Legion of Doom

Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom members from left to right: Black Manta, Giganta, Toyman, Riddler, Bizarro, Scarecrow, Lex Luthor, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac, and Sinestro.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	TV: Challenge of the Superfriends, Episode 1: "Wanted: The Super Friends" (September 9, 1978) Comics: Extreme Justice #16 (May 1996)
In-story information
Base(s)	Hall of Doom
Leader(s)	Lex Luthor
Member(s)	Bizarro Black Manta Brainiac Captain Cold Cheetah Giganta Gorilla Grodd Riddler Scarecrow Sinestro Solomon Grundy Toyman

The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in Challenge of the Superfriends, an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Universe, appearing in American comic books, as well as further animated and live-action adaptations, and video games.

History

In each episode of Challenge of the Superfriends that they appeared, the Legion of Doom would enact a plot against the Super Friends and a plot to take over the world only to be met with defeat by the end of the story. In some episodes, they would escape capture through a last-minute escape plan often contrived by Luthor. Other times, the Legion of Doom (or portions of it) would end up apprehended.

The episode "History of Doom" showed that Lex Luthor assembled 13 supervillains in order to form the most powerful and sinister group the world had ever seen.

Development

When the Challenge of the Superfriends season was originally conceived, it was named Battle of the Superheroes and featured the introduction of Captain Marvel to the Super Friends. The group that challenged the heroes was to be called the "League of Evil", led by Captain Marvel's nemesis Doctor Sivana. However, Filmation was producing Shazam! and The New Adventures of Batman which prevented the use of characters such as Mister Atom, King Kull, Beautia Sivana, The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman. Early conceptual art drawn by Alex Toth also included Heat Wave, Poison Ivy, and Abra Kadabra.

The Hall of Doom

The Legion of Doom's headquarters was the Hall of Doom which was located in Slaughter Swamp (just outside Gotham City). The facility, which resembles Black Manta's helmet, could be lowered or raised above the swamp water's surface. It could fly or enter space using rockets. The Hall of Doom's mobility could be controlled through remote control helping the Legion to escape on several occasions. Its defenses included laser weapons and the ability to time travel.

In "Doomsday" after Sinestro, Black Manta and Cheetah are abandoned by the rest of the Legion after they take control of a mental device, they use it to create another Hall of Doom, which attacks the original one and enables the Legion to be captured.

In "History of Doom", it is revealed that the Hall of Doom was placed in a swamp as a compromise between Black Manta, Captain Cold, and Gorilla Grodd, who respectively wanted it to be placed in the ocean, underneath the polar ice caps, and in a jungle.

Members

There were thirteen members of the Legion of Doom:

• Bizarro (voiced by William Callaway) is a twisted duplicate of Superman created from a duplication ray by Lex Luthor on Earth. He has powers similar to Superman, but opposite in some aspects, namely his ice vision and heat breath.
• Black Manta (voiced by Ted Cassidy) is a deep sea diver and would-be ocean conqueror.
• Brainiac (voiced by Ted Cassidy) is an alien android with advanced intelligence.
• Captain Cold (voiced by Dick Ryal) is a blue-suited villain with mastery over cold temperatures.
• Cheetah (voiced by Marlene Aragon) is a villain themed after her namesake who possesses cat-like abilities.
• Giganta (voiced by Ruth Forman) is a villain who stole Apache Chief's magical powder to duplicate his powers, gaining the ability to grow to an immense size.
• Gorilla Grodd (voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross) is a megalomaniacal gorilla who was exiled from Gorilla City. He possesses immense strength and intelligence.
• Lex Luthor (voiced by Stanley Jones) is a mad scientist and the founder of the Legion of Doom.
• Riddler (voiced by Michael Bell) is an enemy of Batman who uses riddles to taunt and confuse adversaries while committing crimes.
• Scarecrow (voiced by Don Messick) is an enemy of Batman who uses fear gas to bring his opponents' fears to life.
• Sinestro (voiced by Vic Perrin) is a renegade former Green Lantern and enemy of the Green Lantern Corps.
• Solomon Grundy (voiced by Jimmy Weldon) is a gangster who was resurrected as a superpowered zombie.
• Toyman (voiced by Frank Welker) is a villain who dresses as a jester and uses toy-based tactics to commit crimes.

