| Legion of Super Heroes | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Amy Wolfram |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Kristopher Carter |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sander Schwartz (season 1) |
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Joe Gall |
| Running time | 21–22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | The CW (Kids' WB) |
| Release | September 23, 2006 (2006-09-23) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) |
Legion of Super Heroes is an Americananimated television series produced byWarner Bros. Animation, adapted from theDC Comics series of thesame name. It debuted on September 23, 2006, and centers on ayoung Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside the eponymous group of superheroes. The show was produced by one of its main character designersJames Tucker, a co-producer of theJustice League Unlimited series, for theKids' WB line-up onThe CW network.
The series drew on the rich history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, taking inspiration from stories set during all time periods of the team's nearly 50-year history in comics. It also had a tie-in spin-off comic book series,Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century, that lasted 20 issues.
The series was cancelled after its second season.[1]
A few months beforeLegion of Super Heroes premiered, the Legion appeared in theJustice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home". The episode featuredSupergirl traveling to the future and joining the Legion, leading audiences to think that it was intended to serve as aback-door pilot for aLegion series, and that it would be a DCAUspin-off. Producer James Tucker clarified that the series was deliberately created from scratch:
Early reports had suggested the title of the series would beSuperboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, but the official announcement in April 2006 confirmed the title asLegion of Super Heroes. The same announcement indicated that the series would air on theKids' WB block of the newThe CW network at 10 a.m.[3]
At the 2006Comic Con International, the production staff did not officially say whetherlegal issues at the time involving the ownership of Superboy had affected this series or whether changes were made to tie the series in with theSuperman Returns film, but one significant change had been made since the announcement of the series. The original press release referred to "the young Superboy",[4] while the revised press release, published in June, described the character as a youngSuperman. At the conclusion of the pilot episode, Clark adopts the superhero name Superman, and not Superboy. In the second season, which takes place two years after the end of the first season, the character is called Superman, without reference to his "young" status.
The second season has a darker and more mature tone than the first season and mostly focuses on Brainiac 5 and his relationship with his evil ancestor, the originalBrainiac. In the second season, most of the Legionnaires have changed their appearances, e.g., Lightning Lad has longer hair and gains a robotic arm afterImperiex blasted off his right arm during a battle, and Triplicate Girl changes her codename to Duo Damsel after her white self is killed by anantimatter wave.[5] As with the first season, a total of 13 episodes were created for the second season, which premiered on September 22, 2007. The show was not renewed for a third season.[1]
A third season was planned for production but ultimately canceled, partially because of4Kids Entertainment taking over the Kids' WB! slot. It would have taken place three years after the end of the second season, introducingSensor, Magnetic Kid,Supergirl, Tellus,Princess Projectra, andShadow Lass while expanding the roles of background charactersBlok,Wildfire, andDawnstar. Additionally, Kell-El would still be a regular character but have a reduced role, with Wildfire being his replacement. The main focus of the third season would have been Brainiac 5 returning while trying to redeem himself after the second season's finale and Brainiac 6 trying to destroy the Legion. Also, producer James Tucker planned to make an adaptation of the story "The Ghost of Ferro Lad" to introduceFerro Lad's long-lost twin brother.[6][7][8]
In the first season, the series revolved around a core group of eight Legionnaires but others appeared from time to time in recurring roles, similar in format to theJustice League Unlimited animated series.
The first season introduces a teenaged Clark Kent who is about to move fromSmallville toMetropolis. He knows of his abilities but does not know what to do with his future (similar in nature to theClark Kent featured in theSmallville television series). After traveling to the future, young Clark assumes the identity of Superman and gradually learns to control his abilities, becoming the hero he is destined to be. At the end of the first season, he returns to the present around the same time he left in the first episode.
In the second season, set two years later, Superman returns to the future, having gained more experience with his powers. Also,Superman X, a clone of Superman from the 41st century created to battle Imperiex, is introduced. When Imperiex travels back to the 31st century, Superman X is forced to follow him into the past and recruit the Legion to help him.
