Who's Who: Duo Damsel

Duo Damsel
by Russell & Siskoid

Other Names: Triplicate Girl, Triad
Real Name: Luornu Durgo Taine

Super-Power(s): Ability to split into two (originally three) separate women
Planet of Origin: Cargg

Legion Seniority: Triplicate Girl was the first member to join the Legion of Super-Heroes after it was founded, making her Member #4. 

Legion Log 

Duo Damsel made her debut appearance as Triplicate Girl as a guest-star in a Supergirl story in Action Comics #267. It was later established that she had heard of the Legion of Super-Heroes when it had first started. She approached each of the three founders separately, then merged into one being in front of them. They were impressed and admitted her as the first non-founding member. So she was already a member when the three founders went back in time to ask Superboy and Supergirl to join.

Four years into her career, one of Triplicate Girl's three selves was murdered by the evil robot Computo. She managed to overcome the shock and took the name Duo Damsel. She (they?) served with distinction for four more years until she resigned in Superboy #200 to marry Bouncing Boy. She became a Legion Reservist at this time, serving whenever called. They were especially active in Year 11, as they went on several support missions during this time. 

Eventually, she and her husband joined the staff of the Legion Academy, the training center for would-be super-heroes. They were still available to monitor the Mission Board when requested, but spent most of their time on duty there.  

Duo Damsel was easy-going and friendly with everyone, although she often found Brainiac Five a tad too cold and unfeeling, especially as he continually attempted to rehabilitate Computo. She originally had a crush on Superboy, but after a few years realized that a romance with him was doomed. She then became aware that Bouncing Boy was interested in her, and they began a romance that eventually led to their marriage.

In later years of the first Legion continuity, Duo Damsel suffered the death of one of her two remaining bodies battling the Time Trapper after she took part in a conspiracy to avenge the death of Superboy.

After the so-called "Five Year Gap", a minor reboot replaced the Time Trapper with Glorith, who did  not in fact destroy Duo Damsel's second body, but perverted it into a weapon as Glorith's armored slave. When this was revealed, the Legion routed Glorith, freed the second body and reintegrated her back into Duo Damsel. During this adventure, Luornu also discovered that she had force field powers thanks to the belt Brainy had given her years ago. She opted to remain with the U.P. militia instead of rejoining the Legion.

Triplicate Girl was also one of the members of the SW6 Legionnaires (all three bodies intact), and appeared in Legionnaires when it was spun-off into its own series. Her new name at this time was  Triad. 

After the Reboot, Luornu Durgo is R.J. Brande's personal assistant and helps save him from an assassination attempt, becoming one of the Legion's founders as Triad. Unlike other Cargggites, her three bodies have three distinct personalities, an aberration on her world.

During the Legion Lost crisis, the Legion is disbanded and Triad goes back to work for R.J. Brande as the head of Brande Industries. When she later returns to the Legion, it's as its deputy leader.

After the Threeboot, Triplicate Girl is now the last survivor of the planet Carggg, and discovers her unique ability to triplicate days after waking up in the ruins of her world. Each of the three has that ability, so the three become nine, twenty-seven, and so on with each individual having a shared consciousness. By the time her limit is reached, she has repopulated the planet. Three of her "replicates" are sent out as emissaries to the United Planets, but became "tainted" by sharing different experiences from the rest. They were exiled and soon joined the Legion.

After Infinite Crisis, Duo Damsel's original history has more or less been re-established. During the events known as the "Lightning Saga", someone who appears to be Triplicate Girl goes back in time to 2007 to prevent the birth of Computo. One of her selves is killed in the process. However, this is revealed to be an illusion cast back in time by Sensor Girl. Meanwhile, the original continuity's Luornu, now calling herself Una, is in that time period with Karate Kid on a mission to find a cure for the latter's timeline-destroying disease. His death, followed by Una's own, releases the Morticoccus virus and causes the Great Cataclysm on Earth-51.

In the events known as Legion of 3 Worlds, Luornu returns as Duplicate Damsel (or sometimes, Duplicate Girl) with the power to create an infinite number of selves and revealed Una was merely the last of her original bodies. She takes her place as a Legion Academy instructor once more, but is also a fairly active reservist.

Triplicate Girl had a cameo in the Superman Animated Series ("New Kids in Town"); and appeared in the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, voiced by Kari Wahlgren. In the second season, one of her bodies was temporally erased and she took on the name Duo Damsel. The time-stream was eventually corrected and her third body returned.

Important Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel Stories: 

Adventure Comics  #247

(reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

Cameo appearance in the LSH debut story; 

one (or all three) of those shadowed heads are Triplicate Girl's

Action Comics #276

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

First mention of Triplicate Girl by name

Adventure Comics #340

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5)

One of Triplicate Girl's bodies is killed by Computo

Superboy #147

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8)

 Triplicate Girl clearly shown to have been Legionnaire #4

Adventure Comics #369-370

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8)

Duo Damsel stands up to Mordru the Merciless

Action Comics #380

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9)

Duo Damsel deals with schizophrenia of her two selves

Action Comics #387

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9)

Duo Damsel kisses Superboy good-bye as he quits for the first time

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #193

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10)

Duo Damsel gets her modern uniform

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #200

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10)

Duo Damsel marries Bouncing Boy, retiring from the Legion

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #209

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 11)

Duo Damsel makes a dramatic cameo appearance

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #217

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 12)

Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy in a solo back-up

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #46-50

Duo Damsel is part of the conspiracy to kill The Time Trapper,
causing her to lose a second body

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #42

Luornu's second body turns up alive as Glorith's pawn

Legionnaires #0

Post-Reboot, Triad is one of the first members of the Legion

Legionnaires #24

The secret origin of Triad

Legionnaires #39 and Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #83

Triad's three personalities get a taste of independence

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #99-100

Triad is taken over by Computo
 

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #112

Strife between Triad's personalities

Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #3

The secret origin of Threeboot Triplicate Girl

Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #28

Triplicate Girl is tortured by the Dominion, 
but her determination makes her come out a winner

Justice Society of America (v3) #6

Triplicate Girl gets involved in the events of "The Lightning Saga"

Countdown to Final Crisis #5

Luornu as "Una" sacrifices her life to save Kamandi on Earth-51

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5

Luornu returns with new powers as Duplicate Damsel

 

Legion of Super-Heroes animated series (2007) 

Triplicate Girl, voiced by Kari Wahlgren