TheLethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
The first version of the Lethal Legion appeared inThe Avengers #78 (July 1970).[1]
The second version of the Lethal Legion appeared inThe Avengers #164 (October 1977)
The third version inThe West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1 (October 1985).
The fourth version appeared inMarvel Age Annual #1 (1985).
The fifth version of the Lethal Legion appeared inAvengers West Coast #98 (September 1993)
The sixth version of the Lethal Legion appeared in the limited seriesDark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 (August 2009).
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #78 (July 1970) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (Writer) John Buscema (Artist) Tom Palmer |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Grim Reaper Living Laser Man-Ape Power Man Swordsman |
The original Lethal Legion is formed by the villainGrim Reaper (the brother of AvengerWonder Man) and consists ofMan-Ape,Power Man,Living Laser, andSwordsman. Man-Ape attacks Captain America, but is beaten back by the Avengers. However, he capturesBlack Panther's girlfriend Monica, binding her hand and foot with metal clamps. Black Panther is lured into a trap by Man-Ape, and despite getting past him he is knocked out by an exploding dummy of Monica. Black Panther is chained and with Man-Ape, he meets the other members of the Lethal Legion.[2]
Grim Reaper dispatches the Lethal Legion members to different locations to confront the Avengers. Power Man and Swordsman are sent to the water main belowAvengers Mansion, Living Laser and Man-Ape are sent to the nearby power station, and Grim Reaper seemingly departs toGreenwich Village. Black Panther escapes and contacts the Avengers to warn them about the Lethal Legion's plot. Grim Reaper returns and uses the knockout gas in his scythe to knock out Black Panther. While the other members of the Lethal Legion defeat the Avengers, Vision defeats Power Man, who had been sent to capture him at Avengers Mansion. He disguises himself as Power Man and Power Man as him and takes him to the base. The Lethal Legion places the Avengers in an hourglass container and then fills it with deadly gas. When "Power Man" arrives with "Vision", Grim Reaper detects the brain patterns of Wonder Man and shattered the hourglass to save Vision's life, only to realize that the vision in the hourglass is actually Power Man. At that point, Vision aids the Avengers in defeating the Lethal Legion, who are handed over to the authorities.[3]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #164 (October 1977) |
| Created by | Jim Shooter John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Count Nefaria Living Laser Power Man Whirlwind |
A second version, formed by European villainCount Nefaria reappears in the title, composed of Living Laser,Whirlwind andPower Man. He magnifies their powers, but is revealed to be a manipulative ploy to steal their magnified powers in a failed bid to destroy the Avengers. The depowered villains are sent to prison.[4]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1 (October 1985). |
| Created by | Steve Englehart Al Milgrom |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Black Talon (Barone) Goliath Grim Reaper Man-Ape Nekra Ultron-12 |
The Grim Reaper returns in the titleWest Coast Avengers, leading a third version against the superhero team consisting ofBlack Talon (Barone),Goliath,Man-Ape,Nekra, andUltron-12. Grim Reaper has Ultron lead a squadron of robots to spring Goliath from a compound that he is imprisoned in. When Goliath is freed by Man-Ape, the three villains work together to take out the Avengers, with Ultron-12 stating that he has his own plans for Wonder Man. The three villains escape with an unconsciousHank Pym and Wonder Man. Hawkeye figures out that Grim Reaper is behind this.[5]
The three villains meet up with Grim Reaper. Internal squabbling and personal agendas overtake the villains and they are defeated and scattered.[6]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Age #1 (1985) |
| Created by | Kurt Busiek James Fry Keith Williams |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Attuma Batroc the Leaper Black Tiger Bulldozer Gorilla-Man (Nagan) Kurr'fri Piledriver Porcupine Sabretooth Thundra Trapster Unicorn Whirlwind Wrecker |
A fourth version appears in the titleMarvel Age, led byPorcupine and consisted ofAttuma,Batroc the Leaper,Bulldozer, Black Tiger, Kurr'fri,Gorilla-Man (Nagan),Piledriver,Sabretooth,Thundra,Trapster,Unicorn, Whirlwind, andWrecker. The Lethal Legion track down and battleCaptain America, who is aided by several other heroes. Their battle with the superheroes is witnessed by theBeyonder, with the outcome left unrevealed.[7]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers West Coast #98 (September 1993) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas David Dzon |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Axe of Violence (Lizzie Borden) Coldsteel (Joseph Stalin) Cyana (Lucrezia Borgia) Hangman Zyklon (Heinrich Himmler) |