Series producer James Tucker offered descriptions of the core team in a July 2006 interview atSan Diego Comic-Con.[9] As with other DC team shows such asJustice League Unlimited, not every core character appears in all episodes. The following descriptions apply to the characters as seen in the first season.
XS appears in the finale "Dark Victory" as a background character.Dawnstar andInvisible Kid also make cameo appearances in the finale, along with many other rarely seen Legion members.
In the first season, some Legionnaires were mentioned or shown as images before properly appearing. Fourteen members were shown during the season as already active:Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5,Colossal Boy,Cosmic Boy,Dream Girl,Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl,Shrinking Violet,Sun Boy, Triplicate Girl, andTyroc. Five more join the Legion through the course of the series: Superman, Timber Wolf,Matter-Eater Lad,Star Boy, andFerro Lad.
The opening credits sequences used for first-season episodes included a glimpse of the Mission Monitor Board signs for many Legionnaires as well as shots of flying Legionnaires who would be seen in later episodes, though not all of those with Mission Monitor Board symbols appeared. At least four members of the Legion as seen in the comics appeared in some way on the show but had not joined by the end of the first season (Ultra Boy,Lightning Lass,Wildfire, andPolar Boy).
In the second season,Karate Kid appears in the opening credits with the other Legionnaires, though he did not appear until the fifth episode, in whichNemesis Kid also joins the Legion. Similar to Karate Kid, Sun Boy appears in the second season opening titles and makes semi-regular, though non-speaking appearances. Ayla Ranzz, the sister of Lightning Lad, also appears, but lacks powers and is not a superhero like her comic counterpart.
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Blok | N/A |
| Bouncing Boy | Michael Cornacchia |
| Brainiac 5 | Adam Wylie[10] |
| Chameleon Boy | Alexander Polinsky |
| Colossal Boy | Adam Wylie |
| Cosmic Boy | Wil Wheaton[11] |
| Dream Girl | Tara Platt |
| Element Lad | N/A |
| Ferro Lad | Dave Wittenberg |
| Karate Kid | Keith Ferguson |
| Lightning Lad | Andy Milder[12] |
| Matter-Eater Lad | Alexander Polinsky |
| Nemesis Kid | Keith Ferguson |
| Phantom Girl | Heather Hogan |
| Saturn Girl | Kari Wahlgren |
| Shrinking Violet | Kari Wahlgren |
| Star Boy | Bumper Robinson |
| Sun Boy | N/A |
| Superman (21st century) | Yuri Lowenthal[13] |
| Superman X | Yuri Lowenthal |
| Timber Wolf | Shawn Harrison |
| Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel | Kari Wahlgren |
| Tyroc | N/A |
| Ultra Boy | James Arnold Taylor |
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| TheFatal Five | |
| Emerald Empress | Jennifer Hale (Season 1) Tara Strong (Season 2) |
| Mano | N/A |
| Persuader | David Sobolov |
| Tharok | David Lodge |
| Validus | N/A |
| Mar Londo | Harry Lennix (Season 1) Dorian Harewood (Season 2) |
| Alexis Luthor | Tara Strong |
| Drax | Greg Ellis |
| Legion of Super-Villains | |
| Lightning Lord | James Arnold Taylor |
| Esper | Tara Strong |
| Hunter | Khary Payton |
| Ron-Karr | Shawn Harrison |
| Wave | N/A |
| Tyr | Khary Payton |
| Starfinger | Taylor Negron |
| Zyx | Lauren Tom |
| Mordru | Jim Ward |
| Sun-Eater | N/A |
| Controller | David Lodge |
| Imperiex | Phil Morris |
| Dominators | N/A |
| Computo | Adam Wylie |
| Grimbor the Chainsman | Lex Lang |
| Terra-Man | Jeff Black |
| Brainiac | Corey Burton |
| Roderick Doyle | Wil Wheaton |
| Dark Circle | |
| Grullug | Dave Wittenberg |
| Ontiir | Bumper Robinson |
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Winema Wazzo | April Winchell[14] |
| Legion of Substitute Heroes | |
| Chlorophyll Kid | Alexander Polinsky |
| Color Kid | James Arnold Taylor |
| Infectious Lass | Kari Wahlgren |
| Porcupine Pete | James Arnold Taylor |
| Stone Boy | Yuri Lowenthal |
| Ayla Ranzz | Kari Wahlgren |
| Calamity King | Alexander Polinsky |
| R. J. Brande | Lex Lang |
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 23, 2006 (2006-09-23) | May 5, 2007 (2007-05-05) | |
