The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (comics)
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four vol ...
'' is a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series written by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans several volumes.


Volumes


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I''

In the aftermath of the events of the novel '' Dracula'', a now disgraced and divorced
Mina Harker Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...
(née Murray) is recruited by
Campion Bond This is a collection of the characters from ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', a comic book series created by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill, and its spin-off ''Nemo''. Overview Character's name *Original source/author *Appearances or me ...
on behalf of British Intelligence head " M" and asked to assemble a league of other extraordinary individuals to protect the interests of the Empire. Together with
Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ...
, Mina travels to Cairo to locate
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
, then on to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in search of Dr. Jekyll; finally in London she forcibly recruits Hawley Griffin,
The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devo ...
, who completes this incarnation of the League. Meeting with Professor Cavor, the League is sent against
Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...
in his
Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...
lair, who has stolen the only known sample of
cavorite ''The First Men in the Moon'' is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantasti ...
and plans to use it to build an armed airship, against which Britain would have little defence. Having eventually retrieved the cavorite, the League delivers it into the hands of their employer — none other than Professor Moriarty (nemesis of Sherlock Holmes), who plans to use it in an airship of his own, with which he will bomb his adversary's Limehouse lair flat, taking large parts of London and the League itself with it. An aerial battle above London commences, and the League eventually triumphs.
Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogene ...
replaces Moriarty as the League's employer, and the extraordinary individuals are given the task of remaining in the service of the Crown, awaiting England's call. Some kind of a meteor shower is shown, leading up to the events in Volume II.


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II''

Placed during the events of
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''
The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
'', Volume II opens on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
, where John Carter and Lt. Gullivar Jones (of
Edwin Lester Arnold Edwin Lester Linden Arnold (14 May 1857 – 1 March 1935) was an English author. Most of his works were issued under his working name of Edwin Lester Arnold. Life and literary career Arnold was born in Swanscombe, Kent, as son of Sir Edwin Arnol ...
's '' Gullivar of Mars'') have assembled an alliance to fight against Martian invaders. When the invaders are forced off Mars and land on Earth, they begin to build their tripods. Griffin leaves the League under cover of invisibility to form an alliance with the invaders before betraying it outright, stealing plans for the defence of London as well as physically and emotionally assaulting Mina. Mycroft Holmes deploys Nemo and Hyde to defend the capital by patrolling
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
's rivers in the ''
Nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in ...
''. Meanwhile, Murray and Quatermain meet up with
Dr. Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946). The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the islan ...
in his secret hideout in the forest, and tell him that
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
has asked for something known as H-142. Hyde returns to the British Museum and tortures Griffin, breaking Griffin's leg and raping him before murdering him. Hyde dies fighting a tripod, allowing time for MI5 to launch H-142. However, before he goes to fight the tripods, he asks Mina for two things: for her to give him a kiss, and permission to touch her breast. MI5 then launches H-142: a hybrid
bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were amon ...
, made up of anthrax and
streptococcus ''Streptococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive ' (plural ) or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs ...
. Nemo is infuriated, and Bond coolly replies that they will claim that, officially, the Martians died of the common cold, whilst any humans found dead will have been killed by Martians. Angered by the British government's heartless use of biological weaponry, Nemo leaves in the ''Nautilus'' and tells Quatermain and Murray to "never seek imagain", mistakenly believing that they knew the details of the British plan.


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier''

Presented as a stand-alone sourcebook, rather than as the third volume, the ''Black Dossier'' has a framing sequence set not in the Victorian era but in 1958. Events take place after the fall of the Big Brother government from ''
Nineteen Eighty Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...
'' (the in-story explanation for this apparent date-shift is that Orwell's book was published in 1948). The story itself sees
Mina Harker Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...
and
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
—now immortal after bathing in the fire of youth from ''
She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
''—on their quest to recover the Black Dossier itself (a confessed
MacGuffin In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail for ...
), in a metafictional unravelling of the secret history of the now-disbanded League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Out to stop them is a trio of secret agents:
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
, Emma Night, and Hugo "Bulldog" Drummond. The pursuit takes Mina and Allan from London to Scotland and eventually to the magical
Blazing World ''The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World'', better known as ''The Blazing World'', is a 1666 work of prose fiction by the English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, Duchess of Newcastle. Feminist literary critici ...
, overseen by
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's
Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...
. Initially intended to be accompanied by a
45-rpm record In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
featuring songs referenced in the plot, this addition was shelved ostensibly to be included as an incentive with the ' Absolute Edition', and ultimately dropped entirely—to the chagrin of the author/singer. A limited number of copies of the record were eventually produced in the UK.


