-Helmet can be used to harness Cosmic Boy’s magnetic power to give him powers similar to those of Saturn Girl but over a greater distance. As an adult, he will marry Night Woman but remain active as the Legion leader.
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COSMIC KING from the planet Venus. Admitted by the criminal Dynamo Boy (Adventure 331) who had taken over the Legion, Cosmic King was a member of the Legion of Super-Villains. He is covered in greater depth in the section devoted to that group.
DUO DAMSEL Luornu Durgo of Cargg Three suns about which Cargg orbits give its inhabitants the ability to split into three bodies. When Luornu was born on Cargg, she inherited this ability. Soon after, her parents moved to a suburb of Metropolis, where they now live. She was the first non-charter member to join the LSH. She split into three bodies and approached each charter member individually, asking if she could join the new Legion and saying that her power would be revealed at the Clubhouse. When each charter member confronted the others with a Luornu Durgo, the three bodies merged and she revealed her power. She was immediately voted in and called Triplicate Girl. Along with her power to split came other interesting abilities. For example, when one of her bodies learned something, she merged and then split, all her bodies had that knowledge. She could also triplicate items she was wearing. (Her last costume, which premiered in Superboy 195 must have been specially treated to split into two different uniforms.) All her bodies had to be next to each other for them to merge. One day she triplicated three times, considered unlucky to do by the people of Cargg, and she later looked back at this as the reason one of her bodies was destroyed by Computo (Adventure 340). In the next issue, her funeral was held, all the members believing her to have been killed. Superboy delivered the eulogy: “Many heroes have died battling evil, since the dawn of humanity…! But the sweetness and unselfish dedication of Triplicate Girl to help others will always be remembered…and treasured…by all who had the good fortune to know and love…her…” All the Legionnaires present signed a plaque, her atoms were gathered in a coffin-ship, and it was sent to Shanghalla, the cemetery satellite for super-heroes. Suddenly, the other two bodies showed up. There was much rejoicing and she was renamed Duo Damsel. It is very unusual for the different bodies of one person of Cargg to develop different personalities, and when this happens it causes many complications. She developed a “split personality” once (Action 380), when she split and one of her bodies was affected by radiation emitted by a super-hero of another planet. The radiation soon wore off and she returned to normal. For a while, Luornu had a crush on Superboy. She soon got over it and fell in love with Bouncing Boy. They married (Superboy 200) and both left the Legion to become Reservists. She will give birth to one boy who will have her former triplicating power.
DREAM GIRL Nura Nal of Naltor Naltor is a super-scientific planet where everyone has the power to see into the future to a limited extent through visions or dreams. Nura first entered the Legion in a story called “The Menace of Dream Girl” (Adventure 317). When she applied for membership, she lied about the extent of her abilities at the time, but her initiation tests were easy, as all the boy Legionnaires, especially Star Boy, fell in love with her immediately. At this time, her dreams could only be used to see a few days into the future and could not be controlled or directed. She had seen the apparent deaths of several Legionnaires in a spaceship and was determined to prevent this. She entered the Legion and caused the suspension or expulsion of these members through technicalities. (This resulted in the change of Lightning Lass’ power that made her Light Lass.) Nura soon discovered that she had seen the destruction of decoy androids, not the members themselves. She resigned, but said, “Maybe if I perfect my time-sight power further, I could return and apply for membership again! Maybe…” She soon joined the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and with the aid of her sister, the White Witch, as well as constant work, she was able to expand her power to see up to a year in the future, as well as generally being able to focus her power better. When Superboy and Supergirl were honorably discharged from the Legion because of a cloud of Green Kryptonite surrounding the Earth, (Adventure 350), they recommended their replacements: Sir Prize (who was later revealed to be Star Boy) and Miss Terious (Dream Girl incognito), two masked characters. In this mission, Nura freed her only immediate relative (she is an orphan), the White Witch, from Evillo’s clutches. Both she and Star Boy were voted in as regular members soon after the hoax was revealed. Recently, Nura’s costume was modified to a metallic, skin-tight tunic with belt, armlets, and boots. (Superboy 199) Her hair also became less “home-permanent-ized.” As adults, Star Boy and Dream Girl will marry and leave the Legion, settling on Xanthu, the former’s home world.
DYNAMO BOY Vorm of the Pirate Planetoid Vorm was a criminal representing the Pirate Planetoid armed with a belt given him by the Pirates’ leader to destroy the Legion with its many powers. He used one of the belt’s powers to transmit energy in front of Star Boy, who invited him to join the Legion. He was immediately accepted, with no tests made to determine if his power was actually natural, and not artificial. He explained that he was bombarded by ultra-dynamic energy blasts from a dynamo. In the two part story in which he was a member, (Adventure 330-331) he framed all the members, causing their expulsions, until he was the only one left. Vorm planned to recruit super-villains into the Legion to prevent crime by day and to commit it by night. The adult Legion of Super-Villains, apparently disgusted at being defeated by the adult Legion in their own time period, went back to this time period and joined Vorm’s Legion. (Vorm amended the Constitution to make this possible.) The villains tricked him into going into the time ship, imprisoning him forever trillions of years in the future. Finally, the Legion defeated the villains and turned them over to the Science Police. Vorm’s plot was revealed, and all members were reinstated.
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ELASTIC LAD Jimmy Olsen of Twentieth Century Earth, honorary member Jimmy became Elastic Lad by taking a formula created by Professor Potter. The Legion wanted to admit Jimmy to its ranks because of his often invaluable aid to Superman. He possesses a super-power as Elastic Lad, but was over 18, so they decided to offer him honorary membership if he could pass their initiation test. Jimmy was kidnapped by the “Collector” (actually Mon-El) and taken to “The World of Doomed Olsens,” (Jimmy Olsen 72) where various Legionnaires masqueraded as Jimmy in various incarnations, giving little clues that things were not what they seemed. After a while, he spotted the clues and solved the puzzle. He was then brought to the future and made an honorary member. An interesting problem that has never been resolved: Why did the teenage Legion visit Superman’s time to make Jimmy an honorary member instead of the adult Legion visiting that time period (as is usually the case) to make him a bona fide member? It wasn’t as though he was desperately needed. He was again called into the future because of a clause that states honorary members must take part in Legion activities at least twice a year (Jimmy Olsen 76). He became Elastic Lad and helped on several missions. It appears as though this clause is not enforced as Jimmy rarely appeared after that, and Supergirl often appeared less frequently than that when she was a full member. As an honorary member, however, however, Jimmy has full voting rights and generally exercises this option. As a birthday present one year, three members sent Jimmy special copies of their uniforms that gave him their powers (Jimmy Olsen 99).
