Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Impulse and Brainiac 5

Hey everybody.

I'm incredibly curious. Does anyone know the offical story on the Bart Allen - Querl Dox connection?

I mean, Bart grew up in a 30th century video game, several years before the post-boot legion was formed... with a VR character called Dox. This doesn't strike me as coincidence.

I don't think it's been explained, exactly.

They didn't seem to know each other when they met in the 20th century. Although they certainly didn't get along the first time they encountered each other, after Bart's visit to the Legion while they were staying at S.T.A.R. Labs and their, uh, cooperation to make up for almost destroying the place, it seemed as though Brainy and Bart were getting along. After all, Brainy was the one who summoned Bart during the C.O.M.P.U.T.O. attack (despite the protests of the other Legionnaires!) and Brainy had given Bart the telepathic earplug so they could keep in touch. I had also thought it was at least implied that Brainy was the one vote to let Bart into the Legion.

That bothered me about their interaction in the Titans/Legion crossover... Brainy seemed uncharacteristically hostile to Bart, whereas before it seemed as though they were somewhat friends (moreso than Bart and the rest of the Legion excepting Jenni, at least.) It was... rather like the writer had only read the encounter in Impulse, and wasn't aware that they'd "made up" somewhat.

I really like the idea of Bart and Brainy being unlikely friends. I think it's too bad that the idea wasn't explored more (with the VR link or even just with their "in-panel" interactions.)


Edit: Sorry that the post is a little bit rambly and not much help... I just really thought the idea of a Brainy and Bart friendship was cool, and was very disappointed that it kind of got pushed aside for more predictable animosity...

Yeah, it seemed weird to me too. Especially because Brainy's hostility was expressed in, er, 5-year-old terms. "I'm going to call him a monkey's name, over and over again! That'll show him!" That was out of character even if he was particularly annoyed by Bart, which as you say doesn't really make sense. Brainy always had more of a problem with Superboy.

But the characterization in most of the TT/Legion crossover was pretty silly--Jarth randomly calling Robin a "throwback?"--so it's kind of a drop-in-the-bucket thing.

I also don't remember that VR Dox bit ever being explained. It probably wouldn't have anything to do with B5 since they don't seem to recognize each other...my hunch is that they were suggesting the original Brainiac (who's supposed to be around in various version numbers for millennia to come, right?) had some sort of presence in Bart's virtual world.

Well, there's no reason why *Bart* should have - I could be wrong, but I don't remember him learning Brainy's full name. And if Brainiac 5 did, it *does* explain why he softened to Bart so quickly (or at all). Not *immediately*, of course, because 'possibly played VR games together as infants' probably didn't strike him as a reason for a... joyous reunion... of sorts... um.

(And I'm not too worried about the Teen Titans crossover. If it's essential to work it in, just allow for the fact that the universe was ending and it's unlikely Brainy had gotten enough sleep. Or maybe he found out Bart named his dog after him?)