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-up 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. 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.
Development history A few months before Legion of Super Heroes premiered, the Legion appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home". The episode featured Supergirl traveling to the future and joining the Legion, leading audiences to think that it was intended to serve as a back-door pilot for a Legion series, and that it would be a DCAU spin-off. Producer James Tucker clarified that the series was deliberately created from scratch:
Let's get the myths out of the way. The Legion series was never tied to the Justice League Unlimited episode. Supergirl was never, ever going to be in the Legion. The true origin of the series came out of Cartoon Network's desire to have a Superman-centric series premiere when the movie Superman Returns premiered. Superman as part of the Legion worked for them. So the series was originally developed for Cartoon Network, then they passed and Kids' WB! stepped in. They, too, wanted a Superman-centric series with Superman fresh out of Smallville, learning to be Superman. That's the reality.
Early reports had suggested the title of the series would be Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, but the official announcement in April 2006 confirmed the title as Legion of Super Heroes. The same announcement indicated that the series would air on the Kids' WB block of the new The CW network at 10 a.m.
Legal status/issues At the 2006 Comic Con International, the production staff did not officially say whether legal issues at the time involving the ownership of Superboy had affected this series or whether changes were made to tie the series in with the Superman Returns film, but one significant change had been made since the announcement of the series. The original press release referred to "the young Superboy", while the revised press release, published in June, described the character as a young Superman. 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.
Second season 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 original Brainiac. In the second season, most of the Legionnaires have changed their appearances, e.g., Lightning Lad has longer hair and gains a robotic arm after Imperiex blasted off his right arm during a battle, and Triplicate Girl changes her codename to Duo Damsel after her white self is killed by an antimatter wave. 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.
Proposed third season A third season was planned for production but ultimately canceled, partially because of 4Kids Entertainment taking over the Kids' WB! slot. It would have taken place three years after the end of the second season, introducing Sensor, Magnetic Kid, Supergirl, Tellus, Princess Projectra, and Shadow Lass while expanding the roles of background characters Blok, Wildfire, and Dawnstar. 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 introduce Ferro Lad's long-lost twin brother.
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 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.
Core Legionnaires Series producer James Tucker offered descriptions of the core team in a July 2006 interview at San Diego Comic-Con. 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 caring and thoughtful character with mental powers. Brainiac 5 is the smartest Legionnaire and can transform his robot body in various ways. Tucker stated that Brainiac 5's personality and design were inspired by the version of the character from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Legion of Super-Heroes series. Phantom Girl has the ability to pass through solid objects, and can temporarily extend this ability to others. Tucker described Phantom Girl as self-centered and sarcastic, yet devoted to the Legion. Bouncing Boy is friendly and humorous, with the ability to make his body rubbery and springy. Near the end of Season 1, Bouncing Boy is elected leader of the Legionnaires, much to his surprise. Triplicate Girl was born with the ability to split her form into three identical selves. Timber Wolf, named Brin Londo, was transformed into a werewolf-like creature as a result of his father Mar Londo's experiments on him. Tucker described Timber Wolf as a "cool dude" whose feral appearance disguises his loneliness and insecurity. Chameleon Boy has the ability to shapeshift 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. He appears as a regular in season two. His father, R. J. Brande, funds the Legion.
Other Legionnaires XS appears in the finale "Dark Victory" as a background character. Dawnstar and Invisible 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, and Tyroc. Five more join 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 appears in the opening credits with the other Legionnaires, though he did not appear until the fifth episode, in which Nemesis 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.
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 Yuri Lowenthal Timber Wolf Shawn Harrison Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel Kari Wahlgren Tyroc N/A Ultra Boy James Arnold Taylor
Villains Character Voice actor The Fatal 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
Other characters Character Voice actor Winema Wazzo April Winchell 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
Episodes Series overview SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired113213
Season 1 (2006–07)
Season 2 (2007–08)
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 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 through Warner Home Video.