Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Shooter's original intentions for resolving Enemy Manifest storyline?

Recently, I read the "Enemy Manifest" HC and wondered if there's been any word from Jim Shooter on his initial intentions for the storyline's Princess Projectra resolution. I know from certain interviews he gave that she was the titular "One Evil" (my little theory for this is that when Shaman Henrik gave her the potion in issue #46, it did more than mask her emotions, but somehow placed her under his control. Then, that's what makes it a theory).

I'm curious as to Shooter's plans for Projectra's defeat (if any), which Legionnaire was fated to die, and if Saturn Girl was really mindwiped as easily as it appeared in issue #49.

I enjoyed Shooter's run, and DC really did a disservice to Legion fans by not allowing him to properly finish his story. If anyone out there has any info for me I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

This is just my personal opinion, but I think Mr. Shooter was so ticked off by the way he and his Legion story were treated that he has no intention of letting DC get a hold of those last story scripts, unless they pay sweetly for them. The editors and famous writer Justin Thyme must have had an outline of what was supposed to happen, but Shooter must have kept the scripts close to the cuff once he found out they were scrapping the run. Unfortunately, much like Mr. Shooter's never published "Last Legion Story", we probably won't get anything specific about the story details from him. DC certainly won't reveal what the story was meant to be, because it would most likely show what a huge cop out the eventual printed version was.

There were tons of theories, but we may never know.

The Legionnaire slated to die would likely have been someone that he wasn't allowed to kill, because they wanted to use them in Legion of Three Worlds.

As a result, and based on the foreshadowing in the Tryout issue, I'd go with Sun Boy. (Whom Projectra has a strong mad-on for, and who was slated to die in Lo3W as part of the impetus for 'classic' Sun Boy to get off his arse and join the fight.)

Next most likely;
Element Lad, shown prominently on the splash cover, leading the defense against an army of aliens, which was not even remotely reflected by his relatively insignificant showing in the final issue, and also tying into Lo3W, as Element Lad also was killed (and his specific connection to Earth-Prime made him not replaceable by any other version of Element Lad).

Phantom Girl, 'mortally wounded' as of last image, and mysteriously all better by the end of the drama. Her wounds seemed to be quite serious, until a new writer showed up and they suddenly weren't...

Projectra herself, consumed by her hatred and sucked into her own illusory world-scape. A popular choice because she was the only survivor of a group of Legionnaires that Shooter himself added to the team back in the day. (Karate Kid, dead, Nemesis Kid, dead, etc.) There would be a certain symmetry in Shooter taking back the last character of that group, as if closing the last chapter of a book he had written.

Brin Londo, killed defending the Princess, or, betrayed and killed *by* the Princess, as her mind snapped completely. That might be the shocking event necessary to snap Projectra's mind back around the bend, and return her to sanity, as she holds in her arms the only Legionnaire who truly seemed to 'get' her grief and rage, and, with the death of this particular incarnation of Brin, who seemed to be all about rage, she could be seen to be symbolically slaying her own rage...

Dream Girl, technically already kind of dead already, but, as a being of an already illusory nature, she might be perfectly suited to enter the illusory world that Projectra is creating and 'slay the demons within' herself, and, in the end, heroically 'going down with the ship' and destroying the illusory world, with herself still within it, saving the UP at the cost of what ephemeral 'life' she had left.

If Shooter wanted to borrow a page from Joss Whedon, he might have specifically avoided any of the Legionnaires that would have 'made sense' from a narrative perspective and killed off a Legionnaire just to highlight the senselessness of the death and make it all the more shocking.

A version of Projectra who barely knows Karate Kid from a hole in the wall callously killing him would be made all the more brutal, because while many readers remember them as lovers, these particular characters had no connection at all.

Killing off Chameleon would be seen as 'hardening up' the team, as he'd been a source of comic relief in the Threeboot. It would represent a loss of innocence.

Killing off one of the four 'nice' Legionnaires like Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Light Lass or Phantom Girl could be seen as attacking the heart of the team (and Ayla, in particular, would lead to dramatic change to the character of Garth).

Killing off Brainiac 5 would leave Lyle as the harried and never-quite-smart-enough (in his own insecure mind) 'brain' of the team, and create a radically different Legion, as Brainy is practically the 'fourth founder,' popularity wise.

Killing off Saturn Girl would only exacerbate the weirdness going on between Garth and Jo (and quite possibly lead to blows), as the two of them take out their own grief in the form of anger at the other.

Killing off Lightning Lad would have an unknown effect on the interactions between Jo and Imra (who would be, paradoxically perhaps, *less* likely to end up in each others arms, suffering alone, out of guilt, rather than comforting each other). It would also perhaps have a 'toughening' effect on Ayla, with her perhaps stepping up to assume her brother's leadership role, and, I would not be surprised to see, being *better at it.*

Killing off Invisible Kid would bookend the entire Threeboot, since he was the first Threeboot character seen, and the 'point of view' character for the first appearance. Ending the Threeboot with him lying down (in death), much as it began, with him lying down (in his bedroom), would create some neat symmetry.

It's all kinds of fascinating (to me, anyway!) how the loss of each particular Legionnaire would affect the dynamic of the title and the team and the characterization of the other Legionnaires. Each of them would leave a different shaped hole in the team's emotional and social tapestry.

I think I'm just sick of deaths, period.



Maybe there was a time when it was a radical and shocking thing to do. Now it's just an excuse to start a pool based on when the dead character comes back.

I didn't see any mention to Justin Thyme on the Manifesto HC. Which is a disservice to Shooter again.

I imagined an ending like, the team learning that the Orandians actually drugged Projectra and that's why she was acting the way she did.

I found it interesting that Projectra blamed the United Planets and the Legion for not preventing Orando's destruction, but she did not seem to blame Praetor Lemnos and Elysion, who who were responsible for Orando's destruction.

During the Legion Membership tryouts (L #44?), Jeckie left the proceedings (in disgust, I presume) when Sun Boy, Terror Firma advocate, arrived.