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century''

The third volume, a 216-page epic spanning almost a hundred years and entitled ''Century'', is divided into three 72-page chapters, each a self-contained narrative. The volumes were tentatively scheduled to be released annually with Part 1 released on 13 May 2009; Part 2 not released until 28 July 2011; and Part 3 being released in June 2012.Staros Talks Top Shelf's "League" Debut
Comic Book Resources. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
Chapter one is set against a backdrop of London, 1910, with
Halley's Comet Halley's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 75–79 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the on ...
passing overhead, the nation prepares for the coronation of King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
, and far away on his
South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
island, the scientist-pirate Captain Nemo is dying. In the bowels of the British Museum,
Carnacki Thomas Carnacki is a fictional occult detective created by English fantasy writer William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki was the protagonist of a series of six short stories published between 1910 and 1912 in '' The Idler'' magazine and ''The New Maga ...
the ghost-finder is plagued by visions of a shadowy occult order who are attempting to create something called a Moonchild, while on London's dockside the most notorious serial murderer of the previous century has returned to carry on his grisly trade. Chapter two takes place almost 60 years later in the psychedelic daze of Swinging London during 1969, a place where tadukic acid diethylamide 26 is the drug of choice (similar to
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
), and where different underworlds are starting to overlap dangerously to an accompaniment of sit-ins and
sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
s. Starting to buckle from the pressures of the twentieth century and the weight of their own endless lives, Mina and her companions must nevertheless prevent the making of a Moonchild that might well turn out to be the Antichrist. In chapter three, the narrative draws to its cataclysmic close in London 2009. The magical child whose ominous coming has been foretold for the past hundred years has now been born and has grown up to claim his dreadful heritage. His promised eon of unending terror can commence, the world can now be ended starting with North London.


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Nemo Trilogy''

Presented as a stand-alone hardcover spin-off rather than a new ''League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' story, the trilogy consists of three chapters, ''Nemo: Heart of Ice'', ''Nemo: The Roses of Berlin'', and ''Nemo: River of Ghosts''. ''Nemo: Heart of Ice'' follows Janni Dakkar to
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
in 1925. The story opens with Nemo and her crew robbing a great treasure from Ayesha, who appears to have great influence over
Charles Foster Kane Charles Foster Kane is a fictional character who is the subject of Orson Welles' 1941 film ''Citizen Kane''. Welles played Kane (receiving an Academy Award nomination), with Buddy Swan playing Kane as a child. Welles also produced, co-wrote an ...
. Nemo travels to Antarctica as her father once did on a trip that drove him mad. Kane recruits
Frank Reade Frank Reade was the protagonist of a series of dime novels published primarily for boys. The first novel, ''Frank Reade and His Steam Man of the Plains'', an imitation of Edward S. Ellis, Edward Ellis's ''The Steam Man of the Prairies'' (1868), w ...
Jr., Jack Wright, and
Tom Swift Tom Swift is the main character of six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. First published in 1910, the series totals more than 100 volumes. The character was ...
to retrieve Ayesha's treasure from Nemo. The trio follow her to Antarctica where they encounter a pit that leads to
Yuggoth ''The Whisperer in Darkness'' is a 26,000-word novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in ''Weird Tales'', August 1931. Similar to '' The Colour Out of Space'' (1927), it is a ble ...
, a mysterious white giant and an ice sphinx. ''Nemo: The Roses of Berlin'' takes place in 1941 where Janni Dakkar and
Broad Arrow Jack ''Broad Arrow Jack'' is a penny dreadful written by E. Harcourt Burrage in 1866. Plot summary ''Broad Arrow Jack'' follows the story of John Ashleigh, nicknamed Broad Arrow Jack on account of an arrow brand on his back. The story begins with Jack ...
's daughter Hira and her husband Armand Robur are captured by Adenoid Hynkel's Nazi-forces, Nemo and Jack go to Berlin on a rescue mission only to find out they have been lured into a trap. They are soon pursued by the remains of the Twilight Heroes,
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
and Dr. Caligari.
Dr. Mabuse Dr. Mabuse is a fictional character created by Norbert Jacques in his 1921 novel ('Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler'), and his 1932 follow-up novel ''Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse'' (1932). The character was made famous by three films about the character ...
later helps the pair evade capture and reveals to them the plot had been orchestrated by Ayesha, who has become an ally of Hynkel, to get her vengeance after the events of "Heart of Ice". ''Nemo: River of Ghosts'' takes place in the year of 1975 and is set in South America. Janni sets off down the vastness of the Amazon, from the ruined city of Yu-Atlanchi to the fabulous plateau of Maple White Land to settle scores with old enemies.


