LEGION OF THE UNLIVING I

Membership: Baron Heinrich Zemo, Midnight (M'nai), Flying Dutchman's Ghost, Wonder Man (Simon Williams), Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Frankenstein's Monster

Purpose: Destruction of the Avengers and capture of Mantis

Affiliations: Pawns of Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards)

Enemies: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Mantis, Thor/Odinson, Vision/"Victor Shade")

Base of Operations: Immortus' castle Tenebrae, Limbo

First Appearance: Avengers I#131 (January, 1975)

History:
(Avengers I#131) - Following a clash with the Avengers (@ Giant-Size Avengers I#2), Kang and his alternate future counterpart Rama-Tut were left hurtling through the timestream. Kang was rescued by Immortus, the ruler of Limbo and self-styled master of time, who also imprisoned Rama-Tut. Immortus decided to help Kang attack the Avengers; but Kang informed Immortus that he (Immortus) had already done so using non-powered historical figures and failed, an event that had been wiped from time (@ Avengers I#10). Kang instead suggested using a similar strategy, but explained that it would be best to summon and control superhumans; moreover, Kang wanted to use superhumans who were believed to be dead in the present time, in order to increase the Avengers' fears.

   Using Immortus' time technology, Kang first summoned the Frankenstein Monster from 1898. He next brought forth Wonder Man, who would serve as both a powerful physical foe and a psychological weapon against the Vision. In order to threaten the Vision physically, Kang also summoned the original Human Torch. Seeking to capture Mantis, Kang brought forth the martial arts master Midnight to match her skills. In order to provide a random element, Kang selected the Flying Dutchman's Ghost, a creature who was already from beyond the grave. Finally, Kang summoned Baron Heinrich Zemo, whom Immortus had allied with in his previous battle with the Avengers. Immortus suggested to Kang that he trap the Avengers in the Labyrinths of Limbo beneath his castle, to further disorient the team; Kang agreed, then promptly trapped Immortus alongside Rama-Tut. Kang next transported the Avengers to separate random locations in the maze, and sent his Legion after them.

(Avengers I#132) - But the Legion immediately began having problems--the Frankenstein Monster was not truly dead, only composed of body parts of the dead, and his clouded mind made him difficult for Kang to control. As the Monster wandered off, Kang sent Midnight to find Mantis.

   After a skirmish with Thor, the Monster simply stumbled off with the thunder god following. Kang and the rest of the Legion encountered the Vision, who also left by passing through the walls of the maze when he discovered the villains were apparently immune to his solar beam; but Kang sent the Flying Dutchman's Ghost to follow the Vision.

   Meanwhile, Midnight encountered Mantis, who sensed the villain's "dead" nature and knocked him to the floor; then she fled, with M'nai in pursuit. Iron Man and Hawkeye found one another, and were in turn found by Kang, Zemo, the Torch, and Wonder Man. As they clashed, Iron Man sent Hawkeye to find the others; unfortunately, this distraction allowed Kang to blast Iron Man while the Torch slipped up behind him. Using his flame to its fullest, the mind-controlled Torch fused Iron Man's life-sustaining armor, leaving the Avenger dead on the floor.

   Elsewhere in the maze, the Flying Dutchman's Ghost found Mantis and the Vision; when the two wraith-like opponents clashed, the Ghost was seemingly destroyed by the resulting explosion, and the Vision was left badly injured.

(Giant-Size Avengers I#3) - Mantis attempted to help the Vision, but was attacked again by Midnight, who had slipped Kang's control and now intended to kill his enemy. Despite M'nai's use of weaponry this time, Mantis was able to render him unconscious; but while she battled the martial arts assassin, the Frankenstein Monster carried the gravely injured Vision to the Human Torch--the Torch had also broken free from Kang's control. Similarly, Zemo finally began asserting himself against Kang, who cowed the Nazi with threats. Even worse, Thor discovered the deceased Iron Man's body, and swore vengeance against Kang.

   Meanwhile, the Torch and the Monster drove off Wonder Man and set about attempting to help the Vision. The Torch was stunned to discover that the Vision's android body seemed to be the Torch's own body rebuilt into a new form. Kang, realizing that things were turning against him, finally sent Zemo off to guard Immortus and Rama-Tut. Kang was immediately assaulted by Thor, but saved by Wonder Man's return.