ELEMENT LAD Jan Arrah of Trom Trom’s radioactive environment gave its inhabitants the power to change the atomic structure of elements by mental radiation, which can be directed out of the body from anywhere. Part of this power included the ability to analyze the composition of any substance. (Because of this power, money was paper currency printed on special presses with plates by a process no counterfeiter could duplicate. There was no gold or silver standard to give the money metallic worth, such as we has now on Earth.) Roxxas and his raiders destroyed that race with the sole exception of Jan when the people refused to use their power for him. Jan escaped. He was introduced as “Mystery Lad,” an applicant who wore a question mark on his costume and refused to give his power, except to one member (Adventure 307). He told Saturn Girl, then leader, who strongly recommended the acceptance of this unknown. On this basis he was admitted and joined in the fight against the interplanetary menace of Roxxas and his raiders. The thieves captured Jan and tried to force him to use his power to aid them. When he wouldn’t, they tried to complete their genocide by killing him. Invisible Kid saved him and the raiders were captured and brought up to trial. When the Legion found out about his power, they renamed him Element Lad. “But,” as Cosmic Boy said at the end of that story, “your great power will remain a mystery, to everyone except our Legion.” The secret was public knowledge within issues. The secret was not helped any when the question mark on his costume was immediately changed to an “E” insignia. His costume was to remain otherwise unchanged until the familiar pink and white garb was dropped in favor of an interesting black and green outfit using an arrow motif (Superboy 198). Jan became deputy leader during Mon-El’s first term as leader. (Action 392) In Adventure 373 he was shown going out with a girl named Marya, but apparently nothing ever came of this, as she was never seen again. As an adult, he will remain single and active in the Legion.
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FERRO LAD Andrew Nolan of Earth Ferro Lad was a mutant with the ability to change his body to nearly invulnerable iron. He had a non-human face, which he kept masked at all times. He joined the LSH at the same time as Princess Projectra, Karate Kid and Nemesis Kid as replacements for Bouncing Boy and Star Boy (Adventure 346). All four were accepted unanimously and sworn in immediately. The Legion teamed up with the villainous Fatal Five to fight the Sun-Eater, a cloud-like object that devoured stars and was menacing our galaxy (Adventure 352-353). After all other attempts at halting the creature were unsuccessful, Tharok, a member of the Five, invented a crude bomb (without launching or guiding devices or remote-control activator) to destroy it. Superboy, weak from exposure to red-sun rays from the creature, was unable to deliver the bomb, so Ferro Lad brought the bomb to the monster’s nucleus and detonated it, destroying both the creature and himself. A special missile was launched in his memory to Shanghalla, his atoms being so far scattered from the explosion that it was impossible to gather them. Both Superboy and Cosmic Boy felt responsible for Ferro Lad’s death, each feeling they could have stopped him. They were haunted by “The Ghost of Ferro ad.” (Adventure 357) The “ghost” was in reality a hoax perpetrated by the Controller, an alien who owned the Sun-Eater and had used it as a weapon. He captured Superboy and would have succeeded in destroying the Legion if not for the intervention of Ferro Lad’s real ghost. The Legionnaires and other admirers have erected many statues in his memory. Andrew’s twin brother, Douglas, will attack the adult Legion under the influence of Saturn Queen and will probably join the Legion.
INSECT QUEEN Lana Lang of Twentieth Century Earth Lana, a native of Smallville in Superboy’s time, freed a creature from another world who was trapped under a fallen tree (Superboy 124) and was rewarded with a Bio-Genetic Ring, which gave her the power to change into any insect- or arthropod-girl. The one limitation on her power was that she could not repeat a transformation for 24 hours. Lana designed a costume and started fighting crime as the Insect Queen. (She also appeared in this identity in Superboy 127.) Superboy brought her into the future and she applied for membership in the Legion (Adventure 355). She was rejected because her power came from the Bio-Ring, but because she later saved the lives of Legionnaires, she was made a Reservist. She took part in two other Legion missions, when the Legion fled to Superboy’s time to escape Mordru (Adventure 370) and when Superboy brought her to the future as a birthday present. (Superboy 205)
INVISIBLE KID Lyle Norg of Earth Lyle was a young genius that invented a serum that enabled him to turn completely or partially invisible at will and created an invisible aura that made his clothing invisible. When first shown as a Legionnaire (Action 267), Lyle’s uniform was colored yellow and red instead of the brown and green we later came to recognize. Lyle built the Celestial Chamber in the original Clubhouse (Adventure 328). It had rotating models of the Legionnaires’ home planets, along with pictures of them. With Superboy as his deputy, Lyle was once leader of the Legion (Adventure 348). In addition, he was a member of the Legion Espionage Squad. A criminal once discovered the identical formula that Lyle used to gain his power (Superboy 176), and committed crimes while invisible. Invisible Kid and his good friend, Chemical King, who used his power to stop the chemical reaction that caused the invisibility from taking place, stopped him. He was shown going out with a girl named Markita once, who was scheming to marry him (Adventure 338). She was never seen again. It was discovered by other Legionnaires that when Lyle turned invisible he sometimes entered an invisible world, inhabited by a “ghost,” Myla, who he fell in love with. He was killed by Validus (Superboy 203), and so was permanently united with his dead love.
KARATE KID Val Armorr of Earth Kirau Nezumi was a superhero in Japan about the time of the birth of most Legionnaires. After a battle that resulted in the death of the super-villain, Black Dragon, at the Nullitron Dome, a Japanese citadel, Nezumi discovered the Dragon’s infant son by his American wife, Valentina Armorr, who died shortly after giving birth. Filled with guilt, he took the boy and raised him secretly, training him “to be a hero to atone for [his] father’s crimes!” Young Val, given his mother’s maiden name, learned a new type of super-karate requiring training from infancy from Nezumi, who he called “Sensei” or “Master,” and still lives today; this training turned Val into a super-being able to smash steel with his bare hands. He was the only one to master this art, and has since become a master of all types of weaponry and fighting. As a karate expert, he has total mastery of his body. With a great deal of effort, he can even shatter diamond. His Japanese heritage has influenced him creatively in his painting and floral arranging. After applying for membership, he was accepted after challenging and battling almost to a draw Superboy (Adventure 346). He became Legion leader with Mon-El as his deputy after several years of membership (Action 382). Since he joined the Legion, he has worn a simple and practical variation of the current day karate uniform. He discarded this twice for different costumes (Superboy 183 and 193), but after one mission in the former and none in the latter, he went back to his old, reliable, unencumbering uniform. When that was destroyed, he returned to a variation of his most recent outfit before that. Val fell in love with Princess Projectra. She reminded him of someone else he knew a long time ago, a mystery girl whose identity was never revealed and only once hinted at. As an adult, it is believed that he will leave the Legion to become consort to Queen Projectra.
