Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! DOUGLAS NOLAN: Horray or Passe'???!?

So. Ferro Lad is dead.

And despite the best efforts of Tom and Mary Bierbaum, who made this character stand out in the early issues of LEGIONNAIRES, he's still dead.

As, perhaps, he should be? The death of Ferro Lad is likely in the TOP 5 LSH moments that made history and should NOT be altered (arguably, 'cause I for one loved him alive and well in LEGIONNAIRES).

Despite efforts on T&MB's part (he's the suicidal loose cannon!!) and later creative teams post-boot (he's the super-gay sew-meister who is totally having sex with Karate Kid!!!), perhaps Andrew Nolan's legacy is best kept as "the Legionnaire who died to destroy the Sun-Eater".

So, long post made short-- Andy's dead. Who wants Douglas on the team in his place?

How are these twins different in the REMIX? Or are they not different at all?

The twin brother replacing the brave dead one is too soap opera-ish for me. I'd rather leave it as Andy having gave his life valiantly and Douglas doesn't exist.

Douglas never got much panel time, so perhaps he suffers from underexposure, but I never warmed to the character or the idea. We already had a twin take the dead sibling's place with Ayla, we had a younger brother (Pol) and a younger cousin (Grev) trying to live up to legionnaire status.

Ferro Lad destroying the Sun Eater, especially after all the other highly-powered characters failed, really was one of the more memorable events. Too tough an act to follow. I think the Ferro story should end there.

Douglas could always be used as a secondary character in one of the supporting groups - Science Police, U.P. administration or even bad guy.

I don't care for the twin.

I mean the character has this big death. You follow up with his statue, his ghost, and now his...twin? I think they took it a step too far there.

I rather have it Douglas doesn't exist. Or maybe is a much younger brother?

I've always believed that postboot super-gay sew-meister Ferro really *was* Douglas Nolan, only in that universe they got their names switched!

You know we saw post-ZH Ingot, right? He was the one too scared to run away who ended up getting beaten do death.

I prefer to believe that was a manifestation of his suicidal tendencies!

I agree the twin thing is overused in comics and perhaps in the Legion particularly. Still though, Doug is part of Legion cannon and I'd hate to see him retro-booted out of existence. It's common in the real world to see twins develop in different directions so I have no problem with Douglas not making the cut as a Legionnaire but it would be pretty cool to see him join the SPs or the Subs or the Wanderers or something.

Wasn't it some special aniversary issue, the one with Douglass living alternate realities? That was a nice bit of Legion.

I wouldn't think I'd like Douglas as part of Legion mythos except I remember how hurt I was when they killed him off so quickly in the post ZH, another bit of bad comic writing to boot IMHO. Changing "history" on minor points is one thing but to so drastically change one of the best bits of writing in comic history? Stupid.

I like the idea of Douglas as part of Legion cannon, but not as a replacement for Andrew, not as fodder for funny ideas or to make any statement, just to be there if some writer has a story they want to write maybe about the affects of a such an unusual death on family or a twin.

Umm... it was already written out with ZH (hell, with Crisis if you mean the alternate realities). If they'd redone it, you'd be moaning about "pale shadows" and stuff.

Or how about make Douglas the brave one who recently died saving people during the Dominator attack on Earth?
And in honor of his sacrafice Andrew decides to try out for the Legion. That way you still have the twin aspect, plus you would have some personality for Andrew, in always trying to live up to his brothers memory he goes from the shy reserved guy to take chances lad. And if and when the Sun Eater shows up, he goes out in a blaze of glory.

Maybe it's me, but I think that it would be interesting to see Douglas in the Legion as the twin who's trying to live up to the legend of his famous twin. There are several sets of twins in comics, but how often do we see a surviving twin deal with the death of his or her sibling?

You're thinking of LSH v.2 # 300, in which Douglas was revealed to be a patient of Brainiac 5 and the Time Institute's. Douglas had a bizarre power where he could see the Legions of alternate realities, most of which ended badly. This power caused him considerable pain. Brainy finally found a way for Douglas to go live in an alternate reality where he took the place of his brother, Andrew, in the Adult Legion.

I've always thought that this was a wonderful story and don't wish to see it altered in any way.

I'd love to read a story that begins with Douglas joining the LSH as a replacement for his brother.

*That'd* be an Elseworlds/Earth- # to be determined tale worth seeing!

Don't know much about Douglas except issue #300, in fact, I'm not sure I ever actually knew who the character was dreaming the alternate realities until I pieced it together from mb conversations. But I liked that story, and once I figured out it was Douglas I loved it.

If I were to re-intro Ferro Lad, I would have him die quickly stopping the Suneater (why mess with the classics) but I wouldn't have Doug join the Legion. I would use him as a way to show how super-hero deaths affect families, how people move on (or don't) from the loss of a love one. And because I love LOSH #300, I would have Douglas try to get powers or increase his powers and suffer a horrible accident that would cause him to dream other realities.

I wouldn't want him to join the Legion proper (or the Subs) but I would use him as a character to a) show more of Andy through his brother's memories and b) to show the impact of the Legion on family.

But I guess I'll have to wait until they Showcase those issues (or I get really rich and can buy lots of archives, whichever comes first) to make an informed decision, but I did think it was really touching to see how desperately Douglas wanted to be reunited with his twin in #300.

I like this idea, Steph.

One of the problems I have with the idea of Douglas replacing Andrew in the Legion is that not every member of every family would or should want to become a hero. We already have Garth and Ayla, Rokk and Pol, Nura and Mysa ... and just to be "different," Garth, Ayla and evil brother Mekt. Heck, even Matter-Eater Lad's brother tried to take his place in the Legion. Some siblings of Legionnaires must have wanted to lead normal lives.

I'm aware that this seems to contradict the outcome of LSH 300, which I just praised. But Steph's idea would tie in neatly if it were explained that Doug wasn't searching for a way to get powers so he could become a hero, but just because he wanted Andrew back. Only after his visions had created years of prolonged torture for him did he accept the next best thing: replacing Andrew in an alternate Legion.

You know I wouldn't retcon Douglas out of history but I never would bring him up again!

I'm with Scott. Douglas doesn't do it for me at all.

If Ferro Lad gets re-introed. I'd like Doug to exist, but not have the deformity of his brother. I'd use this as why Ferro Lad wears the mask. And, hell, it'd just be a twist on something that never seemed right to me. Oh, and I'd have Doug powerless.

You know, I was thinking, wouldn't it be a cool twist if Doug was deformed but Andy wasn't, but Andy wore the mask as a way to help his twin cope with it (or something like that). I dunno, the thought just popped into my head.

One interesting thing to do might be to connect them to the "Man in the Iron Mask" legend (which I suspect is one of the influences on the character to begin with).

In popular versions of the story, the man in the iron mask was the illegitimate older brother of Louis XIV. Ferro Lad as an exiled prince might be kind of interesting, especially given his connection to Princess Projectra.

I like Dougie as a villain, maybe a member of the LSV.

The only story Ferro Lad should be in is a Chuck Taine (or Sun Boy, Cosmic Boy, or Jeckie) retelling the story to Academy recruits. And the twin not mentioned.

I'm with EDE - I'd like the to see the Legion take on Alexandre Dumas' story "Man in the Iron Mask".

I also feel that Ferro Lad's original demise was too important in comics history (not just the Legion) and should not be twisted and retconned. It should be left alone. That said, it would be great for the Legion to have a Ferro Lad - I would like to see brother Douglas join and take up the Ferro Lad mantle.