| Legion of Monsters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Premiere #28 (February 1976) |
| Created by | Bill Mantlo Frank Robbins Steve Gan |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Monster Metropolis |
| Member(s) | Man-Thing Manphibian Morbius, the Living Vampire N'Kantu, the Living Mummy Werewolf by Night |
Legion of Monsters is the name of differentsuperhero teams appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
The Legion of Monsters first appeared in Marvel Comics chronology inMarvel Premiere #28 (February 1976) and was created byBill Mantlo,Frank Robbins, andSteve Gan.[1]
Unrelated to the team, The Legion of Monsters was also used as a banner name for two magazines,The Legion of Monsters #1 (September 1975) andMarvel Preview #8 (September 1976), both of which featured multiple stories starring some of Marvel's monster characters.
The first version of the Legion of Monsters was united by chance to investigate the appearance of a strange being calledThe Starseed. Although the being was benevolent,Morbius, the Living Vampire and theWerewolf by Night were overcome by their hungers and attacked it. TheGhost Rider intervened, as the Starseed was unable to overcome his fear of theMan-Thing and was burned by it. The dying Starseed attempted to cure the Legion of their monstrous forms but was too weak and died minutes later. Tired of fighting, and disappointed in their actions, the team split up, although they barely acknowledged even being a team in the first place.[2]
A new version of the Legion of Monsters was formed by Morbius the Living Vampire, the Werewolf by Night, and the Man-Thing. They are joined byN'Kantu, the Living Mummy and theManphibian. They came together to protect monsters from the Hunter of Monster Special Forces and send the monsters into the Morlock Tunnels to theMonster Metropolis. They first appeared when the Moloids that work for the Man-Thing find the decapitated parts of thePunisher (who was sliced up byWolverine's sonDaken) and Morbius reassembles him as FrankenCastle.[3] The Punisher joins up with the Legion of Monsters to help protect the Monster Metropolis from the Hunter of Monster Special Forces where FrankenCastle fights the Hunter of Monster Special Forces' leader, Robert Hellsgaard.[4]
The Werewolf by Night and N'Kantu the Living Mummy are shown attempting to arrest the Dimensional Man for feeding on the life force of fellow monsters, before being joined by Morbius the living vampire and Manphibian, who ultimately work together to capture him.Elsa Bloodstone is teleported to Monster Metropolis after chasing a monster that's been killing teenagers. When Morbius discovers that the monster is dead, Elsa is arrested and held in custody while he performs an autopsy on its body. It is later revealed that it was actually corrupted with evil energies that originated from within Morbius himself.[5]
The Legion of Monsters later help theRed Hulk overcome the panicked monsters at the time when the Red Hulk had journeyed to the Monster Metropolis. With the help ofDoctor Strange, the Red Hulk and the Legion of Monsters discover that the spirit that has been bothering the Red Hulk is the insane evil side ofDoc Samson (referred to as Dark Samson) which has not passed into the next life. Using a ghost entrapment device, the Red Hulk and the Legion of Monsters were able destroy the Dark Samson spirit by ripping the Dark Samson spirit in half. The Red Hulk and the Legion of Monsters did a toast to honor Doc Samson after that.[6]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decades: Marvel in the 70s - Legion of Monsters | Legion of Monsters (vol. 1) #1;Marvel Preview #8;Marvel Premiere #28;Marvel Spotlight #2, 5;Frankenstein #1;Tomb of Dracula #10; material fromSavage Tales #1 | April 2019 | 978-1302916619 |
| Legion Of Monsters | Legion of Monsters: Werewolf by Night,Legion of Monsters: Morbius,Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing,Legion of Monsters: Satana | November 2007 | 978-0785127543 |
| Legion of Monsters | Legion of Monsters (vol. 2) #1-4 | April 2012 | 978-0785140573 |
| Bloodstone & The Legion Of Monsters | Legion of Monsters (vol. 2) #1-4 andBloodstone #1-4,Astonishing Tales: Boom Boom and Elsa,Marvel Presents #1-2,Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone & The Monster Hunters; material fromMarvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2,Girl Comics #2 | September 2017 | 978-1302908027 |