Legion of Substitute Heroes

Legion of Substitute Heroes
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Adventure Comics #306 (March, 1963)
Created by Edmond Hamilton (script)
John Forte (art)
In-story information
Base(s) Metropolis (31st century)
Member(s) Antennae Lad
Chlorophyll Kid
Color Kid
Double Header
Dream Girl
Fire Lad
Infectious Lass
Night Girl
Polar Boy
Porcupine Pete
Rainbow Girl
Star Boy
Stone Boy

The Legion of Substitute Heroes is a group of fictional characters in the future of the DC Comics universe. The "Subs", as they are often called, are a group of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes who banded together, hoping to prove to the Legion that their powers were not as useless as the Legionnaires claimed. They first appeared in Adventure Comics #306 (March 1963). They were depicted as reasonably effective superheroes until Keith Giffen, during his tenure as Legion writer, began depicting the team as something of a joke. The Subs regained some respect when founding member Polar Boy joined the main Legion and a new Legion of Substitute Heroes was formed.

Silver Age history

The Legion of Substitute Heroes was founded by Polar Boy, Night Girl, Stone Boy, Fire Lad, and Chlorophyll Kid, five young heroes whose powers were not sufficient to earn them membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes Night Girl for example could only use her powers in the dark. After receiving a Legion flight belt as a consolation prize, the five disconsolate teenagers decided to form a group that could pinch hit for the Legion. After several failures as a team, the Subs managed to save the Earth from an invasion by Plant Men while the Legion was off planet fighting a decoy armada of robot spaceships.

At first operating in secrecy, the Legion of Substitute Heroes was gradually recognized by the real Legion as a valuable asset, most notably after the assault on the Citadel of Throon when the regular Legionnaires were all defeated and it was left to Polar Boy and Night Girl to lead an effective attack and end the siege.[1] The Substitute Heroes saved the Legionnaires from such threats as the Taurus Gang and the lethal League of Super-Assassins.

Members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes include:

After a colorful, if not exactly impressive, career, the Substitute Heroes were disbanded by Polar Boy, after assisting Senator Tenzil Kem in averting an attempt by an army of replicas of Computo the Conqueror to take over Bismoll in a particularly inept, yet successful manner. Brek went on to attain full membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes. Many of the remaining members would eventually join the Legion as well during the "Five Year Gap".

Shortly before the "Five Year Gap", a new Legion of Substitute Heroes was formed.[2] It consisted of former Legion of Super-Heroes members Cosmic Boy, Bouncing Boy, and Duo Damsel, as well as Night Girl, a new Karate Kid (Myg of Lythyl), and Comet Queen.

During the events of Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4), the "Subs" came into their own as an insurgent group that was helping the Terran resistance to the Dominators. Here, old Subs Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Chlorophyl Kid, Color Kid, and Porcupine Pete, were joined by new allies such as Ron-Karr and Grinn.

Post-Zero Hour

Following the Zero Hour reboot, the Subs appeared in Legionnaires #43 during Legion tryouts. Infectious Lass, Fire Lad, and Color Kid were seen on the cover, while Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Night Girl, and Polar Boy all tried out. Night Girl knew very well that the Legion wouldn't accept her because of her power's drawback, but she was really planning on meeting Cosmic Boy who, at the time, was trapped in the 20th century.

Polar Boy and Night Girl appear in one panel of Legionnaires #49, concluding that their unseen team is not ready to aid the Legion against Mordru (Night Girl calls them a "poor substitute").

In the Legion Worlds one-shot focusing on Braal, Cosmic Boy along with Invisible Kid, Leviathan, and Chuck Taine called themselves the "Legion of Subs"; the word 'Subs' is short for subterfuge.

Infectious Lass also reappeared as a student in the Legion Cadet Program just before the Legion's continuity was rebooted again.

Threeboot

In the "Threeboot" Legion series launched in 2004, Polar Boy and Chlorophyll Kid (renamed Plant Lad) appeared as a part of the new Wanderers led by Mekt Ranzz. This version of Polar Boy can only slow molecular movement. Night Girl applied for membership in the Legion but was rejected and made a reserve member, (as part of the "Legion Reserve"), along with Sizzle, an energy manipulator, and Turtle, a strong and durable alien.[3]

Post-Infinite Crisis

Versions of Infectious Lass, Polar Boy, Night Girl, Stone Boy, Fire Lad, and Chlorophyll Kid similar in appearance to their pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths counterparts appeared in the Tales of the Unexpected limited series and the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes storyarc in Action Comics. Porcupine Pete and Antennae Lad have not been seen.

In part five of the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes story-arc in Action Comics, Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, and Rainbow Girl are called in to help battle the Justice League of Earth, a tyrannical, alien-hating association formed out super-powered beings also rejected by the Legion.[5] After the villainous group is defeated, the Subs decide to claim their satellite base as their own.[6] During the course of the story, it is revealed that a large part of why the heroes were rejected from the original Legion was due to subtle psychological scans run by Saturn Girl during their applications for membership; while the heroes who joined the Legion of Substitutes were denied membership because they lacked control of their abilities or simply didn't possess useful powers, characters like Radiation Roy, Spider Girl, and Absorbency Boy were rejected because their profiles revealed they had deeply disturbed psyches and a variety of psychotic tendencies, prompting Brainiac 5 to agree with Polar Boy's decision to call the subs for aid.

At an early point in their timeline, the Substitutes teamed up with the Inferior Five in a failed attempt to steal the Legion's thunder and destroy a primeval black hole.[7]

In other media

Legion of Super Heroes

Characters from the Legion of Substitute Heroes first appeared in the Legion of Super-Heroes episode entitled "Lightning Storm", and then again in the episode "The Substitutes", which focused completely on them. They are portrayed as a mix of sympathetic and comedic characters who are determined to be heroes but not entirely aware of their limits.

The Legion of Substitute Heroes in the animated series consists of:

In addition, Antennae Lad, Polar Boy, Fire Lad, Double-Header, and Night Girl all appeared in cameos in both episodes as prospective members of the Legion.

The Substitute Heroes were seen briefly in a battalion during "Sundown" Part 2, although never actually participating in the fight against the Sun-Eater.

In the second-season (and series) finale, "Dark Victory", The Substitute Heroes and other previously rejected auditions from the first season are shown among the Legion during Cosmic Boy's speech in part one. Polar Boy is briefly seen in part two.

Smallville

In the Smallville episode "Legion", Cosmic Boy tells Lightning Lad that he is acting like a Sub when he asks Clark to autograph the first baseball Clark had ever hit; claiming it was for his sister.

References

  1. Adventure Comics #319 (April 1964)
  2. Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3 (1987)
  3. Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 5, #48 (February 2009)
  4. Adventure Comics #309 (June 1963)
  5. Action Comics #862 (February 2008)
  6. Action Comics #863 (March 2008)
  7. The Brave and the Bold #35 (July 2010)

External links

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