   Hawkeye stumbled across Immortus' throne room, and despite being trapped by Zemo's Adhesive X attack, the archer managed to get off an impossible bow-shot (with his teeth!) and freed Immortus; Immortus then devolved Zemo into protoplasm and freed Hawkeye. Finally, Thor and the damaged-but-walking Vision found and battled Kang and Wonder Man. Unable to fend off Thor, Kang fled into the timestream. Using his ability to become diamond-hard, the Vision beat Wonder Man into unconsciousness.

   At that point, Immortus arrived and explained that time stood still in Limbo, so he simply resurrected Iron Man and the Ghost with a gesture, and then restored the damaged Vision back to normal. Finally, with the exception of the Torch, Immortus sent all the Legion members  back to the moments prior to their deaths, physically restored and without memory of the battle (although Hawkeye had to convince him to restore the protoplasmic Zemo back to human form). Immortus allowed the Torch and the Vision to remain and learn their mutual origin.

Comments: Legion of the Unliving idea created by Steve Englehart and Roy Thomas.

As noted above, the Legion members initially seemed impervious to most physical harm, but that faded as they broke Kang's control. Chalk it up to the properties of Limbo or just the mind-control itself.

It's par for the course in these Legion of the Unliving tales to note how many of the members returned to life. In this case, of course, two members were sort of brought back in the story itself: the Torch and the Frankenstein Monster. The Torch returned as himself in Avengers West Coast#50, which was explained in Avengers Forever I#8. Midnight returned as Midnight Sun under Englehart's pen in Silver Surfer III#31; and the Flying Dutchman's Ghost returned in Marvel Comics Presents I#46/2. Though it wasn't a resurrection, Zemo's body was possessed and briefly ran around in Captain America I#364. And for the record, Zemo would serve as a member in the fourth Legion of the Unliving as well. (The Baroness, Heike Zemo, once claimed to possess the mind of Heinrich Zemo, though she later refuted this claim, and married Helmut Zemo.---Snood)

And Wonder Man hadn't truly died, but was actually in a dormant metamorphic state until his return in Avengers I#151.--Ron Fredricks

Per Degaton: Toro of the third Legion of the Unliving claimed that he was in the original Legion of the Unliving. Kang himself in Fantastic Four Annual I#25 stated that it was the original Human Torch in the first Legion of the Unliving and not Toro.

This story was a small part of one of the greatest epics in comics, Steve Englehart's legendary "Celestial Madonna" storyline. It's no exaggeration to say that all of the material introduced in the epic is still playing out today, from the Celestial Quest series to the revelations in Avengers Forever. Most significantly, this story leads directly to the first Vision origin and the revelation that the Vision was the original Human Torch. The origin was ret-conned in Avengers West Coast#50, but then reinstated in Avengers Forever I#8.

Speaking of Avengers Forever, it's almost certain now that Kang and the Legion members were influenced by Immortus the whole time, particularly as the Vision's learning his origin was so central to Immortus' schemes. I won't go so far as to call them all Space Phantoms, though Immortus' next Legion in Avengers West Coast#61 was certainly composed of those creatures.

Here's some more trivia, if'n you like it: this Legion was plucked from time prior to their "deaths". Here's the chronological appearances of the characters, courtesy of the Avengers Index:
Baron Zemo: b/t panel 3 and 4 of page 20 of Avengers I#15
Flying Dutchman's ghost: b/t page 18 and 19 of Silver Surfer I#9
Frankenstein's monster: b/t page 5 and 6 of Frankenstein Monster#12
Human Torch: within the flashback in Avengers I#134
Midnight: b/t panel 4 and 5 of page 17 of Marvel Special Edition (which evolved into Master of Kung-Fu)#16
Wonder Man: b/t panel 3 and 4 of page 19 of Avengers I#9

All Legions of the Unliving got a group entry in OHotMU Horror 2005.

Profile by Omar Karindu.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Legion of the Unliving I is not to be confused with:

• Legion of the Unliving II--Avengers Annual I#16
• Legion of the Unliving III--Avengers West Coast#61
• Legion of the Unliving IV--Avengers I#353
• Legion of the Unliving V--Avengers III#10
• Legion of the Unliving - elite vampire warriors led by Shadow Colonel (Xarus)--Avengers VII#14
• Legion of the Unliving - Jackal Knight (Randall Spector) operatives in the Duat--Moon Knight: City of the Dead#1
• X-Humed - mutant zombies--Sensational She-Hulk I#34
• any other legions