Chameleon Boy first appeared in Action Comics #267 (August 1960)2 and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney.
Reep Daggle is from the planet Durla whose inhabitants, the Durlans, developed shapeshifting abilities to adapt to an environment destroyed by nuclear war.3 In pre-Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! continuity, he is the son of Zhay Daggle and Ren Daggle / R. J. Brande, a businessman and the Legion's financier who was trapped in human form after contracting Yorggian fever.456 Reep does not learn that Brande is his father for many years, as he and his twin sibling Liggt are raised by their aunt Ji. Due to the Durlans' negative reputation, Reep applies for membership in the Legion to set a positive example to counter prejudice.7 Due to his powers and deductive skills, he becomes the leader of the Legion's Espionage Squad.
Chameleon Boy is imprisoned on Takron-Galtos for his espionage activities against the Khunds, but released after his heroics in The Great Darkness Saga.
Post-Zero Hour, Reep is known simply as 'Chameleon' and is unrelated to R. J. Brande. He is the son of Durla's spiritual leader and heir to the title, though he refuses to accept the role, believing that he serves his people better as part of the Legion.8
In the 2005 reboot of the Legion, Reep is still referred to as Chameleon, but is now an androgynous humanoid who lacks antennae.
In Infinite Crisis, Chameleon Boy is included in the Legion, but is considered "missing"; Superman #696 reveals that he has been posing as a member of the Science Police.9 As revealed in Adventure Comics vol. 2 #8, Chameleon Boy is part of a secret team who R. J. Brande sent to the 21st century to save the future.
In Doomsday Clock, Doctor Manhattan erases Chameleon Boy and the Legion from existence before eventually restoring them.10
As a Durlan, Chameleon Boy possesses innate shapeshifting abilities and the ability to transform into forms both larger and smaller than he is, creating or disregarding mass. He can additionally elongate his body and rearrange his internal anatomy without entirely transforming.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Chameleon Boy is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
Chameleon Boy's design served as inspiration for the eponymous character of Resident Alien.21
Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0. 978-1-4654-5357-0 ↩
Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Chameleon". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017. 978-0-7566-4119-1 ↩
Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-4012-1389-3. 978-1-4012-1389-3 ↩
Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6. 978-1-4654-8578-6 ↩
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #3 (March 1981) ↩
Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #263 (May 1980) ↩
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (January 1981) ↩
Legionnaires #0 (October 1994) ↩
Superman #696 (March 2010) /wiki/Superman_(comic_book) ↩
Doomsday Clock #12 (December 2019) ↩
"Chameleon Boy Voices (Legion of Super Heroes)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 10, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Legion-of-Super-Heroes/Chameleon-Boy/ ↩
Matadeen, Renaldo (April 24, 2022). "Young Justice's Most Important Time-Traveler Gave the Legion a Massive Upgrade". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 22, 2024. https://www.cbr.com/young-justice-kid-flash-legion/ ↩
"soranatus - Looks like in 2021 Digital eMation was working on a Scooby-Doo Meets Krypto DTV..." Tumblr. September 6, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024. https://soranatus.tumblr.com/post/694669819391393792/looks-like-in-2021-digital-emation-was-working-on ↩
"Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved June 22, 2023. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/adventures-in-the-dc-universe-10-the-blobs/4000-153328/ ↩
"Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #17 - Thanagarians At The Gate (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 22, 2024. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/legion-of-super-heroes-in-the-31st-century-17-than/4000-137521/ ↩
"Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/batman-66-meets-the-legion-of-super-heroes-1-atomi/4000-609276/ ↩
Hickey, Patrick Jr (March 23, 2013), "Review Fix Exclusive: Interview With Resident Alien Creator Peter Hogan", Review Fix (accessed March 29, 2016) http://reviewfix.com/2013/03/review-fix-exclusive-interview-with-resident-alien-creator-peter-hogan/ ↩