In the titleAvengers West Coast, thedemonSatannish founds a new Lethal Legion using the souls of four infamous historical killers found inMephisto's section of Hell. They have been given powers along withHangman and the group battle the renamed Avengers West Coast. The group consisted of Axe of Violence (Lizzie Borden), who has an axe replacing one hand; Coldsteel (Joseph Stalin), an eight-foot-tall giant with superhuman strength, Cyana (Lucrezia Borgia), who wields poisoned claws; and Zyklon (Heinrich Himmler), who can breath deadly gas from his mouth. This incarnation eventually lose their powers and their souls are destroyed during the struggle between Mephisto and Satannish.[8]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 (August 2009). |
| Created by | Frank Tieri (writer), Mateus Santolouco (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Absorbing Man Grim Reaper Mister Hyde Nekra Tiger Shark Wonder Man |
A new version of the Lethal Legion appears during the "Dark Reign" storyline in the three-issuelimited seriesDark Reign: Lethal Legion. The Grim Reaper (now aided by his brother Wonder Man) recruits villains to oppose criminal mastermindNorman Osborn.[9]
Absorbing Man,Grey Gargoyle,Mister Hyde, andTiger Shark later reformed the Lethal Legion and end up fighting the Avengers.[10]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers #676 (January 2018). |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Blood Brothers Captain Glory Drall Ferene the Other Mentacle Metal Master |
An alien version of the Lethal Legion is formed byGrandmaster to go up againstChallenger'sBlack Order. It consists of theBlood Brothers, Mentacle,Metal Master, Glah-Ree of theKree, Captain Glory, Drall, and Ferene the Other.[11] Each of its members were saved from their approaching deaths in exchange for serving Grandmaster.[12]
After the contest is ended by the Avengers, the Lethal Legion regroup and flee toKnowhere. As they have nowhere to return to after each one's near-death experience, the Lethal Legion decides to stay together and see what they can accomplish.[13]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #41 (March 2020) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Count Nefaria Grey Gargoyle Living Laser Whirlwind |
Count Nefaria forms another version of the Lethal Legion, consisting of Grey Gargoyle, Living Laser, and Whirlwind. The group raids aProject Pegasus facility to look for the Catalyst so that Nefaria can regain his powers.[14]
AtEmpire State University,Curt Connors reveals the Catalyst to the crowd when the Lethal Legion attacks. While Grey Gargoyle and Whirlwind attack the people present, Living Laser helps Count Nefaria to operate the Catalyst.Spider-Man andSin-Eater both attack the Lethal Legion, with Sin-Eater using his gun to take their powers. All four members are sent toRavencroft.[15]
| Lethal Legion | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers Inc. #4 (December 2023) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Various |
| Member(s) | Hank Pym Black Ant Blizzard Bullet Cobra Lodestone Mortar Oddball Piecemeal Speed Demon Sunstroke Supercharger |
After separating himself from Ultron, Hank Pym recreates his body and works withBlack Ant to kill several villains (consisting ofBlizzard,Bullet,Cobra,Lodestone, Mortar of theBastards of Evil,Oddball,Piecemeal,Speed Demon,Sunstroke, andSupercharger) and resurrect them as part of the Lethal Legion to prepare for Ultron's return. When Ultron is defeated, the Lethal Legion leave with Pym to regroup inSub-Atomica and prepare for Ultron's return.[16]
The Lethal Legion appear inHeroes Reborn, formed by theEnchantress and consisting of theExecutioner, theScarlet Witch,Ultron-5, andWonder Man.[17][18]
The Lethal Legion appears inThe Super Hero Squad Show, founded and led byDoctor Doom and consisting of theAbomination,MODOK,Mole Man,Fin Fang Foom,Megataur,Tricephalous, Manoo,Klaw,Toad,Melter, theWrecking Crew,Sabretooth, theJuggernaut,Pyro,Whirlwind,Zzzax,Egghead, theRingmaster,Paste Pot Pete,Mystique, theCrimson Dynamo, andBatroc the Leaper. Additionally,Songbird worked undercover in the Lethal Legion as Screaming Mimi. Doom formed this version of the group to help him collect the Infinity Fractals and rebuild the Infinity Sword. In the second season,Molecule Man andVolcana join the Lethal Legion to help break Doom out of theVault and combatThanos and theDark Surfer.
