The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are of ...

s who appear in

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

. They are adversaries of the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

in the future. They first appeared as adults in ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'' #147 (Aug 1961) and as teens in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #372 (Sept 1968). The team originated at a time when ''

'' editor

Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features a ...

was consciously adding new elements to the "Superman mythos" over a period of years, building an extended cast of supporting characters who could provide new story opportunities. The creation of the Legion of Super-Heroes was part of that plan, and in the Legion's fourth appearance ("The Army of Living Kryptonite Men" in ''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

'' #86, Jan 1961), there's a suggestion that

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...

would someday lead a group of super-villains. Seven months later, in ''Superman'' #147's story "The Legion of Super-Villains", that prediction came true.

Fictional team history

Pre-''Crisis'', the Legion first appears when

creates a radio to contact the future, hoping to send a message to a Legion of Super-Villains, feeling there must be an evil counterpart to the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is broken out of jail by a gun, flying belt, and force-field helmet being sent into his cell. He then meets the trio of villains,

Cosmic King The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics. They are adversaries of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future. They first appeared as adults in ''Superman'' #147 (Aug 1961) and as teens ...

, Lightning Lord and

Saturn Queen Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

, who tell him of their origins. They cause trouble for Superman and finally an illusion cast by Saturn Queen succeeds in luring him to a planetoid, where a Kryptonite field holds him. He is told the origins of the LSV, and sentenced to death in a parody of the way the Legion of Super-Heroes voted him in, but the adult Legion of Super-Heroes appears and battles their foes. Luthor threatens to kill Superman, but Saturn Woman offers herself in his place. Superman asks for a tribute to her and is released after promising not to rescue her. He uses part of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

's rings to create a ring round the planetoid, causing Saturn Queen to hypnotize the villains before they can kill Saturn Woman, as it is revealed Saturn's rings somehow make the inhabitants stay good. Saturn Queen is given a fragment to make sure she stays good, and the other villains are jailed. However, they would battle Superman at other points, such as during '' Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?'', where they aid Brainiac in assaulting Superman at his Fortress of Solitude. They also kill Lana Lang, before fleeing back to the future when Superman brutally attacks Lightning Lord. Pre-''Crisis'', the Legion of Super-Villains was founded by Tarik the Mute, who had suffered irreparable damage to his vocal cords during a battle with the Science Police and subsequently developed a pathological hatred of law and order. He founded a

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...

for supervillains, which served as the headquarters and recruiting grounds for the Legion's first incarnation. He blackmailed Colossal Boy into joining as a teacher. Several other incarnations of the group formed over the years, led first by Sun Emperor and then by Nemesis Kid. In the last incarnation they conquered the low-tech planet of

Orando Princess Projectra is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. Typically portrayed as a haughty member of an alien royal family, she lives in the 30th and 31st centuries, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. P ...

, the homeworld of

Princess Projectra Princess Projectra is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. Typically portrayed as a haughty member of an alien royal family, she lives in the 30th and 31st centuries, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroe ...

, and slipped it into another dimension as a base of operations. Each villain was sworn to kill one Legionnaire, but only Nemesis Kid succeeded, fatally wounding

Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and ...

. In Post-''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

'' continuity, some of the members of the Legion of Super-Villains attempted to remake the universe by tampering with the origins of

and

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

and adopting them as their own "children", eventually transforming them into the dictators of Earth, and eliminating other members of the JLA to stop them from interfering. Superman and Batman managed to overcome their brainwashing, however, due to the

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

of another reality telling them what had happened; they restored the timestream to its proper course, and took the villains to the 31st century to be imprisoned, but kept the memories of their lives with the villains.