| 2 | 13 | September 22, 2007 (2007-09-22) | April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code [15] | K6–11 rating/share | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Man of Tomorrow" | Ben Jones | Amy Wolfram | September 23, 2006 (2006-09-23) | 345–391 | 2.0/8[16] | |||||||
Fearing an attack from the Fatal Five, Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, and Bouncing Boy travel to the 21st century to recruit a young Clark Kent into the Legion of Super-Heroes. He initially refuses, but accepts after being given the opportunity to hone his powers and learning that the Legion can return him to the exact moment he left. The other Legionnaires are apprehensive of Clark, but he ultimately proves himself and becomes Superman to help stop the Fatal Five. | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Timber Wolf" | Lauren Montgomery | Matt Wayne | September 30, 2006 (2006-09-30) | 345–392 | 1.8/8[17] | |||||||
The Legion receives a distress call from Mar Londo, a scientist who is being menaced by a wolf-like creature on the planet Rawl. They become suspicious of Mar and eventually discover that the creature is his son Brin, who he previously experimented on and transformed. Saturn Girl telepathically contacts Brin and helps him assume a more humanoid form, though he retains genetic damage that prevents him from ever fully returning to normal. The Legion then defeats Mar and his army of mutant animals and leaves Rawl, taking Brin with them as he adopts the codename Timber Wolf. | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Legacy" | Tim Maltby | Scott Sonneborn | October 7, 2006 (2006-10-07) | 345–393 | 1.6/7[18] | |||||||
Superman meets Alexis, a rich, yet lonely girl, after saving her from her malfunctioning mecha suit. They quickly become friends, but Alexis later becomes jealous after Superman prioritizes his duties with the Legion over her. She allies with the Scavengers, a group of technology thieves, and attacks the Legion with her mech, but Superman defeats her, after which she is imprisoned and vows to get revenge. | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Phantoms" | Tim Maltby | Rob Hoegee | November 4, 2006 (2006-11-04) | 345–396 | 1.7/8[19] | |||||||
While visiting the Superman Museum, Superman accidentally activates aPhantom Zone projector and frees Drax, a genetically engineered evil Kryptonian, and his two pets, Comet and Cupid. After Superman attempts to return Drax to the Phantom Zone, he retaliates and sends the Legion there instead. However, they escape by harnessing Phantom Girl's powers, after which they defeat Drax and Comet and Cupid are placed in Metropolis' zoo. | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Champions" | Lauren Montgomery | Matt Wayne | November 11, 2006 (2006-11-11) | 345–395 | 1.4/6[20] | |||||||
At the Intergalactic Games, Lightning Lad comes into conflict with his brother Mekt, who sabotages the events to ensure his own success. Meanwhile, Superman and Phantom Girl meet with the latter's mother, United Planets president Winema Wazzo, and discover that the Fatal Five have infiltrated the games and plan to kill her. The Legion defeat them with help from several of the competitors. | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Fear Factory" | Ben Jones | John Esposito | November 18, 2006 (2006-11-18) | 345–394 | 1.6/7[21] | |||||||
After being caught in a space storm, the Legion lands in an isolated space station, where two aliens offer them refuge before subjecting them to their fears and imprisoning them in portraits. Eventually, only Superman and Brainiac 5 are left to stop the two. As Superman faces his fear of Martha Kent's disappointment in him, Brainiac 5 sacrifices himself to merge with and disable the station's systems before being revived in a backup body. The Legionnaires ensure that the station's other victims are rescued before returning home. | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Brain Drain" | Tim Maltby | Rob Hummell | February 3, 2007 (2007-02-03) | 345–399 | N/A | |||||||
During the Alignment, a data-sharing process undergone by his species, Brainiac 5 begins to malfunction, degrading his mind. Superman and Timber Wolf bring him toZuun to retrieve the rare element Zuunium and cure him, but are hindered by the planet's hostile conditions and Brainiac 5's head being separated from his body while traveling through a portal. Superman ventures deep into a cave to retrieve zuunium, which heals Brainiac 5 upon contact. Superman, Brainiac 5, and Timber Wolf return home. | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Lightning Storm" | Lauren Montgomery | Stan Berkowitz | February 10, 2007 (2007-02-10) | 345–398 | 2.0/8[22] | |||||||
