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lonelywretchjervistetch · 2 years ago

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My DCCU Interlude: The Legion of Super-Heroes (Part 3)

Chapter Three: New Recruits

OK, now that we've tackled the original trio, let's get into the four new members I'm planning on introducing in this series: Triplicate Girl, Phantom Girl, Invisible Kid, and... Elgar Degep. IFKYK, I guess? I'll explain that last one later, but for those of you Legion fans who haven't noticed it yet...look at the name again, and it'll be pretty obvious, I think.

So, like the last entry into this essay series, I'll be going into primarily my version of these characters, rather than their complex comic book histories, at least for the most part. Additionally, most of the planets these guys come from are essentially blank slates, so I'll be making a few planetary cultures and histories from essentially scratch, with the occasional inspiration from the comics. Considering how long the last post was, let's get this done, shall we? Where do we start?

Triplicate Girl: Unique Outcast

Let's start with the planet before we get to the person, shall we? Cargg, in my universe/headcanon, is a huge planet primarily covered in an urbanized landscape. It was colonized by Winathians centuries ago. I mentioned in the Lightning Lad section of my previous essay that the colonists of Winath populated the large planet quickly by using an Infinity Serum that allowed them to duplicate themselves, and when this inevitably led to overpopulation, a genetic modifier was administered to the population, limiting or removing their abilities to duplicate.

However, this modification didn't take with the entire population, instead serving to limit a very small proportion of the population to creating only two duplicates of themselves at maximum. Seeing this as an opportunity for further colonization of the system, these genetically unique individuals left Winath, and settled on another large planet: Cargg. Here, they initially began farming the planet, but soon found that the conditions of the planet were not conducive to the same Winathian farming techniques. Instead, since the citizens were able to literally make more of themselves, they dove into industry and exports, becoming a manufacturing mecca of the solar system, and helping to supply their sister planet Winath with supplies and equipment.

So, now that we have the planet explained...what about the people?

Well, being able to split yourself into triplets definitely has some biological and sociological implications. Biologically, one would assume that a lot of food would be needed to divide, possibly making their caloric load a bit higher, and metabolisms a bit faster and more efficient in order to quickly allow and power the duplication. So, while Cragg supplies Winath with equipment, Winath supplies Cargg with food they can't make or grow themselves. Additionally, let's just say that Carggites are known for big meals and good food. Just a little bit of fun headcanon there.

Philosophically, things get more complicated. If you split yourself into three different bodies, are you still the same person, or are you officially different people until you reunite into one body? And then, if you wanna dive into spirituality, do the bodies share a single soul, or they have different ones that fuse together once reuniting. Or, are they three parts of a different soul? And this is coming from someone who isn't extremely religious, but it's definitely the sort of thing that a society made of individuals with this power would think about, y'know? So, let's actually assume that all of these schools of thought are present on Cargg, maybe even becoming parts of different religions and behaviors. Cargg could essentially be in a theological civil war, therefore, with different people ascribing to different beliefs.

But that said, one could assume that each clone would still be the same person. Even with different souls, or part of the same soul, they still come from the same person. Therefore, one can assume that the three would consider themselves to be the same person. But, of course...what if you didn't think that? What if you truly thought of yourselves as three different people, with the ability to fuse into a single person, instead of other way around? Enter Luornu Durgo.

Side note, by the way: the Legion of Super-Heroes design of Triplicate Girl, as seen above, is maybe my favorite design for the character. It's just so good, honestly. But OK, who is Luornu Durgo, in this universe? Luornu Durgo is a set of three people who happen to have the same name, and the ability to fuse into one person. And the acknowledgement of being three separate people is...odd, to most Carggites. This doesn't mean she's exiled, necessarily, just that she's an outcast in most social situations.

See, identifying as three separate people entirely means that each of the Triplicates has a slightly different personality and interests, meaning that they can actually have different color preferences and likes/dislikes. And to most people outside of Cargg, their similarities probably outweigh their differences. But on Cargg, having any differences is weird. Not unheard of, but still weird. And so, Luornu isn't exactly comfortable in her own home.

