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On the one hand, I totally agree that Lydda's power is kind of dull, even on a team that takes people like Blok or Monstress (a small subset of Mon-El or Superboy's powers!) or even joke-y characters like Matter-Eater Lad or Bouncing Boy (and yet, magically, manages to make them cool!).

On the other hand, the towering beehive destroys my sense of objectivity, and I love her!

I am amused that she was the only post-Wildfire character to make it into the Threeboot Legion. No Dawnstar, no Blok, no Tellus, no Chameleon Girl, but hey, there's Night Girl! (Polar Boy and White Witch kinda/sorta made it into the setting, if not onto the team itself...)

hah that is a good point, I wonder if Lydda was specifically chosen to highlight the Reservist "program", as she, Turtle and Sizzle all had drawbacks that stopped them from becoming full active Legionnaires

#3: Lightning Lass (Ayla Ranzz), Shrinking Violet (Salu Digby), Timber Wolf (Brin Londo), Duplicate Boy (Ord Quelu / Quelu Ord)

In the 21st century, we have the concept of white-brown-black-red-yellow skin color signifying race, and a variety of ethnicities. But by the 31st century the varieties of mankind have expanded to include populations with various manifestations of the metagene!

I use this as a parallel to probable the evolution of human sexuality and gender identification a thousand years from now. The metaphorical Rainbow of Romance will most likely have metaphorically expanded into the infrared and ultraviolet, if not x-rays and microwaves. Including Philip Jose Farmer’s ‘Rishathra’.

My point being (and I do have a point), I do not feel qualified to opine upon whether young Ayla or Salu was closeted, or bi, or some other variety of the rainbow, because it is probable those terms have little meaning on most worlds in the 31st century.

Salu was, from the beginning, portrayed as a quiet, shy, introverted Shrinking Violet. This is good! Introverts can be heroes too, just like fat kids! Salu uses her powers primarily for espionage and defense… unless the chips are down, when she shines in a crisis.

Duplicate Boy-- I’m going to call him Ord because Quelu just sounds like a surname to me-- is a fine match for Salu. Like her, he has some self-esteem issues, despite being one of the most potentially powerful characters in the Universe. He lets the other Lallorians tell him how to use his powers, particularly Evolvo Lad. And a good thing, too, because when he uses his powers impulsively he often screws up, usually only duplicating his opponent’s powers, and often forgetting to add “and invulnerability”. I sometimes say that Ord is ‘dumb as a rock’, which is of course hyperbole, but he does lack imagination-- and substitutes bluster for confidence.

Salu sometimes considers herself one of the weakest Legionnaires, so it’s nice to have a super-super-powerful boyfriend to watch over her. And that watching-over is quite literal: their long-distance relationship is tough on her (Lallor at one point is said to be in a different galaxy, although the author may have meant star system). She pretty much has to wait for Ord to show up when he decides to show up. But for Ord, long distance is no distance at all. He can teleport to Salu any time he likes, and keeps tabs on her with telescopic vision or other super-senses. As an example, when Salu goes on a friendly date with Matter-Eater Lad, Ord shows up all jealous and outraged.

(cue Rockwell’s “(I Always Feel Like) Somebody's Watching Me”)

Ord considers Salu his girlfriend, with an emphasis on his. When he observes Colossal Boy and Yera/Shrinking Violet together, he flies into a jealous rage, going in for a beatdown of Gim, until he realizes this is not the real Salu, and flies away without so much as a “Sorry, Gim”.

Speaking of which, Salu’s kidnapping and imprisonment for weeks or months is an absolute turning point in her story. We could talk about PTSD, but for this discussion, it has massive implications for her relationships. I don’t think her personality really changes; she is still an introvert, but she no longer feels she must depend on others for support. In fact, she is sure that she cannot. She blames others for her plight, and somewhat justly. Particularly Micro Lad, Yera, and Duplicate Boy, but also all her friends in the Legion. She becomes more aggressively independent, and, in accordance with her tendency towards introversion, something of a loner. In 5YL, she joins the military, winning a purple heart by losing a leg and an eye. She also breaks up with Ord, with some pretty good reason. During their relationship, she saw him as her protector, but when he learned Yera was an imposter, he just… walked away

Realistically, the Legion had been up to some pretty off-the-wall hijinks in the past, and Ord might be forgiven for thinking Salu was somewhere deep undercover, and Yera was covering for her with her knowledge.

Ord takes the breakup very badly, as explicitly mentioned by his Lallorian teammates. It affects every aspect of his life; he even begins to lose control of his super-abilities. Contrariwise, Salu, from her perspective, is well rid of him.

A quick note that Salu and Ord were married in the Adult Legion flash-forward, and living on Lallor, so events obviously went down differently in that timeline.

Ayla is the Step-Up Girl. When Mekt leaves Winath to pursue his nefarious activities, and
Garth leaves Winath to go after them, Ayla stays behind to take care of the family farm. (In most chronologies, the Ranzz siblings are orphans) When a replacement was needed for Lightning Lad in the Legion, Ayla took care of closing down the farm, arranging for it to lay fallow for years, and went to take his place in the Legion. After Garth revived, and the Legion was in need of anti-gravity powers rather than another lightning caster, Ayla filled that role with equanimity. (Although I have some harsh thoughts about Dream Girl’s interference without Ayla’s permission) Lightning or anti-gravity, her power was not a huge part of her identity, although when her electrical connection was restored, it was immensely useful in confronting Mekt. Family is as important to Ayla as it is to Garth, and she has what would be called in the 19th century a “maternal instinct”-- she likes to take care of things.

Brin Londo-- then known as Lone Wolf-- was someone in need of a lot of care. In their first meeting, Brin rescues Ayla-- and then Ayla rescues Brin. This would become a recurring pattern in their relationship. In particular, Ayla uses some tough love to help Brin break free from his addiction to ‘Lotus Fruit’, and helps him through the changes he experiences as the zuunium serum transforms him into a more feral creature.

However, when Ayla needed to leave the Legion, Brin would not go with her. Understandable, perhaps-- the Legion was the only home he had left. When she eventually returned, as Lightning Lass again, she made clear that their relationship would resume only on a professional level. This is one of the problems of dating co-workers. It took a couple of lightning bolts to shock Brin into realizing it was really over.

Once again, Brin takes the breakup much harder than Ayla. There are certain parallels between Timber Wolf and Duplicate Boy, personality-wise.

Again, note that Brin and Ayla are married in the Adult Legion flash-forward, with Ayla calling herself Light Lady, an indication she never regained her lightning powers. They had three children: Brin, Bran, and Loni. Different timelines, different events.

But Ayla is already beginning to develop a relationship with Salu. They are well-suited to each other. Ayla’s Step Up and Be There personality is just what Salu needs. It may be natural for Ayla to take on a caring, compassionate role: she is Garth’s twin sister, and Shrinking Violet is presumably a couple of years younger than the Founders.

Yet as the relationship develops in 5YL it is Salu who becomes the more dominant personality. Hardened by war, the relationship progresses on her terms. We see several panels of Ayla and Salu (Ayla calls her Vi) in intimate conversation. Salu does not want to be dependent on anyone again. But she is not okay. She needs someone to look after her. Ayla is more than willing to be that someone. But they go slowly. Salu needs to learn to trust again. With all her trauma, physical and psychological she needs to believe she is worthy of love.

And…

Well, in 5YL, the couple ends up on Lightning Ring Farms on Winath, with Garth and Imra (and Garridan and Graym and Dorrit and Dacey and Mekt and Rokk and Lydda and Pol).

They are still together when the Universe resets in the Retroboot, sans trauma. Salu is taking Ayla to Imsk for the holidays. Unless I have missed something, we have yet to see Lightning Lass and Shrinking Violet nuptials. But as a couple, they seem to me to have a My-Spouse-Is-My-Best-Friend vibe.

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There is a lot of material here for discussion, so I am not going to publish my thoughts on Triplicate Girl / Duo Damsel / Duplicate Woman and Bouncing Boy for two more weeks.

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Good analysis of the four characters. Unfortunately both of the guys do come across as a bit too shallow to fill the supporting role in a relationship.

There is a telling scene in 5YL LSH v4 #39 just after the destruction of the Earth when Salu is depressed and wondering about the point of it all while Ayla tries to comfort her. Salu finds Ayla's attempts to be upbeat irritating and verbally lashes out at her which leads to a reconciling conversation about how they need each other and both need the other to be strong sometimes.