The Legion is attacked by an octopus-like alien before being rescued by the Light Speed Vanguard, a rival group of heroes consisting ofHunter, Tyr,Esper Lass,Ron-Karr,Wave, andLightning Lord, Lightning Lad's brother. As the Legion holds auditions for new members, Lightning Lad becomes disillusioned with the group and joins the Vanguard instead. He eventually learns that they are villains seeking to gain money and helps the Legion to stop them. | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Substitutes" | Ben Jones | Scott Sonneborn | February 17, 2007 (2007-02-17) | 345–400 | 1.8/7[23] | |||||||
A group of Legion applicants band together to prove themselves as worthy heroes after being rejected, and battle the villainStarfinger while the Legion is busy fighting monsters who are destroying the Earth'sionosphere. Eventually, the Legion learns that Starfinger summoned the creatures, dubbed "Furries", to steal for him and was unaware that they would grow into the monsters. The applicants, now known as theLegion of Substitute Heroes, subdue Starfinger and steal his gloves to stop the threat. | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Child's Play" | Ben Jones | Marty Isenberg | February 24, 2007 (2007-02-24) | 345–397 | 1.7/7[24] | |||||||
Zyx, a young sorcerer from the planetZerox, comes to Earth to cause chaos after becoming frustrated with his planet's strict laws. As the Legion battles Zyx, Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl travel to Zerox to get help. Eventually, the Legionnaires realize that the effects of Zyx's magic are temporary and tire him out, defeating him. Zerox's council arrives to punish Zyx and considers re-establishing contact with the United Planets, having isolated themselves years prior and hid the planet with an invisibility spell. | ||||||||||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Chain of Command" | Lauren Montgomery | Amy Wolfram | March 3, 2007 (2007-03-03) | 345–401 | 1.2/5[25] | |||||||
The Legion travels toWinath, Lightning Lad's home planet, which is being ravaged by cosmic storms. Cosmic Boy, the Legion's leader, returns to the group after having been too busy to actively help them. While Cosmic Boy, Brainiac 5, and Saturn Girl work on upgrading Winath's power station to neutralize the storms, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and Ferro Lad try to prevent property damage. After the station is upgraded and the storms quelled, Lightning Lad becomes frustrated with Cosmic Boy and demands that a new leader be elected, with Bouncing Boy being selected to replace him. | ||||||||||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Sundown" | Tim Maltby | David Slack | April 28, 2007 (2007-04-28) | 345–402 | 1.4/6[26] | |||||||
| 13 | 13 | Ben Jones | Rob Hoegee | May 5, 2007 (2007-05-05) | 345–403 | 1.2/6[27] | ||||||||
Part 1: The Legion is called to stop theSun-Eater, a powerful gaseous creature capable of destroying stars, after the alien Controller frees it from the Fenton Arms Depot. They try to stop it from devouring a red sun in the uninhabited Cheyenne Delta and empowering itself, but fail to do so, with Ferro Lad blaming himself for missing a crucial energy blast. The Sun-Eater then heads towards Earth's sun, as the Legion is powerless to stop it. Part 2: The Legion frees the Fatal Five from prison so they can help stop the Sun-Eater. As the Sun-Eater's red sun radiation renders him unable to fight it, Superman is instead tasked with battling the Controller in another dimension while the Legion battles it without him. The Legionnaires build a special missile to kill the Sun-Eater, but it fails to activate, so Ferro Lad sacrifices himself to act as a conductor and ensure that it succeeds. The Legion creates a statue in Ferro Lad's memory, while Superman returns to his own time. | ||||||||||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code [15] | K6–11 rating/share | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow" | Brandon Vietti | Michael Jelenic | September 22, 2007 (2007-09-22) | 345–521 | 1.3/7[28] | |||||||
