Love In The Legion
If you're a superhero in search of love, there's one place you can improve the odds of a HEA. Kara_Querl breaks down her top romances in the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Sixty-one years ago DC Comics introduced a group of teenage superheroes from the future originally meant to provide Superboy (and soon after Supergirl) with a peer group where they didn’t need to hide their secret super powers. Over the years the Legion of Super-Heroes increased in popularity eventually kicking Superboy out of his own book. But as is wont to happen when you have a large group of teenagers facing high adrenaline situations in a fairly unsupervised organization, there was a lot of romance. The interesting thing about the romances of the Legion are how steady most of them are. Here are what I consider to be the top 14 romances of the original incarnation of the team.
#14 Night Girl and Cosmic Boy
(aka Lydda Jath and Rokk Krinn)
Lydda developed a crush on Rokk while following his exploits with the Legion of Super-Heroes from her homeworld. She convinced her father to help her gain super powers so she could fight alongside Rokk in the Legion. Unfortunately her powers of super strength only worked in darkness, as the planet she originated from had very little light, so Lydda’s membership was denied. Undeterred she resolved to prove herself worthy of Rokk’s attention by joining the Legion of Substitute-Heroes. This strategy eventually paid off and the two married and raised a child.
#13 Colossal Boy and Chameleon Girl
(aka Gim Allon and Yera)
Gim thought his luck had changed when his long time time crush and fellow Legionnaire Shrinking Violet began to return his affections. The two found a connection that had eluded them for years and soon were married. It wasn’t until after their marriage that Gim discovered he had actually wed a Durlan shapeshifter who had been hired to impersonate Violet. Gim realized it was actually Yera he had fallen in love with and not Violet at all and the two had a long and happy marriage.
#12 Mon El and Shadow Lass (aka Lar Gand and Tasmia Mallor)
When Shadow Lass first joined the Legion she only had eyes for Brainiac 5. However, after she realized Brainiac 5 was in love with Supergirl and his feelings were returned, she turned her eyes elsewhere. She noticed stoic and noble Mon El. Mon El had spent 1000 years as a prisoner in the Phantom Zone unable to affect events, only witness them. This left him very detached and patient. Their relationship grew steadily but it wasn't until Shadow Lass was gravely injured he understood how much she meant to him. Ironically it wasn't until Mon El was gravely injured that they finally married.
#11 Blok and the White Witch (aka Blok and Mysa Nal)
Blok was a Dryad, a silicon based species that resembled rock golems. Mysa was a Naltorian magic user who honed her skills on the sorcerer’s world of Zerox. A perfect example of the coarse and the delicate. But Blok’s heart was soft and pure and Mysa’s will was stronger than stone. Though they were obviously soulmates the two denied their love for years. Eventually Mysa overthrew the evil sorcerer Modru and gained power allowing the two to finally be together. She was forced to remain on sorcerer's world as its ruler but her “Rock” remained by her side.
#10 Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy (aka Luornu Durgo and Chuck Taine)
Lournu spent years in love with Superboy, all the while knowing he was destined to marry Lois Lane. While pining for Kal she began spending more and more time in the company of Bouncing Boy. Chuck knew how to make her smile and laugh. When Brainiac 5 gives Chuck the bad news that he has lost his superpowers and must quit the Legion he realizes the thing he will miss most is Lournu. He proposes and they become the first of the Legionnaires to marry. Their relationship really blossoms when they return to the legion years later as heads of the Legion Academy and you see just how much of a team they have become.
#9 Dream Girl and Star Boy
(aka Nura Nal and Thom Kallor)
When Nura Nal first attempted to join the Legion all the boys were smitten, but none more so than Thom Kallor. Thom and Nura continued to see each other even after Nura had to leave the Legion for joining under false pretenses. During one such rendezvous Thom was set upon by one of Nura’s ex-lovers and killed him in self defense. Though the law cleared him. he was expelled for violating the Legion’s strict code against killing. Nura stood by him during the trial and they went to serve in the Legion of Substitute Heroes. Eventually they re-joined the Legion together in disguise after being endorsed by Supergirl and Superboy. Years later Thom became lost in time and succumbed to a mental illness that had been treatable in the 31st century. Through this time he still remembers and misses Nura until his eventual return to the future.
#8 Timberwolf and Light Lass/Lightning Lass (aka Brin Londo and Ayla Ranzz)
Brinn and Ayla’s relationship was one of deep passion both in it’s beginning and it’s end. Brin first met Ayla when she approached him to join the Legion. He tried to push her away at first because he thought he was a robot (yeah you know normal teenage problems) and went by the name Lone Wolf. The Legion helped him realize he had been tricked and was in fact human and their romance continued for a long time until Ayla caught Brin stealing a kiss from her sister in law! Ayla asked Brin to leave the Legion with her and he refused, cementing their breakup.
#7 Shrinking Violet (aka Vi) and Light Lass/Lightning Lass
(aka Salu Digby and Ayla Ranzz)
Ayla and Vi were both held hostage in separate instances, both changing in a similar way and coming out ready to be truer to themselves and not hold back. They discussed the matter and without overtly saying it at the time suddenly became a lot closer; hugging, working out together, going on missions together. Eventually, as the end of the 1980's approached and the Legion story jumped ahead five years, we learned Vi and Ayla had been living together in a long term committed relationship.
