The origin of Super Villians: Lethal Legion

[Javaman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_Legion

The Lethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history
The first version of the Lethal Legion appeared in The Avengers #78 (Jul. 1970).[1]

The second version of the Lethal Legion appeared in Avengers #164 (Oct. 1977)

The third version in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #1 (Oct. 1985).

The fourth version appeared in Marvel Age Annual #1 (1985).

The fifth version of the Lethal Legion appeared in Avengers West Coast #98 (Sep. 1993)

The sixth version of the Lethal Legion appeared in the limited series Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 (Aug. 2009).

History
Grim Reaper's Lethal Legion

The original Lethal Legion are formed by the villain Grim Reaper (the brother of Avenger Wonder Man) and consisted of Man-Ape, Power Man, Living Laser, and Swordsman. Man-Ape attacks Captain America, but is beaten back by the Avengers. However, he captures the Black Panther's girlfriend Monica binding her hand and foot with metal clamps. Black Panther is lured into a trap by Man-Ape, and despite getting past him he is knocked out by an exploding dummy of Monica. Black Panther is chained and with Man-Ape, he meets the other members of the Lethal Legion.[2]

Grim Reaper dispatched the Lethal Legion members to different locations to meet the Avengers. Power Man and Swordsman were sent to the water main below Avengers Mansion, Living Laser and Man-Ape were sent to the nearby power station, and Grim Reaper seemingly departed to Greenwich Village. Black Panther broke free and contacted the Avengers to warn them about the Lethal Legion's plot. Grim Reaper returns and uses the knockout gas in his scythe to knock out Black Panther while revealing that he planned to have the Avengers lured to the locations of which Black Panther knew about. While the other members of the Lethal Legion defeat the different Avengers, Vision defeats Power Man (who had been sent to capture him at Avengers Mansion). He disguises himself as Power Man and Power Man as him and takes him to the base. The Lethal Legion places the Avengers in an hourglass container and then fills it with deadly gas. When "Power Man" arrived with "Vision," Grim Reaper detected the brain patterns of Wonder Man and shattered the hourglass to save Vision's life only to realize that the vision in the hourglass was actually Power Man. At that point, Vision aided the Avengers into defeating the Lethal Legion who are handed over to the authorities.[3]

Count Nefaria's Lethal Legion

A second version, formed by European villain Count Nefaria reappears in the title, composed of Living Laser, Whirlwind and Power Man. He magnifies their powers, but is revealed to be a manipulative ploy to steal their magnified powers in a failed bid to destroy the Avengers. The depowered villains are sent to prison.[4]

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