Pocket Universe Primer

The original purpose of the Pocket Universe storyline was to “patch” Legion continuity so that as many Legion stories as possible would remain valid in the post-Crisis universe. However, the Pocket Universe saga did not preserve all early Legion stories.

Stories that are not part of the post-Crisis continuity (at least in the Time Trapper’s timeline) include the following:

• All Adult Legion appearances and Imaginary Stories. As established by Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #300, tales of the Adult Legion were possible futures of the pre-Crisis timeline and not binding parts of either pre- or post-Crisis continuity. Similarly, Imaginary Stories remain just that: imaginary.
• Stories in which the Legionnaires encountered Superman as an adult. The Pocket Universe Superboy perished as a teenager and it therefore was not possible for the Legion to encounter him as an adult; appearances in Superman stories by Mon-El (who was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone between the 20th and 30th centuries) also must be considered apocryphal.
• Stories involving members of Superman’s supporting cast and/or story elements that were not introduced until Superman was an adult. Because Superboy perished as a teenager, elements of his mythos introduced later in his life, including Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and the Bizarro World, were not part of the Pocket Universe.
• Stories in which the Legionnaires encountered the pre-Crisis Lex Luthor. As established by Adventures of Superman #444, the accident that would have caused Lex Luthor to become a villain (originally depicted in Adventure Comics #270) had not yet occurred when the Pocket Universe Superboy perished and the Legion therefore could not have encountered a villainous Luthor.
• Stories involving Supergirl. In the Time Trapper’s timeline there was no equivalent of Supergirl in the Pocket Universe until ten years after Superboy’s death; the Pocket Universe Supergirl is very different from her pre-Crisis counterpart. Therefore Legion appearances in pre-Crisis Supergirl stories and the few Legion stories in which Supergirl played a crucial role did not take place; stories in which she played only a minor role (which includes most of her appearances with the Legion) still took place, but without her involvement.

Some stories may have taken place in the post-Crisis universe, but not in the manner originally depicted. Such stories include those involving elements from the above list in which the apocryphal elements could be removed without substantially changing the story. For example, in Adventure Comics #359, the Legionnaires took refuge in one of Lex Luthor’s former lairs; in post-Crisis continuity, the majority of the events of that story took place as described, except that the Legion's hiding place was not Luthor’s Lair. The continuity status of some other stories is questionable, especially those involving Legion contact with the 20th century outside of their meetings with Superman, e.g., Karate Kid's visits to the 20th century in the short-lived Karate Kid series, the Legion's meeting with Batman in Brave and the Bold #179; those stories appear to contradict the Time Trapper's assertion that all of the Legion's journeys to the past were to the Pocket Universe, but at least some parts of those stories may still be part of post-Crisis continuity.

The following stories, listed in chronological order, definitely did not take place in the Trapper’s post-Crisis timeline. This list does not include the numerous cameos of Mon-El (as a prisoner of the Phantom Zone) in various Superman stories, which are too numerous to list here.

In the Glorith’s timeline, Superboy did not appear in the 30th century except for a brief period in 2987. Where possible, Valor takes Superboy’s place in Legion adventures and Laurel Gand takes the place of Supergirl. Most stories involving Superboy’s native time, Smallville, or people or artifacts from Krypton did not take place at all. Readers interested in more information about continuity changes to individual stories in the Glorith timeline should consult the Legion chronology.

Superboy, Superman, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and any related characters and/or indicia are trademarks or registered trademarks of and are copyright DC Comics. This web site, its operators, and its contents are not authorized by DC Comics.