We’ve reached the end of the original run of the Legion, at least as how I define it.
The “Five Years Later” era does continue the story… but there significant retcons and, more importantly, the entire approach to the characters tends to change radically.
Everything coming after issue 63 will be completely ignored by the so-called “Retroboot”, which I won’t be tackling for a looooong time.
They’re supposed to be the “real” continuation of the original continuity, but while they’re definitely closer than the 5YL incarnation… they’re not truly the same, for the most part.
So before we turn our attention to the next era of the Legion, I’m going to give my personal ranking of the Legionnaires.
I’m doing this both as an epilogue to the first part of this journey, but also because I’m curious to see how my personal ranking has changed when compared to my opinion BEFORE I started.
Because I assure you that reading comics and reviewing them are wholly different beasts!
Plus, for some of them my opinion was REALLY influenced from their later incarnations, but here I will do my best to focus ONLY on the original.
Finally, please consider that:
A) I’m ranking them exclusively on the basis of how much I find them interesting and well-written.
B) While it doesn’t necessarily define the ranking, I’m also giving them a grade on how useful they are and good they are as a hero, as a teammate and as a person.
C) Needless to say, but it’s entirely based on personal preference. Obviously there’s nothing wrong if your favorite Legionnaire is not at the top spot in my ranking…
…but if the one at the bottom is your favorite Legionnaire, seek help.
#45: Command Kid
Usefulness: F
Heroism: F
Teamwork: F
Personality: F
Yes, I still insist he’s an actual member. It doesn’t matter if his membership is retroactively revoked: he does join and later resign.
That being said, how could he NOT be the worst? He’s not a hero, he’s obnoxious, he’s just evil for evil’s sake, and Adventure Comics 328 is one of the worst Legion stories ever written.
#44: Dynamo Boy
Usefulness: F
Heroism: F
Teamwork: F
Personality: F
The OTHER character that only I consider a full Legionnaire. Heck at the end of his first story he’s not just the Legion’s leader, he’s the ONLY Legionnaire left!
The same things I’ve said about Command Kid also apply to him, but he’s SLIGHTLY above him because while Adventure Comics 330 and 331 are still awful stories they’re a bit more entertaining.
#43: Pete Ross
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: B
Personality: A++
I kind of feel bad for placing him at the bottom, because he’s not a bad character!
But he has no business being an honorary member of the Legion: unlike some OTHER non-powered honorary member, he’s not exactly useful for the VAST majority of the time.
He does get high points for heroism and teamwork, considering what he goes through without any power or skill to back it up.
Best score for his personality, though. If these were real people, Pete Ross might be the best person in the team.
#42: Elastic Lad
Usefulness: D
Heroism: B
Teamwork: D
Personality: F
While Pete Ross doesn’t really belong in the Legion, at least I can sort of understand the logic behind making him a honorary member: he’s a contemporary of Superboy who saved his life.
Jimmy Olsen is not from Superboy’s time, his power is not all that useful when you already have Chameleon Boy, and more importantly… HE’S JIMMY OLSEN.
The Legion gets tangled in a couple of his dumb plots, so he BARELY ends up helping anyone.
To his defense he tries to be a hero, tries to be a teammate and tries to be a good person… but I think I’ve already said enough about how much Jimmy sucks at everything.
That being said, I rank him barely above Pete because at least he has a power.
#41: Kid Psycho
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: C
Personality: C
Another case where I feel bad. It’s not HIS fault that the writers completely forgot about him!
He’s introduced in Superboy #125 as the Legion’s secret weapon… and they never use him: he only shows up in brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos, and then dies during Crisis. Where he doesn’t even get to save people.
He didn’t even show up in the Great Darkness Saga, and EVERYBODY ELSE was there!!!
Too bad, because he really had potential… from his unique gimmick, to a very useful power, to the drama of being the last of his race. But alas, it was just potential that was not fulfilled.
