Legion of the Unliving
Encyclopedia
The Legion of the Unliving is the name of five groups of fictional character
s that appear in comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
.
The five versions first appear in Avengers
#131 (Jan. 1975); Avengers Annual #16 (Dec. 1987); Avengers West Coast #61 (Aug. 1990); Avengers #353 (Sep. 1992) and Avengers vol. 3, #10 (Nov. 1998) respectively. The groups were created by Steve Englehart
and Sal Buscema
; Tom De Falco and various artists; Roy Thomas
and Daniel Bulanadi; Len Kaminski and Chris Eliopoulos
and Kurt Busiek
and George Perez
.
and Giant-Size Avengers, having been summoned from time by the villain Kang the Conqueror
(at the suggestion of future self Immortus
) to kill the superhero
team. As the name implies, the members of the Legion were all characters established as being deceased in Marvel continuity, being pulled from time a moment before death. Although partially successful in their mission (the original Human Torch kills Iron Man
and the Vision
is wounded) the Legion free themselves from Kang's control and aid the Avengers. Kang flees when confronted by the Thunder God Thor
, with Immortus reviving Iron Man and healing the Vision and returning the Legion back to their respective eras. Only the Human Torch is allowed to remain, as it is revealed that the character is in fact the Vision, years before being modified by the robot
Ultron
.
The second version of the Legion feature in an Avengers annual, in which the Elder of the Universe the Grandmaster, usurps the power of the entity Death
. Intending to destroy the universe
- via six bomb
s - and recreate it with his fellow Elders, the Grandmaster decides to eliminate opponents the Avengers (including the West Coast Avengers
) by having fellow Elder the Collector
bring the heroes (and ally the Silver Surfer
) to the Realm of Death to battle the Legion of Unliving. A battle to the death follows, and when Thor observes fellow Asgardian the Executioner
act dishonourably he realizes the Legion are in fact only copies of the original beings, minus their personalities. Almost all the Avengers are killed stopping the Legion and defusing the bombs, with only Captain America
and Hawkeye
surviving. The Grandmaster then proposes another competition and adds the fallen heroes to the Legion, until tricked by Hawkeye in a game of chance. Losing the game disorients the Grandmaster and Death is released, with the entity banishing all the Elders from its realm, restoring all heroes to life and then returning them to Earth.
The third version of the Legion appears in the title Avengers West Coast, and is created by reoccurring Avengers foe Immortus. Seeking to use the Scarlet Witch
as a nexus point from which to control all of time, Immortus summons the Legion to delay the pursuing Avengers, although they are almost totally defeated by the heroes. Immortus himself is judged by the entities the Time Keepers and forced to become the nexus himself. A fourth version appears in the title Avengers, with the former villains' spirits summoned and placed in the bodies of dead civilians - effectively zombie
s - by Avengers foe the Grim Reaper
(empowered by a demon
called Lloigoroth) who mistakenly believes the Avengers murdered him. When the character is confronted by the Vision and forced to accept that he actually committed suicide
, the Legion rebel. The Reaper panics and is attacked and apparently consumed by Lloigoroth, with the Legion's spirits departing the corpses.
The final version of the Legion appears in the third volume of the title Avengers, with the returning spirit of the Grim Reaper corrupting his brother Wonder Man
and using him to summon former Avengers who died in battle. The Scarlet Witch, however, uses her love for Wonder Man to free him from the limbo-like state his ionic form was currently existing in, thereby freeing him from the Reaper's control. Wonder Man is then able to restore the Reaper to a physical form. The humbled villain relinquishes control of the Legion, and the dead heroes speak to their comrades a final time before dying once again.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s that appear in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
The five versions first appear in Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#131 (Jan. 1975); Avengers Annual #16 (Dec. 1987); Avengers West Coast #61 (Aug. 1990); Avengers #353 (Sep. 1992) and Avengers vol. 3, #10 (Nov. 1998) respectively. The groups were created by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
; Tom De Falco and various artists; Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Daniel Bulanadi; Len Kaminski and Chris Eliopoulos
Chris Eliopoulos
Chris Eliopoulos is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books.-Early life:Eliopolous attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City, from 1985–1989. He majored in graphic design and minored in illustration...
and Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
and George Perez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
.
Publication history
The original Legion appears during the Celestial Madonna storyline in the titles AvengersAvengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and Giant-Size Avengers, having been summoned from time by the villain Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
(at the suggestion of future self Immortus
Immortus
Immortus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the future self of Kang the Conqueror, and first appeared in Avengers #10, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
) to kill the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team. As the name implies, the members of the Legion were all characters established as being deceased in Marvel continuity, being pulled from time a moment before death. Although partially successful in their mission (the original Human Torch kills Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
is wounded) the Legion free themselves from Kang's control and aid the Avengers. Kang flees when confronted by the Thunder God Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, with Immortus reviving Iron Man and healing the Vision and returning the Legion back to their respective eras. Only the Human Torch is allowed to remain, as it is revealed that the character is in fact the Vision, years before being modified by the robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
.
The second version of the Legion feature in an Avengers annual, in which the Elder of the Universe the Grandmaster, usurps the power of the entity Death
Death (Marvel Comics)
Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...
. Intending to destroy the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
- via six bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s - and recreate it with his fellow Elders, the Grandmaster decides to eliminate opponents the Avengers (including the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
) by having fellow Elder the Collector
Collector (comics)
The Collector is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:Taneleer Tivan is one of the Elders of the Universe and is close to his fellow Elder En Dwi Gast . He apparently came to self-awareness billions of years ago, on the planet Cygnus X-1...
bring the heroes (and ally the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
) to the Realm of Death to battle the Legion of Unliving. A battle to the death follows, and when Thor observes fellow Asgardian the Executioner
Executioner (comics)
Executioner is the name of two fictional characters in the .-Skurge:Skurge is born in Jotunheim, and later becomes a warrior, gaining his name the Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in...
act dishonourably he realizes the Legion are in fact only copies of the original beings, minus their personalities. Almost all the Avengers are killed stopping the Legion and defusing the bombs, with only Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
surviving. The Grandmaster then proposes another competition and adds the fallen heroes to the Legion, until tricked by Hawkeye in a game of chance. Losing the game disorients the Grandmaster and Death is released, with the entity banishing all the Elders from its realm, restoring all heroes to life and then returning them to Earth.
The third version of the Legion appears in the title Avengers West Coast, and is created by reoccurring Avengers foe Immortus. Seeking to use the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
as a nexus point from which to control all of time, Immortus summons the Legion to delay the pursuing Avengers, although they are almost totally defeated by the heroes. Immortus himself is judged by the entities the Time Keepers and forced to become the nexus himself. A fourth version appears in the title Avengers, with the former villains' spirits summoned and placed in the bodies of dead civilians - effectively zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s - by Avengers foe the Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper (comics)
Grim Reaper is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May , by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.-Fictional character biography:...
(empowered by a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
called Lloigoroth) who mistakenly believes the Avengers murdered him. When the character is confronted by the Vision and forced to accept that he actually committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, the Legion rebel. The Reaper panics and is attacked and apparently consumed by Lloigoroth, with the Legion's spirits departing the corpses.
The final version of the Legion appears in the third volume of the title Avengers, with the returning spirit of the Grim Reaper corrupting his brother Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
and using him to summon former Avengers who died in battle. The Scarlet Witch, however, uses her love for Wonder Man to free him from the limbo-like state his ionic form was currently existing in, thereby freeing him from the Reaper's control. Wonder Man is then able to restore the Reaper to a physical form. The humbled villain relinquishes control of the Legion, and the dead heroes speak to their comrades a final time before dying once again.