''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: Tempest''

The fourth volume was released in six parts, starting in June 2018. Not only has it been announced as the last League story, but also creators Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill have described it as their final work in the comic book medium. The plot is described as follows: "Opening simultaneously in the panic-stricken headquarters of
British Military Intelligence The Intelligence Corps (Int Corps) is a corps of the British Army. It is responsible for gathering, analysing and disseminating military intelligence and also for counter-intelligence and security. The Director of the Intelligence Corps is a br ...
, the fabled Ayesha’s lost African city of Kor and the domed citadel of ‘ We’ on the devastated Earth of the year 2996, the dense and yet furiously-paced narrative hurtles like an express locomotive across the fictional globe from Lincoln Island to modern America to the
Blazing World ''The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World'', better known as ''The Blazing World'', is a 1666 work of prose fiction by the English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, Duchess of Newcastle. Feminist literary critici ...
; from the Jacobean antiquity of
Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...
’s Men to the superhero-inundated pastures of the present to the unimaginable reaches of a shimmering science-fiction future. With a cast-list that includes many of the most iconic figures from literature and pop culture, and a tempo that conveys the terrible momentum of inevitable events, this is literally and literarily the story to end all stories".


Collected editions

* ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume I, collects vol 1 #1–6 ** hardcover: ** paperback: ** Absolute edition (deluxe hardcover): , including Moore's original scripts and additional artwork by O'Neill * ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume II, collects vol 2 #1–6 ** hardcover: ** paperback: ** Absolute edition (deluxe hardcover): , including Moore's original scripts and additional artwork by O'Neill * ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Black Dossier'' ** hardcover: (November 2007) ** paperback: ** Absolute edition (deluxe hardcover): (June 2008), with no additional bonus content * ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume III ** Century 1910 paperback: (May 2009) ** Century 1969 paperback: (July 2011) ** Century 2009 paperback: (June 2012) ** ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume III: Century hardcover (collects 1910, 1969 and 2009) (July 2014) ** ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume III: Century paperback (collects 1910, 1969 and 2009) (July 2018) * ''Nemo: Heart of Ice'' (hardcover) (March 2013) * ''Nemo: The Roses of Berlin'' (hardcover) (March 2014) * ''Nemo: River of Ghosts'' (hardcover) (March 2015) * ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume IV ** ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume IV: The Tempest hardcover (collects vol 4 #1–6) (January 2020) ** ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', Volume IV: The Tempest paperback (collects vol 4 #1–6) (December 2021)


Chronological settings

''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' comics are generally set in the 20th century, but the chronological order of the fictional world does not correspond with the order of release: Notes: * "The New Traveller's Almanac" is published in 1931, and contains writings from 1625 to 1682, the mid- to late-1700s and 1890 to 1912. * "Life of Orlando" is set from 1260 BC to 1943 AD, and is published in 1953. * "The New Adventures of Fanny Hill" is set from 1750 to 1802, and is published in 1912. * "Shadows in the Steam" is set in 1897, and is published in 1908.


Leagues in history

There have been a number of versions of the League, and in particular in the comic book '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier'' the membership and activities of these Leagues were fully explored, interwoven into an extensive world timeline.


17th Century: Prospero's Men

The first League was established at the behest of England's Queen Gloriana recommending that Italian sorcerer
Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...
and his squire
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
found a group of extraordinary individuals after her death who would operate independently of the government. This seems to have been done in the hope of establishing a bridgehead between her own faerie realm and the mortal world, via the ethereal
Blazing World ''The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World'', better known as ''The Blazing World'', is a 1666 work of prose fiction by the English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, Duchess of Newcastle. Feminist literary critici ...
archipelago in the North Atlantic, in the wake of her successor King Jacob's ruthless purge of faeriekind from the British Isles, and the subsequent retreat of those magical elements from everyday life. *
Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...
, the Duke of Milan, the sorcerer protagonist of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's 1611 play '' The Tempest''. Before his League was assembled, he lived in Mortlake under the alias of John Subtle. The faux-Shakespeare fragment in ''The Black Dossier'' entitled ''Fairy's Fortunes Founded'' includes a list of Prospero's alter-egos, also including historical English occultist John Dee. **
Caliban Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell H ...
, Prospero's malformed, treacherous servant, also from ''The Tempest''. **
Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
, a sprite and air spirit, bound to serve Prospero, also from ''The Tempest''. * Christian, a pilgrim Everyman, protagonist of
John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...
's 1678 novel ''
The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...
''. * Captain Robert Owe-much, a British explorer and discoverer of the Floating Island called Scoti Moria or Summer Island, President of the Council of the Society of Owe-Much, and the central character from
Richard Head Richard Head ( 1637 – before June 1686) was an Irish author, playwright and bookseller. He became famous with his satirical novel ''The English Rogue'' (1665), one of the earliest novels in English that found a continental translation. Life ...
's 1673 book '' The Floating Island'' (published under the pseudonym Frank Careless). *
Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
, the Spanish aristocrat, from
Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...
's ''Don Quijote de la Mancha''. * Amber St. Clair, the courtesan from '' Forever Amber'' by
Kathleen Winsor Kathleen Winsor (October 16, 1919 – May 26, 2003) was an American author. She is best known for her first work, the 1944 historical novel '' Forever Amber''. The novel, racy for its time, became a runaway bestseller even as it drew criticism ...
. * Orlando, the sex-changing immortal from many works, but drawn most closely from
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
's '' Orlando: A Biography''. This League collapsed in 1690 when the unwilling extradimensional traveler Christian found the heavenly realm he had been searching for in order to lead him to his home, the Blazing World. Some years later Prospero followed him into this realm, as did Caliban and Ariel, thereby beginning the League's connection with this otherworldly realm as per Gloriana's desires.


18th Century: Gulliver's League

The second League was formed by Lemuel Gulliver in the 1750s and secretly gathered in Montague House, London, in service to the British Crown. *
Lemuel Gulliver Lemuel Gulliver () is the fictional protagonist and narrator of ''Gulliver's Travels'', a novel written by Jonathan Swift, first published in 1726. In ''Gulliver's Travels'' According to Swift's novel, Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire c. ...
, the far-flung protagonist from the 1726 novel '' Gulliver's Travels'' by
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...
. * The Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn, also known as the pirate Captain Clegg, and later known as the Scarecrow, the
vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
turned pirate turned smuggler from the ''
Doctor Syn The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book, ''Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh'' was published in 1915. The story idea came from smuggling in the 18th-century Romney ...
'' novels (1915–1944) of
Russell Thorndike Arthur Russell Thorndike (6 February 1885 – 7 November 1972) was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh novels. Less well-known than his sister Sybil but equally versatile, Russell Thorndike's first love ...
. * Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney from ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
'' novels of
Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci) (; 23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947), usually known as Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends as Em ...
published in 1905, set in late 1792. * Nathanael "Natty" Bumppo, the hero of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' (1827–1841) of James Fenimore Cooper, the most famous of which is ''
Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfind ...
''. In Cooper's novels he is variously called ''Deerslayer'', ''Hawkeye'' and ''Pathfinder'' as well as several other names. * Frances "Fanny" Hill, the eponymous heroine of the 1749 erotic novel ''Fanny Hill'' by
John Cleland John Cleland (c. 1709, baptised – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his fictional '' Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'', whose eroticism led to his arrest. James Boswell called him "a sly, old malcont ...
. *
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
, the sex-changing immortal from many works, but drawn most closely from
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
's '' Orlando: A Biography''. This League ended with the death of the elderly Gulliver in 1799. Natty Bumppo having already departed the League some time before, the remaining members continued their association for some time, though not in a capacity as agents of the Crown.


