CHARACTER BIOS
(THE LEGION OF DOOM)

written by: Felix Menendez (Superboy123@aol.com)
edited by: Michael C. Rupprecht

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Please note that these bios are not official resources, but the creative works of Felix Menendez and Michael C. Rupprecht.  We have combined selective pieces of information from several different sources with our own creative input to produce unique, and what we be believe are interesting, background stories to the thirteen supervillains portrayed in the Legion of Doom.  These sources include the sixteen Challenge of the Superfriends episodes, which we consider canon, all episodes and shorts from the six other Hanna-Barbera Superfriends shows, and the library of comics, graphic novels, computer games, TV shows and motion pictures, published and/or sanctioned by DC Comics over the last eight decades.  I, Michael C. Rupprecht, would like to personally thank Felix Menendez for his selfless efforts in expanding these bios beyond their original incarnation.  His knowledge of the DC Universe is vast and concise.  The following texts are as much his work as they are mine.  Any comments on these bios, positive and/or negative, should be forwarded to Felix (Superboy123@aol.com) as well as myself (MRupprecht@aol.com).  [top]

BIZARRO (voice of William Callaway)

Superman's arch-foe Lex Luthor once theorized he would be able to rid himself of The Man Of Steel if he could create a being with Superman's abilities that he could control.  To these ends he created a Duplicating Ray capable of recreating anything that it's sensor's detected.  Tricking Superman into supplying the genetic material, Luthor proceeded to create his perfect criminal henchman.  The device however was created to duplicate native Earth creatures and could not properly reproduce Superman's Kryptonian physiology.  The freakish creature he had created horrified Luthor.  Bizarro was physically misshapen and had chalky, stark white skin and coarse hair and looked nothing like Superman.  To make matters worse, Bizarro had below-average intellect and a distinctive backward speech pattern.  Despite his limitations, Bizarro is a threat not to underestimated.  Bizarro possesses all of Superman's powers, but without a noble mind to guide them.  This makes Bizarro especially dangerous, as he is by far the most powerful and unpredictable member of the Legion of Doom.  [top]

BLACK MANTA (voice of Ted Cassidy)

Black Manta is arguably Aquaman's greatest foe, rivaled only by Ocean Master.  While Black Manta's real name remains a mystery, what is known is that he has spent most of his adult life as a pirate and plunderer of sunken vessels throughout the world.  Virtually nothing is known of this supervillain inside his advanced wetsuit.  On the outside however, Black Manta's suit contains a miniature oxygen regulator and propulsion pack, allowing him to survive the crushing pressures of the ocean deep for extended periods of time.  He is wanted by many nations for his piracy and is not above sinking ships to claim the contents of their holds.  His illegal salvaging and complete lack of respect for the sea have made him a constant target for Aquaman.  Black Manta's greatest triumph was in fact the Sea King's greatest tragedy.  It was Black Manta who was directly involved in the death of Aquaman's son, Arthur Jr.  This earned him Aquaman's eternal vengeance.  Black Manta generally serves as Lex Luthor's lieutenant, and the Legion of Doom recognizes him as their second-in-command.  [top]

BRAINIAC (voice of Ted Cassidy)

Brainiac is a sentient computer originally created on the planet Colu with the primary directive of cataloging interstellar life for the Coluans.  At some point, Brainiac malfunctioned and reinterpreted his programming to include capturing samples of the planets he visited.  Ultimately, Brainiac devised a massive shrinking ray that was fired from his starship and began shrinking entire cities, then abducting these tiny cities from the planets he looted.  He collection had grown large when he appeared in Earth's orbit and attempted to escape with the city of Metropolis in tow.  These actions brought Brainiac into conflict with Metropolis' guardian Superman.  Superman defeated Brainiac and in the battle destroyed the shrink ray, returning Metropolis to Earth.  As Brainiac's ship began to break apart, Superman was able to rescue the Kryptonian capital of Kandor, which Brainiac has stolen prior to Krypton's destruction.  Though seemingly destroyed, Brainiac has returned many times with elaborate schemes to torment Superman, and has become a frequent partner of Lex Luthor.  [top]

CAPTAIN COLD (voice of Dick Ryal)

Leonard "Len" Snart was a two-bit hood with aspirations of defeating Central City's champion, Flash, to gain greater recognition in the underworld.  While researching Flash's powers and limitations, he discovered that Flash might be vulnerable to a device known as a Cyclotron.  Breaking into a warehouse that stored the Cyclotron, Snart attempted to operate the device but accidentally activated it on his handgun, altering of the molecular properties of his firearm.  The weapon was now capable of firing concentrated "cold" and could encase people and objects safety in solid ice.  Snart adopted the criminal alias Captain Cold, reasoning he would need an appropriate name to gain Flash's respect.  Captain Cold became one of Flash's greatest enemies and frequently teamed with other costumed criminals such as Heatwave, Mirror Master, and Captain Boomerang as part of the criminal cartel known as "The Rouge's Gallery".  Perhaps because of the Rouge's frequent defeats at the hands of Flash, Captain Cold has pledged his allegiance to the Legion of Doom in hopes of finally defeating the Scarlet Speedster.  [top]