Technically speaking Pete Ross does a bit more than him, but I still rank Kid Psycho above because unlike Pete at least he feels like he COULD belong in the Legion universe.
#40: Insect Queen
Usefulness: C
Heroism: D
Teamwork: C
Personality: D
Yet another 20th century recruit from Superboy’s time. She doesn’t truly belong in the Legion, but unlike Pete Ross she does have the excuse of having superpowers.
Which she barely ever uses, either in the 20th or 30th century. Which is not good for her heroism score: if she doesn’t want to be a hero, she might as well have given that Bio-Ring to someone else.
She’s a very entertaining character to be sure, and she DOES help a few times (most notably in the first Mordru story), but I can’t place her above a regular Legionnaire.
Speaking of which, this is where the hard part starts because ranking the bottom regular Legionnaire is not a simple thing to do.
#39: Tyroc
Just kidding, the bottom regular is EXACTLY who you thought it was gonna be.
Usefulness: C
Heroism: C
Teamwork: C
Personality: D
Keep in mind that I’m talking EXCLUSIVELY about Tyroc up to Volume 3.
Future eras will bend over backwards to redeem him, but I am not including that character development here.
And without that… his powers are completely random, his costume is laughable, and his backstory has a lot of unfortunate implications.
Which is a pity because his homeworld Marzal is a FASCINATING concept! Too bad they don’t really do anything with it.
#38: Magnetic Kid
Usefulness: C
Heroism: B
Teamwork: C
Personality: C
Poor kid never had a chance. He’s overshadowed by all the other Volume 3 recruits and he’s not given the chance to grow… especially since his brother is around (he even has his old costume AND looks very similar to Cosmic Boy!!!).
His only distinctive characteristic is being the naïve newcomer, but he’s seriously overshadowed in that position by Tellus. Even his death is underwhelming when compared to other Legionnaires, something that puts him below the next entry.
#37: Chemical King
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: C
Personality: C
I went back and forth on whether to put him here or in a slightly higher spot… but the more I think about it, he has very little to show for.
He’s not in a lot of stories, his powers are badly defined, and his only notable issue is the one where he dies. He had potential, and there’s ONE story from a later era that redeems him… Legion fans know which one I’m talking about… but since it’s not in THIS era, it doesn’t count.
#36: Invisible Kid
Usefulness: C
Heroism: A+
Teamwork: A
Personality: C
If it wasn’t for his role as Legion leader during the Shooter era, I would’ve ranked him below Chemical King because he’s only marginally more useful AND his only other notable story is the one where he dies. But even with that important role during the Shooter era, he doesn’t have a very distinct personality. I find him to be very bland and boring.
#35: Invisible Kid II
Usefulness: D
Heroism: C
Teamwork: C
Personality: C
What a letdown. He gets a great introduction against Computo and he’s great as the point-of-view character of the Great Darkness Saga.
But he quickly gets less and less notable. He has a few atrocious solo stories, and his biggest plot is the one linked to the ghost of the original Invisible Kid… a plot that makes little to no sense.
And after the GDS, he basically only interacts with either Brainiac 5 or later Sensor Girl.
He gets some much needed development in the 5YL era, but frankly even that would only help him so much.
#34: Nemesis Kid
Usefulness: F
Heroism: F-
Teamwork: B
Personality: F
Remember I said that I’m ranking the Legionnaires based on how entertaining and interesting they are, and man is Nemesis Kid a great villain.
Not only he’s BY FAR the best “joining under false pretense” Legionnaire, but in creating the Legion Of Super-Villains he becomes literally the nemesis of the whole team.
He’s hurt in the ranking by not being a very complex character and in having surprisingly few appearances… but his first and his last sagas make up for it.
When a villain is both so effective and so despicable that he’s not brought back in any of the following reboots, you know he’s done something right.
