Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Ways to make Timber Wolf cool...

Yeah, we all know the history, but to the average comic fan who picks up the Legion for the first time, Brin basically comes off as Wolverine-lite. Especially with writers in recent years doing everything they can to Wolverinize his powers (enhanced senses, healing factor, etc.). But the guy really needed something done with him, because "super-acrobatics" never really cut it on a team with Kryptonians.

So... any ideas? One thing I've considered is actually making him an android (artificially-created human, not a robot) like he believed himself to be in his first appearance, but I'm not sure there's a whole lot to do beyond that. And that doesn't really improve his powers.

Maybe instead making him a human with some kind of animal control powers (like Jungle King/Monster Master) would work well, and make him more unique? It could also allow for the whole "outsider" personality if he feels more comfortable with the animals than he does with other humans.

Well, one thing that made him less cool was how much he became a fool for love. From what we know of the 3boot Brin, we know there's romantic tension, but don't make him the love sick puppy this time. Let him keep his outsider status, popping in from time to time and maybe even with an agenda of his own not totally keeping with the Legion (or maybe he'll even act against the Legion but only out of protection for Jeckie (or whoever it is he's in love with)). Think Angel in the first season of Buffy maybe. He'd be less Wolverine-like at least.

maybe Waid could make him say "Think fast!" all the time.

I definitely like the idea of him as an outsider with a definite agenda all his own, roughly in accord with the Legion's but not exactly. We've already seen that there's quite a bit of tension/debate within the Legion itself as to what their goal should be. It might make sense to have a character who's fed up with trying to persuade the other Legionnaires to follow his particular vision of how the Legion should run, and has set off on his own to change the universe.

That's certainly miles beyond the "I'm too cool to play with you guys" attitude we've seen thus far.

I would avoid the android part all together. It would make him different than Wolverine but not necessarily cool.

I like the outlook you guys have thought up for him. Also no claws. Emphasize his speed, strength and agility. Give his enhanced senses but make the "Lone Wolf" choice of name something he wanted...don't make him part wolf or anything.

Yeah, I think the "Lone Wolf" should refer to his attitude, not his powers. I was re-reading his first appearance the other night, and I actually really like the basic storyline. I like the whole idea of his father creating androids for use in mining, but I'd take out the silly stuff about extracting zuunium to give Brin super-powers. If his father can genetically engineer artificial humans with enhanced strength, speed, and agility, then it seems like the same scientific know-how should allow him to tamper with his own son's genetic code to achieve the same result?

Brin would basically be a genetically enhanced human (I still like the idea of this giving him a low-level telepathy that he could use to communicate with/control animals as well). He should be extremely smart, as well. Basically, I just like the idea of getting him a way from the whole psuedo-werewolf thing that people have been doing with him for ages.

adamantium skeleton?

Timber Wolf doesn't need any help being cool. He is cool, all by himself.

I second that!! Brin's the man.

Thirded. Big surprise, I know.

Fourthed! I've always liked Timber Wolf. Of course they could bring back his early-'80s open-to-the navel costume: my second favourite Legion costume ever!

Plus healing factor, with pop-out daggers between his knuckles that make a kewl sound effect when they emerge-- like "kropt" or "flapt"!

from what LITTLE we've seen of BRIN so far [ in this new run ] i think he's already COOL !

love his look [ by BARRY !! ] and i hope we see more of his connection with PROJECTRA played out !! [ and although it seems to be similar to the VAL and JECKIE of old ] it's still a cool story, a ROYAL and her bit of ROUGH !!

Matthew.

i forgot to mention his powers !!

i think he should have a 'unique' power though, we've not really seen it yet [ do real TIMBER WOLVES have any particular skills, over similar animals ?? ]

at the moment i love to see him doing proper GYMNASTIC moves, back flips, cartwheels, vaulting over people etc .....

Matthew.

