At the time of this post, we have had a new Legion continuity for a couple of days!
I won’t be reviewing this new version for a long time: not only because I will keep the retrospective in chronological order of publishing, but also I don’t have access to new comics the day they are first published in print.
Or even the same month!
I will comment on it from time to time, but I’ve come up with a new way to discuss what a new Legion continuity does… because let’s face it, the Legion has gone through A LOT of those.
So without further ado, I am proud to introduce… the Legion Continuity Bingo!
You can use this to keep track of what a new continuity does. I’ve based this on what OTHER previous new continuities did.
What do I mean by each category?
Discount Great Darkness Saga
Darkseid is the bad guy in a story that is hyped as a very big deal.
Classic Legionnaire dies for real
By “Classic Legionnaire”, I mean a pre-Crisis one.
New Legionnaire codename
Self-explanatory, but only if the new codename is held for more than a single storyline.
Underused classic Legionnaire has bigger role
Self-explanatory
Classic Legionnaire joins as cameo only
We see a pre-Crisis Legionnaire who is confirmed to be a member but never does anything.
21st century Legionnaire joins
Someone originally from DC’s present day joins the Legion.
“Stuck in the past” storyline
There is at least one storyline where more than one Legionnaire is stuck in DC’s present day.
Classic Legion romance never happens
A romance that was firmly established in ANY previous Legion continuity never happens.
New future version of a 20th century hero
A Legionnaire is a future version of a hero from DC’s present day.
Classically humanoid Legionnaire looks alien now
Silly Silver Age thing is very serious now
Classic Legionnaire has radically new look
A Legionnaire dies in the first 12 issues
Self-explanatory
No classic Fatal Five
By “classic” I mean the original formation.
New Legion romance among classic Legionnaires
Two Legionnaires who had NEVER had a relationship in ANY previous continuity now have one.
Classic Legionnaire has different powers
The new powers must last for more than a single storyline.
A different Legionnaire has a parent in government
This is one of the first things I noticed! Colossal Boy’s mother, Apparition’s mother, and Saturn Girl’s mother all had a parent in a government position that interacts with the Legion… but always in different continuities!
Timber Wolf is Wolverine now
Timber Wolf owes FAR more to Logan than to his original incarnation.
Classic Legionnaire is only a civilian
They can have powers, but cannot join the Legion.
New Legionnaire sibling
The new continuity creates a new brother or sister of a Legionnaire that did not exist in other ones.
“Legion vs United Planets” storyline
Classic Legionnaire turns evil for real
Self-explanatory
Old continuity-specific Legionnaire joins
A new Legionnaire who had been created in a specific era (like Gates or XS for the Reboot) joins the Legion. It doesn’t have to literally be the same exact incarnation. For obvious reasons, Legionnaires created before 1989 don’t count.
No Subs for you
The Substitute Heroes are never formed as a group, even if the classic members appear.
I consider the 5YL Legion to be its own thing for a variety of reasons, most importantly because of the large number of retcons. How do they score?
We have one bingo!
Silly Silver Age thing is very serious now: where do I begin???
Classic Legionnaire has radically new look: Timber Wolf
A Legionnaire dies in the first 12 issues
No classic Fatal Five
As for why I selected specific spaces:
Discount Great Darkness Saga: for the Quiet Darkness
Classic Legionnaire dies for real: waaaaay to many to count!
New Legionnaire codename: the SW6 Legionnaires specifically
Underused classic Legionnaire has bigger role: I think Tyroc qualifies
“Stuck in the past” storyline: this is NOT a bingo space because it has to be the team, and we only had Timber Wolf stuck in DC’s present day
Classic Legion romance never happens: another one that can’t happen because technically ALL previous Legion romances are still in continuity
Classically humanoid Legionnaire looks alien now: Timber Wolf’s new awful forms
New Legion romance among classic Legionnaires: Violet and Lightning Lass were already an item so they don’t count. There’s Invisible Kid II with Infectious Lass, but the latter wasn’t a Legionnaire before.
Timber Wolf is Wolverine now: self-explanatory
Classic Legionnaire is only a civilian: more than one, but Star Boy stands out
New Legionnaire sibling: Wildfire’s brother
“Legion vs United Planets” storyline: the Legion On The Run debacle
No Subs for you: we have the Substitute Commandos. I was looking for the Substitute Heroes.
I will keep track of the Legion Reboot Bingo during the ongoing reboots.
At its current spot in the retrospective, I would say we are about here:
Classic Legionnaire dies for real: Leviathan
New Legionnaire codename: Live Wire, Spark
21st century Legionnaire joins: Superboy (well 20th century at the time of publishing)
“Stuck in the past” storyline: not YET, since only XS was stuck before. That’ll change soon.
A Legionnaire dies in the first 12 issues: Kid Quantum
A different Legionnaire has a parent in government: Apparition’s mother
Classic Legionnaire is only a civilian: Bouncing Boy and Matter-Eater Lad
New Legionnaire sibling: Saturn Girl’s sister
NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, and I might change my mind by the end, but I think that this is where the Reboot will end up: three bingos.
Once again I must stress NO SPOILERS, but I don’t think the Threboot gets a bingo.
I am FAR less familiar with the “retro-boot”, but from what I’m aware of they shouldn’t get a bingo.
And speaking of a continuity I know even less about… I have yet to read the Bendis continuity, but from what I’ve heard they should be around here.
Yet again NO SPOILERS PLEASE, but do let me know if I missed anything.
And finally, we are at the 2026 Legion. It is obviously way, WAY too early to know if they will get a bingo… but at the very least “Brainiac 1 of 5” contributes two spaces.
Feel free to play along during the rest of the new Legion continuity!!!
