posted
I finally got my press kit this week, but better late than never. And, of course, I thought I'd share the stuff in it. THERE IS SOME MILD SPOILAGE HERE -- NOT PLOT-WISE, BUT CHARACTER ORIGIN STUFF.
I'll try to get some scans going in the next few days, but here are the official character descriptions -- some ... interesting ... takes. (Among the biggest changes, Saturn Girl and Phantom Girl are unique where they come from.)
SUPERMAN
Fresh out of college, Clark Kent, a newly hired copy boy at Metropolis' Daily Planet, is on the brink of becoming the Man of Steel.
In the pilot episode, a small group of Legionnaires travels back in time to enlist the legendary Superman's aid. However, when the Legionnaires arrive in present-day Smallville, they're dismayed to discover there is no Superman yet. Clark is earnest, slightly insecure and, at his parents' insistence, more concerned with hiding his newfound super powers than developing them. But he will become the heart and soul of "Legion of Super Heroes," and the audience's guide to the dazzling, science-fiction world of the 31st century.
When the Legionnaires inform Clark of his super heroic destiny and whisk him a thousand years into the future, Clark suddenly finds himself at the center of a brave new world, getting a crash course in how to be Superman. While with the Legion, he develops his heat vision, super hearing and super breath, and he discovers his vulnerability to Kryptonite, magic and the rays of a red sun. He revels in the power of flight, sends assailants flying with a single blow, lifts space cruisers off the ground with one hand and shoots rays from his eyes, melting weapons and seeing through anything except lead.
Like that of all the Legionnaires, Superman's journey throughout the series will be one of self-discovery and evolution, and he will grow and learn from the mistakes that these eager young heroes will inevitably make along the way. Having grown up repressing his true nature, Clark has never been able to be himself completely, not even with his closest friends. Once he escapes into the 31st century, becomes Superman and is surrounded by a legion of like-minded, super powered "outsiders," Clark is finally able to forge strong friendships and create a home and an extended family for himself.
LIGHTNING LAD
A brash, aggressive hotshot who wields spectacular lightning powers, Lightning Lad is a handsome, hotheaded jock with a serious sense of entitlement who turns out to be much more sensitive than his brash, aggressive behavior might suggest.
Good-natured, fun-loving and loyal at heart, Lightning Lad is nonetheless quick to anger. A brilliant hand-to-hand combatant and an extreme action junkie, he is an accomplished (if occasionally reckless) pilot and loves a good fight.
As a founding member of the Legion and its field leader, Lightning Lad is used to being the most powerful and experienced Legionnaire and to calling the shots.
So when Superman joins the team, Lightning Lad is a little threatened. Pushed out of the spotlight, he can become a little jealous of the attention Superman receives from the other Legionnaires (especially Saturn Girl and Phantom Girl).
Lightning Lad's bioelectrical powers are most commonly used to shock and stun his opponents, short-circuit electrical equipment, split asteroids and boulders, destroy spaceships, burn objects or shatter walls. He can also recharge batteries and generators, and weld metals and ores like lead or Kryptonite.
Although seemingly self-generated, Lightning Lad's powers are inextricably linked to his energy and his will. If tired, sick or even depressed, Lightning Lad can barely muster an electrical charge, let alone manifest lightning bolts. His powers can also be reflected back on him, effectively shorting him out, and are essentially useless underwater.
SATURN GIRL
A smart, ultra-disciplined telepath who spends way too much time in her head, Saturn Girl is not used to letting her guard down, and that can sometimes make it hard for her to have fun. While she's adept at reading the thoughts and emotions of others, she's oblivious to the inner workings of her own heart. Although it's painfully obvious to the rest of the Legion that her constant verbal sparring with Lightning Lad is a sign of thinly disguised mutual attraction, neither are fully self-aware enough to know their own true feelings.
Like Superman, Saturn Girl spent much of her childhood concealing her gifts. Although the Legion has become her adopted home, her fellow Legionnaires tend to be guarded around her or to avoid her altogether to protect their psychic privacy. She responds to them with earnest attempts at self-restraint but often comes off as cool or disinterested to her teammates.
Physically one of the Legion's most vulnerable members, Saturn Girl compensates with her psychic abilities, making her one of the most powerful Legionnaires overall. She can read people's minds, either by purposely entering their consciousness or by picking up stray thoughts. She can send messages into the minds of others, projecting her "voice" inside their heads.
Saturn Girl can beam mental commands into a person's brain and control his or her vision and movements. Saturn Girl also possesses the ability to "thought-cast" powerful illusions into people's minds, invoking their greatest fears or fondest wishes, essentially attacking her enemies from within.
TIMBER WOLF
Timber Wolf is a sensitive loner who, when stressed, transforms into a fierce, hulking, feral warrior.
As a child, Timber Wolf was subjected to an experimental treatment that succeeded in giving him increased strength, speed and agility, while also transforming him from a normal boy into the animal-like creature he is today. A sensitive, reticent young man by nature, Timber Wolf struggles to maintain his inner calm for fear he may further regress into the beast he fears he is.