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KID PSYCHO Gnill Oprill of Hajor Kid Psycho’s parents were astronauts who defeated a space monster to save Hajor’s space program. However, biogenic radiation was absorbed into their bodies and affected their genes. Their son was born a mutant with a tremendous brain and similarly large skull. Gnill had the power of mind-over-matter and could project impenetrable force fields from his eyes. His parents rocketed the teenager to Earth when their planet exploded. He was turned down for membership in the Legion when it was discovered that each time he created the force field his life was shortened by a year. He went back to Superboy’s time to appeal this decision to the Boy of Steel (Superboy 125). He was finally made a member of the Legion Reserve and Secret Weapon.
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LIGHT LASS Ayla Ranzz of Winath [Also known as Amarta] Ayla, her twin brother Garth, and their older brother Mekt were returning from a party on another world when their space-flyer ran out of power. They were forced to land on Korbal, a planet inhabited by lightning monsters. Garth thought up a scheme to get the monsters to recharge the ship’s energy cells with their natural electrical discharges. Instead, the monsters surrounded the trio and bombarded them with lightning, creating an electrical field that gave them power to generate greater lightning than the monsters. Scaring them away, they next used this power to recharge the energy cells. Ayla never revealed her power because she was afraid of criminals, but when she heard of her brother’s death, she took him to Korbal secretly and planned to take his place in disguise. Her plan came to fruition in “The Strange Revival of Lightning Lad” (Adventure 308). She took his place in the coffin, and as the new Legion flag was draped over the casket, Bouncing Boy detected some movement in “Lightning Lad’s” body. With the aid of Sun Boy, “he” was pulled out of the coffin. Sun Boy rationalized, “The constant electric bolts above his coffin must have somehow revived him from the deathlike coma into which the freezing ray threw him!” However, Sun Boy soon noticed that the supposed Lightning Lad was a girl, noting the adam’s apple and no tan in the back of her neck, where her long hair had previously been. It was later revealed after she saved the Legion with her power that no one expected her to have, that she was Garth’s twin sister, and she was renamed Lightning Lass and welcomed into the Legion. When Dream Girl entered the Legion to save several members’ lives by causing the removal of their names from the Legion roster (Adventure 317), she caused an electrical explosion in a new experimental generator that short-circuited Ayla’s power without seriously injuring her. This explosion actually changed Lightning Lass’ power via Naltorian science to the ability to make things super-lightweight temporarily, since her lightning power was no longer needed now that her brother was alive. She was renamed Light Lass (suggested by Dream Girl) and got a new emblem, a cloud (Adventure 322). This was later changed to a feather for clarity’s sake (Adventure 327). In Superboy 202, the whole costume was modernized. The aforementioned Adventure 327 also introduced Lone Wolf to Light Lass. She fell in love with him immediately and invited him to join the Legion. He refused, but later joined as Timber Wolf. She will retire when they marry and give birth to a girl, Loni, and younger twins, Brin and Bran. None will have super-powers.
LIGHTNING LAD Garth Ranzz of Winath [Amarta] For the origins of Garth’s powers, read the first paragraph of his sister’s bio, above. After gaining his lightning power, Garth left for Earth to ask for aid of the Science Police headquartered there, in finding his brother Mekt. Although he met with failure for many years, he did meet Rokk Krinn on the ship to Earth. They were roommates for a while, and teamed with Imra Ardeen to form the Legion of Super-Heroes. He fell in love with Imra immediately and she fell in love with him as quickly. They were destined to become engaged (by Adventure 353) and will marry. Both will stay active in the adult Legion. On the cover to the Legion’s first story (Adventure 247), his costume was red and yellow, identical in design to the one later used by Lightning Lord. His hair was bright red. Lightning Boy, as he was then known, explained, “My hands are like the positive and negative poles of a battery! Each time I clap them together, a super-lightning flash leaps forth!” By Adventure 267, Lightning Lad’s costume was more similar to the one he wore for most of his career, and by Adventure 293 lightning bolts shot out of his fingertips. His costume was to remain unchanged until Superboy 197, when it was replaced by a sleeker, yellow-blue-and-white one. His power can be controlled so he can shoot low-frequency bolts that knock people out without killing them. It seems as though he has not mastered this power, as it is infrequently used. He can be short-circuited into unconsciousness without losing his power and can be revived by a battery bed designed by Brainiac 5. When Saturn Girl received a prediction from the Trylop Council of Mernl’s computer that one Legionnaire would die fighting Zaryan the Conquerer (Adventure 304), she destroyed it and planned to sacrifice herself. Mon-El, in the Phantom Zone at the time, saw this and warned Lightning Lad, who rushed to fight Zaryan and sacrificed himself, destroying Zaryon with lightening bolts but succumbing to the villains freeze-ray. He was placed in a crypt in a transparent coffin with electric bolts shooting from two dynamos at each end of the coffin. This was powered by a perpetual-motion machine (!). All the universe mourned and a statue was erected in the Clubhouse in his memory. When Mon-El was freed from the Phantom Zone in the next issue, he pledged that he would restore Lightning Lad to life somehow. All the Legionnaires searched for a method to restore Garth’s life, and Mon-El finally found a way to exchange his life force for Garth’s by electricity. He planned to sacrifice himself, but the Legionnaires found out. They all went to Korbal (where Ayla had moved the coffin when she took her brother’s place) and held up rods in a “lottery.” Whichever Legionnaire held up the rod that lightning first struck would be the “winner” and sacrifice him- or herself for Lightning Lad. Saturn Girl constructed a rod of Duralim, a super-conductor, but Proty discovered this and lured her away, taking her place and sacrificing himself. (Adventure 312) This was the only possible way to revive Garth, as the atoms of his body had been permanently been damaged, Lightning Lad made a statue of gold in Proty’s memory (Adventure 314). Answering a distress call from a freightship menaced by a giant green monster (Adventure 332), Garth left his ship left foot first (a bad luck sign to which he later attributed the resulting misfortune) and shot reduced force bolts to stun the creature. They bounced back, tinged green with a toxin from the beast’s body, and hit him in the right arm, which immediately turned green. Passing out, he set the automatic controls of his ship for the Clubhouse, where the poisoned arm had to be removed and substituted with a robot arm. Later, with the help of the creator of “The Super-Moby Dick of Space” he shot out modified bolts that reduced the creature to it’s normally small size. The growth had resulted from negative electrical energy exposure, so Garth shot out powerful positive energy bolts. Garth was able to conduct his lightning power through his robot arm to come out the finger, just like his real arm. Lightning Lad was captured by Evillo in the later adventure (Adventure 350-351). The diabolical Evillo tried to turn Garth evil, but was unsuccessful. He then turned LL over to his cohort, a doctor, for “experimentation.” However, Evillo had previously performed a bizarre experiment on the doctor, permanently disfiguring his face. In vengeance, the doctor restored Garth’s right arm with a serum he invented for growing new limbs. He cured other maladied Legionnaires as well. Garth finally found Mekt in the new School of Super-Villains (Adventure 372) but he escaped. He was again found, this time imprisoned (Superboy 172), and escaped to form the Legion of Super-Villains. The Ranzz’ parents were recently killed when a meteor smashed into their space-hopper. The two Legionnaires carved a memorial to their parents out of that very meteor.