Five Years Later

During the fourth volume of ''Legion of Super-Heroes'', the Legion of Super-Villains has disbanded, and some of its members had actually reformed. Echo joined the Legion during the Five Year Gap, but resigned after the events of Black Dawn. Lightning Lord reformed and went to work on his family's plantation on Winath. Ron-Karr joined the

Legion of Substitute Heroes Legion of Substitute Heroes is a group of fictional characters in the future of the DC Comics universe. The "Subs", as they are often called, are a group of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes who band together, hoping to prove to ...

and Spider Girl joined the Legion,''Legion of Super-Heroes'' vol. 4 #54 (February 1994) nursing some feelings for Jo Nah and changing her identity to "Wave" when the Legion went on the run. Saturn Queen married

Matter-Eater Lad Matter-Eater Lad (real name Tenzil Kem) is a superhero in the DC Universe. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and possesses the power to eat matter in all forms, as do all natives of his home planet, Bismoll. He first appears in ''Advent ...

and reformed after retrieving her family's hypno-stone from

Prince Evillo This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Legion of Super-Heroes enemies In alphabetical order (with issue and date of debut appearance). In other media See also List of Superman en ...

, ultimately becoming queen of Titan. Radiation Roy, however, was kidnapped by the Dominator-controlled Earthgov and almost mindwiped as a soldier for the Dominion. These events were all wiped out by '' Zero Hour''.

The Lightning Saga

Manifestations of the LSV based on the nightmares of Dream Girl appeared at the end of ''

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...

'' vol. 3 #4 (2007), where they kill the guards of

Arkham Asylum The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane (), commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appear ...

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

In ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

'' #859 (2008), Spider Girl and Radiation Roy are shown to be members of the xenophobic ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

of Earth'', along with other rejected

applicants Earth Man (formerly Absorbency Boy), Eyeful Ethel, Tusker, Golden Boy, and Storm Boy. Spider Girl is now in a relationship with Earth-Man, the League's leader, and traded the Legionnaire

White Witch Jadis is the main antagonist of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950) and ''The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch and ...

to Mordru, in return for his staying off the planet. Roy now has to wear a containment suit, since his radioactive powers have caused him to develop

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

s all over his body, specifically one dominating the right side of his face. Defeated by

and the Legionnaires, the Justice Leaguers are sent to the prison planet Takron-Galtos.

''Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds''

The Legion of Super-Villains appear in the '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds''

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

which runs from August 2008 to September 2009. This incarnation of the Legion includes Lightning Lord,

, Sun Emperor, Beauty Blaze, Ol-Vir, Tyr, Zymyr,

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, and Chameleon Chief as well as other Legion of Super-Heroes villains Black Mace, Universo, Dr. Regulus,

Grimbor the Chainsman This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Legion of Super-Heroes enemies In alphabetical order (with issue and date of debut appearance). In other media See also List of Superman e ...

, Mordru, Esper Lass, Magno Lad, Micro Lad, Echo, Terrus, the League of Super-Assassins (Silver Slasher, Lazon, Neutrax, Mist Master, and Titania), the Fatal Five ( Tharok,

Emerald Empress The Emerald Empress is the name of several, fictional super-villains appearing American comic books published by DC Comics. The characters associated with the name name are often portrayed as a prominent adversary of the Legion of Super-Heroes. T ...

Persuader Persuader is a Swedish power metal band from the city Umeå in the Swedish province of Västerbotten Norrland. The band was formed in 1997, and they have since released five full-length albums. They have a sound similar to bands including earl ...

Mano Mano may refer to: People * Mano people, an ethnic group in Liberia * Mano (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Mano (Mozambican footballer) (born 1984), real name Celso Halilo de Abdul * Mano (Portuguese footballer) (b ...

, and

Validus The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Fictional team history Origin ...

), and the

Justice League of Earth The Justice League of Earth are fictional characters, a supervillain team of the 31st Century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank and first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #859 (January 2008) as enemies of the ...

(

Radiation Roy Radiation Roy is a supervillain from the DC comics universe. Fictional character biography Trying For the Legion Roy Travich, after receiving a large inheritance from a deceased relative, uses it to gain a super power and join his idols: The Legi ...

, Tusker,

Spider Girl Spider Girl (Sussa Paka) is a fictional character appearing in books published by DC Comics. The character was first mentioned as a concept in the letters page of ''Adventure Comics'' when a fan suggested a character with the power of super-str ...