#33: Rond Vidar
Usefulness: C
Heroism: B
Teamwork: C
Personality: B
Easily the best honorary member, and the reason why I’ve ranked Pete Ross so low. Not only Rond goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a civilian without powers, but he sticks around and has a much deeper relationship with the Legionnaires.
Three things hurt him, however. The main one is that, aside from Brainiac 5, he barely ever interacts with anyone else. The second is that despite being a supporting character for decades we know next to nothing about his personality.
The third one is that I really, REALLY don’t care about Volume 3’s decision to turn him into a Green Lantern.
#32: Matter-Eater Lad
Usefulness: D
Heroism: B
Teamwork: B
Personality: B
Poor M-E-L is screwed by my decision NOT to count the 5YL era, because even as someone who hates that continuity I have no trouble admitting he’s an amazing character there.
But if we’re talking strictly about the original run, with the exception of Action Comics #381 he’s not given any real characterization and barely ever contributes to the story in a significant way.
#31: Quislet
Usefulness: C
Heroism: B
Teamwork: C
Personality: B
Easily the most fun-loving Legionnaire ever, with a unique backstory and an even more unique power. But he’s really limited by being introduced in a period that has a lot of characters and a lot of plots that don’t involve him.
Plus in the latter half of Volume 3 he’s relegated to interacting with only Wildfire, and while their dynamic is funny it gets old quickly.
#30: Ferro Lad
Usefulness: C
Heroism: A++
Teamwork: A
Personality: A
Kind of a sacrilege giving him a low rank, but there are A LOT of Legionnaires!
And he has VERY few appearances outside of flashbacks (and his ghost): he debuts in Adventure Comics #346 and dies in #353.
That doesn’t leave him much room for interacting with other Legionnaires or develop a complex personality. But his enthusiasm and very unique background really help him, plus he has THE best death ever for a Legionnaire. And in the top five best superhero deaths in general, really.
Thank you for your service, Ferro Lad. We’ll see your not-quite-equivalent in the reboot.
#29: Sun Boy
Usefulness: A
Heroism: C
Teamwork: B
Personality: C
Considering he’s one of the members with the longest career, that he has a very flashy power and that he even has his own personal nemesis with Dr. Regulus… he’s given shockingly little to do.
Unless he’s given his own spotlight issue (which happens about once per era), he’s just kind of… there. Besides being everyone’s friend and girl-crazy, there doesn’t seem to be much more to his personality.
And they really go overboard with him being a ladies man!
He comes across as being as immature as people who don’t read Fantastic Four think Johnny Storm is.
Once again I must stress that he’s not a bad character. He’s just not even enough stuff to do.
#28: Tellus
Usefulness: D
Heroism: C
Teamwork: C
Personality: B
Easily the best of the Volume 3 newbies (since Sensor Girl does not qualify).
He plays the role of the naïve rookie much better than Magnetic Kid, and fulfills his “alien who doesn’t understand humans” role ALMOST as good as Blok used to.
And unlike Quislet, he interacts with a much wider range of Legionnaires.
But once again he’s not given much to do, and as a telepath his usefulness absolutely pales in comparison to Saturn Girl’s in her worst day.
#27: Lightning Lass / Light Lass
Usefulness: D (Light Lass) / C (Lightning Lass)
Heroism: B
Teamwork: C
Personality: D
This is the first surprise to me: I thought for sure that her Volume 3 character development would give her a higher ranking! But let’s recap her journey as I see it.
In the 60s she’s just “one of the girls”. She’s just kind of there, has a crush on Timber Wolf… and that’s it.
In the 70s she’s given a much better costume but A) she’s basically useless B) all of her stories revolve entirely around her relationship with Timber Wolf or with her evil brother C) said relationship doesn’t come across as being healthy for either of them. She then leaves the Legion in a kind of selfish way at the end of the GDS.
Volume 3 shows a spectacular growth for her and she’s finally a great character… only to then become a very unpleasant and grumpy person, always complaining about everything.