| 15 | 2 | Scott Jeralds | Greg Weisman | September 29, 2007 (2007-09-29) | 345–522 | 1.7/9[29] | ||||||||
Part 1: Kell-El / Superman X, Superman's 41st-century clone, travels back in time to enlist the Legion in helping him fightImperiex, a warlord who he was created to oppose. During a battle with the Legion, Imperiex steals Kell's warp key and travels to the 31st century, altering the timeline and creating anantimatter wave that kills Triplicate Girl's white self and threatens to destroy the future. The Legion steals Imperiex's ship to return to their own time, where they find Metropolis in ruins. Part 2: Imperiex breaks into the prisonTakron-Galtos and frees the Fatal Five and the Legion of Super-Villains, who work together to trap several Legionnaires there. Desperate for help, Brainiac 5 retrieves Superman from the 21st century. Meanwhile, Imperiex infiltrates the Legion's headquarters and destroys their ship, but Chameleon Boy gets a replacement from his father R. J. Brande. The Legion breaks into Takron-Galtos and rescues their comrades, while Imperiex arrives on theDominators' homeworld to form an alliance with them. | ||||||||||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Cry Wolf" | James Tucker | J. M. DeMatteis | October 6, 2007 (2007-10-06) | 345–523 | 1.6/7[30] | |||||||
Timber Wolf is placed on trial by the Legion and sentenced to life imprisonment on Takron-Galtos after confronting and killing Mar Londo during a scientific convention on Heisenberg-7. However, Chameleon Boy and Phantom Girl believe him to be innocent and allow him to escape. The two take Timber Wolf to Heisenberg-7, where he investigates and determines that he really was guilty. Ashamed of his actions, Timber Wolf returns to Rawl, where he learns that Mar Londo is alive and manipulated him into killing a nanite clone in an attempt to get him back under his control. When the Legion arrives to capture him, Timber Wolf reverts to his bestial fully transformed state and attacks them. After hurting Phantom Girl, Timber Wolf regains control of himself and helps the Legion stop Mar. Mar is revealed to be a nanite clone and disintegrates, with the real Mar having escaped and continued his schemes. Timber Wolf gains full control of his abilities, gaining the ability to shift between his partially and fully transformed states at will. | ||||||||||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Chained Lightning" | Brandon Vietti | Matt Wayne | October 13, 2007 (2007-10-13) | 345–524 | 1.9/8[31] | |||||||
In flashbacks, the Ranzz siblings - Garth, Mekt, and Ayla - crash-land on the planet Korbal and are attacked byLightning Beasts, with Ayla seemingly being killed while Garth and Mekt gain electric powers. In the present, Imperiex plans to harness an electric storm and power a tachyon cannon, and has recruited Mekt into his army. While fighting Mekt, Garth is attacked by Imperiex and loses his right arm, with Brainiac 5 and Shrinking Violet building him a robotic replacement. The Legion eventually learns that the storm is Ayla, who had been transformed during the Lightning Beast attack years prior. Mekt helps Garth restore Ayla to her human form before willingly imprisoning himself on Takron-Galtos. | ||||||||||||||
| 18 | 5 | "The Karate Kid" | Brandon Vietti and Scott Jeralds | Eddie Guzelian | October 27, 2007 (2007-10-27) | 345–525 | N/A | |||||||
Seeking help in fighting Imperiex, the Legion recruits Nemesis Kid and Karate Kid, the former telling them of the danger posed by Grimbor the Chainsman. Karate Kid is initially shunned by the other Legionnaires due to lacking powers and is discharged from the group, but earns their respect by stopping Grimbor after he defeats most of the Legion with a power-neutralizing gun. Karate Kid is then fully inducted into the Legion. | ||||||||||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Who Am I?" | James Tucker | J. M. DeMatteis | November 3, 2007 (2007-11-03) | 345–526 | 1.4/7[32] | |||||||