[ August 23, 2004, 04:01 AM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
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LIGHTNING LORD Mekt Ranzz of Winath [Amarta] He was a Legionnaire for one issue (Adventure 331), admitted by the criminal Dynamo Boy, who had taken over the Legion. This was not the young Mekt of the teenagers’ time (who was hiding), but the adult version from the time of the adult Legion. More information under Dynamo Boy and in the following section on the LSV.
LEX LUTHOR of Earth This was not the villain who menaced Superboy/man and the Legion, but his 30th Century descendant who joined the adult Legion (Adventure 355) after using his scientific know-how to give himself the powers of Star Boy and Light Lass. He used these powers to defeat the Legion of Super-Villains with the aid of Mr. Mxyzptlk’s descendant.
MAGNETIC KID He had the power to magnetically draw any living thing to him. He was one of three criminals who joined the Legion in Adventure 337. For details, see the preceding paragraph on Blackout Boy.
MATTER-EATER LAD Tenzil Kem of Bismoll When Tenz was inducted into the Legion (Adventure 303), he was asked to explain how he got his power: “Over a period of eons, microbes made all food [on Bismoll] poisonous…Just as gradually, evolution transformed my race so we could eat anything without being harmed!” Indeed, Bismollians can even digest energy, merely converted matter. However, the one thing they cannot eat is Magnozite, a purple, glossy alloy that is composed of the most poisonous metals in the galaxy. In an attempt to escape from a prison camp where the rest of the Legion was being held (Adventure 344-345), Matter-Eater Lad was caught and sentenced to execution. Superboy intercepted death rays aimed at Tenz, but one deflected off him and grazed Tenz. It didn’t kill him, but bloated his body until he looked like Bouncing Boy. He was restored to normal by the same doctor who restored Lightning Lad’s right arm (Adventure 351). Tenzil’s parents lived on Bismoll until recently, but sometimes visited Earth. It seems as though, when his father, Rall, was put out of work by the closing of the robot plant at which he had worked for twenty years, he and his wife, Mitz, moved to the slums of Metropolis, where they lived off the small Legion Living Allowance given each member. Rall used most of his money to bet on the kango-broncs. Angered by this situation, Tenz left home (Action 381) until he got a letter telling him that his father would give up gambling. They again moved back to Bismoll where Tenz’ younger brother Renkil had seemingly been the whole time and Rall apparently found a well-paying job. Tenzil left the Legion when he was drafted by Bismoll’s political machine to run for office. He will later become Bismoll’s President.
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MON-EL Lar Gand of Daxam Daxam is a world similar in makeup (size, sun, culture, etc.) to Krypton. However, Daxamites are vulnerable to lead and when exposed to this metal are affected permanently and fatally. In the days before Krypton exploded, Lar Gand made a rocket flight to Krypton (pointing out a major difference between the two planets: Space travel was virtually unknown on Krypton) and befriended Jor-El, who advised him to escape to Earth because of Krypton’s immenent destruction. Lara gave him a locket as a keepsake and Jor-El gave him a map designed for his son which he had memorized. Lar’s ship was disabled in space and delayed in its arrival on Earth. Lar was in a state of suspended animation and so did not age. When his ship finally reached Earth, it was found by Kal-El, now Superboy. Seeing the map and locket, he came to the conclusion that this was his brother. When Lar regained consciousness he had no memory of his past. He tried his powers and found them identical to Superboy’s. The Kents “adopted” Clark’s brother, and was named Mon-El (“El” being Superboy’s family name, and his being found on a Monday). He was named Bob Cobb, a brush salesman. He was about 18. Later the next night, Superboy noticed that Mon-El’s belt was not Kryptonian in origin. Checking a hunch, he subjected the boy to Kryptonite radiation while he was slepping, protecting himself behind a lead shield. Mon-El was not affected and Superboy was convinced that he was an imposter on some evil mission. As they went to stop some criminals who used gigantic lead cannonballs to break into a bank, Mon felt temporary weakness. Superboy thought, therefore, that he was in league with those criminals. Preparing to confront Mon with this “knowledge,” he painted the lead balls phosphorescent green and arranged for them to fall in an area that the two were in later. Superboy told Mon that it was Kryptonite, and they both collapsed. Now Superboy was sure this boy was putting on an act. He got up and showed him “Kryptonite” was lead, but Mon claimed, “Though exposure to lead has caused terrible molecular changes in my body, destroying all my super-powers, it shocked my brain out of its state of amnesia!” He then told Superboy the truth, and to save his life, Superboy projected Mon-El into the Phantom Zone until he could discover a cure. He remained there, unaging, until the 30th Century, proving a valuable aid to Superboy even as he grew up. When he was temporarily freed from the Phantom Zone by Saturn Girl to save the Legion from a Luthor robot (Adventure 300), he was given Serum XY-4, created by Imra, that temporarily halted the lead poisoning. After defeating the robot, he was immediately inducted into the Legion. “We admire you so greatly that you will not have to pass our usual super-initiation test!” he was told. Although chronologically over 1000 years old, he was allowed in because the determining factor is physical age. When the serum wore off soon after, he was returned to the Phantom Zone, where the only other inhabitant was a criminal named “The Mighty Gazor.” All the rest were paroled by the people of Rokyn, a planet populated by enlarged Kandorians. Soon after, Brainiac 5 discovered the missing ingredient in Serum XY-4: Kryptonite, the one element that protects Daxamites from lead. He created a new serum with a tiny amount of this element that made Mon-El invulnerable to lead, cured of his poisoning, and gave him power under a red sun, good for 24 or 48 hours, depending on the dosage. He freed Mon-El from the Zone and gave him this serum. Unsure of the effectiveness of this oral vaccine, Mon joined the Legion under the anagram name “Legionnaire Lemon,” also calling himself Marvel Lad, as a replacement for Lightning Lad (Adventure 305). He had several initiation tests, one of which resulted in the creation of element 152, an anti-grav element later used in making flight rings. The serum proved a success, the only thing eliminating its potency being the Ultima-Weapon, which had many other powers. He pledged in that story to restore Lightning Lad to life somehow. Mon later found a Daxamite device that transferred Proty’s life force to Lightning Lad, restoring the latter to life. Another machine was built using the same principle, and is kept in the Clubhouse. It was used on Mon-El when a descendant of his older brother (his only relatives are descendants of his siblings) accidentally caused his death (Action 384). This descendant used the machine to sacrifice himself for Mon. Mon-El was Legion deputy under Ultra Boy and Karate Kid. He has also served two terms (including the current one) as Legion leader. He and Shadow Lass are in love. It is conjectured that, when she will die, he will leave the Legion to escape unpleasant memories. In any case, as an adult he will become a space colonist making new worlds safe for other colonists.
