The Legionnaire descriptions that Jim Shooter (in 1976) and Tom and Mary Bierbaum (in 2000) wrote. The original can still be found on the Interlac's official site here.
[ September 16, 2007, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Cosmic Boy - Rokk Krinn
Jim Shooter: Kind of a yutz - - manly, strong, secure, and yet no one suspects that he isn't bright enough not to be. Questions of a philosophical nature rarely form in his mind. He is a good counterpart to Bouncing Boy, having that dumb ego B.B. lacks. He will shave around his ears forever. On the good side, he is dedicated, direct, and reasonable, he knows his lack of high intellect and delegates the thinking, rather than attempt it himself. He is a good leader, a quick thinker if not a deep thinker, and one who relates well to those behind him. Even as a leader he is a team player.
Bierbaums: Literally the "rock" of the Legion, the foundation, the corner stone. Quietly, unobtrusively personifies Legion heroism. Not really a natural leader, tends to let others take the initiative. Never acted on his love for Imra and let Lydda choose him.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Saturn Girl - Imra Ardeen
Shooter: Pretty much as she's been pictured. An organizer, a businessmanlike, clever, smart competent women's libber who scared away every guy she met until Lightning Lad with his overwhelming ego treated her like a lady, and she loved it. She is a wild, wild woman in bed, who undoubtedly has occasionally accompanied Lightning Lad on his forays into Dream Girl's boudoir.
Bierbaums: Tough, dedicated and self-disciplined, but not the iron-butt some of her teammates regard her as. She's built many emotional barriers around herself because she's all too familiar with and vulnerable to the intense personalities that surround her. When it's needed (and she knows when), she's the most empathetic and supportive of the team, as every Legionnaire who's gone through a real crisis knows.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Lightning Lad - Garth Ranzz
Shooter: One of the reasons for his sister's retiring personality. He is a showman, a proud, powerful exemplary hero. A confident, dominant man, man enough for the likes of Imra Ironass Ardeen. Certainly his revival from death has affected him. Doubtless he feels now that he has a great role to play -- a mission. He is good. He knows it -- he strives for it and will not be denied his place in the heroic limelight.
Bierbaums: The original Garth was a charismatic bad boy who nobody was quite able or willing to straighten out. He finally found real valor in himself when he sacrificed his life for Imra. When the team tried to resurrect him, they instead gave him Proty's personality, which was the heroic, dedicated and slightly unbalanced Garth we knew during most of the Legion's run.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel - Luornu Durgo
Shooter: The only girl with a frail enough ego to make Bouncing Boy secure. She is bright, pretty, clever, thoughful and artistic chick with a lousy self-image. One of the best catches of the Legion girls -- note that B.B. got her! All the way through the courtship he probably told himself, "Naw, she really can't like me." And with the same ruthless resignation he faces danger, he courted and charmed her until he got her, surprising no one more than himself! She recognizes Chuck's value. She even recognizes her own value, but insists on judging herlsef against starndards carefully suelected to paint a failure. Like the hopeless crush on Supes.
I'm sure there were some jokes made about the two for one bit long before B.B. courted D.D. -- probably the Legion guys were afraid of messing with D.D. because of the razzing they'd get, werd sex humor and suspicion of troilistic perversion, etc. I'm sure D.D. got some funny looks occasionally from the Legionnaires. A girl with a power so weirdly suited to weird sex (and not much else) has reason to wonder what's aid behind her backs.
Bierbaums: Luornu has a triple personality, an oddity they try to suppress on Cargg. The "purple" Lu is reserved, well-behaved, the "orange" Lu is a trouble-making rebel and the "white" Lu (the one Computo killed) is nervous and fatalistic, the repository of all the anxiety the combined Triplicate Girl suffered through. Usually, the "purple" personality is dominant, making Triplicate Girl one of the strongest links in the Legion chain. ...Usually.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Phantom Girl - Tinya Wazzo
Shooter: No wonder Ultra Boy worships her. She is bright, pretty, thoughtful, sensitive and charming. She also knows Ultra Boy well, she understands him better than he understands himself. She sees the good in him, but she surely knows he is unfaithful. I imagine she doesn't care, she accepts it as part of the price she pays -- just as she accepts dealing with his negativism. I suspect she can manuever him pretty handily, and wind him around the finger of her choice, though he doubtless believes he is running the show and she isn't on to him yet.
