Legion of Three Worlds

[RBerman]

In Geoff Johns' stories "The Lightning Saga" (in JLA and JSA of 2007) and "Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds" (2008), we are told repeatedly that the three Legions have met before. Apparently this tale has never been published, though. Why add this needless complication? Does it affect DC continuity somehow?

Also, how can the 80s Levitz Legion appear in post-Zero Hour stories? Is there a rationale because "The writer says so"?

[EmeraldGladiator]

Probably just an homage to the old JLA/JSA crossovers from John's youth.

[Thor-Ul]

"The writer said so".

The meeting of the three Legions was showed for the first time in the series Legion of Three worlds in flashback scenes. And it was added because was a way to explain why there where several alternate legions, at a moment where DC opted for bring back a more Levitz Legion.
Anyway, during the post Zero Hour Legion, there were several appearances of the original Legion, either as hallucinations, altered realities, dreams or as manipulations of the Time Trapper , who, indeed, remembered the original timeline or it was concious about it.
What was totally eradicated was the Giffen Legion. Their presence could had give an interesting opposition to the legion idea. And what had no sense was the Threeboot.

[Bruce Wayne]

In Geoff Johns' stories "The Lightning Saga" (in JLA and JSA of 2007) and "Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds" (2008), we are told repeatedly that the three Legions have met before. Apparently this tale has never been published, though. Why add this needless complication? Does it affect DC continuity somehow?

1) It was actually kind of shown in Lightning Saga, but the artwork was apparently cut out. But basically it was the 3 Legions as really young kids meeting each in a clubhouse.

2) Johns had more Legion stories to tell and he had gotten the opportunity in Adventure Comics before Levitz took them back (after his retirement).

[RBerman]

It was just a weird thing to throw into the mix. "Hey, we all met previously, but none of us remember what happened, and readers have never read such a story, and it doesn't even effect our current story, but I just thought I would mention it a few times." Why bring it up if there's no actual story being told about it?