Oh, also, another side-note: a part of me actually wanted Luornu to have the pronouns they/them because...well, triplicates. But honestly, that might be a touch confusing. Not because of the pronouns themselves (obviously, that's entirely fine), but because I'd rather not have this character use the pronouns in the plural form, rather than in the non-binary form. Although, yeah, we don't have to rule that out, either. I'm open to any opinions on that front. But, for the sake of simplicity at the moment, I'll be sticking to she/her for Triplicate Girl as a whole.

So, Luornu hears about the Legion of Super-Heroes, and decides that she'd want to tryout and join. She's not particularly interested in representing Cargg, because life has taught her that she isn't really a representative of Cargg, but she's still interested in a way to get off the planet, where she can live the three separate lives she'd like to live. And she's not necessarily against being one person, but she's definitely more comfortable split up, because she feels less limited. I feel like I may be dipping into some spiritual territory of the LGBTQ crowd here, in truth, and I am straight as an arrow, so my apologies if I'm stepping on some toes. Again, let me know if there's some perspective that you think would be valuable here.

With that, Luornu auditions for the Legion (I kinda love how it happened in Superboy #147, personally, but that's just me being a nerd), and becomes one of the new members. Over the course of the first season, her journey will be one of self-acceptance and discovery, as she greets the less-restrictive world of Earth and other planets. Her triplicates have accentuated pieces of her personality, and you can have her embrace those pieces to make her a complete person, or more complete people. But, in truth...the first season isn't Luornu's season of focus. No, no...that'll be the second season, were there to be one. And that's because I'm building up to the most important event in Luornu's life, and the reason for this characterization.

Because Luornu's way of thinking is actually somewhat correct. Carggites are (or could be) essentially three separate souls with the ability to fuse into one body, rather than the other way around. And that's discovered when one of the Triplicates is killed.

The transition from Triplicate Girl to Duo Damsel is one of the most important events of its day in comics, at least in terms of the Legion. The mad computer, Computo (yes, I know) goes rogue and kills one of the Triplicates, leaving Luornu only able to split into two bodies. Which...makes no sense. Seriously, if your superpower is splitting into three bodies, then why would you lose that ability once one of those duplicates dies? The core body, after all, is still alive...right?

Unless, of course, it was actually three separate people with the ability to fuse into one person. In that case, it makes sense that losing one of those people would make you incomplete. And Duo Damsel is quite literally a different person than Triplicate Girl. Essentially, we're talking Steven Universe rules in terms of fusion. Different combinations of duplicates make different people, with different personality traits and behaviors formed from the sum of two parts. And so, it turns out that, over time, Luornu did basically become three separate people, rather than one person who could split. And therefore, when one of them dies in a future season (or maybe between seasons, I haven't decided), we're permanently down to 2 rather than 3.

But again...that's a story for another season. For now, Luornu should be a fun and interesting character with a lot of hobbies and interests, packed into three separate bodies. Let's contrast her with the rest of the new members.

Phantom Girl: Not All There

Oh, boy, Tinya Wazzo. Here's where things get super tricky and weird, continuity-wise. Tinya has had alternate identities, power-sets, names, time-periods, species...she's a more complicated person to adapt straight, but also somewhat complicated to adapt faithfully. So, while I'm gonna start with her planet, I'm also going to start in a possibly unexpected time and place. But, to be honest, the fact that no-one has proposed what I'm about to propose has bothered me for a while. So...

The place: the States of Amerika! The time: the 21st century! At a point after the events of my modern DC universe, the planet gets visitors from another Earth entirely. The first evidence of the multiverse in my cinematic universe is NOT related to the Justice Society. No, they're actually still around, having existed since the 1950s. We'll talk about them on another occasion, I promise. Not sure when, but it will happen. But yeah, the first multiversal incursion actually comes from a group known as the Freedom Fighters.

You may know this team from the film Freedom Fighters: The Ray, or from the Crisis on Earth-X Arrowverse crossover. In the comics, they're led by Uncle Sam, the immortal embodiment of American spirit and freedom (yes, really), and they fight against the Nazi Regime in a universe where they won World War II and took over the world. You know, some real The Man in the High Castle shit. Anyway, one of the members of this team is Sandra Knight. She originally uses a black light projector to defeat people in total darkness, but later gains the ability to phase through objects as a result of multiversal travel. Her codename is...Phantom Lady. See where I'm going with this?

