Just prior to Chameleon Boy's debut, a story was published featuring bald, green -skinned people with antennae. In Superman Apr. The two stories had different creative teams, but editor Mort Weisinger plotted all Silver Age Superman stories. The planet Durla is a nuclear wasteland where the shape-changing natives are prone to xenophobia and rarely leave their own world.
Reep's father left Durla, following Zhay's death to the Yorggian Fever. Ren left Reep and his brother in the care of their aunt, Ji , who raised them as her own children. This Fever also infected Ren, and although he survived, he and his brother, Theg , were eventually robbed of their ability to shape-change and became stuck in human form. In these forms, they took the identities of Rene Jacques R. In reproduction, Durlans simultaneously impregnate each other, which results in twin births.
One twin must then prove its worthiness to survive When Reep Daggle was forced to kill his brother Liggt , he vowed to never again take part in such barbarity, and as soon as he was able to find a way, he left Durla for United Planets space. Like most, he came to Earth. Legion v. There, he found something he never knew before — prejudice. Humans and other non-shape-changers view shape-changers with great suspicion.
He vowed to fight this bigotry, and immersed himself in charity work and performance of good deeds. This is what he originally thought brought him to the attention of R. He was accepted together with Colossal Boy , who suggested his "Chameleon Boy" code name, and the two became best friends for the duration of their Legion membership. Action "Cham," as he was called, became a great asset to the Legion, as he was a natural spy, and his keen intelligence and sense of observation made him particularly fit to lead the Legion Espionage Squad.
Adventure Reeps love life has always been a bit lacking. He once had a chance at true love on the other-dimensional world of Nadir. He wanted to marry her, but when her father found out, he ordered Cham's execution. The Legionnaires teleported him out just in time, but it was bittersweet knowing he wouldn't see her again. Cham learned the truth about R. Brande when the Legion's founder fell ill with Yorrgian fever, and, in search of a suitable blood donor, Cham was found he was Brande's son. Although he understood why his father had to abandon him on Durla, he was bitter that Brande hadn't revealed himself during his years with the Legion.
Secrets of the Legion In his anger, he ordered an espionage mission to Khundia, and almost set off a war. The trip was successful, and father and son were reconciled. Reep lost his father, R. Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds 1 To fulfill his father's last will, Chameleon Boy led the Legion Espionage Squad back to the 21st century in order to shepherd the hero Mon-El on to his destiny among other things. Superman There he was able to manipulate the organization, covering fellow Legionnaires Quislet and Sensor Girl, and hiring Mon-El himself, eventually.
He revealed himself to the Guardian and to Mon-El, but retreated in order to regroup with his fellow Legionnaires. Jim Shooter on Chameleon Boy: "Hmm. A little paranoid, but he is a fighter. He knows people stare at him, but he is almost defiant. His personality is reminiscent of a slightly militant black, circa His relationship with Proty I and II should not be overblown. Cham of all people would not patronize a truly intelligent creature. Despite the Weisinger-era "dialogye" of the Proteans, I suspect they communicate simple feelings or pictures and are not human-equivalent.
I doubt he resents L. Cham is unique, for a shape shifter he can identify with beauty the other Legionnaires misss. He could turn up with a shaggy, horned alien chick as easily as Elwinda. Liberal, he is—even philosophical. And probably a little kinky. Mysterious, unfathomable, utterly alien, the consummate detective and spy. But also emotionally vulnerable, especially in matters involving anti-alien bigotry and the secretive father who "abandoned" him, R.
Cham lacks the patience to really enjoy the leadership positions he's thrust into. In Glorith Reality continuity, Cham went on to head his father's company, and was the driving force behind the Legion as well …. He stayed with the Legion until the U. Chameleon Boy had to honor his father's wishes, and he watched from the sidelines as member after membe:r of the Legion dropped out, Earthgov hounded the Legion, and finally, the team disbanded.
He harbored hope of re-creating the Legion, and in , he saw a window of opportunity. After doing this and getting Rond Vidar as well , he linked up with more former Legionnaires on Winath, and, after capturing Roxxas the Butcher, he officially re-formed the Legion.