Bierbaums: Strongly driven to rebel against her stuffy, disapproving elitist mother, but also has lots of tendencies to follow in her mother's footsteps. Sort of the snooty cheerleader who sneaks a smoke in the girls' room.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Chameleon Boy - Reep Daggle
Shooter: Hmm. A little paranoid, but he is a fighter. He knows people stare at him, but he is almost defiant. His personality is reminiscent of a slightly militant black, circa 1969. His relationship with Proty I and II should not be overblown. Cham of all people would not patronize a truly intelligent creature. Despite the Weisinger-era "dialogye" of the Proteans, I suspect they communicate simple feelings or pictures and are not human-equivalent. I doubt he resents L.L., but he may be jealous of Saturn Girl's rapport with Proty, his pet. Cham is unique, for a shape shifter he can identify with beauty the other Legionnaires misss. He could turn up with a shaggy, horned alien chick as easily as Elwinda. Liberal, he is -- even philosophical. And probably a little kinky.
Bierbaums: Another collection of contradictions. Mysterious, unfathomable, utterly alien, the consummate detective and spy. But also emotionally vulnerable, especially in matters involving anti-alien bigotry and the secretive father who "abandoned" him, R.J. Brande. Cham lacks the patience to really enjoy the leadership positions he's thrust into.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Colossal Boy - Gim Allon
Shooter: Middle-class, yes, naive in the sense of firm belief in middle class values. Home, family, apple pie, flag, country, motherhood. He is convinced of everything -- I doubt he is insecure. Everything seems blacka nd white, value wise. Power-wise, height is one of the best psychological allies you can have. I'm certain he is unconcerned, even oblivious to things that worry other Legionnaires. He has an easy confience others envy, and yet it sometimes works against him. Sometimes he blundwers into easily avoided situations.
Bierbaums: Somewhat insecure, especially when comparing himself to some of his more "macho" teammates. Feels pressure to prove himself by hooking up with a steady girlfriend, and there just is no interesting partner within the Legion (until Yera comes along).
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Invisible Kid - Lyle Nork
Shooter: (Though Lyle Norg was one of Shooter's most used Legionnaires, he was killed off by Cary Bates when no one was looking, and before Shooter wrote these bios of then-current line-up.)
Bierbaums: Extremely intelligent, quiet, possibly gay. Very much prefers to quietly blend into the ranks, but is also very capable of asserting himself as a leader when called upon.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Star Boy - Thom Kallor
Shooter: A big fullback of a guy, he is slow, steady. faithful, honorable, reliable, loyal, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. And dumb. And probably hung like a horse, which will be the deciding factor in Dream Girl's settling down with him in that isolated observatory.
Bierbaums: Maybe not as bright or as deep as most of his teammates, but Thom is a good man who really believes in the Legion way. And he's determined and earnest enough to make it work. Initially, he and Dream Girl were a good match, but as Nura matured, she came to overshadow him in virtually all areas except simple strength of character, and that's left a gap in Nura's life since they split.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Supergirl - Kara Zor-El
Shooter: (Supergirl had departed the Legion befire Shooter wrote his bios.)
Bierbaums: (Supergirl/Kara Zor-El was written out of continuity before the Bierbaums' tenure. Andromeda has an entry later on this page.)