Phantom Lady dates back to 1940s comics, and she was drawn so provocatively that she's one of these reasons for the Comics Code back in the day, as well as the famous and horribly restrictive book Seduction of the Innocent by absolute hack Frederic Wertham. That said, though, when you think about 1940s sensibilities, and look at some of her cover art...yeah...yeah, you get it. But anyway, that aside, it's weird to me that there's never been any official ties between Phantom Lady and Phantom Girl...so let's fix that!

See, once multiversal travel is discovered, it's inevitable that somebody would attempt to traverse the multiverse themselves. So, at some point closer to the 22nd century, that's exactly what happened. After learning from the various travelers over the years, a semi-stable portal was eventually developed by Time Zero Labs, spacetime specialists and studiers of the Speed Force, as well as a descendant of STAR Labs. The first planned permanent foray onto this world, known as Beginning, sent multiple squads into this new world. The seventh, Beginning-G, would be the last squad to settle onto the planet before the portal reached instability, closing permanently. This last mission sent in multiple new colonists to meet the existing ones on the unnamed planet, bringing the number up to 100 people staffed there. But without contact, it was unknown if this colony would survive. Fast forward 150 years.

The project had been long abandoned on the main Earth. Over that time, the new residents of this Earth made a home for themselves, surviving and gaining enough supplies to try and get back home. Eventually, though, they just settled on the planet permanently, naming it after the last squad that arrived, and the laboratory that founded the mission: Beginning-G Time Zero Labs, or...Bgtzl for short. Look, that name is fucking ridiculous, and I had to come up with a crazy-ass backstory to have it make sense. And yes, I know that it's originally spells Bgztl, so you can call the labs Zero Time Labs if you want, but...eh. It's misspelled in the comics constantly.

Anyway, due to regular experimentation with portals, and the nature of the universe they had settled, these Earth colonists had changed genetically over the course of a few generations, and every single resident of the planet was now phase-shifted, with their atoms able to temporarily switch between phase states of the two universes. This is, of course, not what phase state actually is on an atomic level, but you can physics it up a little bit to make it sound good. Now, for most residents, this is temporary and requires focus. But for some gifted individuals, this is actually a fairly easy process, and can be done at will, and for extended periods of time. Enter Tinya Wazzo.

The daughter of an influential family, Tinya Wazzo is expected to enter politics, as her mother has, and as her family has done historically. As a traceable descendant of the original 100 colonists of the planet, Tinya is very much aware of her station and responsibility, but also feels pretty limited by it. So, when her mother Winema Wazzo, a delegate and popular politician in her own right, visits Earth for a diplomatic visit, a teenaged Tinya comes with her.

Tinya's immediately taken by the stark differences between Bgtzl and Earth. Understand, the universe she comes from is essentially dead, while this universe is the stuff of legends and folklore. Imagine having the ability to travel into your favorite book, and you have an idea of what Tinya feels when she comes to Earth. She also finds that, like her mother, she has little difficulty phase-shifting into this universe, and has the ability to turn intangible as a result of this ability. She can even effectively disappear by phasing back into her universe, but with the consequence of not knowing where she'll end up as a result. Still, she quickly realizes that this ability could prove useful, and she sees an opportunity to join the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Winema is, understandably, hesitant to go along with this plan. However, three things convince her. First, having a daughter acting as a superhero on Earth would look good for their family, and for Bgtzl as a whole, easing relations and building political ties. This is especially important to her as it would act against a major political rival, Sarya of Venegar. More on her, later. Second, it gives Tinya the opportunity to gain experience with multiple different peoples and cultures, which she wouldn't be able to do as easily on Bgtzl. And third, she's convinced by a political ally and friend: R.J. Brande of Earth. More on him soon.

