Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! "Classic" Reboot Characters

So, which of the characters introduced in the reboot do you feel deserve their slot in Legion history? Which of them really mean a lot to you?

Personally I'd have to say Kinetix and XS, since I can really relate to them. For Zoe, I loved how close she was to her mom, and to a lesser extent, her bro. I have the same kind of relationship with my family, too. And, being a little vain myself, I found her obsession with those outfits pretty funny. Plus her original perky personality is so like that of one of my closest female friends, it's scary!

But the thing I liked best about her character was when the story about her powerlust was revealed. It was certainly a refreshing twist from the I-want-power-to-rule-the-world thing, and it was really great to find someone so altruistic. I could really relate to that, since I have an idealistic side as well. Her origin story was what made her my favorite Legionnaire.

XS has also made it into my Top 5, and is probably the one I can most relate to. She was the normal kid among all the perfect, popular kids, a little bit naive, scared about her new life, and not without reason, too. And she was so nice and friendly, the kind of person who could be everybody's friend. She always wore her heart on her sleeve, and she never gave up, ever. Finally, after all this time, thee was a Legionnaire whom I felt represented me.

Gates also gets an honorable mention here. He was funny, unique, outspoken, and relly interesting. I like the way he clashed with the others while also kind of belonging, in a sense. He was different, yeah, but he was still very much a part of the Legion.

Shikari is also pretty likeable. She's innocent and friendly, but isn't afraid to reach out to something alien. I think she and Jenni would make good friends.

Magno and Monstress almost seemed like birds of a feather, once. Both of them were so sunny and cheerful it could be almost sickening. But then we got glimpses into their lives- how Magno had to deal with that stuck-up jerk of a brother of his, and Monstress' origin and how it affected her. And with that new perspective, I started to like both of them.

Kid Quantum II, the new Sensor, Timber Wolf (not exactly "new", but he is very different) and Gear are also pretty good characters whom I like, but there isn't any one particular thing about them that I can put my finger on. They're all pretty interesting in their own ways, though.

So what about you guys?

To me XS and Gates are definitely the stand-out stars of the reboot's 'new' Legionnaires. Both are very original, likeable characters that have established a presence on the team to such an extent I couldn't imagine the Legion without them now.

I really like Kinetix too and she would almost have been included as a 'classic' (i.e. unmissable) character along with the above two except for two hugely detrimental storylines - the 'zombie Kinetix' of the PMS years and the 'terraformed Kinetix' of DnA. Both stories took away everything that was great about Zoe (i.e. her funny and bubbly but very opinionated personality) and left her an empty shell devoid of character and wasting panel space - AND cast the rest of the team in a bad light for continuing to send an obviously brain-damaged teammate on missions. And all for what?!? Both stories went exactly nowhere! Sadly I'm sure that these stories have left a bad taste in not only my mouth but the mouths of other fans too such that unless a good writer fixes her pronto she's just baggage.

All the other characters have made their mark but none of them are what I would consider 'classic'.

- Kid Quantum II had lots of potential but it was quickly squandered by the writers' inability to properly define her powers and then DnA's horrible overexposure of her.

- Monstress was possibly the most annoying Legionnaire ever and would probably already have been forgotten if it wasn't for her shocking death at the hands of Element Lad. If a classic death makes a character 'classic' then she's definitely up there!

- Magno I actually really like but he was a member for such a brief period and did practically nothing of lasting interest so doesn't even come close to becoming 'classic'. If another writer was to take him and write some worthy stories with him though then that could well change.

- Gear I also kinda like but he's probbaly said what, about 4 sentences the whole time he's been a Legionnaire. One of DnA's many fumbled balls!

- Shikari is nothing but a second-rate Dawnstar with a hideously unoriginal personality IMO and the sooner she takes a dirt-nap the better. Nothing 'classic' about her.

I don't consider Sensor or Timber Wolf 'new' Legionnaires but if the reboot Sensor has taught us anything its that two classic truisms are still exactly that - 'Don't fix what ain't broke' and 'Hell hath no fury like an angry Legion fan'.

I'd put XS and Gates at the top of the list.

Kid QII is just below them - I'm not sure why though.

Kinetix I have a hard time putting into that category becuase of the many changes she's gone through and seems like she could lift right out of the Legion without affecting anyone. I've also always had a problem with her power hungry origins.

Gear -- I barely see him as a team member. He needs to be seen interacting with the team more, he needs some characterization, he needs to have more spotlight on missions -- something to impress us as to who he is and why we should care.

Shikari is still too new to tell. She's only been around since the DnA era and a "classic" character of any kind has to be the kind that can be interesting under different creative teams.