CHEETAH (voice of Marlene Aragon)

Socialite Pricilla Rich was a seemingly normal, well-adjusted member of the "jet-set", who secretly suffered from a type of Multiple Personality Disorder.  Ordinarily a good natured and kind woman, Pricilla would periodically find herself overtaken by the dark side of her psyche and have the uncontrollable desire to commit evil.  She eventually took to donning a leopard skin outfit, and naming herself The Cheetah, she embarked on a series of stunning burglaries that were eventually halted by Wonder Woman.  Over the years The Cheetah has become Wonder Woman's most persistent enemy.  The Cheetah's fighting style is due to her superb conditioning, and her crazed ferocity is a match for Diana despite her lack of super powers.  Her cheetah suit sports razor sharp claws and unlike the Amazon, The Cheetah has no reservations about fighting dirty.  Wonder Woman at one point attempted to reform Cheetah by taking her to Transformation Island in an attempt to repair her mind.  The results were unsuccessful and she has returned to menace Wonder Woman many occasions.  [top]

GIGANTA (voice of Ruth Forman)

Originally a normal, silverback, lowland gorilla native to the Congo region of Africa, Giganta was artificially evolved into a tall, powerfully-built, super-strong woman.  As a result of her transformation, Giganta also received normal human intelligence, the ability to speak, and super strength.  However, the new personality that emerged was petty and cruel.  Giganta opted to utilize her new form and strength to gain wealth and power, becoming a supercriminal whose rampages were most often opposed by Wonder Woman.  After several defeats at the Amazon's hands, Giganta joined Villainy, Inc., a team of Golden Age supervillains, comprised of herself, Cheetah, Queen Clea and many other members of Wonder Woman's earliest foes.  When this gang was ultimately defeated, the criminals went their separate ways and Giganta was not seen for some time.  When Giganta finally reappeared she wore a different costume and had died her hair blonde.  Giganta presumably retired from her criminal ways, ultimately settling in an unspecified location in the American Southwest to live in obscurity.  Her life would soon change back to a life of crime.  One morning while horseback riding, Giganta spied from a distance two Native-Americans, one of whom was destined to become the Justice Leaguer, Apache Chief.  Giganta watched as Apache Chief grew to an amazing height after being exposed to an ancient herb given to him by his tribe's medicine man.  Realizing she could jumpstart her stalled criminal career with such power, Giganta abducted the root and quickly developed the same amazing ability to grow to a height of approximately fifty feet tall.  Her original powers, including her super strength, remain even when standing at her normal height.  Feeling the Legion of Doom would benefit with a being of such power, Lex Luthor quickly recruited Giganta into its ranks.  [top]

GRODD (voice of Stanley Ross)

Grodd hails from the hidden African kingdom of Gorilla City, home to an advanced race of highly evolved apes.  Possessing super-human strength and highly evolved brains, the city's simian inhabitants maintain little contact with the outside world, making their existence a secret to the general populace.  Although most of Gorilla City's citizens are peaceful, one young ape named Grodd sought to overthrow it's benevolent leader, King Solovar and claim the kingdom for himself.  Possessing vast psychic powers as well as intimidating physical abilities, Grodd would have succeeded if not for the timely assistance of Flash.  Grodd has plotted time and time again to wrest control of his birthplace from King Solovar, and even recruited the help of the Legion of Doom in his unsuccessful revenge on Gorilla City.  The supergorilla has also attacked Barry Allen's home town of Central City in hopes of destroying the elusive Flash.  Grodd is among the Legion of Doom's most intelligent and cunning members.  In fact, other than Lex Luthor, Grodd is more likely than the rest to come up with new evil schemes to defeat the Superfriends.  He is forever determined to fight to the end with the Legion of Doom in their plans for world domination.  [top]

LEX LUTHOR (voice of Stanley Jones) - revised bio coming soon!

Lex Luthor is presumably the founder of the Legion of Doom as well as it's leader.  Originally a benevolent scientist, Luthor attempted early in his career to develop a serum that would render Kryptonite harmless to his friend, Superboy.  After developing the formula successfully, Lex accidentally started a lab fire, but was rescued by Superboy who used his super breath to extinguish the flames.  The fumes from the burning chemicals caused Luthor's hair to fall out and he blamed Superboy for his loss.  Luthor vowed to destroy the anti-Kryptonite formula and destroy Superman at any cost.  Luthor possess no true super powers, however he is a master inventor and a criminal mastermind.  Lex Luthor is Superman's greatest enemy, and has tried on many occasions to destroy The Man of Steel.  [top]

THE RIDDLER (voice of Michael Bell)