I think his acrobatics should be emphasized more. He probably already is the Legion's resident contortionist, but we don't see that aspect of his powers very much. He's probably capable of being like one of those circus people who seem to have no bones and are able to make themselves fit in tiny boxes.

Nah, he's already cool. No doubt about that.

But, if you really wanna add something, add the ability to escape from just about anything. My dogs are escape artists and damn tough about it. One chewed through a metal mesh gate to escape. Granted, she was in heat, but you get the idea.

And in the much missed original legion, Brin was pretty damn tough. His strength was mentioned to be near UB's level. As i read it, he was ranked forth behind Supes, Mon, and Jo. That can be played up as well.

Timberwolf is just another name for a grey wolf. The thing wolves excell at is teamwork. That's a strange fit with a loner. IIRC, lone wolves generaly don't survive long. The reason they have a reputation is because they're more desperate and therefore more dangerous. I don't know how this should apply to Brin.

What I liked most about DnA's interprtation is that they really played up the pack mentality. Brin may not have it in well with general society, but he was at his best when he had a pack to fight for.

I agree that his acrobatics should be played up. The first LSH books I remember (by Steve Lightle) had Brin doing gymnastic moves in the background and that's the image of him that sticks with me.

I've always found it a little weird that someone from Zoon would name themselves after an Earth animal.

Then again, "Dawnstar" is kind of a weird name for someone born off-Earth as well.

I'd like to see Brin with the large sideburns or long hair or point ears or something to differentiate him from the other half-dozen white-skinned, brown haired Legion characters.

I think it would be cool for him to go all hairy or something when he hits an adrenalin level.

Timberwolf or Lone Wolf in in interlac. His codename on Zoon roughly is Lusi Lupk...which is a wolflike canine on the planet. duh!

Make Timber Wolf Cool? stick im in the freezer

The original Brin was one (of a batch) of early legionnaires who once you really sat down and thought about it had pretty lame powers. Super Agility is not much good against Kryptonian or Daxamite levels of power. And for fighting criminals, how effective is the ability to jump around a lot going to be? Hence the ways in which various writers tried to increase his powers to super strength and near invulnerability etc.

But his character made him pretty original and interesting. Here was someone who was convinced that not only was he a criminal but was not even human and did not belong to society, despite wanting to belong. The “Lone Wolf” aspect was something I liked and I would like to see this examined. A lone wolf is, as Arachne says, more dangerous and unpredictable because it is operating outside of its pack structure. A desire to “belong” should be a powerful driving force for Brin, if he is to remain true to his “lone wolf” persona.

Whether this desire to belong would make him cool is a moot point.

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I too would like to see the acrobatics played up. Trouble is, not only are acrobatics rather lame compared to Kryptonian level powers they are also rather redundant on a team where everyone has flight rings.

I seem to remember the only times when Brin would use his acrobatic abilities was when his flight ring would fail for some plot-convenient reason. If you can fly you really don't need acrobatics.

There must be a way to make it work somehow. I'd like there to be. That was one case of the Legion's standard equipment essentially rendering a member redundant which is kind of ironic.

Hated the DNA Wolverine clone. And yes I know the bronze age Timber Wolf was an influence on the Wolverine character originally. Turning TW into a clone of a character that was originally influenced by his own self? Rather insulting really!

In short, I'd like to see the more subtle aspects of his power played up and the brute force stuff toned down. But as I say, agility and acrobatic skill is rather hard to make work when everyone has the ability to fly. More's the pity!

Powers, shmowers. Brin is cool if his girlfriend is cool. Ayla (a.k.a. Hysterical Lass) did nothing but inhibit his coolness factor. Now, with the hot ice-princess Projecta there is at last a prospect of true and enduring coolness to come.

I liked how the Levitz/Giffen era had him look normal most of the time, but gave him the lupine look when he want into action.

Timber Wolf was one of my favorites when Cockrum was on the book, and I think he could be again.