But somehow, the feeling that he remembered from his youth was not recaptured. The adult Legionnaires were more jaded and cynical, and too far removed from the youthful idealism he once knew. Thus, when he discovered the existence of the teenagers who emerged from Batch SW6, he decided to help them find their place in the new world rather than continue with the adults.
He got Jacques Foccart to replace him with the older Legion, changed his name to "Chameleon" and became the younger Legion's "adult advisor" and financier.
Tom Bierbaum on Chameleon Boy: "Cham became quite a three-dimensional character for me based on his relationship to Brande. The personal pride he took in the Legion, the tension between trying to be a responsible corporate "suit" and the fun-loving guy we knew in the Legion's earlier days, the quest to track down his missing father, etc.
Reep Daggle has the native Durlan ability to change his shapes. His antennae act as "scanners" — when they encounter an unfamiliar object, his antennae collect information so that it can be replicated. Chameleon Boy can mimic any form, but not its chemical makeup. A Durlan's power can be inhibited by placing a "collar" on their antennae, or by using a compound called Cancelite.
Durlan bodies are less dense than other species, which aids in their ability to compress their forms. Durlan physiology is such that the nervous system is distributed throughout all cells in the body. This means that an injury to the head is not as traumatic as in most humanoids. Rather, the severeness of injury to a Durlan is more dependent on the amount of tissue loss in the body. Cells in a Durlan body are constantly renewing themselves, which results in extended longevity.
Chameleon Boy's counterpart from Earth went only by the code name Chameleon. Universe was destroyed in the Infinite Crisis, but Chameleon survived along with his Legion…. Reep Daggle was born into the priestly class of the religion on his native planet, Durla. For this reason, he was selected to use his inherent shape-changing powers to represent his planet in the Legion of Super-Heroes as Chameleon.
Legion At first, Chameleon was shunned by other Legionnaires because he die not speak the Interlac language. But one Legionnaire, Invisible Kid, befriended him and helped him acclimate. Because of his adaptable nature, Chameleon actually learned Interlac very quickly, but used his perceived ignorance to his advantage for a while. Shortly after Chameleon joined the Legion, his family was killed by another Durlan, the Composite Man.
The Legion came to his aid at great risk Saturn Girl was traumatized psychically by the battle. He managed to forestall this destiny and was a key player in exposing the United Planets' corrupt President President Chu. Chameleon harbors feelings for his fellow Legionnaire Spark , who was initially horrified to learn that he was her secret admirer.
He has also dated Sensor , but the two of them agreed mutually that they would be better as friends. Legionnaires Reep was ultimately asked to return to Durla as its rightful spiritual leader.
He returned home just as the planet was under siege from the Dark Circle. At the successful conclusion of this conflict, he was unexpectedly absolved of his duties.
The strife created by the Dark Circle led the Durlans to reevaluate their position among the United Planets. A new spiritual leader named Leeja emerged to fill this role and lead Durla to better cooperation among peoples. Chameleon proved that he had the mettle to be the ultimate survivor when the alien Blight possessed the population of Earth.
The Legion's battle with this race left Earth devastated and Chameleon was one of a group of Legionnaires who were thrust through a rift in space to a galaxy much far. He is the one who'd make me laugh but still be serious when the situation called for that. Maybe he's not a joker in all the stories, but I so seem him as fun guy who is also very thin, but not too tall. Reep Daggle is one of a race of asexual shape shifters. Because of their lack of gender, and their ability to take any form, Durlans are usually suspect in United Planets society.
By nature, Reep is inquisitive; when he encounters new forms of life, his antennae automatically manifest to "scan" the object or being. This ability was useful in another unexpected way, when the Legion was trailing Lemnos , a villain who could mask his presence. Chameleon's ability passively detected Lemnos' presence, which alerted the Lgeionnaires.
Disguise comes naturally to Reep. He thinks nothing of impersonating others and enjoys pranking others with his powers. As if life in the Legion weren't busy enough, Chameleon began moonlighting as a Science Police officer.