MXYZPTLK of the 5th Dimension Descendant of the original imp, he used his magic powers to defeat the adult LSV with a descendant of Luthor. After this, he joined the adult Legion. His brother fought the Legion as Mask Man (Adventure 310).
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NEMESIS KID of Myar Myar is an alchemists’ planet. Alchemical skill gave Nemesis Kid the ability to defeat any one foe. He was accepted unanimously into the Legion (Adventure 346), but was really a spy for an alien force trying to conquer the Earth. The force was defeated and he escaped. He later turned up at the School for Super-Villains but was captured by Duo Damsel when the Legion broke up that school. He was out of jail in time to be a charter member of the LSV. He could be so frightened as to forget to use his power.
PHANTOM GIRL Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl Bgztl occupies the same space as Earth, but in another dimension. Tinya can dematerialize at will and pass through solid objects. When she becomes immaterial an invisible aura od force around her body affects anything she wears or carries in the same way. Shock waves affect her in her phantom form and she cannot pass through certain types of energy. When knocked unconscious, she becomes solid. She can’t become invisible. Tinya was the fifth Legionnaire. She entered the new Clubhouse despite all existing precautionary security devices. She was accepted on condition that she help the Legion make the Clubhouse secure against phantoms, setting up an energy shield around it. She was made a member of the Legion Espionage Squad at the group’s inception. Phantom Girl fell in love with Ultra Boy and this love kept her believing in him when all other members thought him a criminal (Adventure 314). This was really a ruse to capture aliens. As adults, they will marry. She will apparently stay in the Legion until she gives birth. They will have a boy (Ronn) and a girl (Arna). Tinya wore a new costume once (Superboy 188) and returned to her original one for one story. Then she got another new costume, which she has worn ever since (Superboy 195).
POLAR MAN Brek Banin of Tharr Heat storms on Tharr caused the people to develop the power to radiate intense cold. As a teenager, he founded the Legion of Substitute Heroes, but will be admitted to the LSH as an adult. Further information follows in the section on the Substitutes.
POWER BOY Nothing is known about this character except that he will join the Legion and later die.
PRINCESS PROJECTRA Projectra of Orando Orando is a violent, primitive planet, comparable to feudal England. Spiritualism and Astrology are important parts of the people’s lives. Jeckie is the princess of Orando, daughter of King Voxv. As such, she is a member of the ruling class of Orikalls, or mystics, and is a medium. A witch gave Projectra the power to project realistic illusions, so frightening they can cause insanity. She can even use her power to cause the illusion that something that is present really isn’t (i.e. make things invisible). Projectra was interviewed and admitted without an initiation test after displaying her powers along with Nemesis Kid, Ferro Lad, and Karate Kid (Adventure 346). She later fell in love with the latter. Various machines can affect her power. A transceiver device can augment her power, enabling her to send images all over the galaxy. A Psychic Image Disruptor attached to a part of her clothing can remove her power. Illness also affects her power, materializing hallucinations. She lives on Earth in a tremendous penthouse, courtesy of her father. When he dies she will leave the Legion to become Queen Projectra. She wore a new bikini-type costume once (Superboy 183), then reverted to her original outfit until Superboy 198, when it was replaced by an interesting red-and-yellow outfit. At about this time, her hair also became shorter and curlier.
QUANTUM QUEEN Originally part of the group known as the Wanderers (who met the Legion in Adventure 375), she is destined to join the Legion and die preventing an escape from the Cosmos Prison. She could convert her body into any type of quantum (elemental unit of energy) radiation, such as laser power.
REFLECTO Nothing is known about this character except that he will join the Legion and die in a duel with the Molecule Master.
PETE ROSS of 20th Century Earth Pete was made an honorary member because of his loyalty to Superboy in protecting his secret identity, which he discovered by accident. He was given a 30th century coin by Marla, Legion Senior Advisor, that would serve as a pass to the Clubhouse (Superboy 98). Ultra Boy went into the past to help Pete maintain his secret (Superboy 100) and Pete came to a Legion meeting to help choose a new leader (Adventure 323). He also participated in a Legion adventure in his own time period (Adventure 370).