, Golden Boy, Storm Boy, and Earth-Man). In addition, the group is led by

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an Alternative versions of Superman, alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in ''DC Comi ...

. The villains are broken out of Takron-Galtos by Superboy-Prime, and reveal to him that it was he who inspired them to band together. Each member is later given copies of the Legion of Super-Heroes' flight rings bearing Prime's "S" symbol. The Legion of Super-Villains later appear on Sorcerer's World as Mordru is trying to stop

Dawnstar Dawnstar is a superheroine appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. She was created by Paul Levitz and Mike Grell, and first appeared in ''Superboy and ...

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

, Blok, and

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

/Legionnaire Rond Vidar from rescuing the

. The White Witch manages to create a stargate, but Rond forces them through and is left to fight the Legion by himself. After Vidar has fought off several Legion members, Saturn Queen gets inside his head and starts to hinder his willpower. When Prime grabs Rond by the neck, Saturn Queen tells him to wait, since Rond is Universo's son. Universo shows no care for Rond and only wants his power ring. Rond mocks him, telling him it can never be his, and spits in his face before Prime snaps his neck. Universo tries to take his ring, but it flies off to Oa. Mordru is then offered membership in the Legion, telling him it can only be temporary, which is the same case for the Fatal Five and the Justice League of Earth. Earth Man sums it up by saying that, as much as the various villains dislike each other, they all want the Legion of Super-Heroes dead. They head for Earth and launch an attack on the Legionnaires. Eventually, the tide turns against them as the White Witch uses Mordru's spell "Aufero magus infusco!" three times to absorb Mordru and his magic.''Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' #5 (September 2009)

Post-''Legion of Three Worlds''

In ''Adventure Comics'' vol. 2 #3 (2009), it was revealed that the Legion of Super-Villains has sent an espionage squad back into the 21st century. It has also been revealed that

has been reforming the group in order to bring anarchy back to the universe, starting with the destruction of the worlds that house the immortal beings that represent will ( Oa), faith (the Rock of Eternity), and wisdom (Utopia, the World of the Wise, homeworld of supporting character Harmonia Li).''Legion of Super-Heroes'' #15 (July 2011)

Roster

The members of the Legion included: * Akka - Expert martial artist from the planet Sklar, killed by Saturn Queen in issue #14. * Beauty Blaze - Possesses heat- and fire-based abilities. * Chameleon Chief (Jall Tannuz) - Powers similar to, but not exactly like, Chameleon Boy. * Cosmic King (Laevar Bolto of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

) - Transmutation powers similar to

Element Lad Element Lad (Jan Arrah) is a fictional character in the 30th and 31st centuries of the , a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. A native of the planet Trom, he has the power to transmute chemical elements. Publication history Element Lad first ...

. *

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

(Myke-4 Astor of Calish Aetia) - Sound and sonic-based abilities. * Esper Lass (Meta Ulnoor of Titan) - Telepathic powers similar to Saturn Girl. *

(Adam Orion of Simballi) - Son of the original Hunter, he seeks revenge on the Legion for his father's death. * Immortus - A living brain implanted in a powerful android body. * Lightning Lord (Mekt Ranzz of Winath) - A Winathian with lightning powers who is Lightning Lad and Light Lass' brother. * Magno Lad (Kort Grezz of Braal) - Magnetic abilities similar to Cosmic Boy. * Micro Lad (Lalo Muldron of Imsk) - Can shrink in size like Shrinking Violet. Killed by Akka. * Nemesis Kid (Hart Druiter of Myar) - Can adapt the power to defeat any single enemy. Killed by Projectra. *

Ol-Vir Ol-Vir is a fictional character, a supervillain in the future of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (vol. 2) #294 (December 1982), and is often depicted as a member of the Legion of Super-Villains. Fictio ...

- Daxamite powers similar to

Mon-El Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El (and alternatively as Valor and M'Onel), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman. The ch ...

