Dark Circle

For other uses, see Dark circle (disambiguation).

Dark Circle
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Adventure Comics #367 (April 1968)
Created by	Jim Shooter
In-story information
Member(s)	Ontiir Grullug Garkush Norak Kun Gorgoth Rolind Siepur

The Dark Circle is a criminal organization appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes. They first appeared in 1968, created by Jim Shooter as a criminal organization founded by five members and consisting of them and their clones.

The Dark Circle concept was later modified to consist of members from five core worlds instead of clones. A later version, introduced following the Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! reboot, was led by Brainiac 4 and had several known Legion enemies among their ranks instead of generic masked henchmen.

Fictional history

The Dark Circle first appears in Adventure Comics #367 as an insurgent group planning to conquer the United Planets in the 30th century. It is composed of only five people and armies consisting of their clones. ^[1]

The Dark Circle launches a direct invasion of Earth during the Legion's Adventure Comics run following an attack by the Fatal Five that devastated the Legion and Earth's defenses. However, Brainiac 5 discovers the Miracle Machine and uses it to return all of the Dark Circle soldiers to their homeworlds. ^[2]

Following a five-year time skip, the Dark Circle is portrayed as a philosophical movement that rejects intellectual knowledge and is said to have existed for millions of years, predating New Genesis and Apokolips. The group's members wear hoods with a prominent dark circle (zero) over the face. ^[3]

Post-Zero Hour

In post- Zero Hour continuity, the Dark Circle is an ally of the Affiliated Planets, a rival political group to the United Planets. It is led by Brainiac 4 and consists of the leaders of the Khund, the Gil'Dishpan, the Dominators, and the Sklarian Raiders. ^[4]

Members

• Ontiir - A member of the Dark Circle from the planet Tsauron. He is later killed by Kimball Zendak.
• Grullug Garkush - A member of the Dark Circle from the planet N'cron.
• Norak Kun - A member of the Dark Circle from the planet Naltor.
• Gorgoth - A member of the Dark Circle from the planet Fresish.
• Rolind Siepur - A member of the Dark Circle from the planet Arane II.

Other versions

• An alternate universe iteration of the Dark Circle appears in Tangent: Superman's Reign #3. This version is a necromancy cult, with Etrigan the Demon, Bane, and Sargon the Sorcerer as prominent members.
• An unrelated Dark Circle, led by Tala, appears in Phantom Stranger #20. ^[5]

In other media

• The Dark Circle appears in the Legion of Super Heroes (2006) episode "In Your Dreams", with Grullug (voiced by Dave Wittenberg) and Ontiir (voiced by Bumper Robinson) as prominent members. ^{[6] [7]} This version of the group are mercenaries who utilize cloaking technology.
• The Dark Circle appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023), with Mon-El as a prominent member. This version of the group was founded by Brainiac in the 21st century to enable his resurrection and persists into the 31st century. It has also gone by many names such as Black Zero, Ouroboros, and the Beginning and the End. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

References

1. Shooter, Jim  ( w ),Shooter, Jim; Swan, Curt  ( p ), Klein, George ; Moldoff, Sheldon  ( i )."No Escape from the Circle of Death!" Adventure Comics ,vol. 1,no. 367(April 1968).DC Comics.
2. Levitz, Paul  ( w ), Sherman, Jim  ( p ), McLeod, Bob  ( i ),Adams, Cory ( col )."Prologue to Earthwar"Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes,vol. 1,no. 241(July 1978).DC Comics.
3. Bierbaum, Tom ; Bierbaum, Mary  ( w ), Peterson, Brandon  ( p ),Hanna, Scott ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."The Legend of Valor" Legion of Super-Heroes Annual,vol. 4,no. 2(November 1991).DC Comics.
4. Stern, Roger ; McCraw, Tom ( w ),Moy, Jeffrey ( p ),Carani, W.C. ( i ),McCraw, Tom ( col )."Dark Circle Rising - Part 1: Balance of Power"Legionnaires,vol. 1,no. 62(July 1998).DC Comics.
5. Kanigher, Robert ; Wein, Len  ( w ), Aparo, Jim  ( p ),Aparo, Jim ( i )."A Child Shall Lead Them" Phantom Stranger ,vol. 2,no. 20(August 1972).DC Comics.
6. "Grullug Voice - Legion of Super Heroes (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
7. "Ontir Voice - Legion of Super Heroes (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
8. Couch, Aaron (October 13, 2022). "DC's 'Legion of Super-Heroes' Sets Voice Cast With Meg Donnelly and Harry Shum Jr. to Star (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2025. The story picks up as Kara, devastated by the loss of Krypton, struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Her cousin, Superman, mentors her and suggests she leave their space-time to attend the Legion Academy in the 31st century, where she makes new friends and a new enemy: Brainiac 5. Meanwhile, she must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle as it searches for a powerful weapon held in the Academy's vault.
9. Aizin, Rebecca (February 1, 2023). "Harry Shum Jr. Says He's 'Ecstatic' About His Superhero Debut: 'How Did I Even Get Here?'". People . Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2025. In his latest film Legion of Super-Heroes, the actor, 40, takes on the mantle as the latest Brainiac, the notorious DC villain with 12th level intelligence, only this time he's helping the good guys. He stars opposite Supergirl, Superman's teenage cousin, and together they overcome their mutual animosity to attempt to defeat the Dark Circle, a group with a nefarious plot.
10. Matadeen, Renaldo (February 8, 2023). "Legion of Super-Heroes' Post-Credits Kills [Spoiler] - And Sets up a Dark Sequel". CBR . Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2025. In Legion of Super-Heroes, Batman investigates where Solomon Grundy obtained his high-tech gun. It's linked to the Dark Circle -- cosmic terrorists spun off from Krypton's Black Zero who try to invade STAR Labs. It turns out these same terrorists, buoyed by Mon-El, stole Brainiac's DNA from the present, growing him back in the future to fight the Legion.