Kid Quantum

The best-known "Kid Quantum" is probably the second, the powerful female Legionnaire Jazmin Cullen, from the "Reboot" (Earth-247) era of Legion continuity. In that timeline she was preceeded by her brother, the original Kid Quantum, who was an early Legion member.

The original Kid Quantum was an invention of the "Glorith Reality," a Legionnaire who was retroactively added to Legion continuity during the Legion vol. 4 series. His history was intertwined with the alien race of shapeshifters called the Proteans.

The Legion's Pal, Proty

The Proteans of Antares II

In original Legion tales, there were two members of the Protean race who befriended the Legion during their early years. Proty and Proty II hailed from Antares II, and a race of small, amorphous creatures that were blessed with telepathy and shape-changing abilities.

The first Proty came to Earth at a time when their race was regarded as somewhat less than sentient by many. He befriended Chamleon Boy, a kindred spirit since they were both shape-shifters. But even Cham regarded Proty as his "pet." Proty had appeared after the death of the Legionnaire Lightning Lad (Adventure #308), and afterwards he became fond of Lightning Lad's girlfriend, Saturn Girl.

When the Legionnaires performed a ritual to revive Lightning Lad, Proty sensed that Saturn Girl was going to sacrifice herself. He tricked her and sacrified his own life instead. (Adventure #312)

Later a second Protean, Proty II, also befriended the Legion. He joined a group of intelligent animals were asked by the Legion to guard their clubhouse. This Proty underwent a series of trials to prove his worthiness and joined the Legion of Super-Pets. (Adventure #322)

It was soon clear that the Protean race was fully sentient, certainly far more intelligent than Earth animals. Like his predecessor, Proty II was selfless and quick to enter dangerous situations. When one of Triplicate Girl's three bodies was slain by Computo, Proty II attempted to distract Computo by posing as the Weirdo Legionnaire. (Adventure #341)

Proty II ultimately found the "pet" designation degrading, and pursued the campaign for equal rights for all sentients. He occasionally still attended Legion events. (Legion vol. 2 #300)

Kid Quantum I (Glorith Reality)

In the continuity of Legion vol. 4, the Protean race was cast in a mysterious drama that included a never-before seen Legionnaire called Kid Quantum. Kid Quantum was retroactively inserted into Legion history; he was the savior of the Protean race, known as the "Soul of Antares."

When the Protean race was discovered on Antares II, explorers also found a goldmine of historical relics and scientific knowledge. The Proteans were an ancient race who learned their telepathic and shape-shifting abilities from a master race of galactic "stewards" called the Llorn. The Llorn left imprints of their peaceful reign across the entire galaxy. As eons passed, the Proteans, and Antares II were some of the only remaining links to Llorn culture and history. (2995: The Legion of Super-Heroes Sourcebook)

The Proteans granted the United Planets permission to explore their ancient artifacts. Two archaeologists, Niles and Esther Cullen of Xanthu, befriended them while was Dr. Norm Eldor was less friendly. Eldor was sent to prison for stealing artifacts and notes.

When the evil Glorith learned of their race, the empress of Baaldur annexed Antares II and planned to enslave the Proteans. The Proteans had been unwittingly betrayed by one of their own, one who let their secrets be coaxed out by Glorith's charms. Before she could take over, this Protean realized his error and alerted his people of the danger. The entire race amassed their collective consciousness and placed it inside of a humanoid shell, one which could not change shape. This so-called "Soul of Antares" would hide from Glorith until the threat passed. Only seven Proteans remained sentient in their original forms, in order to shepherd the souls back one day. The Proteans entrusted the Soul to the Cullens, who disguised it as their son, "James Cullen."

After staying with the Cullens for about a year, James decided that the newly-formed Legion of Super-Heroes would be a better place for him. Using one of his Protean relics — a Time Stasis Belt that incorporated the technology of the legendary Llorn race—he applied and was accepted as Kid Quantum. Shortly after this Glorith learned the Proteans' secret, and Quantum was forced to take desperate action. He and the Proteans staged a fight on Mars, where Kid Quantum pretended that his belt overloaded and disintegrated him. The Legion believed him dead, and he was mourned as the first Legionnaire ever to die in the line of duty. (To prevent further such incidents, the Legion instituted a rule that would deny admission to anyone whose powers are based on outside devices.)

Quantum went so deep underground that even the Proteans didn't know where he went. For clues, one of the Proteans maneuvered itself into the Legion—as Chameleon Boy's pet, Proty. Proty grew attatched to the Legion and apparently sacrificed his life to revive Lightning Lad. (Adventure #312) In truth, Lightning Lad's essence did perish and Proty's soul was transferred into Garth's body. Proty became the consciousness of Lightning Lad. Proty/Garth preserved this secret for decades, only ever revealing the truth to his sister, Ayla (Lightning Lass), years later. (Legion vol. 4 Annual #3) From Protean oral history:

Fair Titanese telepath, whose lifejoy was crushed
She searched for a means to loosen death's grip …

Till finally terrible machine was discovered
To restore life to the dead, but at dreadful price …

Brave Protean awakens, sees through human eyes
His mind suddenly skulled, his form frozen dry

Universe would not release soul of the dead
But human again breathes, with Protean soul
(2995: The Legion of Super-Heroes Sourcebook)

A second Protean, Proty II, befriended the Legion, too, but neither found any clue to the Soul's location.

Finally, Proty II confided in the Legion's financier, R. J. Brande (who was also a shape-shifter locked in a human form), and convinced him to spearhead their search. Brande and his son, Chameleon Boy, eventually converged on the far-off world of Yal, where Kid Quantum had been hiding. They prevented the Hunter from capturing Quantum for the Dominion. But then another player swooped in to kidnap the prize: Brande's nemesis, Leland McCauley IV, who possessed the Emerald Eye. (Legion vol. 4 #33) The Legion soon freed them and Kid Quantum returned to Antares II. (#39)

After his return home, Antares II was invaded by the Khunds. As fate would have it, a group of Legionnaires crashed on that planet and found the captive Kid Quantum. (Legionnaires #10) The Proteans needed help to restore the souls contained within Kid Quantum, and turned to the magicks of the Legionnaire Dragonmage. They completed the ritual to restore their race. The humanoid shell that was Kid Quantum was preserved by Dragonmage, who also managed to internalized the time-stasis powers. The resulting Kid Quantum entity contained just one soul — that of the Protean who had betrayed their secrets to Glorith. Kid Quantum chose to leave Antares for Earth, and to serve in the Legion. (#11)

Notes

Tom & Mary Bierbaum on Kid Quantum: "His time in the Legion was shrouded in secrecy and the shame of a terrible personal secret (he was the Proty that unwittingly betrayed his race and caused its near-enslavement by Glorith). Guilt and regret have turned James into a being of enormous conscience and gentle wisdom. The Gandhi of the team." —Interlac (2000)

Powers

James Cullen had the abiltiy to generate a "stasis field" from a belt.

Appearances + References