, but lacking the former's immunity to lead. * Questor (Xart Prax of Colu) - Technologically amplified super-genius. *

(Roy Travich of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

) - He emits radiation. * Ron-Karr - Neptunian who can become flat. *

(Eve Aries of Titan) - Time travelling telepath from the future. *

(Sussa Paka of Earth) - Has super-strong prehensile hair. * Sun Emperor (Nigal Douglous of Earth) - Has solar powers similar to Sun Boy. * Sun Killer (Kodama of Earth) - Possesses the powers of a star. * Terrus - Ground-based abilities. Body made up of a swarm of insects. * Tyr - Warrior from the planet Tyrraz with a bionic gun in place of his right arm. * Zymyr - A native of the planet Gil'Dishpan who can create warps. Killed by Superboy-Prime. The remaining villains are members of the League of Super-Assassins: * Lazon - He can turn into light. * Mist Master - He can turn into any vapor or gas. * Neutrax - In addition to neutralizing the powers of anyone for a short time, he rides in a flying chair that is similar to the one used by Metron. * Silver Slasher - She has a metallic-enhanced body and sharp nails. * Titania - A super-strong female who is Silver Slasher's cousin. The following joined up with the group during the ''Final Crisis'' storyline: * Black Mace (Mick Yardreigh of Earth) - A highly trained and super-strong mercenary. * Doctor Regulus (Zaxton Regulus of Earth) - A mad scientist. * The Fatal Five - A group consisting of five of the greatest criminals in the universe. **

- A female villain who controlled the Emerald Eye of Ekron. **

- A villain whose right hand has an anti-matter touch. **

- A villain who wields an atomic axe that can cut through anything. ** Tharok - A villain who became a cyborg after losing the left side of his body in an accident. **

- An alien monster with super-strength, enhanced durability, energy projection, and an immunity to telepathy. *

- A master craftsman and expert trap master. * The

- A group of Legion of Super-Heroes rejects that tried to save Earth by turning it into a xenophobic society. ** Earth-Man - He can absorb and duplicate the abilities of metahumans and aliens alike. ** Golden Boy (Klint Stewirt of Earth) - He can change the structure of any element into gold just by touching them. ** Storm Boy (Myke Chypurz of Earth) - He can control the weather. ** Tusker (Horace Lafeaugh of Earth) - He has ivory-like tusks that can grow to certain sizes as well as enhanced durability, a healing factor, and enhanced strength, agility, and reflexes. * Mordru - A powerful wizard. *

- A version of Superboy from Earth-Prime. * Universo - An ex-Green Lantern Corps member with hypnotic abilities.

In other media

The Legion of Super-Villains appeared in the ''

Legion of Super Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cen ...

'' episode "Lightning Storm". The lineup consists of Lightning Lord (voiced by

James Arnold Taylor James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the '' Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final ...

), Hunter (voiced by

Khary Payton Khary Payton (born May 16, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as King Ezekiel on the horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' and Dr. Terrell Jackson on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', as well as voicing Cyborg across va ...

), Esper (voiced by

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...

), Tyr (voiced by

), Wave, and Ron-Karr (voiced by Shawn Harrison with the character depicted as a shapeshifter). This version is primarily led by Lightning Lord. Calling themselves the "Light Speed Vanguard" they pretend to be superheroes and attempt to outperform the

. They are soon revealed to be financially motivated protector-extortionists and assassins. The team, minus Lightning Lord, return at the beginning of Season 2 assisting the Fatal Five. Now led exclusively by Tyr in the absence of Lightning Lord, they appear as one of several teams of villains released from prison by

Imperiex Imperiex () is a supervillain character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He was initially introduced as an adversary to the superhero Superman before becoming a main antagonist for DC Comics' the "Our Worlds at War" crossover. ...

. In that same episode,

Brainiac 5 Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox) is a fictional superhero character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is from the planet Colu and is a long-standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The first live-action version of the c ...

later refers to them officially as the Legion of Super-Villains.

References

External links

Cosmic Teams profile

''Superman'' #147 (debut of Legion of Super-Villains)

Unofficial Legion of Super-Villains biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legion Of Super-Villains Legion of Super-Heroes Comics characters introduced in 1968 Comics about time travel DC Comics supervillain teams