#6 Karate Kid and Princess Projectra
(aka Val Armorr and Wilimena Morgana Daergina
Annaxandra Projectra Velorya Vauxhall aka “Jeckie”)
Who doesn’t love a royal wedding? Projectra was the Princess, then later Queen, of the Magical yet technologically backward planet Orando. Prior to ascending the throne she joined the Legion of Super-Heroes where she used skills of illusion casting and was smitten with Val Armorr a master of all Martial Arts in the Milky Way Galaxy. The pair were married in one of the most beautiful weddings in comics history. But happiness was fleeting as long time Legion enemy Nemesis Kid aka Hart Druiter challenged and killed the Karate Kid in combat. Enraged Projectra in turn fought Druiter and killed him. She later rejoined the Legion as Sensor Girl in a costume that hid her face and identity.
#5 Element Lad and Officer Erin (aka Jan Arrah and Shvaughn Erin)
Jan Arrah was the last remaining survivor of a massacre on the planet Trom. Trommites were a very spiritual people and Jan was a kind and gentle sole considering the atrocities visited upon his homeworld. Jan was nervous around girls and though he went on a handful of dates nothing ever seemed to come of them. That was until Shvaughn Erin was assigned to the Legion as their liaison to the science police. The two fell deeply in love and though Trommites do not have a concept of marriage the two shared a prayer at the temple on Trom signifying their love. Many years later a massive war made Shvaughn’s hormone therapy drug scarce and she began to take on more masculine features. She revealed to Jan she was transgender and was born with the name Sean. Jan tells her he does not care and his feeling for her are unchanged but she has a journey of her own to go on. Later, when Jan is horribly injured, Shvaughn now presenting as male, returns to Jan’s side.
#4 Dawnstar and Wildfire
(aka Dawnstar and Drake Burroughs)
Drake Burroughs had been the victim of a horrible accident that left him a being of pure energy without a physical body. He inhabited a suit that gave him the semblance of a physical form and helped him relate to his teammates. He had a wise cracking nature that quickly endeared him to readers and he was soon elected Legion leader (readers wrote in with votes to determine the results of a Legion election). Early in his tenure he recruited Dawnstar for her tracking abilities. The two had immediate chemistry though it manifested as much as hate as it did love. Eventually Dawnstar admitted her feelings and her fears of having to go without physical contact. It took many years but the two found their own ways of being together.
#3 Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl
(aka Jo Nah and Tinya Wazzo)
Jo and Tinya were soulmates almost from day one. Their feelings were first shown when they needed to pretend to be married as part of one of Brainiac 5’s elaborate plans. Later, when Jo was falsely accused of betraying the Legion, Tinya was the first to defend him. She defended him again when he was later accused of killing an old girlfriend and Jo was cleared again. Soon after this, when it appeared Jo had died at the hands of Pulsar Stargrave, Tinya nearly fell apart. But Jo was later found living with amnesia as a space pirate, soon regained his memories and the two were reunited. After Legion continuity jumped ahead five years, Jo discovered the plans of an evil sorceress who sent Tinya back in time, making Jo believe she was dead. The two were reunited, however, just before the end of the first Legion continuity.
#2 Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl
(aka Garth Ranzz and Imra Ardeen)
Garth and Imra are two of the three founders of the Legion. They are the second oldest Legion romantic couple and are essentially the mother and father of the Legion. Early in Legion history Superman and Supergirl traveled to the Legion’s future, where they met a married Lightning Man and Saturn Woman. The big turning point in their romance was when Imra became Legion Leader (the first female leader of a co-ed superhero team) and attempted to sacrifice herself to save her teammates, especially Garth. Garth is one step ahead of her and ends up sacrificing himself in her stead; one of the earliest semi-permanent deaths in comics. Garth stayed dead for several issues until Imra finally found a way to resurrect him. Sadly, Chameleon Boy’s pet, the shape shifting Proty, gave his life in the process. Years later they married, and as stipulated in Legion rules had to resign. Eventually they had a child but Imra was restless. In a move that was incredibly unconventional for the time when the story was written, Garth decided to become a full time father while Imra returned to the Legion. Their happiness was interrupted when they learned their infant son was a twin and his brother had been turned into the villain Validus by Darkseid, but were reunited when their son returned to his original form and went on to have two daughters. When the book jumped ahead five years we found Garth and Imra running a farm on Garth’s homeworld. Soon however it was revealed the original Lightning Lad had never been resurrected at all and the man Imra married was in fact Proty stuck for all those years in Lightning Lad’s form.
#1 Supergirl and Brainiac 5
(aka Kara Zor-El and Querl Dox)
Lastly, we have the oldest romance in the Legion and my personal favorite. Brainiac 5 was the descendant of one of Superman and Supergirl's greatest villains. He began falling in love with Supergirl after learning about her in holovids and history books, going on to invent time travel and join the Legion solely for the chance to meet her. When they did, he fell hard. She was wary at first knowing his lineage but he proved himself by risking his life to provide her with the tools she needed to stop a Kryptonite meteor. Note that he did not stop the meteor himself but rather did his best to help her succeed. This continued to be their dynamic for many years. Kara called on his help in her first mission after going public. He allowed her to kill him temporarily in a plan to rescue Superman. Kara kept their relationship quiet for a while, thinking about him affectionately, and hanging his picture in the Fortress of Solitude. However, after Shadow Lass let her feelings for Brainy (as he is affectionately known) be known, Kara began to express her affection more publicly. Superboy believed their love to be so strong he quit the Legion so the two of them could be together. Their relationship is bittersweet however because Brainy had always known the hour of her inevitable death. When it happened, it crushed him and nearly drove him mad. For a certain period of time Supergirl was erased from the timeline of the universe itself but Brainy still held on to her memory until he reached the end of time to battle the Time Trapper in revenge for all he had lost.
Kara_Querl is a long time Legion fan and comic book reader. You can find Kara on Twitter to talk about this article and everything Legion related.
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