19th Century


The Time Traveler's League

"
Allan and the Sundered Veil "Allan and the Sundered Veil" is a six-part horror comic story written in the style of a boy's periodical by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, included at the back of each issue of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I'' an ...
", the prose short story accompanying vol. 1 describes an unsuccessful attempt by the Time Traveler (the nameless hero of H.G. Wells' ''
The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively for ...
'') to assemble a League of his own. This group drew three heroes from different points in time: *
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
, drawn from just before the formation of the first Murray Group. * John Carter, Edgar Rice Burroughs' hero, drawn from just before his first journey to the red planet. * Randolph Carter, of various works by H. P. Lovecraft, drawn from one of his first experiences with transcending reality through dreams (here supposed to be a distant relative of John). It had been the Traveler's hope to create a group capable of heading off the looming threats of the Lovecraftian world of
Yuggoth ''The Whisperer in Darkness'' is a 26,000-word novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in ''Weird Tales'', August 1931. Similar to '' The Colour Out of Space'' (1927), it is a ble ...
. This gathering proves ill-fated however, as the three heroes were each drawn from out-of-body experiences, and each returns to his own life before the Traveler can impart any knowledge of consequence about the enemy (though the denizens of Yuggoth would later prove to be persistent foes of later incarnations of the League).


Wilhelmina's First League

The Victorian League was led by Mina Harker, recruited for Military Intelligence by
Campion Bond This is a collection of the characters from ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', a comic book series created by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill, and its spin-off ''Nemo''. Overview Character's name *Original source/author *Appearances or me ...
. They meet in the British Museum, built on the remains of Montague House. First convened (unknowingly) under the service of Professor Moriarty, they later report to
Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogene ...
, brother of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. * Wilhelmina Murray, of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel '' Dracula''. *
Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ...
, the Indian submariner from Jules Verne's novels ''
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre- ...
'' and ''
The Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's f ...
'', and his play '' Journey Through the Impossible''. *
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
, the elephant hunter and African explorer of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''
King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'' and its various sequels. * Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde from
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's 1886 novella ''
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
''. * Hawley Griffin, also known as
The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devo ...
, from the 1897 novel by
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''
Hawley Crippen). ;Associates * C. Auguste Dupin, of
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
's "
The Murders in the Rue Morgue "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in ''Graham's Magazine'' in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". C. Auguste Du ...
" and its sequels, assisted Murray and Quatermain in capturing Jekyll / Hyde in Paris. * Quong Lee, the storyteller of Thomas Burke's '' Limehouse Nights'' and its sequels, provided Murray and Griffin with valuable information regarding the location of the stolen Cavorite. * William Samson Senior, father of Bill Junior, the
Wolf of Kabul William Sampson or Samson, the Wolf of Kabul, was a literary character in British boys' papers published by D. C. Thomson & Co. He first appeared in '' The Wizard'' in 1922.Mike Conroy, "Of Clicky-Bas & .303s", ''War Stories: A Graphic History'', ...
, served as the League's coachman during the Martian invasion. * Dr. Alphonse Moreau, of
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''
The Island of Doctor Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946). The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the islan ...
'', provided the League with a crucial weapon against the Martian invaders. This League collapsed during the closing days of the Martian Invasion of 1898 following the deaths of Griffin and Jekyll/Hyde, and the resignation of Nemo. Quatermain and Murray went their separate ways shortly afterwards, although continued their ties with Campion Bond and British Intelligence as they traveled the world.


