Supergirl returns next week with an episode titled “Legion of Superheroes.” But who exactly is this group, which is headed by Mon-El on the show?
The Legion on ‘Supergirl’
On Supergirl, Mon-El returned, much to Kara’s shock, as the inhabitant of a cryo-sleep pod on a ship that had been beneath National City for 12,000 years.
He revealed that upon leaving Earth after the Daxamite invasion, his pod was pulled through a wormhole; he ended up on Earth in the 31st century, where he made a life for himself, including marrying Imra Ardeen, aka Saturn Girl, and leading a team of heroes called The Legion. Mon-El used Kara’s example as Supergirl to unite the heroes of the time.
On a mission, the team was sent back in time, so they decided to place themselves in cryo-sleep in order to return to their own time.
We’ve now gotten a look at Mon-El suited up as a member of The Legion:
We also have promo photos of the other members of the Legion, Saturn Girl and Brainiac-5:
But who is this iteration of the Legion of Superheroes based on?
The Legion in the DC comics
In the DC comics, the Legion of Superheroes was a team of superheroes from the 30th century that comprised teenage heroes. Their base looked like an inverted yellow rocket ship driven into the ground. Legion leadership was not static; it rotated among members. And each member of the team was required to have a power no other team member had. However, plenty of team members also had overlapping powers.
While these are the basic facts of the Legion of Superheroes, the team has undergone a number of changes over the years. Buckle up, because the Legion’s lengthy publication history is full of twists and turns.
The original Legion
First appearing in April 1958’s Adventure Comics #247, the original Legion of Superheroes is a team of, well, superheroes from the 30th century. Its members hail from various planets, and they protect the United Planets from threats. They were founded by Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl and inspired by the legend of Superboy. They were funded by wealthy businessman named R.J. Brande, who Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl saved from assassination.
As their reputation as law enforcement officers, deputized by the Science Police, grew, the original Legion’s ranks swelled. Heroes who joined the Legion included Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid, Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, and Ultra Boy.
They eventually started delving into time travel, and they even travel back in time to meet Superboy. They wanted to recruit him as a member of the Legion. Supergirl was also recruited at one point.
The rebooted Legion
In October 1994, the Legion of Superheroes continuity was rebooted in Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #0. In this reboot, founding member Lightning Lad was renamed Live Wire. Much of the original story of the Legion’s founding remained the same, but the ranks of the Legion grew much more quickly than in the original continuity. Several characters besides Lightning Lad were also given new code names and other characters joined the Legion who were not members in the original continuity, such as Barry Allen’s granddaughter, XS.
Additionally, this new incarnation changed the fates of some characters and saw the Legion having to earn the respect of the United Planets more than the original team did. This run of the Legion also saw the fall of the United Planets and the Legion; the revival of the group was chronicled in 2001’s limited run Legion Lost.
The Legion’s ‘Threeboot’
In 2004, the Legion was rebooted once more after a crossover with the Teen Titans. This reboot of the Legion continuity took place in a repressive society in which minors were under heavy surveillance. This incarnation of the Legion looked to create social reform and inspire the populace with the legends of past heroes.
This Legion was also worshiped across worlds by young people called Legionnaires. Notably, in The Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 5) #16, Supergirl traveled to the future to join the Legion.
The Legion’s ‘Retroboot’
In 2007, the original continuity up through Crisis on Infinite Earths was restored in the Lightning Saga crossover that appeared in Justice League of America (vol. 2) #8-10 and Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #5-6.
Action Comics #858-863 revealed that in the year 3008, the Earth’s sun turned red. Several failed Legion inductees banded together to form the Justice League of Earth and secedes the Earth from the United Planets. Superman helped the Legion return the sun to its normal state and defeat the Justice League of Earth.
This run also saw 2008’s Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, which teamed up the three continuities of the Legion of Superheroes and set all three within the multiverse.
The New 52
The most recent run of Legion of Super-Heroes comics ran from 2011-2013 during the New 52 reboot of the DC continuity.
‘Supergirl’ mid-season premiere synopsis
The synopsis for the Supergirl mid-season premiere, “Legion of Superheroes,” reads:
“Struggling to heal from her injuries inflicted by Reign (Odette Annable), Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) remains in a dreamlike state, unable to be reached. Mon-El (Chris Wood) recruits one of the Legion members, Brainiac-5 (guest star Jesse Rath), to try to bring her back. Meanwhile, Reign continues her rampage on the city so the DEO teams up with the Legion of Superheroes to try to stop her.”
Supergirl returns with new episodes on Monday, January 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW.