 II. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
This chronology © 2002 Greg Gildersleeve
1940's “A Golden Age.” Nine Legionnaires are transported to the World War II era, where they become famous heroes as Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Invisible Kid, Triplicate Lady (Triad), Colossal Girl (LeVIathan), Element Lad, Chameleon Boy, and Brainiac -1. They later learn that the Time Trapper is responsible for this journey. (L* #54)
1958 “Swan’s Way.” Seven Legionnaires –
1977 March 27: Lar Gand (Valor/M’Onel) is born on Daxam. [Conjecture. Assumes he was 18 at the time he entered the Stasis Zone in 1995 – the date given by him in L* #30]
1982 Jan. 11: Andrew (Ferro) and Douglas Nolan are born on earth. The disfigured twins are abandoned by their mother, actress Nancy Nolan, and raised along with other aberrations by Doc 30 in a hellish institution owned by the Threelove Company. [LSH #93. The (partially obscured) birth year is inscribed on Douglas’ tombstone.]
1985 April: Lori Morning is born. Her father, Ronald, works for the villain Chronos. [Date is conjecture. Lori was 10 years old in 1995, when she became displaced to the Legion’s time. She celebrated her 11tth birthday in L* #44, set in April 2998.]
1994 Valor (the future M’Onel) and Phase (the future Apparition) are members of the Licensed Extra-Governmental Interstellar Operatives Network (L.E.G.I.O.N.), founded by Vril Dox II. One of their adventures takes them to the planet Poriaxus, where the ruling class eats its poor. [As related in LSH #119. Assumes a year before Valor was sent into the Stasis Zone.]
1995 Lar Gand, known as Valor and Champion, is dying from lead poisoning when he is placed in the Stasis Zone by Superboy. (Superboy #19) Legionnaires Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Triad, Brainiac 5, and Chameleon time-travel to this year in order to seek Superboy’s aid in rescuing Valor from the Stasis Zone. (XS, initially part of the mission team, becomes lost in the time stream.) Superboy accompanies the Legionnaires back to 2997. (Superboy #21) “2-Timer.” XS is rescued from the time stream by Chronos, who seeks to use her method of time travel for his own ends. She defeats him with help from Lori Morning, the 10-year-old daughter of Chronos’ late accomplice, Ronald. (LSH #75). [Note that parts of this story take place in both 1995 and 2997.] XS, after having adventures with her cousins Impulse and Wally (The Flash) West, leaves the 20th century on a cosmic treadmill constructed by Jay Garrick, the original Flash, and John Fox, a Flash from the 27th century. Before returning to 2997, she takes eventful detours to 2956 and the 100th century. (L* Annual #3, also concurrent issues of Impulse and Flash.)
1996 “Metropolis Now!” Legionnaires Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Spark, and Gates, plus Inferno and Science Police Officer Shvaughn Erin, find themselves transported from 2998 to this year by the Emerald Eye of Ekron. During their first attempt to return to the 30th century, they meet Superman. (LSH #85) [Note: Topical years given for 20th century stories are to be taken lightly, and are included in this chronology only when they do not contradict other information from Legion stories. See note in the Introduction.] “Heart of Iron.” The Legionnaires team up with 20th century heroes to prevent the Sun-Eater from destroying earth. One such hero is the young Ferro. (LSH #86; also Final Night #1-4) Brainiac 5 secretly steals a Bizarro-Matrix from Lex Luthor. He later takes the technology with him back to the 30th century for further research. [Revealed in LSH #114. It is conjecture when this occurred during the team’s 20th century exile, but it presumably occurred after Brainiac 5 met Luthor during Final Night.] “She’s Not There.” Fortune teller and con artist Tommy the Swami inadvertently taps into Apparition’s energy, transforming himself into “Poltergeist.” Apparition and Ultra Boy defeat him with the help of Deadman and a girl named Tiffany. Apparition is then restored to a solid but transparent state by Rama, the all-spirit. (LSH #87) “Fast Times.” Brainiac 5 and the wayward young hero Impulse nearly cause a meltdown at Star Labs. The disaster is averted, but the Legion is evicted from Star Labs, where they have been staying, as a result. Impulse becomes the first hero to be rejected for Legion membership. (LSH #88)