Early 20th Century


Wilhelmina's Second League

A second League was formed by Mina in 1907, upon the return to England of herself, Quatermain and Orlando, whom they had met while traveling. Still meeting in the museum's secret vault, they continued to work for Mycroft Holmes' British Intelligence. * Miss Wilhelmina Murray, of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel '' Dracula''. * Allan Quatermain Jr., a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain from H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''
King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'' and its various sequels. * Orlando, the sex-changing immortal from many works, but drawn most closely from
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
's '' Orlando: A Biography''. *
A. J. Raffles Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentle ...
, reformed thief from E. W. Hornung stories. *
Thomas Carnacki Thomas Carnacki is a fictional occult detective created by English fantasy writer William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki was the protagonist of a series of six short stories published between 1910 and 1912 in '' The Idler'' magazine and ''The New Maga ...
, the occult detective from ''
Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder ''Carnacki the Ghost-Finder'' is a collection of occult detective short stories by English writer William Hope Hodgson, featuring the titular protagonist. It was first published in 1913 by the English publisher Eveleigh Nash. In 1947, a new editio ...
'' by
William Hope Hodgson William Hope Hodgson (15 November 1877 – 19 April 1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and scie ...
. Having tried (and failed) to avert disaster at George V's coronation in 1910 and battled their French equivalents in 1913 Paris, the end of Mina's Second League ostensibly came about with the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, during which A. J. Raffles was killed. By the 1930s, an elderly Carnacki had retired for health reasons. In 1937, Murray, Quatermain and Orlando first made a clandestine excursion to the Blazing World, where they gained important future allies, unbeknownst to the government.


Les Hommes Mystérieux (The Mysterious Men)

Les Hommes Mystérieux are the French equivalent of the League, similarly composed of "questionable" or criminal individuals. In 1913, responding to psychic warnings received by
Thomas Carnacki Thomas Carnacki is a fictional occult detective created by English fantasy writer William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki was the protagonist of a series of six short stories published between 1910 and 1912 in '' The Idler'' magazine and ''The New Maga ...
, Mina's second League traveled to the
Paris Opera House The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
to thwart a scheme of Les Hommes Mystérieux, where the two groups fought. * Jean Robur, an insane genius who creates a flying machine, from '' The Clipper of the Clouds'' and '' The Master of the World'', by Jules Verne. *
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin (French pronunciation: ʁsɛn lypɛ̃ is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazi ...
, a master thief, from the books written by
Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French c ...
, recruited to "cancel out" any benefits afforded to Mina's League by
A. J. Raffles Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentle ...
. *
Nyctalope The Nyctalope, alias Léo Saint-Clair, is a pulp fiction hero created by French writer Jean de La Hire in 1911. He may be the first cyborg (an individual with both organic and mechanical body parts) in literature and is seen as a significant prec ...
, the first superhero ever written; created by
Jean de La Hire Jean de La Hire (pseudonym of the Comte Adolphe-Ferdinand Celestin d'Espie de La Hire) (28 January 1878 – 5 September 1956) was a prolific French author of numerous popular adventure, science fiction and romance novels. Adolphe d'Espie was b ...
. *
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
, a criminal mastermind created by
Pierre Souvestre Pierre Souvestre (1 June 1874 – 26 February 1914) was a French lawyer, journalist, writer and organizer of motor races. He is mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Marcel Allain of the fictional arch-villain and master criminal Fa ...
and
Marcel Allain Marcel Allain (15 September 1885 – 25 August 1969) was a French writer mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Pierre Souvestre of the fictional arch-villain and master criminal Fantômas. Career The son of a bourgeois family, ...
. * Monsieur Zenith, a pure albino who uses drugs that give him extraordinary abilities. Les Hommes Mystérieux later participated in World War I, and during this conflict Jean Robur died when his airship was shot down at the Battle of the Somme. After the war Les Hommes Mystérieux supposedly disbanded.


Die Zwielicht-Helden (The Twilight Heroes)

The German version of the League, known as Die Zwielicht-Helden ("The Twilight Heroes"), was formed around 1909 and based in the "newly constructed Berlin
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...
". Its members were: *
Dr. Mabuse Dr. Mabuse is a fictional character created by Norbert Jacques in his 1921 novel ('Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler'), and his 1932 follow-up novel ''Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse'' (1932). The character was made famous by three films about the character ...
from a series of novels by Norbert Jacques. Mabuse is a criminal genius, gambler and hypnotist. Through his hypnotic powers his criminal energy can survive even his own death, possessing others. * Dr. Caligari, the homicidal mesmerist, and (supposedly) Cesare, his mind-slave, both from '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''. * Dr. Rotwang along with
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, the "female automaton" he created. They are from Fritz Lang's ''Metropolis''. Die Zwielicht-Helden was said to have survived up to the 1930s in different incarnations. Rotwang and Cesare both appear to have died prior to 1941 (presumably in the events of their respective films), while Maria was destroyed and Caligari killed in a confrontation with Janni Nemo in Berlin in 1941, leaving Mabuse the only surviving member of Die Zwielicht-Helden.


