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Legion (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Legion is a fictional
supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe
. He was created by Keith Giffen
, Gerard Jones
, and Romeo Tanghal
. He is a foe of Abin Sur
, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, the Silver Age Green Lantern
and the Green Lantern Corps
. His only appearance is in the 1990 mini-series Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn.
's career as the Silver Age Green Lantern
.
In ancient times, the Green Lantern Corps
came across the planet Tchk-Tchk in Space Sector 407, which was home to an aggressive, insectile race. After conquering their own planet, they began to spread to the rest of the galaxy, at which point the Guardians of the Universe
decided to take action, sending the Green Lanterns to beat back the Tchk-Tchk and seal off their planet .
Unable to leave, the Tchk-Tchk quickly expended their food supply and began to die out. Realizing what was happening, they put their minds into their new invention, the Soul Jar, wherein they became a sort of hive mind. Once all the remaining minds had entered, they built themselves a new body and called themselves Legion .
Quickly discovering that he was powerful enough to break through the Lantern's barrier, Legion set out to exact revenge on the Guardians. It managed to kill the Lanterns of Space Sectors 2817, 2816, and 2815 before encountering Abin Sur
. The Lantern was unable to harm Legion due to his yellow color, but did manage to escape the encounter.
Following Abin Sur's energy trail, Legion found himself on Earth where, upon learning of Abin Sur's death, he set out to kill his replacement, Hal Jordan
.
When he found Jordan, his ring was depleted, thus leading Legion to believe he had lost the trail. In a rage, he destroyed everywhere the ring had been. Jordan took the opportunity to go to Abin Sur's spaceship to recharge his ring, which again attracted Legion. Jordan detonated the ships reactors, using his ring to protect himself, and afterwards believed Legion to be dead .
However, Legion had escaped to the moon to continue his vendetta. When Jordan was taken to be trained by Kilowog
, Legion went to Oa
for a final assault on the Guardians. He easily broke through their defenses, and Jordan and Kilowog were forced to assist in Oa's defense. Nothing seemed able to stop him, and many Lanterns were killed. He reached the Guardian's citadel, but Jordan, thinking quickly, covered him with mud (so his ring could affect him) and shattered his armor, believing this would kill him. Instead, its consciousness absorbed the power of Oa and grew to immense proportions .
The Guardians fled Oa, but Jordan stayed to confront Legion. He hurled himself into the Central Power Battery, gaining immense power, and was able to hurl Legion into space, where the other Green Lanterns took him back to Tchk-Tchk to hopefully begin a new life .
Legion made no further appearances following the series and has been retcon
ned out of DC comics continuity following the events of Infinite Crisis
and the Sinestro Corps War
(as explained in the "Secret Origin" arc of Green Lantern [Vol. 4]).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. He was created by Keith Giffen
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
, Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
, and Romeo Tanghal
Romeo Tanghal
Romeo Tanghal is a Filipino comic book artist who has worked primarily as an inker. He became well known in the industry in the 1980s for his work on DC Comics' The New Teen Titans.-Career:...
. He is a foe of Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, the Silver Age Green Lantern
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
and the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...
. His only appearance is in the 1990 mini-series Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn.
Fictional character biography
Legion was introduced in the 1990 comic mini-series Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, which covers the early days of Hal JordanHal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
's career as the Silver Age Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
.
In ancient times, the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...
came across the planet Tchk-Tchk in Space Sector 407, which was home to an aggressive, insectile race. After conquering their own planet, they began to spread to the rest of the galaxy, at which point the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
decided to take action, sending the Green Lanterns to beat back the Tchk-Tchk and seal off their planet .
Unable to leave, the Tchk-Tchk quickly expended their food supply and began to die out. Realizing what was happening, they put their minds into their new invention, the Soul Jar, wherein they became a sort of hive mind. Once all the remaining minds had entered, they built themselves a new body and called themselves Legion .
Quickly discovering that he was powerful enough to break through the Lantern's barrier, Legion set out to exact revenge on the Guardians. It managed to kill the Lanterns of Space Sectors 2817, 2816, and 2815 before encountering Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
. The Lantern was unable to harm Legion due to his yellow color, but did manage to escape the encounter.
Following Abin Sur's energy trail, Legion found himself on Earth where, upon learning of Abin Sur's death, he set out to kill his replacement, Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
.
When he found Jordan, his ring was depleted, thus leading Legion to believe he had lost the trail. In a rage, he destroyed everywhere the ring had been. Jordan took the opportunity to go to Abin Sur's spaceship to recharge his ring, which again attracted Legion. Jordan detonated the ships reactors, using his ring to protect himself, and afterwards believed Legion to be dead .
However, Legion had escaped to the moon to continue his vendetta. When Jordan was taken to be trained by Kilowog
Kilowog
Kilowog is a fictional superhero from DC Comics, and a member of the Green Lantern Corps.-Origins:A towering alien with a brutish and porcine appearance, Kilowog is renowned throughout the Green Lantern Corps as the primary trainer of the Corps' newest recruits...
, Legion went to Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...
for a final assault on the Guardians. He easily broke through their defenses, and Jordan and Kilowog were forced to assist in Oa's defense. Nothing seemed able to stop him, and many Lanterns were killed. He reached the Guardian's citadel, but Jordan, thinking quickly, covered him with mud (so his ring could affect him) and shattered his armor, believing this would kill him. Instead, its consciousness absorbed the power of Oa and grew to immense proportions .
The Guardians fled Oa, but Jordan stayed to confront Legion. He hurled himself into the Central Power Battery, gaining immense power, and was able to hurl Legion into space, where the other Green Lanterns took him back to Tchk-Tchk to hopefully begin a new life .
Legion made no further appearances following the series and has been retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned out of DC comics continuity following the events of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
and the Sinestro Corps War
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sciver, the 11-part saga was originally published between June...
(as explained in the "Secret Origin" arc of Green Lantern [Vol. 4]).