In time, Timber Wolf will develop a strong bond with Saturn Girl who, because of her empathic gifts, is the only Legionnaire who truly understands him. Their friendship will incite Lightning Lad's jealousy, however, creating a dangerous rivalry between the team's two alpha males.
Timber Wolf is without a doubt the Legion's most cunning and ferocious fighter. His unpredictable, wholly instinctive, animalistic fighting style makes him all but untouchable in combat.
Although Timber Wolf's loyalty to the Legion is absolute, he shares their fear that one day he may lose control and accidentally hurt his friends.
In addition to his enhanced strength, speed and agility, Timber Wolf's senses are heightened, as well, giving him the power to hear, see, smell and taste things like no one else, not even Superman.
BRAINIAC 5
A 31st-century descendant of Superman's computerized nemesis Brainiac, the Legion's Brainiac 5 was born with unprecedented 12th-level intelligence on Colu, a planet populated by a race of green-skinned, humanoid, living computers. Brainiac 5 is the Legion's chief scientist and inventor. His mind is perpetually working in ways his teammates—with their relatively primitive 6th-level intelligence—can't even begin to comprehend. But Brainiac 5's seeming superiority in this regard is really an expression of his loneliness. Although his demeanor seems coldly logical and unemotional at first, his mordant wit and deadpan humor suggest that a very human heart beats beneath all the machinery.
Brainiac 5's 12th-level intelligence has enabled him to invent or modify the Legion's impressive array of high-tech gadgets and weaponry. Flight rings, force-field belts, the time bubble technology and the Legion's mainframe, COMPUTO, are all Brainiac 5 creations.
He is constantly downloading software and upgrading himself, becoming smarter, faster and more efficient, but since Brainiac 5 is a living machine, he is subject to malfunctions, computer viruses, power shortages and system crashes.
PHANTOM GIRL
As the daughter of Winema Wazzo, president of the United Planets, Phantom Girl has lived a life of privilege, having everything her heart desired—everything, that is, but her mother's permission to join the Legion. Gifted with the rare ability to "phase" through solid matter, Phantom Girl is much more than invisible; she can walk through walls. Punches, kicks, even missiles fly right through her. When she has saved up enough energy, Phantom Girl can even make things around her disappear. Unfortunately, the bigger the object, the shorter the effectiveness: A teammate could be phased out for a few minutes, while an entire Legion Cruiser would only last a few seconds.
President Wazzo is no fan of the Legion (at first), but her close bond with her daughter has provided Phantom Girl with a unique insight into the inner workings of the government.
As the youngest Legion member, Phantom Girl is also the most eager to prove herself. While her enthusiasm is sometimes appreciated, it's more likely to cause trouble on the battlefield and at times leads her to bite off more than she can chew.
Some of Legionnaires (such as Lightning Lad) have the perception that Phantom Girl is a spoiled brat. But much to the contrary, she rarely plays the president's-daughter card, never expects special treatment and has clearly made great sacrifices to join the Legion. Phantom Girl is extremely clever but somewhat naïve, and she often shares Superman's wide-eyed wonder at life in the 31st century.
BOUNCING BOY
As the ace pilot and engineer of the Legion Cruiser, Bouncing Boy has the super human ability to inflate his body to the size and shape of a giant beach ball. Sweet-natured, self-deprecating and infinitely patient, he's the perfect foil for his boss, the curmudgeonly Brainiac 5. In fact, the two bicker so much that you might mistake them for an old married couple. Beneath the squabbling, however, is a genuine respect, and although you would never hear either of them admit it, the two are best friends forever.
If sense of humor were a super-power, Bouncing Boy would be ruler of the universe. He loves telling a good joke as much as he appreciates being the occasional butt of one. After all, when your power is to inflate into a bouncing ball, you tend not to take life too seriously ...
COSMIC BOY
Possessing formidable magnetic powers, Cosmic Boy can attract, repel or manipulate any metallic substance. He is a founding member of the Legion and its elected leader. The oldest of the Legionnaires, Cosmic Boy is a skilled tactician, providing the core team with its missions every week and mentoring them through their adventures. But while Cosmic Boy may lead the team on Earth, he leaves outbound missions in the hands of Lightning Lad.
TRIPLICATE GIRL
Triplicate Girl can divide into three separate identical bodies, each possessing a unique personality. Before she joined the legion, Triplicate Girl was an attraction in a traveling interplanetary freak show. She ran away to join the Legion the moment news of their formation reached her. As the Legion Cruiser's entire crew, Triplicate Girl runs the communications and navigation systems, and generally assists Legion members in whatever capacity necessary. To enhance her power's effectiveness in combat, Triplicate Girl has mastered a personal fighting style called Tri-Jitsu.
The Legion Cruiser is the team's home away from home and the series' most prominent set. An irresistible hybrid of MTV's "The Real World" and the starship Enterprise from "Star Trek," the Legion Cruiser provides its crew with the latest in futuristic space-travel technology and luxury-travel accommodations.
The tech-centric COMMAND CENTER features enormous holo-vid screens and a dazzling array of piloting, navigation and communications equipment.