Intricate puzzles and games of chance have always fascinated Edward Nigma.  As a young man, he helped to organize contests at local carnivals in which he dared the paying customer to stump him with a riddle or puzzle.  In the rare event he was outwitted, Nigma had no qualms about cheating his challengers and taking their money.  As he grew older, Nigma's obsessions grew stronger and he became bored with his simple tricks and turned his attention to more lucrative crimes.  However his need to outwit his opponents took hold of him and Nigma found himself unable to perform even a simple robbery without alerting the police prior to committing a crime.  Deciding to use his pathological tendencies to his advantage, Nigma took to calling himself The Riddler.  He reasoned that at least he could disguise his clues as mind-numbing riddles and allow himself time to be far away with his loot when his plans were later discovered.  As a result, The Riddler became a highly successful thief, easily outwitting the Gotham City Police on many occasions.  The Riddler failed to take into account the keen mind of Batman.  Called into the case by Commissioner Gordon, Batman quickly solved the cryptic riddles and was able to at last end The Riddler's rampage.  The Riddler is a skilled escape artist as well, for Gotham's jails could not hold him long.  The Riddler is a very clever adversary and is proficient in using his riddles to confound even the most cerebral adversary.  His cunning mind is an advantage to the brutal methods used by the Legion of Doom.  [top]

SCARECROW (voice of Don Messick)

Professor Jonathan Crane was an instructor at Gotham University who specialized in the science and causes of fear.  An avid reader, Crane spent most of his earnings on books, disregarding his personal appearance in favor of acquiring knowledge.  As a result of his shabby dress and gaunt features, his colleagues took to referring to him as Scarecrow.  Professor Crane was an unstable person already.  The constant mocking merely drove him over the edge into insanity.  He soon developed a toxin that produced hallucinogenic properties in his victims, causing them to relive their greatest fears.  Now proudly calling himself Scarecrow, he designed an eerie costume to fit his name and terrorized the students and faculty of Gotham University.  His reign of terror attracted the attention of Batman and Robin who eventually thwarted his crime spree and incarcerated him in Arkham Asylum.  However, Scarecrow has escaped the Dynamic Duo's clutches time and time again.  He remains a haunting thorn in the side of the Caped Crusaders and a general menace to the Justice League.  [top]

SINESTRO (voice of Vic Perrin)

Sinestro of Korugar once served the Guardians of the Universe as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.  Although his assigned sector of space was among the most orderly in the universe, Sinestro achieved his success by suppressing all of the rights of his people.  Feeling the power has corrupted him, his Green Lantern ring was stripped from him by the Guardians and, as punishment, was banished to the Antimatter universe of Qward.  Sinestro vowed vengeance and during his imprisonment on Qward fashioned an antimatter yellow power ring capable of creating anything the bearer could imagine, but without the limitations of a Green Lantern's ring.  Using the ring to return to our universe, Sinestro has become the frequent adversary of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and has battled him and his Justice League teammates on numerous occasions.  [top]

SOLOMON GRUNDY (voice of Jimmy Weldon)

In 1894, a wealthy Gotham miser named Cyrus Gold was assaulted by a bandit and left for dead near the murky heart of Gotham City's Slaughter Swamp.  In the moment before sinking under the mud, Cyrus Gold cursed his murderer and swore he would somehow be avenged. The event soon became a legend in Gotham, and tales of his demise have terrified children for generations.  Almost fifty years later, Gold's corpse was mysteriously revived as an undead creature, who would later be called Solomon Grundy.  Grundy's body is massive, as he stands almost 7-1/2 feet tall.  He weighs close to 400 lbs. and has strength that at times rivals powerhouses like Superman.  His virtually indestructible body is composed mostly of rotting swamp vegetation and if damaged will regenerate over time.  Grundy possess little memory of his former life, and has demonstrated only limited reasoning skills.  He first appeared on the scene as a menace to the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott in 1942.  Since that time he has continuously challenged both the Justice Society and the Justice League of America.  Solomon Grundy adds a powerful presence, but little intelligence to the Legion of Doom.  Although a loyal member, he is well known as that group's greatest inside critic, quick to complain of the Legion's incompetence and ability to defeat the Superfriends.  [top]

THE TOYMAN (voice of Frank Welker)

As a boy, Winslow Schott loved toys.  When he was a child, Winslow's father owned a toy factory that went bankrupt due to his poor business decisions.  Winslow was heartbroken and over the years developed repressed feelings of anger towards adults.  Years later, he returned to Metropolis obsessed with enacting the frustrations of his broken childhood out on the citizens of the city.  Now calling himself The Toyman, Schott used deadly versions of the popular toys of his youth to conceive and execute his daring misdeeds.  On occasion Schott teamed up with another criminal, The Prankster, to commit particularly clever schemes together.  Winslow Schott then got sloppy in his work.  After being incarcerated, he was infuriated to discover his costume and criminal identity were being employed by Jack Nimball, a small time crook who had in fact been masquerading as The Toyman for some time.  Nimball currently serves the Legion of Doom as The Toyman, although whether or not Lex Luthor is aware of his deception remains to be seen.  Both "Toymen" are poor hand-to-hand combatants who rely almost exclusively on toy-related weapons to commit crimes, most of which have become a deadly nuisance to The Man of Steel, Superman.  [top]

[DVD/VHS] [The Justice League Of America] [Episode Guide]
[Superfriends Chronology] [Multimedia] [Links] [Main Page]