Gates and XS for me two. Gates has been great right from his first appearance - "Good luck with your teenage death squad." He's an idealist and a pessimist in one handy non-humanoid package.

Jenni on the other hand is like a lost Adventure era character, optimistic and with a sweet temperament. And she's Barry Allen's granddaughter which I really like.

I like the old Kinetix and hope someday they get her back. I'm probably one of the few people who actually liked Monstress too. Inferno was fun, but I don't think she really belonged in the Legion, since her callous streak (which is what made her stand out) didn't really bode well for long-term membership.

Gear, Magno, Shikari & KQII have not really stood out to me, but none of them really put me off either.

It kind of stinks that my two faves have been practically MIA for so long.

I have to agree with Blacula on Kinetix - she was great, but then they zombified her twice.

Other than that have to agree with everyone else on Gates & XS as the two stand-outs.

I agree that Gates and XS are the stand-outs.

I don't precisely agree on the reasons for keeping Kinetix out. To me, there was just no point for her to begin with. So, when her character was altered I couldn't have cared less. I will admit, however, that she's got a good share of devotees, so why not throw her in.

I thought Monstress was a hoot. She'd be in my list, but I'd soon get sick of everyone's derision toward her.

Kid Qunatum's peak, for me, was during Legion Lost. It's been downhill since, and I'd definitely appreciate a Legion without her.

Gear has potential, but a lot of it is just potential to take the story away from the characters I really like.

Magno--pointless.

Shikari is Dawnstar anyway.

Jenni's definitely a reboot classic. She has a fun personality, defined by her talkingtoofastthing and the fact that she rather easily gets crushes on guys. She's one of the girls, too, easily likeable. The fact that she's tied to the Flash family makes her an instant DC comics classic, too. She's faced tragedy, which gives her a good origin story. Losing her mother and being in danger with her father is a significant part of her life, something that raises sympathy. Early in the reboot, we saw that her courage overcame her fears, and we could respect her as a hero. She's had varying levels of panel time over the years, but recently hadn't had much interesting happen until Robotica. She showed that courage again, which was very admirable. She hasn't been a key player in much since. It'd be kinda nice to see more of her. I vote for an image change for her, but there are whole threads created for that idea.

I also agree that Gates is a reboot classic but he definitely needs a good plotline to show his stuff more and to get more in depth into what he's all about.

I vote for Zoe being considered a reboot classic. One of her constants is change, which I think is great. I do wish for just a hint of her real personality to try and bust through the zombie one, to show us that she's trying to get out... just a hint. That'd be enough. Then I'd like to see her next incarnation, hopefully something even weirder.

I think a few of the original characters who have been rebooted belong in the "classic" category, too. DnA and Olivier's Brainiac 5 is absolutely a more interesting character than the preboot version, both visually and in personality. In my mind, I even sorta displace the preboot, buff and clean cut Brainy with the gangly and tossled one of today. Try it! It can work.

Umbra is a lot more interesting now than the preboot Shadow Lass.

Invisible Kid is better now, than preboot.

That's it for now. Good topic idea!

Maybe an energy form that flits around in a little football-shaped ship??

GATES rules!

What kills me about DnA's zombie-fication of Zoe is that they seemed to have an excellent handle on her zippy, peppy personality in Legion Worlds # 1 and early issues of THE LEGION, then they screwed her up! WHY?

The bug people, GATES and SHIKARI, are my faves. Gates is too cartoonish, though. He should be redesigned to look more slimey and creepy-crawly. I unconditionally love Shikari and all her Kwai brethren.

Before Legion Lost, MONSTRESS was an embarassing joke, but she was so beautifully portrayed in Lost that I can't help but miss her now.

KID Q had some good moments in Lost but I never really warmed to her, and she's been downright annoying as Legion leader. She's become little more than a female version of Cosmic Boy.

XS was OK in Damned and Legion Worlds, but frankly I can take her only in very small doses.

Never liked KINETIX or MAGNO, not even for a moment. GEAR, however, has the potential to be cool if only he had a personality.

That said, I don't really consider any of them "classic". The only classic characters, imo, are those introduced before v.4.

"Female version of Cosmic Boy"

An apt description of Kid Quantum. Frankly, I'd have preferred for her snarky, nelly brother to have stayed around. THERE'S your gay Legionnaire-- killed on his first mission, of course.

