Legion of Super Heroes (TV series)

At the 2006 Comic Con International, the production staff did not officially say whether legal issues at the time involving the ownership of Superboy had affected this series or whether changes were made to tie the series in with the Superman Returns movie, but one significant change had been made since the announcement of the series. The original press release referred to "the young Superboy",[4] while the revised press release, published in June 2006, described the character as a young Superman. At the conclusion of the pilot episode, Clark adopts the superhero name of Superman, and not Superboy. In the second season, which takes place two years after the end of the first season, the character is called Superman, without reference to his "young" status.

The second season has a much darker and more mature tone than the first season and mostly focuses on Brainiac 5 and his relationship with his evil ancestor, the original Brainiac. In the second season, most of the Legionnaires have changed their appearances, e.g., Lightning Lad has longer hair and gets a robotic arm. Their appearances change based on the two years without Superman after he left in the episode "Sundown Part 2", which is the finale of the first season. Triplicate Girl changes her codename to Duo Damsel because one of her bodies (the White Body) is lost in a temporal anomaly during one of their 41st Century's battles. The series logo was also slightly revised.[5] As with the first season, a total of 13 episodes were created for the second season, which premiered on September 22, 2007. The show was not renewed for a third season.[1]

A third season had been planned for production but was dropped because the Kids' WB! slot was taken over by 4Kids. The third season was intended to take place three years after the end of the second season in which an older Superman would return. Sensor, Wildfire, Magnetic Kid, Supergirl, Tellus, Princess Projectra and Shadow Lass were to be introduced, while background characters Blok and Dawnstar would have active roles. Kell-El was intended to be a regular character but with a reduced role. The main focus of the third season would have been Brainiac 5's return, while trying to redeem himself after the second season's finale and the evil Brainiac 6 trying to destroy the Legion. Also, producer James Tucker planned to make an episode adaptation of the story "The Ghost of Ferro Lad" to introduce Ferro Lad's long lost twin brother who would have become Kell-El's replacement in the Legion.[6] The final episode of season two linked the two seasons together.[7][8]

The first season of the series began airing on Cartoon Network UK on March 5, 2007. The 13 episodes were shown weekdays through March 21, and the two-part season finale aired in the UK about five weeks before it was shown in the US. It also used to air on CITV 'Action Stations' and re-airs on Cartoon Network Too.

• In Canada, the first season began airing on YTV on September 8, 2007. It continued to air through the second season of the show uninterrupted, before being taken off the air.
• In Australia, the first season began airing on Nine Network on August 9, 2009. The complete series was broadcast in widescreen.
• In Brazil, the first season began airing on Cartoon Network Brazil on March 1, 2008.
• In Italy, the first season began airing on Cartoon Network Italy on October 1, 2007.
• In the Philippines, the first season began airing on May 31, 2008, and the second season began airing on January 12, 2009, on Cartoon Network Philippines.
• In Bulgaria the show began airing on Nova Television on November 30, 2008.
• In Israel, the first season began airing on Children Channel on September 18, 2008.
• In the Netherlands, season one started airing on RTL 5 in March 2009.
• In Greece, the series aired in the summer of 2009 and 2010 on the Star Channel every weekday morning.
• In Trinidad and Tobago, the series aired on CCN TV6.
• In Galicia, the series began airing October 4, 2004, on TVG.

The first season introduces a teenaged Clark Kent who is about to move from Smallville to Metropolis. He knows of his abilities but does not know what to do with his future (similar in nature to the Clark Kent featured in the Smallville television series). After travelling to the future, young Clark assumes the identity of Superman and gradually learns to control his abilities, becoming the hero he is destined to be. At the end of the first season, he returns to the present around the same time he left in the first episode.

In the second season, Superman returns to the future after spending two years in the past and gaining more experience with his powers. A second Superman, called "Superman X", also appears in the second season. This Superman, later given the name Kell-El, is from the 41st century and was created from Superman's DNA and Kryptonite as a living weapon with different abilities. His main foe in the 41st century is Imperiex, who travels through time to the 31st century, forcing Superman X to follow him into the past and recruit the Legion to help him.

Series producer James Tucker offered descriptions of the core team in a July 2006 interview at Comic Con International in San Diego.[9] As with other DC team shows such as Justice League Unlimited, not every core character appears in all episodes. The following descriptions apply to the characters as seen in the first season.

