Porcupine Pete

Porcupine Pete is a Legion of Super-Heroes reject whose mutant power allows him to fire quills from his body — useful in theory, but uncontrollable enough to earn him a spot among the Legion of Substitute Heroes rather than the main team.

Porcupine Pete burst onto the DC Universe in 1985's Legion of Substitute Heroes Special #1, a Bronze Age gem crafted by the legendary team of Keith Giffen and Paul Levitz. Keeping remarkable company alongside the likes of Saturn Girl, Star Boy, and Matter-Eater Lad, this quirky corner of the Legion's world has proven surprisingly durable — with appearances stretching across four decades and into the 2020s, a testament to the enduring affection fans hold for the more offbeat reaches of Legion lore. One of those appearances even carries key-issue status, making this a character whose small footprint in the catalog belies a genuine collector's significance. If you love the sprawling, imaginative DC future-history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Porcupine Pete is exactly the kind of delightful deep-cut discovery that makes digging through back issues so rewarding.