Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Legionnaires born with Kick Me signs?

Anyone want to compile a list of Legion members who seem to carry invisible Kick Me signs? Members like Star Boy, or LiveWire or Sun Boy. Or does Dirk even count anymore. Kinetix maybe. Members the creative teams love to torture or simply make their lives miserable. The Legion has always had a history of hard luck cases.

Name your favorite here.

I would add Timber Wolf.

In his first appearance he was brainwashed into thinking he was an android and had killed his father.

Then he lost Ayla, in part for kissing Saturn Girl.

Then there were the multiple appearance changes including into a second-rate wookie that was called Furball.

And in fandom, he is thought to be a rip off of Wolverine.

Don't forget Gim Allon. While not as bad as Garth or Thom, Gim has had his fair share of bad moments. Forgetting the fact that he had little personality development in the pre-boot (since it can be argued that this was his personality: strait-forward and heroic), there's these:

-tricked into joining Tarik the Mute's academy

-wife/girlfriend turns out to be a Durlan imposter- he never gets to be with Vi, whom he's always loved.

-captured and undergoes serious torture by Starfinder (only one of two Legionnaires to be tortured that I can remember)

-barely shows up in TMK. Although he has one good appearance, his other suggest that he may be having an affair with Luornu. (Personally, I don't find this to be too bad, but I know others did.)

-Reboot: terrible job as leader and responsible for death of Kid Quantum (partly). This can almost be seen as not that bad, since it gave him a bit of a personality. But...he's left out of Cos's coup of President Chu, gets left hanging by Zoe, and then the ultimate: the worst death of the reboot, possibly worst ever in Legion history (Pol's being the other to some).

Basically, Gim's had a rough go of it! Why? Because like most heroes whose personality is written to make them truly be heroic, many writers haven't known what to do with him. The 'Hal Jordan' syndrome.

Colossal Boy would be my number one choice too. He's been killed off in Adventure, the reboot, and the Davis/Farmer Superboy special, not to mention maimed in V.4 and the Adult Legion, and taken numerous bashings throughout. Call me a glutten for punishment, but he's still my favorite.

2) LiveWire/Lightning Lad
3) Element Lad (TMK were just plain brutal)
4) White Witch
5) Triad/Triplicate Girl (although doing much better in reboot)
6) Sun Boy
7) Violet
8) Star Boy

While I'm not an expert on Legion history, it seems as if Lightning Lad has an unfortunate tendency to die/get sorta rebirthed. Also didn't Darkseid steal one of his kids? I HATE when that happens!

Lightning Lad is officially "the unluckiest Legionnnaire" isn't he?

But I'd say Kinetix has been the worst treated reboot Legionnaire. She was terrific when she was introduced but in a pathetic attempt to have us all guessing that she would become the Emerald Empress they screwed her character up totally. The tail! The zombie-dom! The new "exciting" brown-lump-of-who-knows-what look! Bring back Zoe in her original incarnation!

Hmmm... Let's see

Parents and race killed during first trip off planet.
Civilization destroyed during first trip off planet.
Brainwashed to attack those he could have gotten close to.
Turned into crystal by Mordru.
Never embraced by a vast majority of the members.
Ejected from the physical universe.
Sacrificed to return friends to physical Universe.
Lost & alone for eons.
Goes nuts.
Kills one of his former best friends.
Killed by a former teammate after his form is "merged" with some cosmic beast.

I'm gonna go with Post-boot Element Lad.

You took the words out of my mouth APB! Even the pre-boot wasn't so lucky for him.

I'm also surprised that no one has mentioned Mon. Having to spend 1000 years in the Phantom/Stasis/Buffer Zone has to rank him way up there. Then add all the failed antidotes attempts and he really isn't among the lucky ones.

In the post boot he can't even reveal his true identity for fear of causing riots and being revered as a god.

Not his mention the indignity of his bodily remains being used to host another personality. No contest. Post-boot, Jan's the man.

Don't forget that he died in his own series. Then his Sw6 clone gets to spend another 1,000 years in limbo.

If he were a Legionnaire, Hate-Face would win hands-down.

I'd have to say Post Boot it's got to be Element Lad but Pre Boot, there's quite a bit of drama.

Let's see, we've got Dirk Morgana - sell out and then put out of his misery from a former girlfriend.

Cosmic Kid - in love with a guy who,. at best, gives her radiation burns, talk about love that hurts.

Shvaughn/Sean - grrr, not sure where they really wanted to go with this.

But honestly, I think the fans who followed a lot of the stories of the past 30 years who saw it all whited out got a big Kick Me.

The fans - that's a good one!

Hard to choose the most unfortunate one, all those mentioned have been through the wringer. One reason I'd choose Gim Allon over the others is that he's gone and isn't even mourned much by readers - so that's a pretty big kick in the backside.

Good point it doesn't seem like too many miss Gim. Not even Violet anymore.

Though currently I don't think any of the post booters are exactly poster children for mental health.
Sensor and her weird mutation/personality souring
Violet and her who am I now personality/powers
Jan proof that bad things happen to good people and also that bad writing happens.
Garth Ok he gets masochist of the century
Cos is close to normal once he has the operation to remove the broomstick from his ***
Kinetix had a great personality til the power mad stuff and this reboot Terraforming.
Saturn Girl someone summed it up as calling her nosy even for a telepath
Cham is close as close to "normal" as they seem to be able to get.
Thom It is still Thom Kallor. He's almost unrecognizable
Dreamer ???????
Triad Actually she comes off pretty well. I guess against the dysfunction of the others it is easy to seem "normal".

I'd continue this but I'm starting to get depressed again.

Don't forget...Jan was also captured and taken over by the Blight! What if some of those evil impulses while Blighted lingered behind thus contributing to his going Khundian on his own creations/Monstress?

I give the award to Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel/Uno Lass preboot. One of my favorite issues ever is the 5YL issue where Lu's second body is restored and her force-field powers are revealed. FINALLY-- something GREAT happens to her!!

Post-boot, she's more the type to hang "KICK ME" signs on others and dish out the kicking herself! Luv her!

Post-boot, I'l give the award to Jan Arrah, a dead Legionnaire whose teammates have to sneak off to mourn him. Sure, Garth's had bad luck, but he always still chugs along...

Honorable Mention: The craptacular handling of Zoe.

Worst death ever: Post-boot Gim Allon. Pure feces and ruined Violet's character for YEARS for me...