Chameleon Boy infiltrates Imperiex's ranks disguised as Persuader, and has his mind reprogrammed to believe that he actually is him to aid in the facade. After Imperiex discovers this, the Legion rescues Chameleon Boy, restores his mind, and learns that Ron-Karr, a fellow shapeshifter and member of the Legion of Super-Villains, has undergone a similar process to Chameleon Boy and replaced Superman. Ron-Karr eventually realizes that Imperiex never cared for him and helps the Legion to stop him from destroyingDurla, Chameleon Boy's home planet. | ||||||||||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Unnatural Alliances" | Brandon Vietti | Keith Damron | November 17, 2007 (2007-11-17) | 345–527 | N/A | |||||||
A group of cowboy-like robots led byTerra-Man seek to kill a boy named Abel and prevent him from inventing the technology used by Imperiex, and successfully kill his robot caretaker. As a result, Imperiex kidnaps Abel to protect him and reluctantly helps the Legion stop Terra-Man and preserve the timeline. Imperiex reveals to Abel that he was originally a gladiator who was greviously injured over the course of many battles and was rebuilt with technology, becoming a feared warlord. After Terra-Man is destroyed, the Legionnaires find a new guardian for Abel and bid him farewell. | ||||||||||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Message in a Bottle" | Scott Jeralds and Brandon Vietti | Joseph Kuhr | December 1, 2007 (2007-12-01) | 345–528 | 1.2/5[33] | |||||||
Imperiex invades the bottled city ofKandor inside theFortress of Solitude, seeking to retrieve and weaponize the Messenger, a device that was originally created to stabilizeKrypton. As the Legion struggles to stop Imperiex, Brainiac 5 accesses information from his ancestor, the original Brainiac, enabling him to turn Kandor's artificial red sun yellow and temporarily give its residents powers so they can help fight Imperiex. The Legion uses the Messenger to restore Krypton and returns Kandor to its normal size, but Brainiac 5 is forced to erase Superman's memory of the events to preserve the timeline. | ||||||||||||||
| 22 | 9 | "In the Beginning" | James Tucker | Steven Melching | March 8, 2008 (2008-03-08) | 345–529 | 1.3/5[34] | |||||||
The Legion sets out to save R. J. Brande after Grimbor kidnaps him during an awards ceremony. During their journey, Brainiac 5 explains how Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad met while traveling to Earth, rescued Brande from an assassination attempt orchestrated by his business partner Roderick Doyle, and founded the Legion. In the present, Doyle tries to use Brande's star-producing machines to create a black hole, but the Legion stops him before the process can be completed. | ||||||||||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Trials" | James Tucker | Steven Melching | March 15, 2008 (2008-03-15) | 345–530 | 0.8/3[35] | |||||||
Zyx has had his powers removed following his last encounter with the Legion, and asks them to help save his planet Zerox from the evil wizard Mordru. While Zyx undergoes a series of trials with Superman X to get his magic back, the rest of the Legion battles Mordru before being defeated and transformed into monsters. Zyx and Superman X arrive and return them to normal, with Mordru being imprisoned underground on Zerox. | ||||||||||||||
| 24 | 11 | "In Your Dreams" | Brandon Vietti | Stan Berkowitz | March 22, 2008 (2008-03-22) | 345–531 | 0.8/3[36] | |||||||
The Legion battles the Dark Circle, a group of mercenaries who seek to destroy a United Planets satellite. They are assisted by Dream Girl, who has valuable precognitive abilities and a rivalry with Lightning Lad, who distrusts her due to her past as a fortune teller and con artist. After Dream Girl has a vision of the Legion turning against her, she runs away and is kidnapped by the Dark Circle, who exploit her abilities to their benefit. The Legion soon defeats them and rescues Dream Girl, who reconciles with Lightning Lad. | ||||||||||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Dark Victory" | Brandon Vietti | J. M. DeMatteis and Michael Jelenic | March 29, 2008 (2008-03-29) | 345–532 | 1.1/5[37] | |||||||
| 26 | 13 | April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) | 345–533 | 1.4/6[38] | ||||||||||
