Legion of Super Heroes (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Legion of Super Heroes |
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| Genre | |
| Based on | DC Comics characters |
| Developed by | Amy Wolfram |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Kristopher Carter |
| Composer(s) | Michael McCuistion Lolita Ritmanis Kristopher Carter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) | James Tucker Linda M. Steiner |
| Editor(s) | Joe Gall |
| Running time | 21–22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DC Comics Warner Bros. Animation |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | The CW (Kids' WB) |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround (season 1) Dolby Digital 5.1 (season 2) |
| Original release | September 23, 2006 – April 5, 2008 |
Legion of Super Heroes is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, adapted from the DC Comics series of the same name. It debuted on September 23, 2006, and centers on a young Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside the eponymous group of superheroes. The show was produced by one of its main character designers James Tucker, a co-producer of the Justice League Unlimited series, for the Kids' WB line on The 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. Continuity is internally consistent but is not shared with any previous incarnation of the Legion, either animated or in print. It also had its own tie-in spin-off comic book series that lasted 20 issues.
The series was cancelled after its second season.
Characters
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 the Justice League Unlimited animated series.
Superman
The first season introduces a teenaged Clark Kent who is about to move from Smallville to Metropolis. He knows of his abilities but does not know what to do with his future (similar in nature to the Clark Kent featured in the Smallville television series). After travelling 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, Superman returns to the future after spending two years in the past and gaining more experience with his powers. A second Superman, called "Superman X", also appears in the second season. This Superman, later given the name Kell-El, is from the 41st century and was created from Superman's DNA and Kryptonite as a living weapon with different abilities. His main foe in the 41st century is Imperiex, who travels through time to the 31st century, forcing Superman X to follow him into the past and recruit the Legion to help him.
Core Legionnaires
Series producer James Tucker offered descriptions of the core team in a July 2006 interview at Comic Con International in San Diego. As with other DC team shows such as Justice League Unlimited, not every core character appears in all episodes. The following descriptions apply to the characters as seen in the first season.
- Lightning Lad has lightning powers and is eager and hot-headed. The lightning bolt scar on his right eye sometimes flashes brightly in times of battle. He has a twin sister, Ayla, and an older brother, Mekt.
- Saturn Girl is a level-headed character with mental powers.
- Brainiac 5 is the smartest Legionnaire and can transform his robot body in various ways.
- Phantom Girl has the ability to pass through solid objects. She also has the ability to turn other people and objects temporarily intangible.
- Bouncing Boy is a friendly young "every man" who has the ability to make his body rubbery and springy. In Season 1, Bouncing Boy is elected leader of the Legionnaires.
- Triplicate Girl was born with the ability to split her form into three identical selves.
- Timber Wolf, named Brin Londo, is transformed into a werewolf-like creature as a result of his father's experiments on him. Brin has enhanced speed, strength, agility, and senses, but also has more feral emotional and physical tendencies.
- Chameleon Boy has the ability to shape shift all or part of his body into something else, animate or inanimate, as well as utilize the strength and power of what he transforms into. His father, R.J. Brande, funds the Legion.
Other Legionnaires
XS appears in the final two episodes "Dark Victory" parts 1 and 2 as a background character. Dawnstar and Invisible Kid also appeared in these final two episodes along with many other rarely seen Legion members; however, none of the new members shown in these episodes did anything to the plot of the story itself.
In the first season, some Legionnaires were mentioned or shown as images before making an actual appearance. 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, and Tyroc. Five more joined the Legion through the course of the series: Superman, Timber Wolf, Matter-Eater Lad, Star Boy, and Ferro 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, and Polar Boy).
In the second season, Karate Kid appeared in the opening credits with the other Legionnaires, though he did not appear until the fifth episode (in which Nemesis Kid also became a new member). Similar to Karate Kid, Sun Boy appeared in the second season opening titles and made semi-regular appearances but did not have a speaking line or have someone else refer to him by name. Ayla Ranzz, sister of Lightning Lad, finally made an appearance, but as a child without apparent super powers and not as the Light Lass of the comic books.