Agreed with all of the above! And that 5YL scene you mentioned with Vi and Ayla is a favourite of mine

I have more sympathy for Brin than Ord...Ord comes across as just kind of a self-centred idiot, whereas 5YL really worked at showing how much trauma Brin's dad put him through. I don't think Ayla came off looking particularly good when she instantly assumed the worst about Brin and Imra on that asteroid, or again when she dumped him for not instantly leaving the Legion for her.

Brin's dad treated him as a science experiment, he didn't even think he was human for a while, and then there's that time Tyr abducted him for months and messed with his head more. He is very emotionally immature, but I think he's got 100% justified reason to be that way and it's honestly impressive that he's so well adjusted all things considered. The Legion is really the closest he has to family and stability, and it was selfish of Ayla to just expect him to give that up without any kind of discussion.

I would have liked to see more of the Sensor Girl/Timber Wolf-led Legion tbh...partially because it would hopefully have meant that Levitz would stop writing him like he had the mental capacity of someone who's been huffing paint, but also because I think there is potential to explore a closer friendship (or more) between Brin and Jeckie with their connection through Val.

very nice write-up, Klar

I like how you described Vi's turn: indeed, she became fiercely independent because she felt she could not rely on anyone... and Ayla helped her wit h that, by stepping up. And I think Vi gave something back, Vi would step up too - making Ayla much happier with her than with Brin

like with raz, and like you mention Klar, I do have some more sympathy for Brin than for Ord. Brin, somewhat understandably, had been through a lot with his dad etc., and so I always felt the Legion was his rock. I also felt that Ayla should have been more understanding of Brin's reluctance to simply leave the Legion like that (I think she gave him at most a day to think about it?)

well, looking back I don't think the relationship was healthy for either Ayla or Brin.

as for Ord...yeah. I guess they had to make him an idiot, to balance out his huge power potential!

Great assessment of this Klar, and I agree completely with stile, raz and Ibby.

Ord's a jerk full stop. I'm glad they didn't really bring him back for the reboot.

But I've always kind of felt that Vi pre abduction vs Post are essentially different characters. Klar, your write up here has helped bridge those to be closer together. And yes, Ayla and Vi haven't even kissed on panel, let alone be married!

I did feel more for Brin, and I always felt like the ultimatum that she gave to him was to explicitly serve as a pretext to break up; she well knew what Brin would do before she asked him to come with her, IMO.

I admit that I have given Timber Wolf short shrift.

The poor thing has been through a lot.

I recall, on at least two occasions, Ayla used her powers on him: once her anti-gravity powers, and once her electrocution abilities. Both in anger, and, IIRC, having to do with her taking a break from the Legion, and breaking up with him.

So in the end, this was an abusive relationship.

The fact that Brin has high damage resistance is irrelevant.

And when we say he went through a lot:

>> Experimented on by his father
>> Memory wiped by Karth Arn
>> Used as human bait (along with Chemical King) by the Legion to capture Tarik the Mute
>> Addicted to a powerful psychotropic drug
>> Mutated by Zuunium radiation (and Dave Cockrum) into a more feral form
>> Kidnapped by Tyr, held prisoner for months, brainwashed again, almost killed by Tyr’s semi-sentient arm-gun
>> Spends time in prison while searching for Mekt with Ayla
>> Marooned on an asteroid with Regina George Saturn Girl
>> Mutated again by Zuunium radiation, he assumes his ‘Furball’ form and mental state

And Brin remains something of a ‘Lone Wolf’ throughout. He does not seem to have a lot of friends in the Legion. Karate Kid shows gratitude for Timber Wolf’s help in protecting Projectra from the ‘pain plague’. This gratitude expresses itself as a trip to Lythyl, one of the most dangerous planets in the Galaxy.

Karate Kid does leave Brin all the offworld assets of Orando in his will, making Brin possibly wealthier than R.J.Brande.

And the lone wolf finally finds a friend in Blok.

In 5YL, Brin is transported to the 2Oth century, mutates into yet another animalistic form, and goes off to live in Gorilla City. I’m not sure if this is an improvement in his status or not.