SATURN GIRL Imra Ardeen of Titan, a moon of Saturn Imra told Superboy in the first Legion story (Adventure 247) that "The scientists of Saturn, who are experts in telepathy, taught me how to read minds and also cast my mental commands anywhere!" This explanation was not to be greatly modified in subsequent stories. It later turned out that everyone on Saturn (and Titan, whose inhabitants consider themselves Saturnians) has ESP power, and her ability to cast mental commands was replaced by the ability to communicate telepathically. She can even concentrate her power to make animals (and possibly even humans) temporarily telepathic. She cannot read through mind helmets made of Lurium and her effectiveness is reduced the greater the distance she is from the person she is trying to contact. Another aspect of her power rarely used is the ability to select parts of the brain, such as the optical lobes to cause blindness. Imra came to Earth right after finishing college to go to the Science Police Academy. Saturnians can absorb knowledge in a short time via telepathy so can complete their educations and go to work at a very early age. There is no crime on Saturn or Titan because the rings of the planet cancel out evil tendencies in Saturnians. When she got to Earth, Imra, Rokk Krinn, and Garth Ranzz stopped an assassination attempt on R.J. Brande: The three founded the Legion of Super-Heroes. She has since vowed not to use her power to pry into the private affairs of the other Legionnaires. In the first story, she wore a yellow, green, and black outfit. Her hair was strawberry blonde. In the second story (Adventure 267), her costume was more similar to the later one. Although colored as we now remember it on the cover, in the story the costume was a red-brown and her hair was mousy brown (we were later told it was dyed); She was shown on the cover as being able to break stone with yellow lightning bolts from her eyes, although this trait was never exhibited elsewhere. She invented Serum XY-4, giving Mon-El temporary immunity to lead (Adventure 300). To do this required a great educational background. Indeed, when the Legion Constitution was being framed, she suggested a clause insisting that all members continue their education. Imra unanimously won the first election for Legion leader (Adventure 304) by mentally forcing everyone into voting for her, which was a rare use of her mental control ability. Had she not done this, it is probable that Cosmic Boy would have been elected to a second term. She did it to sacrifice herself as the one Legionnaire predicted to die fighting Zaryan the Conqueror. She almost succeeded by suspending the other members, but Lightning Lad was warned of Imra's plan by Mon-EI and died in her stead. Because of her ability to read minds and a similar ability in Proteans, she was very fond of both Proty I and II. The next time the choosing of a leader came up, Proty II thought up a puzzle that Saturn Girl solved, making her leader for a second term (Adventure 323). Apparently, the Constitution was amended right after this allowing someone to become a leader for only one term. This was later repealed and she ran against Mon-El unsuccessfully (Superboy 190). When Brainiac 5 was elected in Adventure 337, she became his deputy and took over in his absences. She first wore a new costume in Action 392. She usually wears this, occasionally returning to her old uniform. She and Lightning Lad were engaged (around Adventure 337) and will marry. Both will be active in the adult Legion. Saturn Girl is probably the least popular girl Legionnaire with male readers, for the same reason "Number One" was so offensive to early Star Trek viewers: Both were too cold- hearted, logical, responsible, capable, "unfeminine."
SATURN QUEEN of Titan Admitted in Adventure 331 by the criminal Dynamo Boy, who had taken over the Legion for that issue. More information under Dynamo Boy and in the following section on the Legion of Super-Villains.
SHADOW LASS Tasmia Mal[l]or of Talok VIII Tasmia and her cousin Grev were affected by a mysterious black gas when they were roaming through an unexplored cave on their home world, Talok VIII. He is known as Shadow Kid. Light weakens the people of this planet, but Tasmia seems to have developed an immunity to this weakness, probably from living so long in the welllit Legion Clubhouse. Like all members of her race, she can see in the dark. Nevertheless, towns on Talok are not artificially darkened in daylight. The warriors of Talok VIII combine modern science with primitive weapons, proving themselves to be deadly foes. Shady was a guide for members of the Legion who landed on her planet to investigate the cause of a sudden upswing in military activity (Adventure 365). It was discovered that the Fatal Five was responsible. In the next issue, the Five came to Earth, took over the United Planets and destroyed the Clubhouse in a fight with the Legion. She was inducted temporarily to fight the Five when the heroes' power was at a low point. The Five were defeated and the temporary appointment was made permanent by a 3/4 vote, as is required by the Constitution. After getting over an early crush on Brainiac 5, she and Mon-EI fell in love. She wore a new costume in Superboy 183, for that issue only. As the adult Shadow Woman, she will die saving the Science Asteroid. Strangely enough, her skin is not colored blue in a memorial statue to be erected in the HO in her memory.
SHRINKING VIOLET Salu Digby of lmsk Everyone on Imsk can shrink to small size. There is a special shrinking chemical used to shrink their clothes that also works on people. When Vi first applied for membership (Action 276) she was rejected. She later reapplied and was accepted. She also joined the Legion Espionage Squad when that was formed. Violet has become an expert on rock formations in order to find cracks and faults in rocks to hide in when she becomes small. When the new Legion headquarters was built (Adventure 367), a set of miniature weapons were designed for her to use in capturing crooks. As far as we know they have yet to be touched. "The Legion of Super-Outlaws" was duped by a villain who wanted to destroy the LSH by using these youths from Lallor (Adventure 324). One member of the group, Duplicate Boy, could duplicate any super-power. He and Shrinking Violet fell in love. As an adult she will leave the Legion to marry him, and he will apparently have also retired. (She becomes Salu Orlu!) They will have a daughter and a son, but their powers (if any) are undetermined. Salu is hardly a “shrinking violet” any more, having discarded her plain green and white dress for a dynamic green and black outfit (Superboy 193) and let her hair grow.
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SIZE KID He was one of three criminals who joined the LSH in Adventure 337. Size Lad had the power to make any object larger or smaller. See the paragraph on Blackout Boy for details.