The REC ROOM is an ultra-comfy lounge area featuring even more holo-screens, a vast library of holo-vids and 4-D holo-vid games, music from across the galaxy and a comprehensive OmniCom library.
The Legionnaires' PERSONAL QUARTERS each feature a customized virtual environment that can approximate the Legionnaires' homeworlds or any other location.
The GYM or TRAINING FACILITY is immense and fully equipped. It, too, features customized environment capabilities for preparing Legionnaires for off-world missions.
Brainiac 5's LABORATORY is also the ship's MEDI-CENTER. And since Brainiac 5 modified the Legion Cruiser himself, the lab is one of the largest and most splendidly appointed areas on the ship.
The Legion Cruiser also features a MESS HALL, SECURITY HOLDING CELL, ENGINE ROOM, OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE WEAPONRY, TWO EMERGENCY LIFEPODS and, yes, unlike the Starship Enterprise, a BATHROOM.
-------------------- Geek Watch
From: Standing beside you in Ferndale, MI | Registered: Aug 2003
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These are five super powered young men and women who have formed their own anti-Legion. They will be our most commonly seen villains, either individually or as a team. Their membership consists of the following characters:
THE EMERALD EMPRESS
Commanding the all-powerful Emerald Eye of Ekron, the Emerald Empress has the power to enslave minds and make her will manifest.
MANO
The young victim of an industrial accident that left him radiating toxic energy, Mano can disintegrate almost any form of matter with a single touch.
PERSUADER
The galaxy's most intrepid enforcer, Persuader wields the indestructible Atomic Axe, a World War VII relic that has the ability to cut though any form of matter.
THAROK
A petty criminal until half of his body was atomized in a battle with the Science Police, Tharok is now half-human, half-cyborg. Intellectually Brainiac 5's equal, Tharok possesses technology that is far more dangerous.
VALIDUS
A monstrous giant with the mind of a child, Validus is stronger than Superman and projects blasts of mental lightning more powerful than Lightning Lad's.
-------------------- Geek Watch
From: Standing beside you in Ferndale, MI | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Thanks, Seymour. I finally caught an episode yesterday ("Timber Wolf"). I enjoyed it, and it looks like a fun "hook" for a new generation of Legion Worlders!
posted
I do have to say some Legion history has been paid attention to. Not many seem to remember that Garth was the Legion's best pilot back in the Giffen/Levitz era. I like to see that bit back in play.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Odd to see Brainiac 5 referred to as Bouncing Boy's boss, and Triplicate Girl "assist[ing]" the Legionnaires -- as if the latter two weren't full members.
Overall, the descriptions are impressive. They reveal much about the Legionnaires' powers and personalities, but very little of their back stories. Even Timber Wolf's name, mentioned in the episode, is not given here.
Of the back stories mentioned, some revision is evident: Triplicate Girl as a sideshow freak (I don't recall this in any other incarnation) and Phantom Girl possessing the "rare ability" to phase (when in previous incarnations everyone on Bgztl had that ability). It's also interesting that Phantom Girl is now declared to be the youngest Legionnaire (Brainy was previously announced as such in the cartoon) and Cosmic Boy the oldest.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: It's also interesting that Phantom Girl is now declared to be the youngest Legionnaire (Brainy was previously announced as such in the cartoon) and Cosmic Boy the oldest.
I didn't think of it, but these can be taken with a grain of salt. As many people as are involved, and as much advance production time goes into these things (press kits and episodes), and knowing from first-hand experience that miscommunication is a big part of any communication business, it's likely there will be some contradictions.
Like in Cosmic Boy's: "But while Cosmic Boy may lead the team on Earth, he leaves outbound missions in the hands of Lightning Lad." So far, he's been on the Outpost, and LL has been leading the team on Earth.
And, Scott, I'll get some larger scans available soon.
Brainy as Bouncing Boy's "boss" might be a semi-reference to postboot. Chuck may have gotten the attention of the Legion first as a worker, then earned membership once he could show the usefulness of his powers?
I believe they made the point in the "Who's Who in the LSH" that Tinya's abilities are well above what most of her people can do; the average citizen couldn't cross over to Earth from Bgztl. Mix that in with the idea of postboot Naltor that while they're famed for the precogs they'd produced, the gift itself is rare.
Triplicate Girl in a sideshow? More palatable to the censors that having her in an asylum... and it's been used before as an origin story. According to the "Superfriends" comic, Zan and Jayna ended up in a sideshow once they were orphaned, as the shapeshifting branch of the Exorian race wasn't well thought of.
If they're emphasizing the mind-control aspects of the Eye here, that explains why the Emerald Empress leads the Fatal Five instead of Tharok.
Mano as an individual victim of an industrical accident... Again, it's more palatable to the censors than his postboot (and definitely the preboot!) origins. Though it would make a good tie-in if they introduce Leland McCauley?
Registered: Jul 2006
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hopefully they dropped the Invisibility part of Phantom Girl's power.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Didn't Lone Wolf spend some time as a circus performer?
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
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