At least her relationship with Shrinking Violet, who we can’t call her girlfriend because it’s the 80s, seems to be much healthier than her previous one.
Add the fact that it takes her all the way up to Volume 3 to finally have a decent plot involving Lightning Lord, after a lot of disappointing stories, and even her growth is not enough to overcome all the negatives.
Not a bad character, but as a person I imagine I wouldn’t stand her.
She improves during 5YL and I’m really looking forward to having to deal with her Reboot counterpart Sparks, whose growth I think is one of the best parts of the reboot.
#26: Timber Wolf
Usefulness: C
Heroism: C
Teamwork: C
Personality: C
Like Lightning Lass, he’s also a rollercoaster.
He’s kind of bland in the 60s, then he’s AMAZING from the 70s all the way up to the Great Darkness Saga… and then he gets stuck!
They just stop giving him scenes that don’t involve him trying to get back together with Lightning Lass or where he’s not hanging out with Blok.
Speaking of which, his chemistry with Blok was top notch! But then they basically disappear and are relegated to background characters.
Even stuff that SHOULD have been explored more, like him inheriting Karate Kid’s fortune, simply gets dropped. Plus over time I get the feeling that a lot of Legionnaires just plain don’t like him, considering how often he’s the butt of the joke.
If we were talking about 70s Timber Wolf, or even GDS Timber Wolf, I’d rank him way higher.
#25: Dawnstar
Usefulness: C
Heroism: C
Teamwork: D
Personality: F+
Now THIS was unexpected: before the retrospective I had a much higher opinion of Dawnstar!
She has a very unique power, a distinctive look, and she’s the love interest of one of my favorites.
What’s not to like? PLENTY, as it turns out!
Her usefulness for the Legion fades steadily. How many times someone is kidnapped and conveniently she can’t track them? That’s her only job in the team!
She thinks highly of herself and she’s a pain to be around, but she can’t back it up by accomplishing much. Do you know how insufferably smug you must be to get on the nerves of a DOCTOR DOOM superfan!?
She’s also hurt by a severe lack of interaction and chemistry with her teammates. If we exclude Wildfire, I don’t think she’s friends with ANY other Legionnaire! She’s always complaining or arguing with the others and it gets old.
I could overlook that if she was a better person, but… honestly, if we exclude the psychos that infiltrate the team, I think she is BY FAR the worst person.
She’s arrogant, she’s stuck up, she’s intolerant of other views, and let’s not even begin to talk about just how incredibly toxic her relationship with Wildfire ends up being.
That being said… her being insufferable IS initially interesting, and she has a distinctive power when she remembers she has it.
#24: Supergirl
Usefulness: A+
Heroism: A++
Teamwork: A
Personality: A++
Put down the pitchforks, I do have a reason for placing her this low!
And that’s mainly because she’s not fully integrated into the Legion.
We get to see Superboy interact with the 30th century and create unique relationships with multiple Legionnaires, but the same can’t be said for Supergirl.
She’s only around to deal with a specific problem, and Brainiac 5 is the only Legionnaire she reliably interacts with in any meaningful way.
They don’t even use the fact that she’s in the same team as SuperBOY, which could’ve been a nice contrast with her relationship with SuperMAN, but they never go there.
Not to mention the team already has 2 members with her same powers… 2 ½ if you count Ultra Boy… and she’s not all that unique.
Sorry Kara, I still think you’re one of the best and most underrated Silver Age characters, but you didn’t shine often as a Legionnaire.
#23: Colossal Boy
Usefulness: C
Heroism: B
Teamwork: A
Personality: B
He’s kind of the baseline Legionnaire. He’s not too powerful or too weak, he has tons of interactions with his teammates but most of them are not very deep, he’s kind of the team’s everyman but not to the extent of Bouncing Boy… and for the most part, he’s just kind of there.