STAR BOY Thom Kallor, born in an orbiting space-observatory of astronomer parents from Xanthu. The observatory in which Thom was born picked up starlight for research.. This starlight affected him at birth, giving him the power to draw mass from the stars and impose it upon anything, making it super-heavy. He and his parents soon moved back to Xanthu. While driving in his parents' spacemobile, he passed through the thin gases of a comet's tail. They temporarily gave him powers similar to those of Superboy, with one addition: electrical vision. Also, his X-ray vision could not penetrate copper. He became a hero on that planet and kept his Thom Kallor identitiy secret (when he joined the Legion his identity was apparently revealed). Learning Interlac, Thom went to Earth and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. After one mission (Adventure 282) he was put on detached service, on a special mission of major importance to the Legion (never revealed) until Adventure 317. By then, or as a result of the mission, the powers he had gained from the comet had worn off and he had only his natural power left. In that story, he met Dream Girl and a romance blossomed. One morning, Thom shook the hand of Calamity King, a Legion applicant who brought bad luck with him wherever he went. He killed a man that day (Adventure 342), which resulted in his expulsion from the Legion. He had gone to visit his parents to see them off from the planet Karak, where they were conducting scientific studies. He found that they had already left and was preparing to do the same when he was approached by a man named Kenz Nuhor. Nuhor had planned to marry Dream Girl on their homeworld, Naltor, until her love for Star Boy interfered. He therefore planned to murder Thom. Dream Girl arrived in time to watch Thom kill Nuhor in self-defense. This was picked up on the Legion Mission Monitor Board and Thom was brought up on court-martial charges. He was expelled and Dream Girl invited him to join the Substitutes, a club of which she was already a member. He agreed. When Superboy and Supergirl were honorably discharged because of a cloud of Green Kryptonite circling the Earth (Adventure 350), they picked their replacements, Sir Prize (Star Boy) and Miss Terious (Dream Girl), two masked characters admitted solely by virtue of their recommendations. They were soon revealed and voted in as regular members. Yark Althu, brother of Kenz Nuhor, tried to kill Star Boy with the same gun that Thom used to kill Kenz (Action 385). He was stopped and captured thanks to the combined efforts of Star Boy, Saturn Girl, and Colossal Boy. As adults, he and Dream Girl will marry, retire and become astronomers. Star Boy first wore a new star-studded black uniform Superboy 199.
SUN BOY Dirk Morgna of Earth As Dirk revealed his origin (Adventure 348), “…Several years ago, my father, Derek Morgna, was in charge of an atomic plant where I worked after school. One of the plant's top scientists was Zaxton Regulus. He spent much of his time working on a private project – producing multiplied sun-energy from radioactive gold. One day, Zarl Hendricks and I were sent to deliver some supplies to him...Just as entered, the equipment exploded! Zarl was killed, but Regulus and I were only slightly injured. When my father learned what had happened, he fired Regulus, who blamed the accident on my interruption. He swore he'd get even with me. "Late one night, before I left the lab, Regulus wreaked his vengeance, using robots for his dirty work. Then he left me to die in the atomic reactor…But instead of killing me, the radioactive rays revitalized me, and turned plain Dirk Morgna into Sun Boy!" Regulus perfected his sun-gold-energy theory and used it to fight the Legion. He was defeated by Sun Boy but escaped and vowed vengeance on the entire Legion. He returned in Superboy 191, but was again defeated. This time he did not escape. When Sun Boy first applied for membership in the Legion (Action 276), he was rejected. He later reapplied and was accepted. Soon after he joined, a villain disguised as Dirk went to Superboy's time and enlisted the aid of the Boy of Steel in getting a weapon hidden in that time (Adventure 290). Superboy caught on when the criminal didn't give him the Legion handshake, so destroyed the weapon. Then he brought the phoney into the future to face justice. When Sun Boy heats up, his whole body turns red and stays hot for a while. He once lost his power (Adventure 303) and had to be recharged by intense heat radiating from a living creature. In that story, he was the first Legionnaire to be honored by a statue in Metropolis Stadium. It had to be melted by Sun Boy when it threatened to topple and injure the crowd, but plans were made for it to be re-built. These statues were later erected in "The Avenue of Super-Heroes." Dirk lives in a Metropolis suburb with his father and younger brother. He collects sculpture. He claims that he and Lightning Lad are best friends. As an adult, he will stay in the Legion.
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SUPERBOY Kal-El of Krypton, Clark Kent of Earth These paragraphs dealing with Superboy and Supergirl will be limitsd to their activities in the Legion. The three charter Legionnaires went back in time to honor Superboy by inviting him to join the LSH as an honorary member, after greeting him in his Clark Kent identity as Su- perboy several times as a practical joke (Adventure 247). He joined them in their time bubble to their time and was told that his initiation test was to beat three of them with his powers in specially selected contests. He failed each contest when diverted in order to prevent various disasters. He didn't mention them and was told he was rejected. As he started to leave, he was called back and told that they created the diversions as part of his initiation test. As Cosmic Boy said, "…It proved you're a super-good sport, taking it all with a smile!" He was given full membership and a "Super-Hero Number One" medal after stopping another disaster by simulating the three powers of the members he contested. The Legion traveled to the past next (Adventure 267) to build an artificial "Superboy Planet"' in his honor with the aid of other heroes. A special lever was installed in the main meeting room to summon Superboy by lighting up Legion statuettes he had. He is under a post-hypnotic suggestion to forget anything about his future life that he learns in the future when he returns to his own time. Superboy was deputy leader under Invisible Kid. Both Supergirl and Superboy were honorably discharged when a Green Kryptonite cloud circled the Earth (Adventure 350-351). A small Green K capsule was put in their brains and all Legion mementos were removed so they would have no memory of the Legion ("Back in the 20th century, you might inadvertently leave clues to our secret weapons... clues which your enemies could find and use against you!") for two years, the estimated duration of the stay of the cloud. When Color Kid changed the cloud to Blue K, they were immediately reinstated. The Legion was forced to drop one member when they were told that they would have to pay taxes, as all private clubs with more than 25 members must do according to Earth law, unless they got rid of one member (Action 387). Superboy resigned (causing much sorrow, especially for Duo Damsel, who had a crush on him) because he felt he wasn't needed with Mon-EI around. He was made a Reservist, kissed Duo Damsel, and left. A gold statue carved by Mon-EI was erected in the Legion Hall of Heroes dedicated to "The Greatest Hero Ever." He regained full-member status after Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy left the Legion. After officially becoming "Superman," he apparently didn't get together with the Legion too often. Generally, the teens visited Superboy's time and the adults visited Superman's time, and vice versa, although there were many stories where this was inexplicably not the case. (I tend to subscribe to the theory postulated by Jay Zilber in The Legion Outpost 4.)