I am tempted to re-define Ayla’s connection with Brin as a loving, caring owner of a difficult, traumatized pet. Until she finally experiences ‘donor fatigue’ with his inability to advance, and the relationship goes bad.

I think your last sentence really nails the relationship.

I really enjoyed his friendship with Blok, maybe because they had such similar experiences.

The points you have all made above of the challenges Brin has faced make a lot of sense.

How his character is portrayed varies over the years, because of different writers but we could consider it as changes in how he views the team and the world and trying to fit in.

For example during the Dark Man storyline he works effectively as a lone agent and the text around it suggests he prefers it that way. Although his approach gets a reprimand from then leader Garth, he is a major player in bringing down the Dark Man when much of the rest of the Legion has been taken out. In the Levitz v3 era he is more trying to fit in and almost playing the fool. He is still effective but his role is downplayed by both himself and his teammates. Perhaps this is him trying to figure out for himself how best to reconcile his independent nature and his desire to be part of something as well. He tried being independent and now he is trying being a bit of a clown.

Both approaches suggest a lack of maturity but given his experiences that could be understandable.

I was just thinking, based on the analysis in this thread, that Brin would perhaps be one of the ideal Legionnaires to have a solo run, both in abilities and temperament. Most of the other Legionnaires feel better integrated to the team, so that if there was a solo about 'Tasmia Mallor, Warlord of Talokk VIII,' it would sort of beg the question of where Mon is, are they on a break? Can / will she just call him when the going gets rough, and does it just seem like her ego's writing checks her bad-metaphor-can't-cash when things do get rough and she *doesn't*? With Brin, there's not really anyone he'd be *inclined* to call, it wouldn't feel organic for him to not try and tough out the situation he finds himself in, Lone Wolf style.

And for all his lack of really 'getting overhimself' or 'putting in the work,' I am also reminded of a scene from Great Darkness Saga where Darkseid subjects the various Legionnaires to 'their worst fears,' and others like Dreamy or Imra are devastated by his psychic attack and Brin, who seems to be 'losing his humanity' and being revealed as a robot is all like, 'Huh?' And while, yes, that could be seen as 'wow, he's such a dim bulb that he's not even falling for the psychic attack,' it also suggests that he's really, really *OVER* this whole 'used to think I was a robot' thing, and was genuinely more puzzled than 'terrified' by the 'your worst fear' attack.

First of all I wanna say that I agree with you on Brin being ideal for a solo series, although these days it would just be Wolverine-lite which sucks....I don't wanna see him tracking people down with his nose and clawing things, let him have his original powers again boooo

(also I would be down for a mini-series of Shady from pre-Legion days now that you bring her up! I never really got into Umbra but Shady was one of my favourite Legionnaires back in the day...and I am looking forward to when we get up to Shady/Mon-El in the thread as well!)


My take on this is that in spite of all the crap he's been through (or maybe because of it!), Brin Londo seems to have a really solid idea of who he is as a person...he goes through these crazy transformations or torturous experiences or whatever, and it damages his ability to socialise normally but you never really see him sitting on a rooftop somewhere having existential angst about what kind of man he is.

So while it may well be that his greatest fear is to go back to that time when Karth Arn had him thinking he's an android, Darkseid's illusion didn't work because Brin's sense of self is so strong that he knew straight away it wasn't real because yeah okay he's got a metal leg now, but he doesn't feel any different.

I don't think that contradicts the thing I said before about him not having much emotional intelligence....I know plenty of people in real life who get through trauma by just not having the capacity for nuance. A bad thing happened, they were sad, they moved on. Those people suck at interpersonal relationships too

Both Brin and Ayla strike me as damaged people, and it's no surprise that they were a couple but it didn't work out.

Ayla, the fraternal twin of hotshot Garth living in the shadow of weird sociopathic loner big brother Mekt, was always going to have issues about control and being heard as a kid in my head-canon.

Ayla, to my thinking, grew up in the shadow of two domineering brothers, as part of the freak family that had a singleton. She coped by being a people pleaser and a bit manipulative to cover for her insecurities. As she was surrounded by clearly damaged siblings, her nature was to try to 'fix' things so there's harmony. A childish response to people not acting in a way you want or expect.