He’s helped by the various plots and subplots revolving more about his personal life: his parents being kidnapped, his mother becoming President, his marriage, his not-relationship with GiGi.
That’s all well and good, but him being the everyman comes with a price: I’ve never felt that he has a particularly interesting personality to explore.
#22: Phantom Girl
Usefulness: A
Heroism: C
Teamwork: B
Personality: C
Her power has always been interesting and useful, but she takes a while to get a personality that isn’t restricted to “girl” and “likes Ultra Boy”.
Which is her main limitation: if you remove her scenes revolving around her boyfriend and her hanging out with Shadow Lass, she rarely gets the spotlight.
But her commitment to the Legion is consistent, and I find her later characterization of being kind of an elitist towards the new recruits to be fascinating.
And while I’m trying not to be influenced by later eras, she just pales in comparison with her reboot counterpart despite all the elements being there waiting to be used.
#21: Cosmic Boy
Usefulness: B
Heroism: B
Teamwork: A
Personality: C
By far the greatest disappointment of the retrospective. If we take into account all versions of Cosmic Boy, he’s one of the best parts of all continuities… except the original.
Before the retrospective I would’ve ranked him way higher, but I realize that the heavy lifting is done by later eras.
He absolutely pales in comparison to the other two founders, he’s rarely an important part of a fight or of a moral argument, and to add insult to injury he’s both responsible for the first Legion stories to receive a negative score (Superboy #173 and Superboy & the LSH #235) AND his atrocious miniseries.
On the plus side, his relationship with Night Girl is interesting (and if she were a member I would rank her higher) and some of his interactions with the other founders work.
#20: Ultra Boy
Usefulness: A
Heroism: B
Teamwork: A
Personality: B
I would’ve ranked him lower before the retrospective, but not by much.
My favorite version remains the Reboot, where he has more to do and stands out more thanks to the absence of Superboy… but he’s not AS bland as I remembered him.
Yes his relationship with Phantom Girl does take the majority of his scenes, and he’s extremely boring in the 60s. But once we get to the 70s he gets to show that he DOES have nuance, although he’d be the one to deny it.
#19: Star Boy
Usefulness: D
Heroism: B
Teamwork: B
Personality: A
What an inconsistently written character.
After his introduction he disappears for so long I had to keep track of any minimal mention. Then once he joins he’s quite bland… until we hit his trial, which is still one of the best five Legion stories ever written.
Once he gets my absolute favorite Legion costume he’s quite interesting, then he turns bland again, then he has an absolute gem like LSH #306, only to end his Volume 3 run with a bland exit.
He’s extremely frustrating to rank: his highs are REALLY high, he also has a very long stretch of just okay stories, he’s basically never the one to save the day… but it’s very rare to have him a truly bad story and I can’t think of a single instance where he’s a bad person.
I could rank him lower, but his highs are just spectacular… and let’s face it, he needs a confidence boost.
#18: White Witch
Usefulness: B
Heroism: C
Teamwork: A
Personality: B
The next continuities are NOT going to be kind to her; in fact I would classify several moments in her future history as sheer character assassinations.
But she brought a new perspective into the Legion. Her powers are unique and versatile, and she has complex conversations and relationships with many teammates ranging from Dream Girl to Brainiac 5. And of course her scenes with Blok are the cutest thing ever.
Speaking of which…
#17: Blok
Usefulness: D
Heroism: B
Teamwork: B
Personality: A++
Another character that is going to be screwed over. He’s the first Legionnaire to bring a much-needed truly alien perspective.
I don’t get why all other continuities skip him over: he’d be the PERFECT way to explain the Legion universe to new readers, because he’s so naïve and inexperienced!
His duets with Timber Wolf are a classic, his crush on White Witch is cuteness personified, and while he doesn’t interact as much with other Legionnaires they’re all great.
He does bring a few negatives: his power is inconsistent and doesn’t stand out, his cluelessness can get tiresome, and he’s eventually completely overshadowed by Tellus.
