The Legion Recruited Its Own Worst Enemies: Meet the Fatal Five

A good hero needs a good villain. Mairead's high school Shakespeare class had a word for this: a foil. That’s why we’re taking a look at the Legion of Super-Heroes’ main villain team as we attempt to explain: Who Are the Fatal Five? The Fatal Five are a 30th-century DC Comics supervillain team who first appeared in Adventure Comics #352 (January 1967), created by writer Jim Shooter. The original members were Emerald Empress, Mano, the Persuader, Tharok and Validus, and the Legion recruited them to help destroy the Sun-Eater. We use the Fatal Five to ask what a villain team does for a hero team. They're five individuals who still routinely beat a whole Legion, and the Legion itself brought them together. We also get into why villains seem to be having a moment in comics, whether Emerald Empress would have approved of Hamlet's uncle, and why the Persuader would have no patience for Hamlet's indecision. The team also looks at how they appear in the current Legion of Super-Heroes series by Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman. This is part of our ongoing series on where new readers should start with the Legion of Super-Heroes. No prior knowledge is required, and we promise not to quiz you on the Inferior Five. Part of Sprock Talk, where we crowdsource how to introduce a newcomer to the Legion. Chapter Titles 00:00 Welcome Back to Sprock Talk 02:56 Origin: The Legion Recruits Its Own Worst Enemies 06:02 Meet the Five 07:23 From Bank Robbery to Planet Massacre: Why They Keep Coming Back 08:47 Fatal Five Sightings in the New Legion Series 10:15 Mairead's Take, Silly Names, and the Persuader's Secret Law Career 13:55 Foils and Hamlet: Villains Are Making a Comeback 15:50 Wrap-Up: Why the Fatal Five Matter 17:19 The Legion's HR Problem (and a Future Episode with Real Lawyers)