Late 20th Century


The Failed Warralson League

Mina and Allan disappeared while on a mission to America in 1946, just before a
totalitarian government Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...
came to power in Britain. Orlando, the only other surviving League member, also had vanished by this time, (supposedly transformed by magic into an orange cat). MI5 assembled a team of replacements, each of whom was roughly intended to correspond to one of the members of Mina's original (Victorian) League, which arguably had been the most successful of all the incarnations. * Miss Joan Warralson from the stories by
W. E. Johns William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns: best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer ''Biggles''. Ea ...
. * William Samson, Jr., the
Wolf of Kabul William Sampson or Samson, the Wolf of Kabul, was a literary character in British boys' papers published by D. C. Thomson & Co. He first appeared in '' The Wizard'' in 1922.Mike Conroy, "Of Clicky-Bas & .303s", ''War Stories: A Graphic History'', ...
, who appeared in ''Wizard'' and ''Hotspur''. His father, William Sr., appeared in ''Volume II'' as a coachman to Murray's League. * Peter Brady, the Invisible Man, from the television series ''
The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devo ...
''. * Professor James Gray, the inventor of ''The Iron Fish'' submersible device, who appeared in ''
The Beano ''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-run ...
''. (He is seen as a child in ''Volume II''.) * The Iron Warrior, a giant robot from ''Thrill Comics'' and '' New Funnies''. Fraught by tensions and prone to failure from the outset, this team only went on one mission together—battling pirate-slaver James Soames and Italian criminal mastermind Count Zero (both from Frank Richards's ''
Greyfriars School Greyfriars School is a fictional English public school used as a setting in the long-running series of stories by the writer Charles Hamilton, who wrote under the pen-name of Frank Richards. Although the stories are focused on the Remove (or l ...
'' series)—before disbanding. During the course of the mission, the Iron Warrior was accidentally destroyed. This marked the end of the League as a group in the employ of the British government. They later would operate outside the law as fugitives and freelancers, following their own agenda rather than that of any official masters.


The post-Ingsoc Ensemble

By 1948 a totalitarian government (
Ingsoc In George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', the world is divided into three superstates: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, who are all fighting each other in a perpetual war in a disputed area called the Equatorial Front. Al ...
) was in control of Britain, which denounced and denied the League in all its forms. Many came to believe the extraordinary individuals never existed, and were nothing more than characters from fiction. In 1958, not long after the Big Brother government's fall, the two surviving Leaguers (
Mina Murray Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker ( née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engag ...
and
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel '' Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
) returned to London and broke into British Intelligence headquarters, stealing the Black Dossier that contained details of all the League's incarnations. A new and deadly breed of Cold War agents were tasked to stop them and retrieve the Dossier. * M, Harry Lime, the antagonist from 1949's ''
The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten ...
''. * Jimmy, James Bond, the British spy created by Ian Fleming for the novel '' Casino Royale'' and its sequels. * Miss Night, Emma Peel, spy and partner of John Steed in '' The Avengers''. * Uncle Hugo, Bulldog Drummond, adventurer and private detective in a series of novels. Eventually successful, Mina and Allan departed to the Blazing World once more, far beyond the reach of the shadowy agencies pursuing them, where they were reunited with Orlando, Prospero, Fanny Hill, and many other previous members of the League. In the process of their pursuit Drummond was killed by Jimmy.