SUPERGIRL Kara Zor-El of Krypton, Linda Lee Danvers of Earth Supergirl was first invited into the Legion in a stunt almost identical to the one the Legionnaires pulled on Superboy, appearing in civilian guise (Action 267). When she followed them into the future, they told her that they were the children of the original Legionnaires, probably so as not to confuse her about time travel. Her initiation test was to perform a more spectacular feat than the other applicants. She dug a trans-Earth rapid transit tunnel but was rejected because she encountered some Red Kryptonite along the way which physically aged her over the 18-year-old limit for joining. When she was again invited to join (Action 276), she uncovered Excalibur, Achilles' helmet, and Richard the Lion-Hearted's shield, all long-buried in the Earth, as her feat. Just as she brought them back, applicant Brainiac 5 put his force field belt around her to protect her from a Green Kryptonite meteor, adjusting it to her body because he had already developed a crush on her. They were both admitted because of these deeds. The belt protected her until it was rendered useless by a rock from a mine that was being blasted. Adventure 334 featured Supergirl as “The Unknown Legionnaire." On her way back to her own time, she encountered some Red K dust which gave her amnesia and increased her powers. The only thing she could remember was the need to protect her identity. She fashioned a mask and costume of lead (which she could now see through and melt), and followed a slip of paper given her by the Legion. She went to join them in a fight against the Proteans, who were revolting under the leadership of the criminal Dr. Eldor. She called herself "Unknown Boy” and the Proteans erected a statue in “his” honor later on. She was honorably discharged with Superboy (Adventure 350-351) when a Green K cloud hovering over the Earth at that time made it impossible for them to visit. See the above paragraphs on Superboy for details. After turning 21, Supergirl resigned from active membership. The excuse given was the necessity to remain in the 20th century to deal more fully with her own hectic life. She became an honorary member until she resigned completely (Superboy 204) to be able to devote her full time to personal problems. Supergirl had a model of the original Clubhouse that rang when she was needed and bookends shaped like the members that glowed when she was needed.
[ May 20, 2012, 01:33 AM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
Posted by Nightchangeling on :
TIMBER WOLF Brin Londo of Zoon Brin's father gave him partial super-powers (great strength and acrobatic ability) using a Zuunium ray. This element is rare and found only in the deep caves of Zoon, and was procured by the android Karth Arn. Arn resented Dr. Mar Londo giving the power to Brin. When Dr. Londo died, Arn gave Brin amnesia and convinced him that Brin was Karth Arn, the android, and that Arn was Dr. Londo's son. The Legionnaires met the "android" when he stopped an animal riot at a circus (Adventure 327). Light Lass, smitten with him, invited him to join the Legion, but he refused, saying he was a "Lone Wolf." When he found out his true identity, he was again invited to join by Light Lass, but said he would join later, under a different name, as he needed time to adjust to his new-found memory and humanity. He was next seen as a trainee named Timber Wolf used in a mission (Adventure 372). After completing the unusual mission (trainees are rarely used), he and Chemical King, another trainee participating in the same mission, were immediately made Legionnaires by receiving their diplomas from the Legion Academy. For six months recently, the Legion thought Wolf had died. (Oddly enough, no tributes seem to have been made in his memory except for a Valor-Star award given posthumously by the President of Earth. When he was discovered alive, he was again given the medal.) He was on a mission with Superboy on Asteroid X52 when it exploded. He was reported killed, but was really projected into another dimension by the villainous Tyr, who blew up the asteroid himself to get Wolf. Brin was then hypnotized and returned to normal. If not for Saturn Girl's intervention (Superboy 197), Tyr would have succeeded in blowing up the Legion HQ and the members themselves thanks to Brin’s unwilling help. He was restored to normal when a blast from Tyr's gun-hand grazed him. As an adult, Brin will remain active in the LSH, although his wife, Ayla Ranzz Londo, will retire and raise their family, Loni, a girl, and Brin and Bran, twin boys. None of the children will have their parents' powers.
ULTRA BOY Jo Nah of Rimbor Traveling through space, an energy beast swallowed Jo's vehicle. A Galactic Patrol Cruiser freed him, but not before radiation from the energy beast gave him powers similar to Superboy's, including Penetra-vision, effective through lead. However, he could use only one Ultra-power at a time. He went to Earth and applied for membership in the Legion. His initiation test was to discover Superboy's secret identity by going into the past and using only his vision powers. (Superboy 98) Apparently this knowledge was blocked out of his memory, as it is common knowledge in the Legion's time. He was accompanied by Marla, Legion Senior Advisor. Ulra Boy succeeded in finding Superboy’s identity, and in the process became friendly with Pete Ross. As a ruse to capture alien criminals, Jo was expelled from the Legion (Adventure 314). The Legion saw falsified criminal records and he didn’t deny them. When the plot was revealed and Legion became aware that the documents were phoney, he was reinstated immediately. Throughout all this, Phantom Girl fell in love with him and remained loyal. As adults, they will marry. He will become a Legion Reservist and Quadrant Director of the Science Police. She will retire, apparently after giving birth to a boy named Ronn and a girl named Arna. Jo was Legion leader twice, first with Mon-El as his deputy. His parents, Crav and Mytra, still live on Rimbor.
ROND VIDAR of Earth The Legion first met Rond at a Student Science Fair, when he entered his “Time Cube" invention (Adventure 349). He later improved on it and also helped the Legion defeat his father, Universo. He has his father's immunity to hypnotism. He again saved the Legion from his father (Adventure 360) for which he was made an honorary member.
WHITE WITCH of Naltor White Witch is Dream Girl's sister. (Although her real name is not known, we do know that her last name is not the same as Dream Girl’s. This Earth custom is not followed on Naltor.) She has magic abilities and first met the Legion when they were battling Evillo (Adventure 351), and as an adult will join the Legion, possibly to replace her sister.
WILDFIRE Drake Burroughs of Earth Working as part of a team on a new form of propulsion, Burroughs, an astro-physicist, was involved in an accident in which the safety valve of a ship snapped. He was exposed to a lethal blast of anti-matter energy coming from the rocket, but did not die. His body was transformed into anti-energy, which had to be contained. He was put into a cylinder until a special uniform was created for him. It held in the anti-energy, and allowed Drake to let small portions of the energy (or all of it) escape at will. It also provided him with artificial sight and hearing far superior to natural abilities. He can absorb energy to increase his power. In his energy form he can enter bodies and control them (a la Deadman). This is prevented by the wearing of flight rings or a force-field powered by Element 152. His anti-energy can be used to various ends, all of which have not yet been discovered. He called himself an "Energy Release Generator" the first time he met the Legion, hence ERG-1. He displayed various abilities to the Legionnaires (Superboy 195), but was rejected when it was thought he could only duplicate powers of existing Legionnaires. He could not tell them his special power, but used it later to save the Legion and prove his worth: He expended all his energy until all that remained was his uniform. He was made an honorary member "posthumously." It was later revealed that he had not been killed, but that his life-essence had been scattered through the universe. Finally able to regroup himself, he was an amorphous, in- visible cloud until entering his uniform, which gives him form and substance. He became a full member and changed his name to Wildfire. He is one of the few orphans in the Legion.