• The episode "Super Friends: Rest In Peace" reveals that the Legion of Doom has a previously unrevealed fourteenth member, Doctor Natas. He created Noxium, a crystal with the ability to recreate and exploit the weaknesses of any hero.

Appearances in comics

Members of the Legion of Doom made some appearances in the Super Friends spin-off comic title based on the TV series:

• A version of the Legion of Doom appeared in Extreme Justice #16–18 (May–July 1996), led by Brainwave Jr. and consisting of Killer Frost, Houngan, Major Force, the Madmen, and a robot duplicate of Gorilla Grodd.

• The 2006 DC comic miniseries Justice features a version of the Legion of Doom, consisting of traditional members Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Black Manta, Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy and new members Black Adam, Metallo, Clayface, Parasite, and Poison Ivy.
• An alternate version of the team appeared in the mini-series Flashpoint: Legion of Doom, part of the company-wide Flashpoint event. This iteration of the team consisted of supervillains interned in Doom Prison, which is based on the Legion headquarters from Super Friends. The membership consisted of Heat Wave, Plastic Man, Sportsmaster, Killer Wasp, and Cluemaster.
• A new Legion of Doom led by Superboy-Prime appeared in a Teen Titans storyline that ran from issues #98–100. The roster consisted of Sun Girl, Headcase, Persuader (Elise Kimble), Indigo, Zookeeper, three Superboy clones, and Inertia.
• In the mini-series Super Powers, Lex Luthor introduces a Legion of Doom featuring Bizarro, Black Manta, Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Pryme, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, and Starro.
• In Superman #43 (May 2018), the Bizarro Legion of Doom on Earth-29 was called as Legion of Fun. It included Bizarro versions of Black Manta, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta, Poison Ivy, Lex Luthor, Riddler, Scarecrow, Toyman, Sinestro (Green Lanturn), Gorilla Grodd (Gorilla-Odd), Joker (Jo-Cryer), Brainiac (Nobrainz), and Solomon Grundy (Solomon Grundzarro).
• The first arc of Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung's Justice League relaunch for DC Rebirth features the Legion of Doom as the main antagonists. The group consists of Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac, and Turtle. Former members include Black Manta and Joker, both excommunicated due to their own ulterior motives. To prepare for all-out war with the Justice League, Luthor also recruits various villains to his cause including Bizarro of Earth 29, Black Adam, Black Manta, Black Mask, Captain Cold, Catwoman, Circe and her Injustice League Dark (consisting of Floronic Man, Solomon Grundy, Klarion the Witch Boy, and Papa Midnite), Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Heat Wave, Lobo, Mr. Freeze, Ocean Master, Oracle, Ra's al Ghul, Red Hood, Riddler, Talon, and the Terribles of Earth 29 (consisting of Mister Terrible, Change-O-Shape-O, Figment Girl, and Disposable Man).
  • This Legion reappears in Dark Crisis, consisting of Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage, Punchline, Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, Sinestro, Scarecrow, and the Rogues (Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Golden Glider, Captain Boomerang, and Weather Wizard).
  • A new version of the Legion of Doom appears in the 2024 series Justice League Unlimited, consisting of Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Black Manta, Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Joker, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, and Pythoness.
  • As part of the Wonder Comics imprint, Wonder Twins featured a version of the Legion of Doom, whose roster is not revealed.
• A future version of the Legion of Doom is introduced in "Future State", led by T. O. Morrow and consisting of Amaz-X, Cobalt Blue, Despera, The Flood, Professor Ivo, Lex Luthor, Screech Owl, and UltraViolet Lantern.
• The Legion of Doom appears in DC x Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion, consisting of Lex Luthor, Black Manta, Captain Cold, Catwoman (who is later revealed to be a double-agent working for the Justice League), Cheetah, Gizmo, and Sinestro. The Legion is later joined by Doctor Eggman, who ends up betraying them, and creating the Metal Legion, a horde of robotic duplicates of the Legion members similar to Metal Sonic.

