Timber Wolf (character)

Timber Wolf
Timber Wolf as depicted in Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3) #42 (January 1988). Art by Greg LaRocque and Mike DeCarlo.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Adventure Comics #327 (December 1964)
Created by	Edmond Hamilton John Forte
In-story information
Alter ego	Brin Londo
Species	Zuunian
Place of origin	Zuun (31st century)
Team affiliations	Legion of Super-Heroes
Notable aliases	Karth Arn, Lone Wolf, Furball
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed and agility In lycanthrope-like form: Claws Enhanced senses Healing factor Nail projectiles

Timber Wolf (Brin Londo) is a character appearing in American comics published by DC Comics. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the planet Zoon (spelled in later stories as Zuun), and possesses enhanced strength and agility.^[1]

Timber Wolf first appeared in Adventure Comics #327 (December 1964) as Lone Wolf, created by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte. He joined the team in Adventure Comics #372 (Sept 1968).

Brin Londo is a Zuunian who gained powers from experiments conducted on him by his father Mar Londo. Karth Arn, Mar's jealous android assistant, switches identities with Brin, but the plot is eventually revealed when "Lone Wolf" first meets the Legion.^[2][3] He is an early graduate of the Legion Academy.^[4] He is thought dead for six months, but is later revealed to have been kidnapped by the villain Tyr and develops a more wolf-like appearance. He has a long-standing romance with fellow Legionnaire Light Lass; they break up due to a misunderstanding when Light Lass finds Timber Wolf embracing Saturn Girl on a frozen asteroid. In Action Comics #377 (July 1969), Timber Wolf battles addiction to the juice of the Lotus Fruit.^[5][6]

In the fourth Legion of Super-Heroes series, Timber Wolf is transformed into a large dog-like creature dubbed Furball after being blasted with radiation by Doctor Regulus during his attempt to destroy the sun. However, Jo Nah (Ultra Boy) agrees to keep this secret from the Legion.^[7]

Furball goes missing,^[8] resulting in a cadre of the Legion members seeking Furball and Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox). They eventually discover that Darkseid is involved in a scientific process to create a demigod from a young girl, Aria. The Legion find Darkseid, but fail to stop him from transforming Aria into the Gemini Entity. Darkseid is angered by Gemini's unwillingness to cooperate and restores Brin to his human form, knowing that this will eventually kill him.

In Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) Annual #3 (1992), Gemini attempts to cure Timber Wolf, but accidentally transports the two to late 20th-century Earth, transforming Brin into a hybrid form.

Subsequently, in the Timber Wolf miniseries, Brin is discovered by a "secret" low-profile underground, government-subsidized group Point Force that recruits "meta-humans without reputations" for undercover operations. He reluctantly joins Point Force, realizing they may be his only hope of finding and rescuing Gemini, who has been kidnapped by the Dominators for use as a god-like power source.

Eventually he is befriended by the "New Blood" super-hero Jamm and was experimented on again by mad scientists who sought to create their own "Timber Wolf". The process transformed Brin again, making him physically wolf-like but retaining his mind. Timber Wolf returned to the future and ultimately reconciled with the Legion.

The mute Furball incarnation appeared in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5, along with various Legionnaires from alternate worlds, to battle the Time Trapper at the end of time.

In the post-Zero Hour reboot, Timber Wolf was introduced in the Legion Worlds miniseries. This version is the leader of the Lone Wolves, a gang on the planet Rimbor, and a rival of Ultra Boy. There is a love triangle between himself, Ultra Boy, and Apparition, as he met Apparition while Ultra Boy was part of the team lost in the Second Galaxy, and formed a strong connection with her. Timber Wolf later realized his feelings for Apparition were only those of a friend, but Ultra Boy remained jealous.

This version of the character had a healing factor. Later, the serum that gave him his powers caused him to mutate into a feral werewolf.

A character named Lupine, who resembled Furball, briefly appeared in an earlier story as a hologram, but due to the creative team changing this was not taken up.

