The First 10 Members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Ranked by Legacy

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a DC Comics team from the future that counted a time-traveling Superboy as a team member. The team debuted in Adventure Comics #247 (1958) as a single issue Superboy story, and they ended up becoming one of DC’s longest-running team-up franchises, starting with their popularity in that story. This issue introduced the three core teenage heroes of this superhuman team from the 30th century: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl. With the Legion of Super-Heroes, Otto Binder and Al Plastino utilized the fresh idea of superheroes in a sci-fi setting as an attempt to breathe new life into comics after superhero burnout following World War II.

The Legion’s billionaire benefactor, R.J. Brande, brought the team together, and by the 1960s, there were 16 members in an ever-expanding lineup. With so many members, here are the first 10 members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, ranked by their legacy.

10) Invisible Kid

Invisible Kid is Lyle Norg, and he debuted in Action Comics #267 (1960) by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. He was a boy genius who studied at Metropolis University and synthesized an invisibility serum that worked on himself and his clothing. This allowed him to be part of the Legion Espionage Squad. He also, at one time, served as one of the team’s leaders. He died in Superboy #203, killed by the alien Validus, one of the team’s first murdered members. Jacques Foccart carried on his legacy as the second Invisible Kid. This Legion member also debuted as an invisible hero 15 months before Marvel Comics introduced the Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four #1.

9) Star Boy

Star Boy is Thom Kallor, and he debuted in Adventure Comics #282 (1961) by Otto Binder and George Papp. He was born to astronomer parents on an observation satellite orbiting the planet Xanthu, where cosmic radiation gave him powers. He can temporarily increase the mass and density of any object or person, and at peak power, can compress matter into a black hole. His legacy includes the fact that he married Dream Girl in one of the longest-running romances in Legion comics. He was also reintroduced in DC’s Justice Society of America, where he was an older Thorn and went by the name Starman.

8) Ultra Boy

Ultra Boy is Jo Nah, and he made his debut in Superboy #98 (1962) by Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan. He hails from the planet Rimbor and got his powers after a whale-like creature swallowed him whole and exposed his body to internal radiation. He has Superman-styled powers, including flight, super strength, invulnerability, flash vision, and X-ray vision. However, the downside is that he can only use one power at a time. He is considered one of the three most powerful Legion heroes, along with Kal-El and Mon-El. He was a Legion leader twice.

7) Chameleon Boy

Chameleon Boy debuted in Action Comics #267 (1960), created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, and he was one of the first Legion members introduced after the three original founders. Reep Daggle comes from the planet Durla, where the Durlans are shape-shifters who have developed an immunity to their nuclear-devastated environment. He can transform into forms larger or smaller than himself, creating or shedding mass, and rearranging his internal anatomy. He is the founder of the Legion Espionage Squad and the son of the Legion’s billionaire financer. He was also one of the earliest non-humanoid-looking heroes in DC Comics.

6) Triplicate Girl

Triplicate Girl is Luornu Durgo, and she debuted in Action Comics #276 (1961) by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. She was the first non-founding member of the team and the first to join after the three originals. She is from the planet Cargg, where everyone there can split into three identical bodies, each with full strength, knowledge, and skill. When they rejoin, they retain the memories and knowledge of all three. Sadly, one of her selves died in Adventure Comics #340 (1966), forcing her to become Duo Damsel. In later years, DC changed her power set and allowed her to have unlimited duplication, but this wasn’t in place in the early Legion days.

5) Brainiac 5

Brainiac 5 is Querl Dox, and he debuted in Action Comics #276 (1961) by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, the same issue as Triplicate Girl. He remains one of the most famous and popular members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, alongside the founding members. He claims to be a descendant of the original Brainiac, but he chose to be a hero rather than a villain. Brainac 5 has “twelfth-level intellect,” which is the highest in the galaxy. He invented the force-shield belt and co-invented the Legion Flight Ring with Invisible Kid, a device which allows all Legionnaires to fly. His legacy is complicated, as he is a descendant of a terrifying villain, but his unrequited love for Supergirl is one of the longest-running storylines in DC history.

4) Lightning Lad

Lightning Lad is one of the three founding members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Garth Ranzz debuted in Adventure Comics #247 (1958) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, and he has the power to generate lightning after he and his siblings were attacked as children by lightning beasts. His brother, Lightning Lord, is a villain, and his sister, Light Lass, is also empowered. He was actually killed in Adventure Comics #304 (1963) defending his teammates, but Saturn Girl offered a sacrifice that brought him back. Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl ended up getting married in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-55 (1977), making them one of the first married superhero couples in DC history (although after Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel in 1974). He has served as the team leader multiple times.

3) Saturn Girl

Saturn Girl is another founding member, debuting in Adventure Comics #247 (1958) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. She hails from Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and developed telepathy thanks to the planet. She has the ability to read minds, project images, transmit telepathic communication, and dominate other people’s minds with maximum effort. Saturn Girl was the first female leader of the Legion, which was a historic moment for any superhero title at the time (1963). She married Lightning Lad, and she has been prominently used in recent years in an attempt by DC to anchor the different eras of DC Comics heroes.

2) Cosmic Boy

Cosmic Boy is Rokk Krinn, and he was a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, debuting in Adventure Comics #247 (1958) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. He is from the planet Braal, where everyone born there has the power to generate and manipulate magnetic fields. He was the one who co-led the rescue of billionaire R.J. Brande with Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, the assassination attempt that prompted Brande to fund the Legion. He was the first chairperson of the Legion, and he was the one who conceived the idea of being a structured team rather than an informal group. He even had his own miniseries in 1986 by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen and was a key member in Mark Waid and Barry Kitson’s 2004 Legion of Super-Heroes relaunch. He also appeared on TV in CW’s Smallville series.

1) Superboy (Kal-El)

The Legion of Super-Heroes member who has the strongest legacy is, without competition, Kal-El. This was Superman when he was a teenager, and the Legion traveled back in time to recruit Superboy in Adventure Comics #247 (1958). What makes this important is that the Legion formed to honor Kal-El’s exploits. The Superboy character debuted in More Fun Comics #101 (1945) as the teenage adventures of Clark Kent in Smallville. Superboy’s name was in the title (Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes) for a time as well. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC removed Superboy from Legion continuity, forcing DC to create a Pocket Universe to preserve his legacy.

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