With that, Tinya Wazzo becomes a member of the Legion of Superheroes as Phantom Girl, a name she chooses in honor of one of the first heroes to cross dimensions in this Earth's history. Over the course of the first season of the series, she'll be one of the faces of the group, acting as the face of the new Legionnaires, while still learning the cultures of Earth and the other planets she's interacting with. The daighter of a politician, she's a fairly great read of character, to a somewhat bothersome degree. Because of this, she sometimes rubs people the wrong way, and can be a bit too nosy for her own good. She'll be learning this throughout the season, but her nosy nature will come in handy in multiple ways later on. Why? Well, uh...let's get to the next Legionnaire, shall we?

Invisible Kid: Spy on Both Sides

Like I did with Lightning Lad in the last essay, I wanna pause for a second to address something. My plan is to use Lyle Norg as the Invisible Kid, rather than Jacques Foccart. Why? Well, a few reasons, but mostly because Norg has been the Invisible Kid for more comic book history than Foccart, and some versions of him are more interesting to me. Plus, without Norg, Foccart wouldn't exist as the Invisible Kid in-canon, so Norg makes sense to me. That ALSO said, though, Norg absolutely isn't race-locked into white, while Foccart is more race-locked to being Black, as he's originally from Cote d'Ivoire. In truth, there are Europeans that live on the ivory Coast, but it's definitely vast majority Black.

So, I kind of what to use the best of both worlds and make Lyle black or non-white, but that's neither here nor there. "But what about Foccart's hair", cries the savvy reader. Well, uh...that wouldn't make sense to include, anyway, since that iconic white streak in his hair comes from seeing Darkseid for the first time. So, yeah, not a huge fan of including that flourish for no reason, but I actually may have a plan on that front, anyway. So, with that, we'll assume Lyle Norg is our Invisible Kid, but I'll be using any appropriate gifs of Invisible Kid that I can find anyway. As for the planet...well, Lyle and Jacques are both from Earth, and their powers are derived from experimentation. So, instead of talking about Earth in the 31st century, let's talk about the real origin of Lyle Norg in this universe: the Science Police.

For all intents and purposes, the Science Police are the cops of Earth's future, and act either in opposition or in cautious conjunction with the Legion, depending on the series. My version of the Science Police will function much like modern authorities, but will also have the jurisdiction of today's FBI and CIA, to a certain degree. Essentially, the world government of the 31st Century Earth fuses its authoritative and intelligence agencies into divisions of a single organization. So, the NuMetropolis Division of the Science Police is one of the stronger street divisions, and is monitored by a larger regional arm, run by Director Ryna Norg, an anti-superhero authority figure who is fiercely protective of her only child, Lyle.

Lyle is a brilliant young man, and wants to bring the "science" back into the Science Police with his talents. An inventor, gadgeteer, and amateur chemist, Lyle believes that the police could learn something from the superheroes of Earth's past. This means that not only can they use powers smartly and tactically, but that they can serve as a powerful symbol of right across the planet. But Ryna is a traditionalist, and stereotypically disapproves of any vigilantes who believe themselves above the law. So, to prove his point, Lyle Norg is able to use various skills to create a synthetic Infinity Serum, using data from an old IS from early in the technology's development. This unfinished serum, known as IS-Blank, was meant to be an invisibility serum, and was based on a 20th century experiment by controversial scientist Chadwick Ellis.

Lyle, however, figured out the problem. Using connections of his mother's, and academically, Lyle was able to procure data-files of genetic material from Arthur Light, Roy G. Bivolo, and government agent Stan Silver. This information was used to manipulate synthetic genetic material and the Ellis formula, in order to give the user the ability to bend the light around them, rather than simply become transparent. And so, the new IS-Blank was formed. But what to do with it? And what's worth, Ryna gets word of her son's machinations, and has questions of her own to answer.

This serum becomes a serious argument for Ryna, especially considering the fact that the Legion has just begun to show up, irritating Ryna and inspiring Lyle in equal measure. But Ryna, being a smart cop, offers a compromise. Lyle can continue his work, but in the service of the Science Police, who will infiltrate the Legion and take them down from the inside. Lyle agrees to do those, but then offers a condition of his own. And before his mother can stop him, he administers the serum to himself.