In the 2004 reboot, written by Mark Waid, Timber Wolf appeared originally as an associate of the Legion but subsequently took on full Legion membership. Nothing was revealed about his origin in this series, which ended at issue #50 with several plotlines unresolved. He was not shown in his wolfen incarnation in this reboot, but was still prone in his human form to a violent and vicious outburst of rage, especially when Princess Projectra, for whom he carried a torch, is threatened. When Projectra, maddened by the loss of her home planet of Orando, began to blame the whole Legion for her losses, Timber Wolf took her side, going so far as to cover up the savage beating of Phantom Girl at her hands, by sneaking around Princess Projectra and anonymously activating Phantom Girl's Legion Ring alarm only when he was sure of Projectra's own safety.

The events of Infinite Crisis restore a close analogue of the Pre-Crisis Legion to continuity. Timber Wolf is included in the Legion and seemingly reconciles with Lightning Lass.

In the crossover story "The Lightning Saga", Timber Wolf is transported to the 20th century, sustains amnesia, and comes to live in Gorilla City. After regaining his memories, he returns to his own time alongside Dream Girl, Sensor Girl, Dawnstar, and Wildfire.

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. Timber Wolf is reimagined as having been given his abilities to protect him from Lord Vykor, a criminal who invested in Marr Londo's power-giving serum.^[9] He, Chameleon Girl, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Tellus, Tyroc, and Gates are trapped in the 21st century while pursuing a time-travelling genetic terrorist. After being exposed to the terrorist's mutagen, Brin gains powerful claws that he can expel as projectiles.

In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock", Timber Wolf is among the Legionnaires who appear in the present after Doctor Manhattan undoes his alterations to the timeline, restoring the Legion and the Justice Society of America.^[10]

In Brian Michael Bendis' Legion of Super-Heroes run, Timber Wolf is reimagined as having been experimented on as a child and given powers in an attempt to defend the primitive Zuun. However, by the time the process was perfected, the planet had already been devastated. Deeply affected by this, Brin joined the Legion to prevent such disasters from happening again. Additionally, the character receives a new design inspired by Darick Robertson's design of Wolverine, who the character is often compared to.^[11][12][13]

In "The New Golden Age", Timber Wolf is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who arrive in the present and confront the Justice Society of America over their decision to recruit Legionnaire, a younger version of Mordru wanting to avoid the path of evil.^[14]

Originally, Timber Wolf was superhumanly strong, fast and agile. When the serum changed him into a wolf-like lycanthrope, he gained claws, enhanced senses, the ability to heal quickly from injuries, and even greater strength. As a side effect, he is often prone to outbursts of savage fury.

After being exposure to a mutagen while trapped in the 21st century, he gained the ability to fire off his nails as projectiles, regrowing them almost immediately.

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he is provided a Legion Flight Ring. It allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.

• Timber Wolf makes a cameo appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home" as one of several captive Legionnaires under the Fatal Five's control.
• Timber Wolf appears in Legion of Super Heroes (2006), voiced by Shawn Harrison.^[15] This version previously lived on the planet Rawl, where his father Mar experimented on him and the native animals and gave him the ability to transform into a large wolf-like creature, intending to use him as a weapon in galactic conquest. Afterwards, Brin escapes and lives in the wilderness in his transformed state before Mar tasks the Legion with capturing him. They soon learn the truth and help Brin gain control of his abilities, though he retains irreversible genetic damage that leaves him unable to fully return to normal.^[16][17]

• Timber Wolf appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023), voiced by Robbie Daymond.^[18][15][19] This version is a council member of the Legion Academy.
• The Legion of Super Heroes (2006) incarnation of Timber Wolf makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!.^[20]

Timber Wolf appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[21]

• The Legion of Super Heroes (2006) incarnation of Timber Wolf appears in the tie-in comic Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century.^[22]
• Timber Wolf appears in the Smallville sequel comics.^[23]

• The Legion Companion by Glen Cadigan, TwoMorrows Publishing (2003)
• "Examing Bendis’ New Legion of Super-Heroes Group Picture", Comic Book Revolution (July 26, 2019)
• "What to Expect From DC’s New Legion of Super-Heroes" by Mike Cecchini, Den of Geek (Sept 30, 2019)
• The DC Comics Encyclopedia DK Publishing (2004)
• "Who's Who: Timber Wolf", The Legion of Super-Bloggers (2015)

• A Hero History Of Timber Wolf