“False” Legion Members

Biron the Bowman + Blockade Boy II

Joined Under False Pretenses

This pair were actually members of the Legion of Super-Pets in disguise. Biron the Bowman was actually Comet the Super-Horse, who infiltrated the Legion along with Blockade Boy (Proty II) when they suspected the Legion of plotting against the Super-Pets.

Comet's real name was "Biron." He was originally a centaur and a great archer, but cursed to take the form of a horse. He became human whenever a comet passed by. When he encountered a comet in the 30th century with the Super-Pets, he applied to join the Legion as a master bowman. The Legion actually realized the motives and true identities of Biron and Proty, and so allowed them to "join" in order to help trap an alien that had tricked the Pets.

When Supergirl remarked to Blockade Boy that they had already met a hero by that name, he responded by saying he was that hero's brother. Naturally the two teams ended up working together to squash the evil plans of the High Council of Thanl. (Adventure #364)

Blackout Boy + Magnetic Kid + Size Lad

Villains — Joined Under False Pretenses

When the Legion was attacked by three spies — Aarl, Xaxan, and another — from the planet Murra, Saturn Girl sensed their plot to invade Earth. She alerted the Legion's leader, Brainiac 5, who concocted a plan whereby the four Legionnaires would pretend to marry and resign from the Legion. This resulted in a call for applicants, and the alien spies fell for it.

The Murrans could apparently access a wide variety of super-powers (including shape-changing, flight, and invisibility) and so their applications were successful. Aarl disguised himself as Size Lad; his power was the ability to make objects larger or smaller. The second became Blackout Boy, who could neutralize light and cause total darkness. The third, Magnetic Kid, could repel and attract things other than iron.

Though the Legionnaires were wise to the spies, the invaders still managed to take down several members and make off with secret Legion plans. The Legion pursued them to Murra and discovered that its inhabitants manufactured pills that granted temporary super-powers. Element Lad quickly rendered all the pills on Murra inert, and the Legion left. Back home, the "married" members return to active duty. (Adventure Comics #337)

NOTE: Magnetic Kid was also the name later taken by Cosmic Boy's brother, Pol Krinn, who joined the Legion years later.

Command Kid

Villain — Joined Under False Pretenses

Jeem Rehtu was flying around in his rocket-craft on his home planet Preztor, when he accidentally crashed on Taboo Isle, and was possessed by a demon. The demon used his body to escape the Isle, and he went to Earth to arrange other such bodies for his fellow demons. While on Earth, he encountered the Legion of Super-Heroes and hit upon the idea of giving his fellows super-powered bodies. He used hallucinatory powers to stop some crooks that the Legion was fighting, and the Legionnaires were so impressed, they offered him membership, which he accepted, calling himself Command Kid.

As a Legionnaire he was very effective, but also very arrogant. He shrank from anyone who offered him gold, which was anathema to demons of his type. In order to prepare the Legionnaires' bodies for possession, he created an illusion of Mon-El and Ultra Boy fighting, inciting the others to express jealousy of their greater powers. Command Kid offered them pills that would heighten their power levels, although the operation would require a period of suspended animation, an offer many Legionnaires accepted.

But Saturn Girl found out what he really was and deduced his weakness to gold, and she had Element Lad turn nearby machines into gold to exorcise the demon. The demon, which the Legionnaires had no way of containing, remained at large, and Jeem returned to Preztor, powerless. (Adventure Comics #328)

Dynamo Boy

Villain — Joined Under False Pretenses

The Legion of Super-Heroes became a thorn in the sides of space pirates operating out of New Tartuga. So the top pirates of the Space-Pirate Pack staged a contest to see who would infiltrate the Legion and thereby destroy it. Vorm won the contest, and used a special belt to simulate energy powers, which he demonstrated in front of Star Boy, impressing him. With Star Boy's help, Dynamo Boy became a Legionnaire, and he proceeded to expel all the other members. He did this by causing the Legionnaires to violate clauses from their own constitution. After a month, he was the only Legionnaire in existence.

Dynamo Boy then proceeded to hold tryouts, looking not for good Legionnaires, but for people who would be easily corruptible. After rejecting several honorable applicants, he met three members of the time-traveling Legion of Super-Villains. For a while, the LSV allowed Vorm to believe that they were following his orders, committing good deeds by day and crimes by night. But eventually, they revealed that they had no need for him, and tricked him into a time machine set for the far future. Vorm was stranded there and has not been heard from since. (Adventure #330-331)

Note: There was also a "Dynamo Kid" who was rejected for Legion membership in Adventure Comics #305 (Feb. 1963). Dynamo Kid could apparently wield lightning just like Lightning Lad, but he was revealed as a reporter using external technology.

Laurel Kent

Academy Member, Manhunter Spy

Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Grell

Millions of years ago, the Guardians of the Universe caused a disaster which unleashed evil on the universe. Feeling responsible for this, they created robots to combat evil, called Manhunters. Several centuries later, the Manhunters rebelled and the Guardians stripped them of the green energy that they were supposed to use in their mission and switched to using living beings, a plan which led to the formation of the Green Lantern Corps. They never did destroy the Manhunters, though, and the robots hid, plotting against their hated former masters.

