Chameleon Boy (Reep Daggle), also known as Chameleon, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries.[1]
| Chameleon Boy | |
|---|---|
 Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy, as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #4 (June 1985). Art by Keith Giffen and Karl Kesel. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Action Comics #267 (August 1960) |
| Created by | Jerry Siegel Jim Mooney |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Reep Daggle |
| Species | Durlan |
| Place of origin | Durla |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Notable aliases | Chameleon, Cham |
| Abilities | Shapeshifting Elasticity Enhanced senses |
Publication history
editChameleon Boy first appeared in Action Comics #267 (August 1960)[2] and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney.
Fictional character biography
editReep Daggle is from the planet Durla, whose inhabitants, the Durlans, developed shapeshifting abilities to adapt to an environment destroyed by nuclear war.[3] In pre-Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! continuity, he is the son of Zhay Daggle and Ren Daggle / R. J. Brande, a businessman and sponsor of the Legion who was trapped in human form after contracting Yorggian fever.[4][5][6] Reep did not learn that Brande was his father for many years, as he and his twin sibling Liggt were raised by their maternal aunt Ji. As humans generally viewed Durlans with suspicion, Reep applied for membership in the Legion to set a positive example to counter that prejudice and found that the Legion agreed with his aims on top of his talents to induct him.[7] Due to his exceptional deductive skills, he becomes the leader of the Legion's Espionage Squad.
Chameleon Boy is imprisoned on the planet Takron-Galtos for his espionage activities against the Khunds, but released after his heroics in The Great Darkness Saga.
Zero Hour reboot
editPost-Zero Hour, Reep is known simply as 'Chameleon' and is unrelated to R. J. Brande. He is the son of Durla's spiritual leader and heir to the title, though he refuses to accept the role, believing that he serves his people better as part of the Legion.
2005 "Threeboot"
editIn the 2005 reboot of the Legion, the character is still referred to as Chameleon, but is now an androgynous humanoid who lacks antennae.
Post-Infinite Crisis
editIn the Infinite Crisis, Chameleon Boy is included in the Legion, but is considered "missing"; Superman #696 shows that Chameleon Boy has been posing as Control, a young woman who assists in running the Science Police in the 21st century.[8] As revealed in Adventure Comics vol. 2 #8, Chameleon Boy is part of a secret team who R.J. Brande sent to the 21st century to save the future.
In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock", Chameleon Boy is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who appear in the present after Doctor Manhattan undoes his alterations to the timeline, restoring the Legion and the Justice Society of America.[9]
Powers and abilities
editAs a Durlan, Chameleon Boy possesses innate shapeshifting abilities and the ability to transform into forms both larger and smaller than he is, creating or disregarding mass. He can additionally elongate his body and rearrange his internal anatomy without entirely transforming.
Equipment
editAs a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Chameleon Boy is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
In other media
editTelevision
edit
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids in Town", voiced by Jason Priestley.[10]
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy makes a non-speaking appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home".
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in Legion of Super Heroes (2006), voiced by Alexander Polinsky.[10] This version is younger, primarily turns into animals, and is generally humorous and wise-cracking, though he can be serious if necessary and is prepared to break Legion rules if he thinks they are unjust.
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in Young Justice, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[10][11] This version sports a reptilian appearance.
Film
edit- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy makes a non-speaking appearance in Justice League vs. the Fatal Five.
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy makes a non-speaking appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023).
- The Legion of Super Heroes (2006) incarnation of Chameleon Boy makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!.[12]
Miscellaneous
edit- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in Smallville Season 11.
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #10.[13]
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century.[14]
- Reep Daggle as Chameleon Boy appears in the one-shot comic Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.[15]
Cultural impact
editChameleon Boy's design served as inspiration for the eponymous character of the comic series Resident Alien.[16]
References
edit- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Chameleon". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
- ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-4012-1389-3.
- ^ Bridwell, E. Nelson; Kupperberg, Paul (w), Janes, Jimmy (p), Chiaramonte, Frank (i). "Revelation" Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes, no. 3 (March 1981).
- ^ Conway, Gerry (w), Janes, Jimmy (p), Hunt, Dave (i). "Day of Judgment" Legion of Super-Heroes, vol. 2, no. 263 (May 1980).
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (January 1981)
- ^ Robinson, James (w), Chang, Bernard, Pina, Javier (a). "Man of Valor, Part Three" Superman, no. 696 (March 2010). DC Comics.
- ^ Doomsday Clock #12 (December 2019). DC Comics.
- ^ a b c "Chameleon Boy Voices (Legion of Super Heroes)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 10, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (April 24, 2022). "Young Justice's Most Important Time-Traveler Gave the Legion a Massive Upgrade". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "soranatus - Looks like in 2021 Digital eMation was working on a Scooby-Doo Meets Krypto DTV..." Tumblr. September 6, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #17 - Thanagarians At The Gate (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Hickey, Patrick Jr (March 23, 2013), "Review Fix Exclusive: Interview With Resident Alien Creator Peter Hogan", Review Fix (accessed March 29, 2016)