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Brainiac 5 - Querl Dox
Shooter: A computer-brained adolescent. A child genius, who always has the rigth answer but most likely hasn't been laid yet. His emotions have reached from soppy-sentimentalism and self-pity to tantrums of rage. He is, however, intellectually aware of his short-comings, giving him a bit of control. He knows his long suit, and he attempts to think his way out of immaturity just as he thinks his way out of everything else. On his side he has confidence, leadership and a healthy ego. His self-approach is confined to his personality, and in any situation against any odds he has faith in his brain. Setbacks merely inspire new intellectual efforts, he treats adversoty as a problem to be solved. This is a strength and a weakness, for should a foe ever shake that self-confidence or somehow negate the value of Brainy's mind, he would fall apart! All his eggs are in one basket, albeit an armor-clad one.
Bierbaums: Too intelligent for his own good. It seems like he doesn't understand his teammates, but he actually understands them down to their tiniest impulses. He just hasn't quite figured out how to process all that information. He's forced himself to live in such emotional disconnect that he doesn't always respect the emotional needs in his teammates he perceives so easily. His biggest hangup: Colu genetically manufactured him and hammered into his childhood psyche the notion that his happiness didn't matter. His duty is to serve the common good of Colu.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Shrinking Violet - Salu Digby
Shooter: More than a little like a female version of Ultra Boy. She is very hung up on Ultra Boy. She is very hung up on Duplicate Boy and is rather a depressive sort -- but not as extreme as U-Boy. Just being a girl helps, because it is easy to relax into a follower's role and her essential underlting morbidity is interpreted as shyness. She is very emotional, bright, attractive, and confusing to simpler types like Colossal Boy who can't understand that she is happiest when wallowing in loneliness, suspicion, doubt abd fear. She gets all her weird sex from Duplicate Boy and waiting and worrying just makes it sweeter.
Bierbaums: Painfully shy, insecure and possibly not quite competent in the early years. Probably was dealing with issues of sexual identity, not able at first to accept her lesbian nature. Never really had it together until she found Ayla, but after that, she become one of the Legion's best.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Superboy - Kal-El
Shooter: This could take volumes. But it won't. He is the most complex character, and the best. Not for nothing is this guy the greatest hero ever. He is control of himself, his life and his power, incredibly so. A fantastic person.
Bierbaums: He's basically what we tried to turn Mon-El/Valor into -- the greatest hero of them all, the standard by which all that follows would be measured. For the Legionnaires, his presence is something akin to a contemporary club of U.S. presidents being joined by Abraham Lincoln.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Sun Boy - Dirk Morgna
Shooter: Your typical upper-middle-class happy, well-adjusted A & B student, put-together fun guy. He doesn't have to screw Dream Girl, he undoubtedly gets enough action on his own.
Bierbaums: He turned out during our run to be a tragic hero, raised on the notion that you had to win, no matter what the cost. He really tried to rise above the fuzzy morality of his upbringing and win within the rules, but that meant pushing himself beyond his limits and he suffered a nervous breakdown. Probably never fully recovered from that, leaving himself all too vulnerable to corrupting influences during the Great Collapse of the Five-Year Gap.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Bouncing Boy - Chuck Taine
Shooter: Self-effacing, insecure, burdened with feelings of inadequacy, and yet -- he is more together and competent than most people suspect, especially himself.
Bierbaums: A great guy. Fun, supportive and far more valuable a team member than anyone realized. Made the most of everything he had.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Ultra Boy - Jo Nah
Shooter: For whatever reason in his background he is kind of a depressing person. He equates being negative and sober and worried and dull with being serious about what he is doing. His humor is strictly sardonic, a kind of black humor. He is always certain that the worst will happen. Even Phantom Girl, the love of his life, is a source for more dire imaginings on his part. He is certain she will die, or be hurt, and is vastly overprotective. On the good side, he is strong, solid, dependable and absolutely devastating in anger. He angers easily. He bears authority well and can lead, but his judgment is suspect -- it is occasionally bent by his bleak oitlook and a system or priorities that puts Phantom Girl over everything. He is, however, selfless and bright and willing to risk his own life often in a morbid, intense, almost passionate rage. Ultra Boy would be hell in bed. He undoubtedly, however, makes gentle, tender (and expert) love to Phantom Girl and saves his occasional forays into the bizarre for someone less angelic to him -- say, Dream Girl. This guy is probably the Legion's closest to being a mental case. Though he would deny it, he needs a Bouncing Boy type -- I think he is smart enough to know that. But Bouncing Boy is gone now .... hmm....
