Legion Flight Ring

Last updated
Legion Flight Ring
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Adventure Comics #329 (February 1965)
Created by Jerry Siegel
In story information
TypeWeapon
Element of stories featuring Legion of Super-Heroes
Superman
Supergirl
Superboy
Booster Gold

A Legion Flight Ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #329 (February, 1965) used by the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Legion of Super-Heroes

Origin

Although their origin varies between different incarnations of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, the Legion flight rings are usually invented in a joint effort by Brainiac 5 and Invisible Kid. Engraved with the signature "L" of the Legion of Super-Heroes, this ring is also used by students in the Legion Academy when they are in training or on field missions. Legion Flight Rings are composed of a compound known as Valorium, which is derived from the Thanagarian Nth Metal, and possesses similar anti-gravity capabilities. [1]

Superman

Superman also possesses a flight ring, and used to keep it in the Fortress of Solitude as a reminder of his time spent in the 31st century. He now wears it, but it can be turned invisible upon mental command.

Supergirl, like her cousin, is also a member of the Legion and owns a flight ring.

Superboy (Kon-El) has one for his time with the Legion of Earth-247, and Kid Flash (Bart Allen) may have one as well.

Earth-Prime

In Earth-Prime continuity, there is a shortage of rings because the metal is rare, and they are expensive to make. Brainiac 5 has to recycle the rings of deceased members such as Dream Girl. This also means that not everyone was equipped with a ring.

Booster Gold

Booster Gold is one of the few known non-Legionnaires allowed to use a Legion flight ring. It is the only piece of equipment stolen from the Space Museum that survived to the most recent version of Booster's suit unscathed. Its origins differ slightly between the 1987 and the 2008 series, but in both origins, it is revealed that the ring originally was the one held by Brainiac 5. In the alternate continuity of the Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century series, Brainiac 5 himself arranged the events leading Booster to steal a random flight ring, knowing about his heroic life in the 21st century from historical sources.

Capabilities

A Legion Flight Ring is controlled by mental command, and like a Green Power Ring, it can be willed for varying effects. For example, because of Dream Girl's strong will, she has used the Flight Ring to move other objects by negating the gravity around it. Its main function, however, is to allow its wearer to fly. In addition, the ring's circuitry allows for communication between Legionnaires and Legion Headquarters, can project light like a flash light, and can be used to lift people and objects.

The ring's mental control feature affords Legion members some protection against outside mental possession, but it can also make them more vulnerable to subtler mental influences such as hypnosis. This feature once prevented Wildfire from possessing Legionnaires when he was in his energy form and needed to warn them of a deadly threat. On another occasion, an unknown adversary tricked several Legionnaires into believing they were battling a "Tulvanian witch wolf" using a hypnotic suggestion transmitted through their Flight Rings and nearly killed them.

Another function of the Legion Flight Ring is to send out a distress call. If a Legionnaire rotates the "L" symbol 45 degrees, the ring will send out a distress message that will be received by other Legionnaires and the Mission Monitor Board at Legion Headquarters.

Brainiac 5 has modified the functions of a ring specific to each Legionnaire. For example, Colossal Boy's ring will enlarge with him, and Shrinking Violet's will shrink with her. Other examples of this include the Legion Flight Ring being able to "Duplicate" with Duplicate Damsel, resist temperature extremes around Sun Boy and Polar Boy and handle the increased mass of Blok as he originally has to wear three rings due to his massive size. Another modification he had recently made, was to Earth-Man's Legion Flight Ring, in order to keep him on a short leash and alter his morality.

A Legion Flight Ring is also used for security purposes. Only someone with a Legion Flight Ring is allowed to use certain equipment, including the Legion Cruiser.

In certain alternate universe versions of the Legion, it has other uses as well. Environmental protection is an added benefit for the Earth-Prime Legionnaires, for example. The Earth-0 and Earth-247 Legionnaires use Legion Transuits instead.