Her first appearance she disguised herself as Garth, rather than just approach the team and say "hi, I can zap lightning too." She was too immature to realise how icky that really was - thankfully, so where her teammates. She then has that ability taken away without her consent and replaced with a far more passive power set and doesn't seem to mind. She was clearly not confident. That's not to say she isn't kind and loving too, as she clearly is, but her doubts bring out the desperate side to her character. Being amongst Legionnaires who didn't see her as the quiet one from the weird family and treated her as a peer must have been liberating.

Later on, Ayla falls for Brin, who is obviously troubled but she thinks that somehow she can 'fix' him - where she my child I'd be screaming "no, love, he's a broken toy, put him back in the box! and if you must pick, pick another" While she does support Brin through drug addiction and brainwashing, she also flirts with Ultra Boy when they are rebuilding their HQ, as it's nice when you doubt yourself if someone gives you validation. But then, a short while later, she punishes Brin for comforting her sister-in-law when they think they are goners. To me, her leaving Brin was manipulative and self-serving - "I've decided that I'm going to go and you can follow me to go live with my family or stay here where you actually know people and have built a life. And we're not going to discuss it or look for compromises either." - seriously, that's how I read her ultimatum. Well done Brin for saying no. Her control issues were rampant at that point as her insecurities took charge after Darkseid scared her. Her later return, and anger at Brin read like schoolyard bullying to me.

Her relationship with Vi was an attempt at 'fixing' someone again. At least Vi was mature enough to have boundaries and just enjoy the positives that Ayla brings to a relationship, and I think that brought out the best in Ayla too.

Meanwhile, Brin, in my head-canon, is the lonely boy with ADHD who never had human friends that was abused by his father and the only real friend he had - Karth Arn, an android.

He reminds me of teenagers I've taught who only socialise via their PSP so don't know about social nuances. It isn't really anything that is wrong, just awkward sometimes. As a child he was brought up in a remote place by a just crazy father and androids built to serve. His father experimented on him, the androids tried to take control of him... yeah, he's a mess and will be lacking in social skills after that. The Legion are lucky he didn't go full psycho. Instead, for a while, he threw himself into the Academy, then full membership. He would have competed with Val, Jo and Gim for the alpha-beta male spot on the group probably but his lack of social skills probably kept him down in the rankings, though I doubted if he minded really as he finally had friends! Being in a relationship with Ayla must have seemed like the icing on the cake, initially. Though, remember this is a kid who didn't have loving role models, so you know it'll be stormy. I wonder if his taste for lotus fruit came from a need to fill that void in him that was left from his childhood. I imagine that after a while, listening Ayla going on about her family must have opened up some very recently healed wounds for him. Thankfully, he broke that addiction.

Then Tyr kidnapped and brainwashed him, and almost had him kill the President of Earth. Surprisingly, that wasn't enough to send the already vulnerable Brin a bit loopy. It probably shook him quite badly as he realised his friends weren't looking for him in those six months though - this was his new family, after all. He did though enjoy more 'lone-time' - haha most teenage boys do. Ahem.... he got through that and despite a few snarly moments, was a functioning member of the team and even made friends with Blok, a former assassin that had also been brainwashed and that the snooty 'in-crowd' probably also looked down on. After Ayla left he threw himself into his work, and was kind of clever enough not to go chasing after her in his desperation, instead he hired a PI to confirm where she was. As he never got the chance to appear on her farm and announce he missed her, his big reveal about his feelings didn't happen. Instead, Ayla returned and so he tried a more low-key approach, and got zapped for it.

Thankfully, he found a bit of happiness in Marleo Tao instead - weird as it was, it was good to see he got over Ayla without nursing a bruised ego. In the 5YL stories, he had succumbed to the Zuunian poisoning and mutated even more, and rather than run away to live out his days in a remote forest, he joined Jo after the team split. And even though most of the team didn't recognise him, he stood by them - perhaps he was embarrassed, though who knows?

At the start I said they strike me as damaged people and I think that's part of the reason I like them. They both have character flaws that, in real life would bug me enormously, though through reading about their dealing with it in digest format I cheer them on, understanding their trips and falls as they go,

Really good comments, all. Harbi, I like your comment about Ayla, almost like she is the middle child. (Maybe technically she is?)

re Ayla's ultimatum to Brin, I also seem to recall her being all "I was there for you all the time, but you were never there for me when I decided to leave!" and it struck me indeed as selfish, because I could not remember an instance when Brin demanded Ayla do something like that.