Part 1: As the Legion prepares for Imperiex's final assault, Brainiac 5 struggles to prevent the original Brainiac from controlling him. He learns that Imperiex manipulated him into activating Brainiac's programming, intending to form an alliance with him. Despite his attempts to resist Brainiac, Brainiac 5 ultimately succumbs to his influence, intending to bring order to the universe. He kills Imperiex and takes over leadership of the Dominators before supposedly killing Superman with a Kryptonite crown. Part 2: Brainiac 5 embarks on a conquest across the universe, digitizing anything that stands in his way. The Legion sends Superman's body into space, but Superman X realizes that he is still alive due to their mental link and rescues him before healing him with a blood transfusion. While the Legion fights Brainiac 5's army, Saturn Girl transports Superman and Superman X into his mind to free him. They succeed, restoring everything he had digitized and converting Brainiac 5 into an organic form. Brainiac 5 leaves the Legion out of guilt, while Superman X returns to the future and Triplicate Girl's white self is revived due to Imperiex's death altering the timeline. Meanwhile, Brainiac secretly rebuilds himself using Brainiac 5's discarded armor. | ||||||||||||||
The series was nominated for threeCreative Arts Emmy Awards, a subset of theDaytime Emmy Awards.[39] None of the nominations won their category.
The first season was released to home video in three separate DVD volumes, with four episodes each on the first two releases and five on the third. The complete Season 1 collection was released in a 3-DVD box set that collected the three individual volumes. All were released throughWarner Home Video.
In July 2020, the entire series and the second season were respectively released onBlu-ray and DVD through theWarner Archive Collection. Season 1 volume 1 has a bonus featurette called "We Are Legion", and the series finale has an audio commentary with producer James Tucker, director Brandon Vietti, and the voice of Saturn Girl, Kari Wahlgren. These bonus features are also included in the Complete Series Blu-Ray.[40][41]
The series is also available for purchase or streaming on various platforms, includingiTunes,Amazon Prime Video, and formerlyDC Universe.
Individual episodes have been released on various other DC home video releases; for example, the two-part episode "Dark Victory" was released an extra on the4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray release ofThe Death of Superman.
| Title | Release date | # of episodes | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legion of Super Heroes Volume One | August 28, 2007 | 4 | "Man of Tomorrow", "Timber Wolf", "Legacy", "Phantoms" |
| Legion of Super Heroes Volume Two | February 5, 2008 | 4 | "Champions", "Fear Factory", "Brain Drain", "Lightning Storm" |
| Legion of Super Heroes Volume Three | September 9, 2008 | 5 | "The Substitutes", "Child's Play", "Chain of Command", "Sundown" (Parts One and Two) |
| Legion of Super Heroes Season 1 DVD 3-Pack | September 15, 2009 | 13 | Complete Season 1 |
| Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Second Season | July 14, 2020 | 13 | Complete Season 2 |
| Legion of Super Heroes: The Complete Series | July 14, 2020 | 26 | Complete series (Seasons 1 and 2) |
Acomic book based on the show's continuity was published under the titleLegion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century. According to the comic's writer,J. Torres, the name was chosen to distinguish itself from more specifically youth-oriented titles such asJustice League Adventures andSuperman Adventures.[42] The first issue was distributed duringFree Comic Book Day 2007 in addition to being sold.
An interview concerning the comic confirmed that it would continue publication despite the series ending, and would also be telling stories that were to have taken place after the second-season finale.[43] As of issue #20, the comic ceased publication.[44]
While the comic incorporates the cast of the show, other characters from DC Comics have made an appearance.
Issues #1–7 were collected in thetrade paperbackLegion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Heroes (March 2008,ISBN 978-1-4012-1668-9).
A tie-in promotion withMcDonald'sHappy Meal took place in August 2007, containing eight figurines: Superman, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, Mano, Tharok, and Validus.
Action figures byMattel were not produced because of a lack of retailer interest.[45]
Thecollectible miniatures gameHeroClix produced a special starter set of the Legion, including a figure of Superman from the first season.