Bierbaums: A street rat with a heart of gold. Raised in the squalor of an amoral frontier world, he picked up from his parents an unyielding sense of morality. From his hardscrabble background he picked up the resourceful intelligence of somebody who's survived a thousand scrapes that would have wiped out those of us from more genteel worlds. Yes, he's overmatched by Tinya's charms and powerful personality, but it all works out. Given some of the secrets he's carrying around, he desperately needs to be under-estimated, and coming off as Tinya's big, dumb plaything doesn't hurt that cause.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Mon-El - Lar Gand
Shooter: He is, as (Cary) Bates defined him, basically insecure. Contrary to what many people say, he has not had a thousand years of life to his credit, but due to the hoeostatic nature of the zone, he has had the same year 1000 times. That is -- the zone
Bierbaums: An immensely heroic figure. Perhaps the greatest hero of all time. Utterly dedicated to serving others and paying whatever price is necessary for the common good. A thousand years in the phantom zone? No sweat. (It was the Eltro Gand personality projected into Mon-El's psyche that couldn't handle the Phantom Zone memories, not Mon-El himself.)
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Matter-Eater Lad - Tenzil Kem
Shooter: A student, a scholar, a leader type, but not in the Legion. He is heroic and loyal and dedicated and intelligent and clever and too valuable to be out of place in the Legion. As a Legionnaire he brought up the rear and his valuable qualities were largely wasted in a context where they were not in demand. One doesn't negotiate with Mordru. He is a fine person who had to come from behind, in the sense of having a dismal background, to succeed -- he has, and will.
Bierbaums: He was the one LSHer who understood that life was meant to be fun and being a Legionnaire was the greatest gig in the universe. Absolutely understood how ridiculous his power and code name were and loved being a living, breathing Monty Python routine.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Element Lad - Jan Arrah
Shooter: Hmm. An introvert who covers with snappy patter! Could be gay, who knows? He is confident, almost arrogant. He has a right to feel very special, and his is an overwhelming power.
Bierbaums: Came out of a society that had to teach their offspring from infancy not to turn their playmates into molybdenum anytime they get into a fight over the tinker toys. So he's a youth of vast discipline and spirituality. That's meant all these years he's been secretly, methodically dealing with the unspeakable horror of Roxxas' slaughter, coping in his own intensely private way. That's meant there's such disconnect between Jan's physical impulses and what his mind allows him to act upon, that questions of sexuality (yes, he's gay) are almost irrelevant.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Light Lass - Ayla Ranzz
Shooter: Not as plain as you paint her. Perhaps she has developed since the disguise incidennt (when she was surely on super-hormones!) She is fairly bright, and a samaritan, a good match for Timber Wolf when who needs a non-dominant, pleasant and patient girl. I think she is actually very feminine. She used to wear high heels!
Bierbaums: She's mother earth. The sweetest, most nurturing, most empathetic person you'll ever meet, the ultimate expression of the well-adjusted, naturalistic culture of Winath. She also deals beautifully with life's darkest moments, though her emotional Achilles' heel is facing up to the pathological behaviors of her renegade brothers Garth and Mekt. Also secretly harbors an eternally unrequited love for... Saturn Girl.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Dream Girl - Nura Nal
Shooter: I never believed that she scientifically changed Light Lass' power. It could only have been White Witchcraft -- and for some reason W.W. didn't watch the Legion to know about her.