And from there, the deal is reluctantly made. Lyle, as a teenager, is a natural choice to infiltrate the Legion, and is sent in to report back to the Science Police about their identities, interests, and potential criminal activity. The information gathered here is meant to take down the Legion from the inside out. But obviously, Lyle doesn't quite agree with these plans. Still, he'll go into this as a spy, and naturally suspicious of the Legion and their leaders. Like Tinya, he's the son of an authority figure, and is good at observing people and gathering information on them. However, unlike Tinya, Lyle is quiet and fairly shy, and seems to naturally disappear into the background even without the serum.

And so, Lyle Norg will be our stealth agent for the Legion, and his arc throughout the first season is to slowly turn against the Science Police, and potentially discover their own corruption using his gifts of invisibility. Oh, and he'll also turn against the Legion briefly when he attempts to expose the other spy in the organization. See, at least Lyle sort of wants the Legion to be a good thing, and he's working for an Earth-born organization. But he's not the only one whose interests may be counter to the Legion's goals.

Oh, and one more thing before I forget! Lyle is gay. Making that fully canon, because it's been hinted at in the comics, but never confirmed. This won't really come to the forefront significantly in the first season, but it'll ideally be inserted organically into the nature of this universe and series. In the second or third season, his boyfriend will be revealed in the form of Chemical King AKA Condo Arlik, his semi-canon love interest in the comics. But that's a future conversation, of course. For now, let's get to the last featured Legionnaire.

Elgar Degep: Uh...Who?

In the comics...uh...hold up, this isn't a character from the comics. At least, that name definitely isn't from the comics. When we meet Elgar, they'll introduce themselves as the Earth-born descendant of one of Earth's most prominent heroes of the 21st century, Elongated Man. This is made obvious by their ability to elongate themselves and distort their shape significantly. Their flexibility and versatility will be their main asset, and they'll be a force to reckon with in some instances. However, they won't come to the Legion on their own. They'll actually be appointed to the Legion as a favor to a mysterious major benefactor. And at this point...IYKYK.

But here's the thing. We won't get the reveals there until close to the end of the first season. I'm talking the beginning of the last third, when some of the true enemies of the season begin to reveal themselves, and Elgar reverts to their TRUE form after a particular heavy battle. And for the sake of keeping things a little secretive, I won't reveal their full backstory here. But I will introduce the basics, and reintroduce this character. Hold on, lemme just unscramble that name pretty quick.

Chameleon: Master of Disguise

Yeah, this might have been a little obvious to most, but it's still an interesting twist to those not in the know, hopefully! Reep Daggle, AKA Chameleon, is one of the most iconic members of the Legion, as well as the center of some of their most interesting political struggles. Why? Well, as usual, let's talk about the planet he comes from: Durla. This'll mostly be about my version of the planet, but keep in mind that Durla is a planet of shapeshifters, and therefore often persecuted by others. It's also one of the most fleshed-out planets of any planet in the 31st century DC Universe...kinda.

And it all starts with what else...but a nuclear apocalypse.

The Six-Minute War was the end of the world once before Durla. History was lost, knowledge destroyed, and the planet was plunged into the Stone Age. The previous civilization was dead., and emerging from the shadows would be a new life form altogether. The history of those who would become known as "Durlans" has been lost to time. Some historians believe they were descended from mutants that survived the blast. Some believe they were parasitic lifeforms, replacing and mimicking the original Durlan survivors before killing them off. And some believe the Six-Minute War never happened, and Durlans have always been like this. But the real answer?

My version of Durlans are essentially a cellular syncytium of a species. What I mean by that is that every single one of their cells can be controlled by their sentience to act in whatever shape they desire. And this came about long before the Six-Minute War happened. A strain of sentient virus, developed in a laboratory on a nearby planet, escaped and infected a traveler from Durla. This virus, still primitive in its sentience, spread throughout the planet and infected the entire planet. But in reality, the disease caused by the virus was...well, harmless. The strain itself would continue to be developed on the original planet, treated with radiation treatments until it became a hyper-intelligent sentient virus, called Despotellis. But that story continues with somebody else entirely, once the rogue ring-wielder Sinestro enters the picture...