Cast
Legionnaires
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Blok | N/A |
| Bouncing Boy | Michael Cornacchia |
| Brainiac 5 | Adam Wylie |
| Chameleon Boy | Alexander Polinsky |
| Colossal Boy | Adam Wylie |
| Cosmic Boy | Wil Wheaton |
| Dream Girl | Tara Platt |
| Element Lad | N/A |
| Ferro Lad | Dave Wittenberg |
| Karate Kid | Keith Ferguson |
| Lightning Lad | Andy Milder |
| 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 |
| Superman X (Kell-El, 41st century Superman clone) | Yuri Lowenthal |
| Timber Wolf | Shawn Harrison |
| Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel | Kari Wahlgren |
| Tyroc | N/A |
| Ultra Boy | James Arnold Taylor |
Shadow Lass and Sensor were mentioned to appear in the third season, but were not actually in any of the two prior seasons.
Villains
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| The Fatal Five | |
| The Emerald Empress | Jennifer Hale (Season 1) Tara Strong (Season 2) |
| Mano | N/A |
| The Persuader | David Sobolov |
| Tharok | David Lodge |
| Validus | N/A |
| Dr. Mar Londo | Harry J. Lennix (Season 1) Dorian Harewood (Season 2) |
| Alexis Luthor | Tara Strong |
| Drax | Greg Ellis |
| The Legion of Super-Villains | |
| Lightning Lord (leader) | 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 | Richard McGonagle (Season 1, credited as "Evil Wizard") Jim Ward (Season 2) |
| The Sun-Eater | N/A |
| The Controller | David Lodge |
| Imperiex | Phil Morris |
| The Dominators | N/A |
| Computo (shown as the Legion's computer rather than a villain) | Adam Wylie |
| Grimbor the Chainsman | Lex Lang |
| Terra-Man | Jeff Black |
| Brainiac | Corey Burton |
| Roderick Doyle | Wil Wheaton |
| The Dark Circle | |
| Gullug | Dave Wittenberg |
| Ontirr | Bumper Robinson |
Other characters
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Winema Wazzo, President of the United Planets, mother of Phantom Girl | April Winchell |
| The 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, sister of Garth and Mekt Ranzz | Kari Wahlgren |
| Calamity King | Alexander Polinsky |
| R. J. Brande | Lex Lang |
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 23, 2006 | May 5, 2007 | |
| 2 | 13 | September 22, 2007 | April 5, 2008 | |
Season 1 (2006–07)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Man of Tomorrow" | Ben Jones | Amy Wolfram | September 23, 2006 |
| When fearsome villains the Fatal Five set their sights on the newly formed Legion of Super Heroes, three of the Legion's members go back in time to get help from the greatest hero of all time: Superman. Instead they find Clark Kent, aware of his powers but not yet of his grand destiny. | ||||
| 2 | "Timber Wolf" | Lauren Montgomery | Matt Wayne | September 30, 2006 |
| A mysterious scientist asks the Legion to help capture a dangerous creature. They succeed, only to discover the creature is nowhere near as dangerous as the scientist himself. | ||||
| 3 | "Legacy" | Tim Maltby | Scott Sonneborn | October 7, 2006 |
| Superman unknowingly saves the life of Alexis, one of the wealthiest people in the galaxy. Alexis and Superman become fast friends, but when Superman's Legion responsibilities get in the way of their friendship, Alexis decides to do something about it. | ||||
| 4 | "Phantoms" | Tim Maltby | Rob Hoegee | November 4, 2006 |
| When Superman accidentally opens a gateway to a phantom dimension, a young man with powers identical to his, is freed in the process. Now Superman must not only stop this destructive visitor, but also rescue the Legionaires when they become trapped in the visitor's dimension. | ||||
| 5 | "Champions" | Lauren Montgomery | Matt Wayne | November 11, 2006 |
| While supporting Lighting Lad as he competes in the challenging Galactic Games, Superman and Phantom Girl uncover a sinister plot by the Fatal Five! Lighting Lad has troubles of his own when he finds his biggest competition from someone close to him. | ||||
| 6 | "Fear Factory" | Ben Jones | John Esposito | November 18, 2006 |
| During a cosmic storm, the team takes refuge in a creepy, derelict space station. On board, one-by-one, each Legionaire faces his or her deepest fear – and then disappears. | ||||
| 7 | "Brain Drain" | Tim Maltby | Rob Hummell | February 3, 2007 |
| A major malfunction sends Brainiac 5's genius IQ plummeting. To obtain the rare element needed to save him, Superman and Timber Wolf must travel to the most inhospitable planet in the galaxy – and thanks to a transporter accident, they have only Brainy's head to guide them. | ||||
| 8 | "Lightning Storm" | Lauren Montgomery | Stan Berkowitz | February 10, 2007 |
| Much to the Legion's disappointment, Lighting Lad accepts an invitation to join an older, "cooler" team. Once there, however, Lighting Lad realizes these new heroes aren't exactly what they seem. Now, caught between the Legion and his new friends, Lighting Lad must decide once and for all where his loyalties lie. | ||||