1997 “She’s Electric!” The Legionnaires move into the Justice League of America’s abandoned headquarters near Happy Harbor, RI. Spark runs away but is brought back by Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, whose mental powers inadvertently revive the institutionalized Dr. Psycho. (LSH #89) [The year is inscribed on Ayla’s imaginary tombstone. Again, topical references are to be taken lightly and are used in this chronology only when they do not contradict other evidence.] “Face to Face.” The Legionnaires encounter Dr. Psycho, who briefly manipulates Saturn Girl’s telepathy and destroys a defense mechanism installed in her mind by Aven of Titan. Without this mechanism, Saturn Girl becomes extremely powerful, but Cosmic Boy is left in a coma at the battle’s end. (LSH #90) [Immediately after “She’s Electric!”] “Lost in Time” / “No Exit.” Brainiac 5 contacts the 30th century Legionnaires using medical imaging technology and stored-up chronal energy from elderly hospital patients. However, his and Rond Vidar’s attempt to bring the Legionnaires back to the 30th century is sabotaged by Lori Morning, resulting in all of them being trapped in the timestream. After gathering residue chronal energy, the time-lost Legionnaires plus Triad are returned to the 20th century. (L* #47/LSH #91) [Probably a day or so after “Face to Face.”] “Knight Shift.” Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Gates, Spark, Triad, and Inferno return from a time trip to 1958. Cosmic Boy, though still comatose, is secretly manipulated into false recovery by Saturn Girl. Ferro attempts to free his brother, Ingot (Douglas Nolan), from the hellish Threelove Company New England Facility, but they are attacked by the administrator, Doc 30, and his trustees, the Knight Shift. During the melee, Ingot is killed. The Legion stops the inmates from rioting and the facility is shut down by the U.S. Justice Department. (LSH #93) Ferro joins the Legion. (In between #93 and #94.) “22 Pages About the Legion of Super-Heroes.” Ferro celebrates his membership by making new costumes for the team, but they are all burned by Inferno before they can try them on. (Only Inferno’s costume survives, which she keeps). Ultra Boy and Gates assist at a food kitchen. Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl reveal their marriage plans. (LSH #94) [Two weeks after “Knight Shift.”] “The Emerald Doom.” The Legion clashes with the Metal Men (Veridium, Platinum, Iron, Mercury, Lead, and Tin) after Brainiac 5 and Ferro attempt to take their responsometers for use in building a super-computer. The altercation ends when Brainiac 5 realizes that the Metal Men are living beings, not robots. Veridium nevertheless sends Brainiac 5 his own responsometer. (LSH #95) “‘Til Death.” Inferno departs. Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl’s wedding is interrupted by the revelation that he is still in a coma and has been animated by Saturn Girl. Though Cosmic Boy finally recovers, Saturn Girl comes to realize it is Live Wire she loves. Ultra Boy and Apparition marry in their stead. (LSH #96) “Dwarfing the Infinite.” The Legion battles Darkseid’s minion, Mantis. Metron of the New Gods loans Brainiac 5 a Mother Box. Spark’s powers change to the ability to induce weightlessness. (LSH #97; also Genesis mini-series.) [Shortly after “‘Til Death,” per Jo’s comment about his honeymoon.] Sept. 24: “C.O.M.P.U.T.O. the Conqueror.” Brainiac 5 completes his super-computer using Veridium’s responsometer and Metron’s Mother Box. The creation, dubbed C.O.M.P.U.T.O., opens a time-gate to the 30th century over Metropolis, but then, at 7 p.m., goes on a rampage and takes over one of Triad’s bodies. Meanwhile, Apparition becomes trapped inside her touchstone, where she encounters her L.E.G.I.O.N. counterpart, Phase. (LSH #98) [Shvaughn types the time and date in her journal.] “When the Reign Comes.” The Legion requests help from Impulse, Robin, and Superboy in battling C.O.M.P.U.T.O at the Happy Harbor Nuclear Plant. Cosmic Boy is taken over by C.O.M.P.U.T.O. (LSH #99) [Immediately following “C.O.M.P.U.T.O. the Conqueror.”] “OK C.O.M.P.U.T.O.” The Legion also gathers assistance from Superman, J’Onn J’Onzz, and Green Lantern, plus the 30th century Legionnaires in defeating C.O.M.P.U.T.O. Apparition merges with Phase and becomes tangible. The stranded Legionnaires finally return to the 30th century along with Ferro and Koko (Brainiac 5's pet monkey). (LSH #100, first story) [Immediately following “When the Reign Comes.” In that story, Brainiac 5 said that the time portal would close itself in “three hours, 13 minutes, and 22 seconds.” This would mean that the Legion returns home shortly after 10 p.m. E.S.T. on September 24, 1997. Note also that if the topical dates are to be taken literally, at least 10 months have passed for the Legionnaires in the 20th century while approximately half that time elapsed for their comrades in the 30th century.] Continue to: III. THE 21st THROUGH 29th CENTURIES IV. THE 30th CENTURY: THE PRE-LEGION ERA |