But come on, it’s Blok! Who wouldn’t want to give a hug to this puppy-eyed rock?
#16: Karate Kid
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A+
Teamwork: C
Personality: B
The quintessential Jim Shooter Legionnaire, the most badass of all badass normals, the one who sounds like a joke until you read him.
He’s fantastic in the Shooter run and he’s coolness personified in the 70s… if you’re only reading the Legion. And since I am including this atrocious series, that’s a BIG problem for him.
That being said, he recovers a lot of points with one of the very best superhero deaths.
#15: Polar Boy
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: B
Personality: A
Unlike Karate Kid, the fact that I’m considering his appearances without the Legion is a positive for Polar Boy. Because if I only considered his Legion membership he’d be near the bottom… he barely does anything before becoming leader, and then he’s easily the worst leader we’ve seen.
But as a member of the Substitute Heroes he’s fantastic! Very entertaining, both for comedic and serious scenes, and his enthusiasm for being a hero is infectious.
The Legion really should’ve recruited him from the start, not just because the reason they gave for rejecting him was idiotic but because he’s a great hero.
#14: Shadow Lass
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A
Personality: A
The fact that she was the planetary champion of her entire world BEFORE she joined the Legion tells you everything about her strength as a hero, even if her power is rarely the decisive factor.
Like Phantom Girl she suffers a bit by sharing the majority of scenes with her boyfriend. But her relationship with Mon-El is deeper and more complex than it seems at first glance.
#13: Superboy
Usefulness: A++
Heroism: A++
Teamwork: A
Personality: A
It’s nearly impossible to imagine the original Legion without Superboy’s contribution, and not because they kicked him off his own series.
Twice.
But he’s instrumental in so many stories, he interacts with everybody, and you really see him grow as a person over the years.
He does steal the spotlight a little too much in the early years, he has real trouble fully integrating with the Legion time, and he does bring too much of his worst Silver Age qualities… but I would argue that he’s a better person than his adult counterpart.
Him leaving the team was eventually a good thing for the Legion since it allowed them to get out of his shadow, but Superboy’s fame as a Legionnaire is well earned.
#12: Dream Girl
Usefulness: F
Heroism: B
Teamwork: A
Personality: B
She’s a breath of fresh air when she shows up in the Hamilton era and she’s always fun in the 70s, but it’s in the 80s that she reveals hidden depths. From the Great Darkness Saga to her leadership run to the Universo Project, she really shows that there’s more to her than the vain tease she pretends to be. Although she is ALSO a vain tease, which sometimes can be too much.
Her unique power SHOULD be a real asset to the team, but it works better as a storytelling engine than an actual resolution.
And I don’t get how Legionnaires STILL doubt her power despite the amount of times she’s been proven right.
#11: Bouncing Boy
Usefulness: D
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A+
Personality: A+
Another hero who sounds like a joke until you read him. His power allows for some fun visuals and it would be rather useful for a more street-level team, even if in the Legion he rarely gets to show off.
But it’s his personality that pushes his so high in my rank: as previously mentioned he’s THE quintessential everyman, with his never-give-up attitude really showing why his teammates respect him to such a high degree.
Even if he’s pushed out of the Legion in the 70s when things get more serious, he adapts spectacularly well to his new role as a teacher for new generations of heroes.
Lots of interactions with his teammates, and naturally a very wholesome relationship which is probably the healthiest one in the Legion.
Speaking of which…
#10: Triplicate Girl / Duo Damsel
Usefulness: F
Heroism: A
Teamwork: B
Personality: A
On paper she should be the least useful Legionnaire… and she kind of is in practice as well.
In fact I would rank this continuity as the one where she’s the LEAST useful, with the following ones doing a MUCH better job at showing her prowess. And the 60s do a very bad job at making her anything but a joke character.
So with all those negatives, why do I rank her so high? Because she gets so, SO much better.