(although, I do recall her putting herself in danger to rid Brin of his lotus fruit addiction... but still - Brin never gave Ayla such an ultimatum like the one she gave him!)

Just an aside, Brin's friendship with Blok always amused me, since I was totally that unpopular kid who hung out alone, and when a new student transferred in, I had a friend, ever so briefly, before they made *other* friends and discovered that I was social kryptonite.

So Brin glomming onto 'the new guy (who hasn't been warned about me yet)' was totally relatable, to me.

I had very similar experiences back in the day.

Ibby, I think selfish is the exact correct word here. I always chalked it up to looking for an excuse out of the relationship, but selfishness is more clearly what it is.

thanks GL credits to raz for first using the word "selfish" to describe it!

#4: Bouncing Boy (Chuck Taine) and Duo Damsel (Luornu Durgo)

Confession: Chuck and Lu are my absolute favorite Legion couple of all time. There may be some favoritism in this review. So there.

TOS Charles Foster Taine is naturally optimistic, cheerful, and full of self-deprecating humor. He is also a go-getter, ready to fight for his position on any mission. He is also chronically underappreciated and underestimated.

I am talking about personalities and relationships here, but I feel I want to take an aside on Chuck’s powers.

Bouncing Boy (along with Matter-Eater Lad) are regularly on internet lists of ‘most useless super-powers’. However, as a street-level fighter, Bouncing Boy is a pretty formidable opponent. This long before his Bendis power-up to absurd levels. I estimate Silver-age Bouncing Boy weighed perhaps 250#, perhaps 350# as a thirtysomething. The terminal velocity for a human is around 120mph, so I would take that as his maximum speed. His collisions are perfectly elastic, transferring twice the expected energy to his target. Getting hit by Bouncing Boy at full speed would be equivalent to getting hit by a Volkswagen moving at 35mph. So, yeah, ouch. Chuck suffers no damage in these collisions when ‘inflated’, not even discomfort. He describes his inflated form as ‘spongy’ and ‘elastic’. Some have compared him to a rubber ball, but I rather think of him as a giant ‘superball’. (the Wham-O toy from the sixties, if you remember that. “5O,OOO pounds of compressed energy”, the ads said.)
So essentially Chuck’s power is to hit pretty hard, from an unexpected angle, and take no damage himself. [i]Relatively weak, compared to many in the Legion, but not ‘silly’ or ‘useless’.[/i]

Now that I’ve got that out of my system.

I have seen comments from the Negative Fandom Zone to the effect: “How can such a fat schlub like Bouncing Boy end up with such a smokin’-hot babe like Duo Damsel.”

To which I reply: Pfaaaaahh.

The boy is a catch.

Chuck is competent. Unless you are also a former employee of the Accounting and Auditing industry, you have no idea what a high compliment that is.

He has faced opponents more powerful than himself, including a couple of the Wanderers, easily taking down Dartalg with the famous line, “You goofed, Darty! Your dart barely pricked me! My skin isn’t balloon-thin… and there’s plenty of muscle under it!”

He holds his own against Monster Master and his Earthquake Beast. He defeats the Wild Huntsman solo-- although admittedly not the most powerful member of the Devil’s Dozen. He also takes down Adam Orion, the inferior offspring of Otto Orion the Hunter. He and Duo Damsel even take down Kantuu the Djinn, who previously was only defeated by the Guardians.

Chuck is a real hero. He works hard to improve his powers, becoming an intuitive expert in spatial geometry. He cares about people. He empathizes. He counsels one group of anonymous Legion rejects to never give up on their dreams-- possibly bad advice, as we never see any of them ever again. But Chuck can’t help it. It's the way he is. But I can’t help but feel sorry for the kid in brown, who we never see again


Later, when Chuck and Lu take over as Legion Academy instructors they really shine, both encouraging their students and pushing them to test their limits.

o o o o

Despite the pseudo-bigamy aspect of their relationship, which may stimulate the more salacious imagination, Luornu seems to me a simple, down-home Mary-Anne country-girl type.