Similar devices

Flying Belt

The Legionnaires originally used Flying Belts purchased by their sponsor R.J. Brande when the Legion was founded. It was considered the state-of-the-art in 30th century personal transport technology. [2]

Legion of Super-Villains Rings

Legion of Super-Villains gained copies of the rings using an early version used by Nemesis Kid, when he infiltrated the Legion; it was never reclaimed after his treachery was exposed. [3]

In other media

Superman: The Animated Series

The Legion Flight Rings made an appearance on Superman: The Animated Series in the 1998 episode "New Kids in Town".

Justice League Unlimited

The Legion Flight Rings later appeared in a 2006 episode of Justice League Unlimited entitled "Far From Home".

Legion of Super Heroes

The Flight Ring was featured in the animated series Legion of Super Heroes . In the pilot episode "Man of Tomorrow", a young Clark Kent noticed that the Legionnaires could fly to which Brainiac 5 comments that this was because of their Flight Rings that were one of his creations. In "Unnatural Allies", Superman X gave his ring to the young boy Able to protect him with a shield after the Orphan was pursued by assassins.

Smallville

The Flight Ring was featured in an episode of Smallville titled "Legion". Persuader stole a ring to travel back in time to kill Clark Kent, however the Legionnaires journeyed back to stop him and remove his ring sending him back to the future. After defeating Brainiac they used the ring to return home to reprogram him. Cosmic Boy returned again using the ring in "Doomsday" where he uses it to take Doomsday into the future. In the episode "Infamous" Clark used the ring to change history after he revealed his identity to the world. The ring was also featured in "Savior", "Pandora", "Prophecy". In the episode "Homecoming", Brainiac 5 having been reprogrammed to fight for the Legion and uses the ring to take Clark through his past, present and future as part of his training. In the episode "Booster", Booster Gold revealed that he stole his ring from the Legion to travel back in time.

JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time

The Fight Ring is used in JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time animated film where two of the Legionnaires' trainees, Karate Kid and Dawnstar, travel to the 21st century and team-up with the Justice League.

Arrowverse

According to TVLine, Geoff Johns has hinted about possibility of a live action Legion TV series. [4] In The Flash episode "Welcome to Earth-2", as Barry, Cisco and Wells are traveling to Earth-2, glimpses of the multiverse are seen, including an image of a Legion Flight Ring. [5]

The flight ring is later featured in an episode of Supergirl . In "Solitude", Superman kept the ring on a pedestal at the Fortress of Solitude. The ring disappears from the Fortress without explanation during the fourth season, after the Legionnaire Braniac 5 becomes a regular character [6] .

In Supergirl's third season's tenth episode titled "Legion of Superheroes", Mon-El, Imra Ardeen, and Brainiac 5 don the rings before going to fight Reign. Supergirl is given a ring by Mon-El during the season finale as a parting gift.

Young Justice

The final scene of the season 3 finale, "Nevermore", shows a mysterious waitress at Bibbo's diner, wearing a Legion flight ring.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Siegel, Jerry  (w),  Mooney, Jim  (p), Mooney, Jim (i), Huffine, David (let),  Weisinger, Mort  (ed). "The Bizarro Legionnaires!" Adventure Comics  329(February 1965), New York, NY : DC Comics
  2. ↑ Binder, Otto  (w), Papp, George  (a), Letterese, Joe (let),  Weisinger, Mort  (ed). "The 5th Dimensional High-School!" Adventure Comics  306(March 1963), New York, NY : DC Comics
  3. ↑ Shooter, Jim  (w), Shooter, Jim, Swan, Curt  (p),  Abel, Jack  (i), Snappin, Milton (let),  Weisinger, Mort  (ed). "School for Super-Villains!" Adventure Comics  372(September 1968), New York, NY : DC Comics
  4. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 14, 2016). "Will Supergirl or DC's Legends Get a 'Visit' From Legion of Super-Heroes?". TVLine . Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (February 10, 2016). "Yes, That Was a Legion of Super-Heroes Ring on The Flash". Comicbook.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ Supergirl, Season 4, Episode 13
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