The 70s explore her relationship with Bouncing Boy, and even if they don’t go as deep as the Reboot they do at least attempt to get into the psychological aspects of duplication a couple of times. Like her husband, she adapts really well to her new role as a teacher as well.
And while the loss of her third body gets treated as barely a footnote, the horror of it happening to her TWICE is a glimpse of what could have been done with her.
#9: Shrinking Violet
Usefulness: A
Heroism: A
Teamwork: B
Personality: C
The 60s version is not particularly interesting: she’s another “girl whose only personality trait is having a crush”, and she seems to always be sad and her power is rarely used creatively.
Then we get to the 70s where she gets MUCH better: from her costume to her personality to her usefulness, she’s almost unrecognizable and superior in every way.
The 80s give her a second makeover which makes her much more complex, WAY more bitter and WAY more aggressive. A bit too aggressive, seemingly ready to pick up a fight at any moment, but she maintains a unique relationship with many teammates.
Plus she’s at the center of what is easily the best handled mystery in the Legion’s history.
#8: Lightning Lad
Usefulness: A
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A+
Personality: A
I would’ve ranked him lower before the retrospective, as this is not my favorite interpretation of the character. But while I don’t find his personality as complex as the writers seem to think, he’s undeniably at the center of A LOT of interesting and significant storylines.
Can you really think of this era of the Legion without his death, his resurrection, his fight against the Super Moby Dick Of Space, his robot arm, his involvement with Starfinger, his relationship with Saturn Girl, his struggles with leadership AND with civilian life AND with fatherhood?
#7: Princess Projectra / Sensor Girl
Usefulness: F (Projectra) / B (Sensor Girl)
Heroism: C (Projectra) / A (Sensor Girl)
Teamwork: A (Projectra) / B (Sensor Girl)
Personality: C (Projectra) / B (Sensor Girl)
We’re basically talking about two different characters here, but at the same time Sensor Girl does feel like a natural evolution for the character… even if it has to jump through a few hoops to get there.
As Projectra alone I would have ranked her a bit lower. Her background is completely unique when compared to all other Legionnaires, but it’s very rarely explored. Her relationship with Karate Kid is interesting to follow, but not all that different. I probably would’ve ranked her a little above him, because she’s not held back by an atrocious series.
But as Sensor Girl, she’s one of the best parts of Volume 3. A bit to the detriment of other characters (she replaces White Witch’s role as the mystically minded one), but she’s so good and way more complex than we imagined.
#6: Chameleon Boy
Usefulness: A+
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A+
Personality: A
I would have ranked him lower before the retrospective. He has SO MANY stories where he’s shown to be incredibly competent that he’s grown on me.
He has possibly the most versatile power of the entire roster, and after the early 60s (where he’s upstaged by Proty by all things) he gets to showcase it quite often.
Tons of unique interactions with basically all his teammates, plus while I didn’t really care for the revelation of R.J.Brande being his father I did like the evolution of their relationship, even if it’s eventually dropped.
He does have a couple of major screw-ups, most notably right before the Great Darkness Saga, but if anything that makes him even more interesting.
#5: Element Lad
Usefulness: A++
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A
Personality: A
He’s always been in my personal top five. A truly FASCINATING power that makes him a very unique powerhouse; he’s surprisingly bland in the 60s, but once we get to the 70s he truly shines.
His relationship with Shvaughn is THE gold standard for a Legion relationship with a civilian, and while it takes him a while to get there he does bring an interesting perspective into the team.
His leadership has ups and downs, and he gets stuck with the role of “the one who insists on following the rules” a bit too much later on. But it does help him to get tons of interactions with everybody, both on and off duty.
#4: Mon-El
Usefulness: A++
Heroism: A++
Teamwork: A
Personality: A
Take all the positive traits of Superboy, take away the Silver Age silliness, add a tragic backstory and one of the best superhero romances ever… and then you get Mon-El.