I don't like the current Kid Quantum, I prefer the platinum blonde Quantum Queen, and... Jazmin never be like Lydda in the Cosmic Boy's life.
XS is nice, and Kinetix too, but both need a romance soon.
Gates is a poor chance like teletransporter, without the potential of Veilmist.
The same for Shikari...Dawnstar is still in my heart.
Gear must talk more about his world.
Monstress is good like a dead heroe, maybe Thunder and Sensor must join her in Shangalla.

LOVE XS and Gates to death. It seems there's an army of us here.

XS is what brought me to the Legion with her pleasant history and realistic approach to super-heroes. She was innocent, but not incredibly naive. She knew their were risks but was definitely the team's best cheerleader and support. Gates is just plain fun, and it's nice to have a Legionnaire who doesn't always agree with the group. I love his backstory, powers, and appearance...all unique to the Legion-fold at that point (with the exception of one-time Legion teleporter Veilmist).

I pleasantly enjoyed the original Zoe...I liked the idea of a Legionnaire that was so gung-ho, flirty, and liked to have fun. I guess it was my fix without Quislet or Dream Girl. I also thought her powers were fun too, back when she was just animating inanimate objects. Though I suppose her being summarized as telekinetic these days make sense. I just thought the original power concept, although already established in history by Life Lass, was fun and unique to the Legion. I echo the others about Zoe's many changes, especially her zombie and Terrorform days. Why silence such a loud (one of the few sometimes) Legionnaires?

Monstress I loved. Yes, she had traits that could drive people insane...but it was her great heart and spirit that I truly liked. She really cared for everyone and enjoyed being helpful. Lost really gave her another dimension by showing that, yes, even she too can share in pain and anger. She may look like a monster, but she was more human than many on the team during Lost.

There was something about Kid Quantum II's look that first drew me into her. I loved her costume design and history with the Legion (her brother's death), and when she eventually mellowed out and joined the Legion I found her personality great too. Someone who was actually trying to warm up to the team they were in because she knew, despite her predispositions, that the group could do good. I loved how it seemed Jazmin was smart enough to study and submit her power enhancements to herself in the Archie days, and I'm sad to see that notion has been ignored for years and that Jaz has been written off as ignorant. I'm also a little sick of the Jazmin-as-leader bit, as she gets over-featured and yet never really seems to act like herself or have her personality come out.

Shikari, I also enjoy. Again, I'm a sucker for fun, innocent characters. While I don't hate them by any means, Magno, Gear, and Thunder haven't really jumped out at me. I love Gear's potential, I liked Thunder's costume, and I appreciate Magno being given such an intense story (losing his powers so quickly after joining). However, I wouldn't say they're "classic" material, even for the reboot.

Shikari and Gear are really cool. Since Dawny is not around then Shikari is a good replacement (but I still love Dawny the most!) and could be just as interesting if developed further. Gear is really cool looking to me and he has LOTS of potential, so I hope that the editor keeps him and Shikari in the restart coming up!

XS is OK, speedsters are not my favorite in all of comic book power-dom but sometimes it's a power that's needed in certain situations. So, yes, in small doses, she can be pretty cool.

I'm not into "creepy crawly" memebers so Gates and the current Sensor are not in 'my' Legion of Super Heroes line up. I tolerate them! Shikari has an insectizoid type of background but she is humanoid in form and is a good example of "creep crawly" with out the totally bizarre elements.

Kid Quantum not only has an amazing power but she's also one of the few strong black characters in DC comic books so she's there and I love her!!

Kinetex is cool but I remember a character, pre-boot (Steve Lightle or Greg Larocque era), I believe was called Dragon Mage? I can NOT locate which issues he was featured in! :-( Maybe I am dreaming that an Asian character with a nice ZEN side to him with powerful magical based powers never really existed?? Can someone tell us which issues he was featured in??

By the way, what ever happened to Greg Larocque?? I was flipping through a few of the issues that he illustrated and his stuff is really clean and some of his character designs were really quite beautiful to look at. I can tell he really liked Dream Girl and Princess Projectra, they always looked very sexy!

Thanks!

DRAGONMAGE was indeed a member during the early LEGIONNAIRES issues. He hooked up with the younger "Batch SW6" version of the team, along with Catspaw and Invisible Kid II's sister Danielle AKA Computo.

I miss all 3 of them.

Ah, so he did not appear in any of the main Legion issues, it was the Legionaires comic only?? Thought he was illustrated by Steve Lightle for some reason.

Do you remember the issues??

Thanks!

Yes, he was a member during LEGIONNAIRES # 1- ummmm... I think it was 18? Whichever issue was right before the # 0 issue. Memory failing.

He was also featured in some of the LSH issues that preceeded the LEGIONNAIRES launch, particularly # 41 iirc.