In other media

In popular culture

• In the 1990s, the Philadelphia Flyers forward line of John LeClair, Eric Lindros, and Mikael Renberg was nicknamed the Legion of Doom.
• Professional wrestling manager Paul Ellering named his wrestling stable the Legion of Doom after the supervillain group, eventually using the name to refer to his chief – and later sole – protégés, the tag team of The Road Warriors. When the Road Warriors arrived in the World Wrestling Federation in 1990, they changed their team name to the Legion of Doom.
• An episode of The Drew Carey Show featured Drew and his friends getting in trouble being a "gang". Drew gets sent to a counseling session for gangbangers and enters the room to see a group of imposing bikers and gang members sitting around a large table. He quips "the reason I've called you all here is to destroy Superman" as Lex Luthor would do when leading a Legion meeting.
• The Super Friends incarnation of the Legion of Doom appears in the Family Guy episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One".
• In the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Peanut Puberty", the headquarters for the Legion of Doom was used for a club called the "Legion of Dance".
• The first episode of Season 3 of Duck Dodgers titled "Till Doom Do Us Part" featured the Legion of Duck Doom, led by Agent Roboto and was composed of various villains from the earlier seasons made up of Crusher, Fudd, a Catapoid, Count Muerte, New Cadet, Nasty Canasta, Commandante Hilgalgo, Baby-Faced Moonbeam, Long John Silver the 23rd, K'chutha Sa'am, and Tasmanian Warrior. A new villain that is part of the Legion of Duck Doom named Black Eel (a parody of Black Manta) makes his first appearance in this episode.
• In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "The Last One", the Mooninites assemble a group akin to the Legion of Doom consisting of past antagonists Rabbot, Mothmonsterman, Happy Time Harry, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Travis of the Cosmos, Randy the Astonishing, the Brownie Monsters, Romulox, MC Pee Pants's worm, the Trees, Frat Aliens, Oog, Dumbassahedratron, Ol'Drippy, and Major Shake. However, almost all of them are killed or asked to leave.
• In the Venture Brothers episode "It Happening One Night", Dr. Venture is blackmailed by The Doom Factory, a mash-up parody of the Doom Patrol mixed with Andy Warhol's Factory and the Warhol Superstars.
• In the Smallville episode "Prophecy", a similar group was named Marionette Ventures and under control of Toyman. Its members included Black Manta, Solomon Grundy, Metallo, Roulette, Vordigan, and Captain Cold.
• In the Krypto the Superdog episode "Mechanikalamity", the Intergalactic Villains Club that Mechanicat is a part of is a spoof of the Legion of Doom.
• The music video for the song "P.I.M.P." by rappers 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck features 50 Cent seeking the join the "P.I.M.P. Legion of Doom" who are led by Snoop Dogg. The P.I.M.P Legion of Doom gathers around a round table and the pros and cons of 50 Cent joining their group. Despite not having a Cadillac or a perm, 50 Cent becomes a member by pleasing its members upon showing them his "magic stick".
• In Johnny Test, the Evil Johnny Stopping Force Five have a secret base in a swamp that closely resembles the Legion of Doom's secret headquarters.
• The song "Trap or Die" by rap artists Young Jeezy and Bun B contains the lyric "I've got my own Super Friends in a Legion of Doom", referencing the DC characters.
• In the early to mid 2010s, the Seattle Seahawks defense was nicknamed the Legion of Boom, a play on the villain group's name.
• In the New Orleans region of CLUBWAKA (World Adult Kickball Association), there is a team named Legion of Doom. Their colors are orange and black and they use a logo that incorporates the Hall of Doom in the imagery. Each member of the team chooses a villain from the DC roster, and one game a season they dress as their villainous alter egos while challenging their opponents to dress in costumes as DC heroes.
• President Donald Trump's ordered assassination of Qasem Soleimani outside of Baghdad International Airport resulted in Fox News reporting Trump had taken out "the legion of doom".

See also

• Legion of Zoom

Notes

References