• Lightning Lad has lightning powers and is eager and hot-headed. The lightning bolt scar on his right eye sometimes flashes brightly in times of battle. He has a twin sister, Ayla, and an older brother, Mekt.
• Saturn Girl is a level-headed character with mental powers.
• Brainiac 5 is the smartest Legionnaire and can transform his robot body in various ways.
• Phantom Girl has the ability to pass through solid objects. She also has the ability to turn other people and objects temporarily intangible.
• Bouncing Boy is a friendly young "every man" who has the ability to make his body rubbery and springy. In Season 1, Bouncing Boy is elected leader of the Legionnaires.
• Triplicate Girl was born with the ability to split her form into three identical selves.
• Timber Wolf, named Brin Londo, is transformed into a werewolf-like creature as a result of his father's experiments on him. Brin has enhanced speed, strength, agility, and senses, but also has more feral emotional and physical tendencies.
• Chameleon Boy has the ability to shape shift all or part of his body into something else, animate or inanimate, as well as utilize the strength and power of what he transforms into. His father, R.J. Brande, funds the Legion.

XS appears in the final two episodes "Dark Victory" parts 1 and 2 as a background character. Dawnstar and Invisible Kid also appeared in these final two episodes along with many other rarely seen Legion members; however, none of the new members shown in these episodes did anything to the plot of the story itself.

In the first season, some Legionnaires were mentioned or shown as images before making an actual appearance. Fourteen members were shown during the season as already active: Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Triplicate Girl, and Tyroc. Five more joined the Legion through the course of the series: Superman, Timber Wolf, Matter-Eater Lad, Star Boy, and Ferro Lad.

The opening credits sequences used for first-season episodes included a glimpse of the Mission Monitor Board signs for many Legionnaires as well as shots of flying Legionnaires who would be seen in later episodes (though not all of those with Mission Monitor Board symbols appeared). At least four members of the Legion as seen in the comics appeared in some way on the show but had not joined by the end of the first season (Ultra Boy, Lightning Lass, Wildfire, and Polar Boy).

In the second season, Karate Kid appeared in the opening credits with the other Legionnaires, though he did not appear until the fifth episode (in which Nemesis Kid also became a new member). Similar to Karate Kid, Sun Boy appeared in the second season opening titles and made semi-regular appearances but did not have a speaking line or have someone else refer to him by name. Ayla Ranzz, sister of Lightning Lad, finally made an appearance, but as a child without apparent super powers and not as the Light Lass of the comic books.

Shadow Lass and Sensor were mentioned to appear in the third season, but were not actually in any of the two prior seasons.

The series was nominated for three Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a subset of the Daytime Emmy Awards.[15] None of the nominations won their category.

• Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation.
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Live Action and Animation.

A comic book based on the show's continuity was published under the title Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century. According to the comic's writer, J. Torres, the name was chosen to distinguish itself from more specifically youth-oriented titles such as Justice League Adventures and Superman Adventures.[17] The first issue was distributed during Free Comic Book Day 2007 in addition to being sold.

An interview concerning the Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century comic confirmed that the comic was to continue publication despite the series ending, and that the comic would also be telling stories that were to have taken place after the second-season finale.[18] As of issue #20, the comic ceased publication.[19]

Additional characters

While the comic incorporates the cast of the show, other characters from DC Comics have made an appearance.

• Arm Fall Off Boy – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #16
• Booster Gold – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #19
• Circe – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #7
• Bart Allen/Impulse – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #15
• Lex Luthor – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13
• Lois Lane – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13
• Perry White – Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #13

Issues #1–7 were collected in the trade paperback Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century, Vol. 1: Tomorrow's Heroes (March 2008, ISBN 978-1-4012-1668-9).

A tie-in promotion with McDonald's Happy Meal took place in August 2007. The Legion show was represented by eight figures (Superman, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lad, Mano, Tharok, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, and Validus). As Happy Meal toys often have a "girl toy" and "boy toy", this set was aimed at the boys.

Action figures by Mattel were not produced because of a lack of retailer interest.[20]

The collectible miniatures game HeroClix produced a special starter set of the Legion, including a figure of "Young Superman" during the first season.