Dream Girl is dumb. Her power is more or less hit or miss in value (though it is always accurate) and I'm sure her main service to the Legion is in her quarters after dark. She needs constant reassurance of her value, and since her Legion career has been less than stellar, the only way to get psychologically stroked is to allow herself to be physically stroked. By anybody. She has a need for love, adoration and reinforcement of her narcissistic self-image. Star Boy is either too dumb to realize this, or has resigned himself to it. His most fervent wish is to get her off to some godforsaken observatory somewhere, alone. Forever.
Bierbaums: Formidable. Her sexuality is a force on par with Brainiac 5's intellect, Mon-El's strength, Cosmic Boy's dedication. In part because of her power and in part because she's a very smart cookie, she can see many more moves ahead in the chess game of life than anyone else. And that's pretty useful when you can turn any corruptible male into your pawn. Luckily, she works for the good guys.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Princess Projectra
Shooter: Was not a political admission. She is proud of her noble background and yet does not want to be separated from her friends by station. K.K. is a natural for her, because he'd act the same before the King of Razamataz as he would with Sam the Streetsweeper. She'd say, "I'm a Princess" and he'd say, "Far-out! Wanna screw?" Opposites do attract -- her couth, class, cultural offset his rowdy behavior and vastly different culture. She is somewhat lost in this technological world, he is at home. She is a mystic, he has grown up amid science -- and yet, perhaps the Oriental half of Val is more in tune with Projectra's background. She is very duty-oriented, and to conduct herself in public, anyway, as a princess, is very important to her. She believes in her own nobility and that belief is the source of what courage, honor, loyalty and strength she has.
Bierbaums: A regal demeanor, with all that implies. Perhaps because of in-breeding within noble lines, she seems especially susceptible to some debilitating mental viruses, but Projectra has admirably rallied back from those difficulties.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Ferro Lad - Andrew Nolan
Shooter: (Despite the fact Shooter created Ferro Lad, he had also killed him off soon after, and long before he had written these bios.)
Bierbaums: Being a repulsive freak of nature has given Andrew a devil-may-care streak that almost borders on fatalism. There seems to be a death wish lurking somewhere in there, and a determination to have as much fun and shake up his teammates as much as possible until the inevitable end comes.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
[b]Karate Kid - Val Armorr
Shooter: Definitely scrutable. Blunt. Forward, open, sometimes rash, impulsive, hot-headed. He is exactly as he seems. Courageous, loyal, and bright, believe it or not. He can lead, but mostly prefers to be alone or operate with relative autonomy. He'll work with a group, but prefers many options to many orders. He can think deep, but doesn't want to -- he is, in many ways, an artist!
Bierbaums: Here's a guy who's mentally disciplined himself to such a degree that he can give Superboy a run for his money. The problem is, Karate Kid has trouble dealing with teammates who have so much more to work with and expect so much less of themselves. Well-matched with Princess Projectra, who also has occasional trouble regarding her teammates as worthy equals.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Shadow Lass - Tasmia Mallor
Shooter: A romantic, a busybody, probably a gossip and a bright, sexy, sultry, swinging chick who is a lot of fun for Mon-El.
Bierbaums: She's a great hero, but also a bit of a schemer and manipulator. Has a dark side and can be a brat. All of which makes her a great partner for stuffy Mon-El, getting him to loosen up and enjoy life a little more.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Chemical King - Condo Arlik
Shooter: Hmm. I pictured him as a rich kid who sees this Legion biz as one big, happy, nifty-neat adventure. A likeable 30th Century kid-from-the-big-house-in-the-hill who never saw hard imes and approaches disaster, chaos, and destitution with a let-them-eat-cake naivete. He is a real chin-up character who firmly believes things will work out because they always have for him. It's fun for him... to the end.
Bierbaums: A minor character that we never wrote and never got to use much. Robert Loren Fleming's excellent Secret Origin seems like the definitive take on the character.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Timber Wolf - Brin Londo
Shooter: Second to Ultra Boy as the Legion's leading fruitcake. He is probably as neurotic as is Ultra Boy, but exclusively about his own identity. He covers his interior uncertainty with coldness and hostility. Fortunately, Light Lass is enough of a romantic to be turned on by this aloof stance.