She does set her sights pretty high: her first crush-- as Triplicate Girl-- is on the Boy of Steel himself, although, she reflects, she knows who he will marry in his future.

It is after she loses a third of herself to Computo that she begins becoming close to Chuck. We see the origins of their relationship off-panel, but it is reasonable to assume that it is Chuck’s empathy for her loss-- which neither she, nor her other Legion companions seem to acknowledge. (We do not even know how her family, or greater Carggg itself, react to her disability.)

Chuck is the one to help Luronu during her Lu / Lelith personality split, deducing that Nam’Lor is literally not good for her. (I like to imagine that in later years the Taine family kept in contact with the ‘Lors family: Nam, his wife Ydal, their son Yob, and daughter Ssal.)

At any rate, when Chuck loses his powers YET AGAIN he decides to make the best of it and leave the Legion-- with Luornu as his bride. The first Legionnaires to be married, their wedding on Mars is spectacular, full of cameos and with a minor subplot involving Starfinger. This is not the last time Luornu would be kidnapped.

We really see how compatible the Durgo-Taines are after their marriage. Chuck jokes about his ‘two favorite wives’, Luornu tosses her husband around like a beach ball. They show their competence as retired Legionnaires, becoming pillars of the community on Wondil IX.

One of my favorite vignettes is when they defeat the dreaded Wondilixian ‘ice dragon’, which is really only a harmless, semi-telepathic elasomorphic creature, something like a big Protean snowball.

Their capabilities in running the Academy are well known. Not only are they great teachers, they are able to place Academy graduates, if not in the Legion, then in some other useful position.

Luornu, like her husband, has relatively weak powers, being able to do little more than two ordinary women could do. (Although she has been shown as a formidable hand-to-hand combatant in some other iterations. Trijitsu, I believe it is called. Although in the case of Duo Damsel would it be Dijitsu? Bijitsu? Two Chi Chuan?)

https://youtu.be/MI-AX2AD5Zo?t=11

When Chuck and Luornu return from their third honeymoon Luornu;s Duplicate Damsel / Duplicate Girl / Duplicate Woman ability seems more like a super-power and less like a bedroom kink. But the Taines’ loving and flirtatious relationship remains unchanged.

One thing that was never really addressed, to my knowledge, is how much Duo Damsel’s disability affects her relationship in the Cargggan community. On the one hand one would hope that accommodations would be made. (People are very kind when I roam around town in my electric wheelchair.) On the other hand, we know that triplicating in Cargggan culture is governed by certain obscure rules of etiquette, social norms, and superstition. Just exactly what those are, we are not explicitly told. Feel free to speculate.

I seem to remember that there is a panel somewhere where Luornu, down to one body, flirts with Colossal Boy in a hot tub. This is so uncharacteristic of her that I head-canon it away by explaining that it is just Yera, flirting again. On the other hand, Lu has had her share of trauma in the Legion as much as anyone else, which can also explain uncharacteristic behaviour. As can the whims of the ever-changing stable of writers.

I personally see Chuck and Lu together as an unbeatable combination. Their relationship is built on mutual trust, respect, support, cooperation, humor, and, of course, love.

Of all the Legion couples, this is the one I would most like to invite me over for dinner.

Well, it appears that ChatGPT has made these essays entirely superfluous.
After I finished this one, I prompted the program with “Analyze the dynamics of the marriage relationship between Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel”.
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ChatGPT:
As of my last update in September 2021, Bouncing Boy (real name: Chuck Taine) and Duo Damsel (real name: Luornu Durgo Taine) are characters from DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes, and they have a significant romantic relationship in the comic book canon. Here's an analysis of the dynamics of their marriage relationship based on their history in the comics:

Love and Support: Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel share a deep and genuine love for each other. Their relationship has been portrayed as one of mutual respect and support. They have faced numerous challenges together, both as individuals and as members of the Legion, and their strong bond has helped them overcome these obstacles.

Teamwork and Partnership: As members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel often work side by side in various missions and adventures. Their partnership extends beyond just their personal relationship, and they have proven to be a formidable team on the battlefield.

Emotional Connection: Throughout the comics, Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel's relationship has been characterized by a deep emotional connection. They understand each other's strengths and vulnerabilities, and they provide emotional support when one of them faces challenges or doubts.