| 9 | "The Substitutes" | Ben Jones | Scott Sonneborn | February 17, 2007 |
| It's that time of year again – Legion Auditions! This year's crop is hardly promising, with most hopefuls turning out to be comic duds. But when the Legion is overwhelmed fighting a mysterious foe in Earth's upper atmosphere, a group of rejects takes it upon themselves to save the world below...with outrageous results. | ||||
| 10 | "Child's Play" | Ben Jones | Marty Isenberg | February 24, 2007 |
| A young sorcerer arrives on Earth and causes a heap of trouble. In an effort to send him home, Superman learns of his vulnerability to magic, while Phantom Girl puts her diplomatic skills to the test as she travels to the sorcerer's secretive world to ask for help. | ||||
| 11 | "Chain of Command" | Lauren Montgomery | Amy Wolfram | March 3, 2007 |
| When disaster strikes Lighting Lad's home planet of Winath, the Legion is called to help. Lighting Lad's efforts to take charge are thwarted however when long-absent Legion leader Cosmic Boy arrives with an enigmatic new hero in tow. | ||||
| 12 | "Sundown, Part 1" | Tim Maltby | David Slack | April 28, 2007 |
| The Legion is put to the ultimate test when an ancient weapon known as a Sun Eater comes to life. The Legion mounts a heroic defense, but the Sun Eater proves too powerful. Now at full strength, the unstoppable Sun Eater sets its sights on Earth... | ||||
| 13 | "Sundown, Part 2" | Ben Jones | Rob Hoegee | May 5, 2007 |
| With the Sun Eater on a direct course for Earth's sun, the Legion has no choice but to ask bitter enemies to help stop it. Meanwhile, Superman has his toughest battle yet when he discovers the stealthy alien controlling the sinister machine. In the end, the Legion triumphs...but at a terrible cost. | ||||
Season 2 (2007–08)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 1" | Brandon Vietti | Michael Jelenic | September 22, 2007 |
| A clone of Superman from the distant future approaches the Legion of Super-Heroes where he enlists them for help against the warlord Imperiex. With help from the past Superman, the Legion of Super-Heroes follow Kell-El to the future to help in the fight against Imperiex. | ||||
| 15 | "The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 2" | Scott Jeralds | Greg Weisman | September 29, 2007 |
| Imperiex begins his conquest of the 31st century by freeing the Legion's greatest enemies from prison. The team ask Superman in the 21st century for help, who comes to the future only to meet his 41st century clone. | ||||
| 16 | "Cry Wolf" | James Tucker | J. M. DeMatteis | October 6, 2007 |
| When it appears that Timber Wolf viciously attacked his own father, the Legion try to catch him. while Chameleon Boy and Phantom Girl work to clear his name. | ||||
| 17 | "Chained Lightning" | Brandon Vietti | Matt Wayne | October 13, 2007 |
| Imperiex plans to harness the powers of a stormy nebula with the help of Lightning Lord. As Lightning Lad and Lightning Lord duel, Imperiex interferes and does an attack that costs Lightning Lad his right arm which is replaced with a bionic arm. There is also a flashback that detailed how Lightning Lad and Lightning Lord got their powers and what had happened to their sister Ayla. | ||||
| 18 | "Karate Kid" | Brandon Vietti, Scott Jeralds | Eddie Guzelian | October 27, 2007 |
| Grimbor the Chainsman has been committing heists across the galaxy. As the Legion of Super-Heroes are spread out throughout the galaxy fighting Imperiex's forces, Cosmic Boy holds auditions for new members and gets Nemesis Kid as the latest recruit. Superman takes Chameleon Boy to find another new recruit that doesn't have powers in the form of Karate Kid. | ||||
| 19 | "Who Am I?" | James Tucker | J. M. DeMatteis | November 3, 2007 |
| Chameleon Boy infiltrates Imperiex's ranks. But something goes horribly wrong. | ||||
| 20 | "Unnatural Alliances" | Brandon Vietti | Keith Damron | November 17, 2007 |
| The robotic cowboy Terra-Man is after a boy named Abel who is said to be behind the technology in the future that would play in the part of Imperiex's origin. As the Legion of Super-Heroes work to keep Abel from being killed, Imperiex is also after the boy where he doesn't want Abel killed as well. This leads to Kell-El and Imperiex working together to keep Abel alive and fighting Terra-Man. | ||||
| 21 | "Message in a Bottle" | Scott Jeralds and Brandon Vietti | Joseph Kuhr | December 1, 2007 |
| On a mission to the last surviving outpost of Krypton, Superman learns that Brainiac 5's ancestor was the one who took part in the destruction of his homeworld. | ||||
| 22 | "In the Beginning" | James Tucker | Steven Melching | March 8, 2008 |
| Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl flashback to when they were discovered by R.J. Brande after they saved him from an assassination attempt orchestrated by his treacherous partner Roderick Doyle. In the present, R.J. Brande is kidnapped by Grimbor the Chainsman causing the Legion of Super-Heroes to go after him and learn who hired Grimbor to do the job. | ||||
| 23 | "Trials" | James Tucker | Steven Melching | March 15, 2008 |
| The Legion's nemesis Zyx comes to them for help when the evil sorcerer Mordru takes over his homeworld. | ||||
| 24 | "In Your Dreams" | Brandon Vietti | Stan Berkowitz | March 22, 2008 |
| The Legion battle the Dark Circle with the help of Dream Girl, who can predict the enemy's every move before they make it. But when the Dark Circle realize how the Legion is defeating them, they kidnap Dream Girl and put her abilities to use themselves. | ||||
| 25 | "Dark Victory, Part 1" | Brandon Vietti | J. M. DeMatteis & Michael Jelenic | March 29, 2008 |
| Brainiac 5 is having issues where Brainiac 1.0 and Imperiex want to have Brainiac 5 unlock Brainiac 1.0 so that Imperiex can make use of Brainiac 1.0 in his latest plot on the universe. | ||||
| 26 | "Dark Victory, Part 2" | Brandon Vietti | J. M. DeMatteis & Michael Jelenic | April 5, 2008 |
| After eliminating Imperiex, Brainiac 5 takes over his army and plans to take over the universe. With Superman thought to be dead, the other Legionnaires must stop him before it is too late. | ||||
Awards and nominations
2006–2007 Season
The series was nominated for three Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a subset of the Daytime Emmy Awards. None of the nominations won their category.
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation.
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Live Action and Animation.
Home video
Season 1 was released to home video in three separate DVD volumes, with four episodes on the first two releases and five on the third. The complete Season 1 collection was released in a 3-DVD box set, which merely collected each of the three individual volumes. All were released through Warner Home Video.
The complete Season 2 DVD collection was released in July 2020, at the same time as the entire series on Blu-Ray, through the Warner Archive Collection. Season 1 volume 1 has a bonus featurette called "We Are Legion", and the Season 2 two-part 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.
The series is also available for purchase or streaming on various platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and DC 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 the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray release of The Death of Superman.
| DVD name | 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: Part One", "Sundown: Part 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) |
Other media
Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century
A comic book based on the show's continuity was published under the title Legion 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 as Justice League Adventures and Superman Adventures. The first issue was distributed during Free Comic Book Day 2007 in addition to being sold.
An interview concerning the Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century comic confirmed that the comic was to continue publication despite the series ending, and that the comic would also be telling stories that were to have taken place after the second-season finale. As of issue #20, the comic ceased publication.
- Additional characters
While the comic incorporates the cast of the show, other characters from DC Comics have made an appearance.
- Arm Fall Off Boy – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #16
- Booster Gold – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #19
- Circe – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #7
- Bart Allen/Impulse – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #15
- Lex Luthor – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13
- Lois Lane – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13
- Perry White – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13
Collected editions
Issues #1–7 were collected in the trade paperback Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Heroes (March 2008, ISBN: 978-1-4012-1668-9).
Merchandise
A tie-in promotion with McDonald's Happy Meal took place in August 2007. The Legion show was represented by eight figures (Superman, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lad, Mano, Tharok, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, and Validus). As Happy Meal toys often have a "girl toy" and "boy toy", this set was aimed at the boys.
Action figures by Mattel were not produced because of a lack of retailer interest.
The collectible miniatures game HeroClix produced a special starter set of the Legion, including a figure of "Young Superman" during the first season.
See also
In Spanish: Legión de superhéroes (serie animada) para niños