The Seven Stars League

In 1964, Mina assembled a short-lived British super team. * Captain Universe, aka Jim Logan, interplanetary superhero created by
Mick Anglo Michael Anglo (born Maurice Anglowitz, 19 June 1916 – 31 October 2011)Holland, Steve, "Who's Who in British Comics", ''Comics World'' No. 43, Aceville Publications Ltd (September–October 1995) was a British comic book writer, editor and arti ...
. * Vull the Invisible, in actuality Mina Murray; the original Vull appeared in ''The Ranger'' written by Temple Murdoch. * Mars Man, aka Garth Ganzz, a Martian explorer who came to Earth to study its "social life and civilization", from the Marsman Comics. * Zom of The Zodiac, whose magic grants victims of crime the power to stand up to criminals, from Big Win comics. * Satin Astro, featured in "Burt Steele and Satin Astro in the Year 3000 AD" by in Whizzer Comics. * The Flash Avenger, a chain-smoking dandy * Electro Girl, aka Carol Flane, from G-Boy Comics, Whizzer Comics, and Super-Duper comics.


The Victory Vanguard

In the same year, MI5 assembled its own super team, which came into conflict with Mina's Seven Stars: * Ace Hart, fission-powered superhero * Mr Apollo, aka schoolteacher Jeremy Gunn * Mark Tyme, a time-traveller * Tommy Walls, an ice-cream powered schoolboy * Purple Hood * Crash Brittannus * Swift Morgan and his assistant, Silver


Murray Group Under Prospero

By 1969 Wilhelmina Murray, Allan Quatermain and Orlando are summoned by Prospero in order to investigate the recent activities of
Oliver Haddo ''The Magician'' is a novel by British author W. Somerset Maugham, originally published in 1908. In this tale, the magician Oliver Haddo, a caricature of Aleister Crowley, attempts to create life. Crowley wrote a critique of this book under th ...
's sect. They settle in the Seven Stars' former headquarters and start searching for clues that eventually make them split ways. After ingesting a drug pill and meeting Haddo on the astral plane, Mina appears to be close to insanity and is taken away in an ambulance against her will, thus failing to rejoin her teammates. Mina's disappearance leads Allan to fall back into drug addiction. In the late 1970s, Orlando leaves Quatermain and joins the British Army.


21st century: All that is left (2009)

By 2009, the League is defunct, until Orlando, recently discharged from the British Army, is tasked by Prospero to eliminate the Antichrist, and is reunited with Mina, and a now homeless and once-again drug addicted Allan who at first refuses to join them. Meanwhile, Jack Nemo, the last descendant of Captain Nemo, is waging a terrorist campaign in the Middle East. The League battles the
Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...
, who is holed up in a secret location with the still living head of Oliver Haddo. * Miss Wilhelmina Murray, of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel '' Dracula'', now a mental patient * Allan Quatermain, Jr., relapsed drug-addict, from H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''
King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'' and its various sequels. *
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
, now returning as a female immortal from many works, but drawn most closely from
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
's '' Orlando: A Biography''. *
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
, a magically powerful woman who helps Mina fight the boy antichrist, from P. L. Travers' ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' books. During the onslaught, Allan was killed while fighting the Antichrist. Soon after Night was granted immortality and left MI6. Allan's body was buried in the same grave in Africa where he faked his death.


Spoofs: Spoof 1988 American League

In 2010, the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - America: 1988" was announced as an
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
joke, complete wit
mocked-up cover

/ref> This 1988 league was the supposed successor to another league disbanded in 1979 by
Oscar Goldman ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...
. The 1988 League was created after the murder of Mr. Miyagi to prevent a resurrected
Tony Montana Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...
and his occult gang,
the Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jerem ...
, from killing all those between him and domination of America. *
Emmett Brown Emmett Lathrop Brown, Ph.D., commonly referred to as Doc Brown, is a fictional scientist character in the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. In the world of the franchise, he is the inventor of the world's first and second time machines, the f ...
, scientist from ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
''. * Jack Burton, transportation specialist from ''
Big Trouble in Little China ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (also in known as ''John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China'') is a 1986 American fantasy action comedy film directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong ...
''. *
B. A. Baracus Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus , played by Mr. T, is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series ''The A-Team''. B. A. Baracus appeared on ''The A-Team'' from the s ...
, ex-commando from ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...
''. *
Angus MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both po ...
, tech from ''
MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...
''. * "Lisa", mysteriously powerful femme fatale from '' Weird Science''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Comics by Alan Moore American comics adapted into films Steampunk comics Comics based on works by Jules Verne Alternate history comics Harvey Award winners for Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award winners for Best Single Issue or Story Crossover comics