Ultra Boy thinks he knows himself while Wolf knows he doesn't. This alone makes Wolf a more palatable personality, He is the type who will make wisecracks and noise to hide his inward uncertainty. He wants their approval and acceptance. Actually, being a goody-goody Legionnaire is hard for him, because he is more of the James Bond type, just a little visious and nasty even though he's with the good guys. I think Light Lass had to lead him by the hand to bed, but thanks to her, he undoubtedly does well there now.
Bierbaums: Our idea for Brin was that his Zuunium treatments were a kind of super-steroid, giving him powers, but also warping his mind. We thought the look of his Cockrum appearance was by far Brin's best and tried to establish that as his actual native appearance, but never got that story published.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Wildfire - Drake Burroughs
Shooter: Bleah. How dull. A hothead, yes. A bright but juvenile person (?) who is dull, dull, dull.
Bierbaums: He always seemed like the flattest, most two-dimensional character of the lot. But in a way, he was the perfect character to take the role of the inevitable upstart, the loudmouthed newcomer who just doesn't understand or respect the greatness that proceeded him. I liked him a lot more as the traditional hero of his original couple appearances, and he was on his way to being one of my all-time favorites, until they came up with the Marvel-inspired hothead business.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Dawnstar
Shooter: (Dawnstar was a post-Shooter era character.)
Bierbaums: She came across mostly as Marvel pretension with not much real personality, but we tried to deal with her as a hero who was, at once, aloof and troubled, cocky and vulnerable.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Tyroc - Troy Stewart
Shooter: (Tyroc was a post-Shooter era character.)
Bierbaums: Another painfully two-dimensional character and an anachronistic one to boot. During the Giffen run, he blossomed into a powerful, dedicated presence, a voice of experience.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Invisible Kid (2) - Jacques Foccart
Shooter: (The second Invisible Kid was a post-Shooter era character.)
Bierbaums: Had all the tools, but was slightly lacking in self-confidence, so everything he accomplished took a toll.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
White Witch - Mysa Nal
Shooter: (Shooter did use the White Witch once, she did not become a Legionnaire until well after he left writing the book.)
Bierbaums: Mysa has difficulty achieving her full potential as a sorceress because the ultimate source of her power was her love for Mordru, one of the most reprehensible despots of all time. This has left her with a fragile psyche and an ongoing desire to minimize and avoid conflict.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Blok
Shooter: (Blok was a post-Shooter era character.)
Bierbaums: Naive, mixed up, but with a good heart. Seeking answers that were beyond his comprehension.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Polar Boy - Brek Bannin
Shooter: (Shooter only wrote bios on the Legion membership and during his writing tenure, Polar Boy was a member of the Subs.)
Bierbaums: He's sort of the eternal freshman among all the cool seniors. Just doesn't quite have the self-confidence and accomplished manner that would allow him to come off as a full-fledged big man on campus. But he tries harder and wants it more than anyone, making him a far more valuable member than many of his teammates would care to admit.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Andromeda - Laurel Gand
Shooter: (Laurel Gand/Andromeda was not created until after Shooter's tenure, and he never wrote a profile on her predecessor Supergirl.)
Bierbaums: Tragedy and loneliness robbed her of a normal adolescence and she's determined to make up for it. She personifies zest for life. She loves being a super-hero and doesn't do anything half-way.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Kid Quantum - James Cullen
Shooter: (Kid Quantum was a post-Shooter era character.)
Bierbaums: His time in the Legion was shrouded in secrecy and the shame of a terrible personal secret (he was the Proty that unwittingly betrayed his race and caused its near-enslavement by Glorith). Guilt and regret have turned James into a being of enormous conscience and gentle wisdom. The Gandhi of the team.