In the late 20th century, after the first great "crisis," the Guardians abandoned the Corps and departed for another plane to figure out how they could once again begin to perpetuate their race. One pair came to Earth, believing they would help to usher in a new stage of cosmic evolution. The Manhunters launched a campaign to prevent these "New Guardians" from being borne. Thanks to Earth's super-heroes, the Manhunters failed. (Millennium #1-8)

But an android has infinite patience. The Manhunters' leaders knew that if the Guardians succeeded, they would need an agent in the future to thwart them anew. They designated one android as a "sleeper" agent, to seek out these immortals a thousand years in the future and destroy them. This Manhunter put itself into position, deciding that the strategy was to ally with the Legion of Super-Heroes. It joined the Legion Academy disguised as a young woman named Laurel Kent. Laurel told everyone that she was a direct descendant of Superman (and she looked very much like Lois Lane). Laurel became close friends with many Legionnaires and would-be Legionnaires, rooming with Dawnstar(Superboy vol. 2 # 217) and training with Wildfire, Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. (Superboy & the Legion #240, Legion vol. 2 #304, 316, 324, Legion vol. 3 #4, Annual #3)

As part of her disguise, she feigned a vulnerability to kryptonite, allowing herself to be "injured" by a bullet made of the substance. This happened during an attack from Professor Ivo, who targeted descendants of members of the Justice League of America. (Legion vol. 3 #8, 9, 12, Annual #1)

In 2987, Laurel made her move. To get access to Legion Headquarters, she began flirting with and dating Sun Boy. (Legion vol. 3 #41) She raided Brainiac 5's lab for any information she might be able to get on the immortals spawned by the thousand-year-old event. The Legion tried to stop her, but, since they did not understand the full extent of her power, she broke free. Brainiac 5 put together a sensor to detect the kind of radiation that the Guardians of the Universe used to give off, using it to track Laurel, and Laurel stole it to look for the immortals. The Legion, in order to trap her, located some ruins and artificially permeated them with the Guardian-energy, where they hoped to trap her. They did more than that. When Laurel saw how old and neglected the place was, she decided that the immortals already departed the planet, and that she had failed in her mission. With no further purpose in existence, the android known as Laurel Kent self-destructed. (#42-43)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #304
• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #4, 8, 9, 12, 40, 42, 43, Annual #1, 3
• Millennium #2
• Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes #217, 240
• Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #316 , 324
• Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes #3

The Mystery Legionnaire + Jan Jor

Joined Under False Pretenses

A scene from Adventure Comics #327 (Dec. 1964) shows a man going to jail for attempting to sabotage the meeting. This "ex-member" was not fully identified and shown in shadow as he was led to prison for joining the Legion under false pretenses. He appeared to wear a yellow costume. (Adventure #327)

Later, in a scene from Adventure #354 (March 1967), the adult Legionnaires were reviewing their records for former members with criminal records. The name Jan Jor appeared on the screen, describing him 32 years of age. No connection was made between Jor and the man seen in Adventure #327 but fans have speculated they could have been the same person.

The stories do not share creators (although editor Mort Weisinger was a keen continuity cop). Adventure #327 was written by Edmond Hamilton, and #354 by Jim Shooter. Shooter was also a Legion super-fan who could have drawn a link between the two.

Nemesis Kid

Traitor — Joined Under False Pretenses

Hart Druiter of Myar became a master alchemist at a young age, and created a serum that allowed his body to instantaneously adopt any other being's super-power. He used these powers as a mercenary for a year, whereupon he was hired by the Khundish Warlord Garlak to infiltrate the Legion of Super-Heroes and sabotage any of their efforts to halt the upcoming Khundish invasion. Due to the urgency of the impending invasion, the Legion never thought to suspect that one of their new members was a spy, but after Earth's first two electro-towers were destroyed under the Legion's watchful eye, their suspicion was cast upon another new recruit, Karate Kid. Nemesis Kid might have gotten away with framing him, but Karate Kid uncovered the truth by following Nemesis Kid into the Legion's arsenal (which he intended to destroy). His cover blown the Legion descended on him en masse and his power was unable to adapt to so many opponents; he teleported to safety instead. (Adventure #346-347)

Nemesis Kid decided to undergo more training in order to use his powers against the Legionnaires. He enrolled in Tarik the Mute's school to train a Legion of Super-Villains. After one caper, the Legionnaires built a cell for Nemesis Kid that appeared to be escape-proof despite is powers. He escaped by adapting the power to travel through time, into the 20th century. He stayed there for a year, parlaying his knowledge of futuristic technology into a corporation called FutureTech, which sold futuristic weapons. Karate Kid tracked him down in this era, but Nemesis Kid escaped again. He stole Karate Kid's time bubble and left a chronal energy-tracker in its place to lead the Legionnaire into his traps at the FutureTech building. Karate Kid managed to avoid Nemesis Kid's atomic-blasts and sent him back to the 30th century for incarceration. (Karate Kid #1)

Nemesis Kid returned to lead another incarnation of the Legion of Super-Villains after the "Great Darkness" allowed him to escape from Takron-Galtos. His first new recruit was the teleporter, Zymyr of Gil'Dishpan, who helped him free other members from prison. The LSV took over the planet Orando, which by then was the home of Karate Kid and his new bride, Queen Projectra. Karate Kid broke free of his bonds and faced Druiter directly. Despite his great skill, he was no match for Nemesis Kid's alchemical powers. With his dying breath, Karate Kid destroyed the Villains' machines that were threatening Orando. Nemesis Kid gloated over his victory, but not for long. One look in the bereaved Queen Projectra's eyes left him cowering, and she executed him for his murder of her consort, breaking his neck. (Legion vol. 3 #1-5)

Other Versions

Nemesis Kid was also a member on TV's Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon. It was hinted that he might be a traitor, but this story never came to pass before the series was canceled. He first appeared in season 2, episode 5 (27 Oct. 2007).

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• Adventure Comics #346, 347, 372
• Superboy vol. 1 #208
• Karate Kid #1
• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #2–5