Shared Identity and Power: Both characters possess unique superpowers that define their superhero personas. Bouncing Boy has the ability to inflate his body and bounce like a ball, while Duo Damsel can split into three identical bodies. Their shared life as superheroes with extraordinary abilities adds an extra layer of understanding and camaraderie to their marriage.

Challenges and Growth: Like any relationship, Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel's marriage has faced its share of challenges. However, they have often used these difficulties as opportunities for growth and development, both as individuals and as a couple.

Shared Purpose: Being members of the Legion of Super-Heroes means that Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel have a shared purpose and mission. This common goal can strengthen their bond and sense of identity as a couple.

It's important to note that the dynamics of any fictional relationship can change over time, as different writers and storylines shape the characters' journeys. For the most accurate and up-to-date analysis, it's best to refer to the latest issues and story arcs of the Legion of Super-Heroes comics.
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As I recall, there's speculation that Kid in Brown is actually Matter-Eater Lad.

It would've been hilarious if he'd just shower up in the background of tryouts from then on!

Great analysis!
Probably one of the reasons why Bouncing Boy's power is considered a joke is that he's in a team with people who are ridiculously overpowered. But yeah, unless we're talking Kryptonian-level punches I always assumed Chuck is basically immune to kinetic attacks. And if you're not superhuman, if he bounces against you then you're not getting up for a while.
It's certainly a more useful power than, say, Invisible Kid or Matter-Eater Lad except under very specific instances. And more useful than his wife's, so I guess they might have also bonded over having to defend their worth despite weaker powers.

Is his relationship with Luornu the most healthy relationship between Legionnaires? All the others have at least some level of drama, so I'm tempted to say yes.

I have to agree that they make a wonderful couple. Perhaps it is the relative weakness of their powers that allows them to be more "normal" in their relationship i.e. their powers and the demands they make on them don't dominate them as individuals or their relationship and leave them free to work on caring for each other apart from that. Maybe.

Anyway another great analysis and one that reminded me just how much I appreciate the strength of their relationship amongst the sometimes chaotic nature of the others. They really do enhance each other making them amongst the most mature of the legionnaires without the seeming overwhelming stresses of some of the others. It's really nice that their relationship has almost always been portrayed so positively by almost every writer.

The scene you remember of Lu apparently being with Gim was from LSH V4 Annual 3 during 5YL when a stack of the older past and present legionnaires gathered on Winath for the christening of Dacey and Doritt, Garth and Imra's second twins. Ayla and Vi, out for an evening run, stumble across Gim and Lu sharing a swim together in an apparently intimate manner. There is a bit of discussion between them and later some of the other women about whether it was really Lu or Yera. The matter is never resolved. Loads of relationship stuff in this one, some quite controversial. Gim and Lu/Yera was not the most debated.

With Chuck and Lu, compared to some of the more high-drama couples, the relative lack of intensity and focus and need for constant drama has really served them well.

Imra and Garth have both been under enormous pressure due to their respective statuses, and not always handled it with grace. Shady and Mon are a haughty space princess and a walking wounded PTSD case. Drake and Dawny have their own special challenges. Dreamy's a drama queen and Thom sometimes seems like her doormat. Jo and Tinya are the flipside with the boy being the 'problem child' of the relationship (particularly in the Reboot/5YL, IIRC). We've already been over Brin's spinner-rack full of issues and Ayla not really being emotionally experienced enough yet to deal with a relationship like that, and how it was ultimately for the best that he and Ayla are no longer a thing. And so Chuck and Lu kind of seem like the sane ones, in this so very high-maintenance crew!

From a 'shore self' / 'deep self' perspective, it interests me that Chuck seems like the insecure / doubtful / hesitant one *in public,* and Lu the fearless / take charge / supremely confident one, again, *in public,* while we know that, thanks to her trauma regarding her multiple losses to her very self, and Chuck's deep well of support and empathy when she needed him to be the strong one, that he's 100% strong *when she needs him to be strong,* and then turns around and lets her be the confident one in public, since she seems to have more 'social courage' than he does, and he's perfectly content to stand behind her and let her take charge. And so they really complement each other well, IMO, neither completely overshadowing / talking over the other, as sometimes happens with other couples that have an imbalance in 'social confidence.'