DC Annihilated One of Its Best Teams (and That’s a Good Thing)

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The Legendary Superhero Squad from DC Comics, often overlooked yet boasting exceptional status among superhero teams, has faced multiple transformations throughout its history. These continuous changes make it challenging for fans to follow the team’s evolution. It’s a pity because the Legion embodies an optimistic perspective of the future, featuring a vibrant ensemble of characters and numerous classic tales. Some iterations of the team were more successful than others, but their most recent reboot might be one of DC Comics’ biggest missteps with this particular group. Brian Michael Bendis’s effort to revitalize the Legion appears to have fallen short and could arguably be counted among DC’s most significant mistakes.

In a new twist, Joshua Williamson and artist Dan Mora have introduced an evil counterpart of the Legion, serving under Darkseid. The wicked Legion of Super-Heroes, who have been prominent figures in DC’s All-In Initiative, particularly in the Superman series, have surfaced frequently. Dan Mora has unveiled sneak peeks for upcoming issues of Superman, disclosing that the virtuous Legion from the future has been eliminated. Although it’s sad to see our beloved characters perish, there’s a glimmer of hope in knowing that the latest manifestation of the Legion of Super-Heroes has ceased to exist. This paves the way for a potential, and hopefully classic, revival of the Legion.

The Legion of Super-Heroes Are Wiped Out

In the shared previews by Mora, Superman is depicted in a future scene, revealing a devastated landscape with Legion of Super-Heroes members scattered on the ground and buildings collapsed. The unique aspect of Mora’s artwork is that it combines different character designs from various reboots. For instance, Lightning Lad, as portrayed in Geoff Johns’ Legion Threeboot, is shown impaled; meanwhile, Bendis’ Chameleon Boy and Saturn Girl are stiff on the ground in the foreground. Additionally, three giant skeletons suggest these might be the remains of all three versions of Colossal Boy. The image lacks dialogue, leaving the interpretation of this grim scenario to the readers’ imagination.

In a battle against the Justice League, it appears Darkseid was destroyed, but instead of disappearing, his power gave birth to a new cosmos called the Absolute Universe. With grander intentions for the main DC Universe, he’s crafting an evil counterpart to the Legion of Super-Heroes. The devastation shown in Mora’s previews may be attributed to Darkseid and his malicious Legion. Some speculate that Darkseid is gradually tainting the primary universe, moving from the future towards the present. The remains of several Legion teams suggest that all iterations of the group united to oppose Darkseid, but ultimately fell short. Comics by Geoff Johns such as “Legion of Three Worlds” and hints in his “Justice Society” comic have foreshadowed a Legion from four worlds in the future.

Why The Legion’s Death Is a Good Thing

Over the years, the Legion of Super-Heroes has faced numerous questionable story arcs and revisions. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a significant part of the Legion’s history involving Superman as Superboy became irrelevant. This required a reboot, but it seemed that DC Comics were never completely content with the direction they set for the team. They frequently tweaked the team composition, initiating multiple reboots and relaunches which eventually culminated in granting Brian Michael Bendis creative control over the Legion of Super-Heroes toward the end of the 2010s. Bendis introduced a number of daring new designs to make the team more inclusive and reflective of contemporary youth.

Although there was initial apprehension about the redesigns, there was undeniable excitement surrounding Bendis’ Legion. Known for his acclaimed works like Ultimate Spider-Man and Alias, Bendis was a renowned creator. The artwork by Ryan Sook was exceptional, with his redesigns adding fresh perspectives to the team. There were even promises that Bendis would work on the upcoming Legion animated series. With all the signs pointing towards a modern classic, the new Legion comic unfortunately failed to deliver. Instead of offering novel content, it primarily revisited the team’s most iconic tales. The book also had an excessive number of characters, making it difficult for any one character’s voice to shine amidst the chorus of dialogue. Furthermore, the introduction of Jon Kent instead of Superman in the Legion was met with resistance by fans, as many were not ready to embrace the matured Superboy at the same pace as Bendis and DC.

The experience wasn’t entirely negative; there were notable aspects, and overall, the artwork was excellent. However, the “Justice League vs. Legion of Super-Heroes” comic seemed quite disconnected, and Bendis ended his tenure at DC before fully developing his Legion storylines. Since then, the Legion has been in an odd state, with many readers choosing to overlook Bendis’ interpretation of the Legion. It appeared as though Bendis left DC with a project that they weren’t sure how to handle. Although DC could have continued where Bendis stopped with a new writer, it may have been better for them to start anew. It seems that both fans and creators desire a Legion of Super-Heroes that is more reminiscent of the classic version we are familiar with.

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2025-08-17 17:17