A story for a later day. Back on Durla, things proceed are politically tense. The history is dodgy, but essentially, the planet devours itself in a world war. In the process, nukes are thrown, and the ensuing destruction bathes the planet in ionizing radiation, and destroys the Durlan civilization. And this radiation also activates the virus. See, this virus, having lived in the cells of many Durlans, essentially integrated its own genome into their cells. This, in turn, gives the cells a primitive sentience, like the virus. However, once the cells are united into one organism, they can act together to rearrange themselves and change their physiology.

Once the radiation kicked in, the cells of the surviving Durlans got the trigger they needed, and this sentience finally kicked in through the bodies of these Durlans...at the cost of their memories. Yup, we're talking worldwide amnesia for any of the survivors. These were, essentially, new organisms with the ability to shapeshift, and the civilization they carved was tribal and primitive in nature. With the lack of resources, thanks the the loss of the previous world, Durla would never stray far from this path, and they wouldn't really desire to. Meanwhile, news of the Durlan plight spread from world-to-world, and rumors of disease and destruction plague them for centuries afterwards. This, combined with their newly discovered ability to shapeshift, makes them a widely disparaged and discriminated-against people. And that's why Cham disguises themselves at first.

But why does Chameleon leave Durla? Oh, and I'm calling them Chameleon (rather than Chameleon Boy) for obvious reasons. For God's sake, they're a shape-shifter from a culture of shape-shifters; what use is gender for a shape-shifter, y'know? Anyway, Reed Daggle is born to a spiritual leader of Durla, one of the Shadow Speakers that rule a major tribe of the planet. Their other parent is unknown to Cham, as they contracted a disease known as the Yorggian Fever, and was exiled from the tribe before Reep's birth, where they likely died. And again, IYKYK. Reep was expected to follow in the Speaker's footsteps, but discovered a different path.

See, Reep's other parent had detailed notes about the world outside of Durla, having found themselves there once or twice. This filled Reep with interest about that world, and they longed to explore it. They also believed, as their other parent did, that the lost history of Durla may be present on Earth. And so, wanting to see the world outside, Reep managed to separate himself from their tribe, and left Durla on a transport ship. In doing so, they saw much of the world, as well as the deep dislike of Durlans across the galaxy. They also saw great suffering, and pledged to help as many people as they could under different guises. However, this failed once arriving on Earth, where Reep was caught as a Durlan and reported for questioning and quarantine, as Durlans are not trusted by...well, anyone. It's bad.

The arrest of a Durlan gets the attention of R.J. Brande, an Earth-born billionaire and pioneer. Through his assistant and confidante, Marla Latham, Brande gets in contact with Reep and offers his assistance. This is because Brande is a Durlan, having had his appearance frozen in one form decades prior due to a disease. What neither Reep or Brande know is that Brande is actually Reep's other parent. Which, to those in the know, is not a surprise. Still, Brande is, at this point, in the midst of setting up the Legion of Super-Heroes with his funding, and has Marla take care of Reep.

Over time on Earth, Reep learns the language and culture (Durlans are very adaptable by design), and becomes enamored with Earth superheroes, particularly Plastic Man and Elongated Man, whose powers he can actually mimic. This gives Marla an idea, and she suggests that Reep be recommended for the Legion. But, given the unpredictable attitude that people across the galaxies have about Durlans, all parties involve agree that a disguise is required. Hence, "Elgar Degep" is born (the Daggle name is a known one in government circles).

And so, "Elgar" is welcomed onto the Legion. Obviously, their story will involve their secret identity, but will also involve their drive to help their own people, especially during a time in the show where the United Planets is working on expansion, and Durla is one of the worlds worth consideration. So, yeah, a lot on Reep's shoulders.

And with that, our main characters are set! Now comes the next question: what's the main source of conflict for the first season? Well, I've mentioned that a bit in the first portion of this essay series, but now I'll go into it. It'll happen on two fronts, physical and political. Physical's an interesting question, but political...hoo boy, political is where the real villains are. Right, Madame President?

See you in Part Four!

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