It takes a while before the psychological aspects of his 1,000 years imprisonment are properly explored, and in the 60s he’s a bit redundant with both Superboy and Supergirl and Ultra Boy around… but once he’s given enough space, he’s PHENOMENAL.
And if you thought his origins are a bit convoluted… boy are things going to be ridiculous later.
#3: Wildfire
Usefulness: A+
Heroism: B
Teamwork: B
Personality: C
He was one rank above this before the retrospective, but he’s not at fault for being dropped: I just found another Legionnaire to be more impressive.
Still, all the reasons why I love Wildfire are still there.
Interesting and unique power, BY FAR the most horrific origin AND the most tragic condition.
Lots of interactions with other members, and while his personality is more than a little abrasive… I’m a sucker for characters that are insufferable in-universe but can back up their boasts with either actual feats or a fascinating personality, and Wildfire has BOTH.
I even like his leadership run despite him being terrible at his job, BECAUSE he’s terrible at his job! Unlike Polar Boy (who is much, MUCH worse in the role), it does bring interesting stories.
He also adapts to the teacher role remarkably well, something I didn’t see coming.
There are things to hold him back, though.
His relationship with Dawnstar, while initially cute, gets really toxic over the years, and he gets to be an effective member less and less frequently.
And let’s just forget his atrocious humanoid redesign, WTF were they thinking!?!?
#2: Brainiac 5
Usefulness: A++
Heroism: A
Teamwork: A
Personality: A+
As I’ve mentioned multiple times, Brainy is my favorite Legionnaire of all time. So you might be surprised to see that I don’t rank him the highest, and I’m just as surprised as you are!
But while there’s PLENTY to appreciate about this version… the highs and lows of his relationship with Supergirl, the Computo saga, his mental breakdown, his friendship with Rond Vidar, the Time Trapper feud, his role in both his own trial and in the trial of Star Boy, just to name a few… I don’t find him as interesting as I used to.
His complexity does come up later, but for much of the 60s and even for part of the 70s he’s surprisingly straightforward. Plus I prefer the version where he’s the insufferable genius that has to learn to respect his teammates (something he does in all versions of the character), and the fact that he gets along with everybody gets a bit boring.
He still remains one of the quintessential Legionnaires, as shown by the fact that every single time he’s not available the team has a much harder time doing its job.
Something that hurts him in the 80s is that he tends to be isolated: there are long stretches of issues where outside of combat he only interacts with Rond Vidar, Saturn Girl, Dream Girl or Projectra.
I think the Reboot identified a key component in making Brainiac 5 really work: he has to develop a strong friendship with at least ONE Legionnaire.
Rond Vidar fulfills much of the role that Invisible Kid will take in the Reboot, but since he’s not a Legionnaire it results in Brainy being away. The closest thing to a strong friendship he has in the team is Saturn Girl… speaking of which, if you’ve been following the Legion Awards you won’t be surprised by who managed to take the top spot from my favorite.
#1: Saturn Girl
Usefulness: A++
Heroism: A++
Teamwork: A++
Personality: A
What else can I say at this point? She’s the best Legionnaire of most of the eras, with shockingly very very few bad stories!
The quintessential Legionnaire, she’s constantly proving herself to be THE best of the three founders. No wonder she’s the first female superhero to lead her own team!
Whether it’s her role as the team’s leader, as the team’s unofficial counselor, as the team’s mother, as an ACTUAL mother, as a wife, as a friend, as a confidante, as a fighter, is there ANYTHING Saturn Girl can’t do better than nearly anybody else?
Yes.
We know she can’t dance.
I will find a way to use that image in the other continuities as well. Trust me.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is TRULY a wrap on the original version of the Legion.
Unless I find yet another story I forgot.
The rest of the month will be dedicated to a few odds and ends to be considered as background before tackling the next era, and in January… which marks the fifth year of the site… we’ll tackle the Five Years Later run.