ウルトラボーイの誇張された死

30世紀、新たに選出された地球大統領マーテ・アロン（コロッサル・ボーイの母親）は、リージョン・オブ・スーパーヒーローズの解散を要求する。リージョンの規約ではリージョンメンバーの殺人が禁じられており、ブレインアック5は精神的に不安定な時期にリムボー出身のアン・ライドを殺害したとみられるからだ。 ^{[ a ]}チームを政治的な泥沼に巻き込むことを避けるため、ブレインアック5は辞任する。チームメイトがアン殺害の罪を着せられたと確信したカメレオン・ボーイは、スター・ボーイ、ファントム・ガール、ウルトラ・ボーイと共にリムボーへ調査に向かう。彼らはブレインアック5の無実を証明する証拠を集めるが、アンドロイドのパルサー・スターグレイブに襲われる。スターグレイブはウルトラ・ボーイにノヴァブラストを放ち、彼を消滅させたように見える。ブレインアック5はリムボーの月へ旅立ち、そこでスターグレイブを倒す。^{[ 1 ]}

ウルトラボーイが死んだと思い込んだリージョンのメンバーは追悼式を行い、英雄の殿堂に彼の像を建てる。実際には、意識を失ったウルトラボーイは宇宙を何光年も旅し、海賊船アンタレス号に回収される。彼は意識を取り戻すが、自分の身元に関する記憶を失っている。海賊のリーダーであるフレイク船長は、ウルトラボーイが能力を使っているのを見て、彼を自分のクルーに加える。その後まもなく、リージョンは科学警察の救難信号に応答し、冥王星軌道上の海賊を攻撃する。リージョン巡洋艦の圧倒的な力にもかかわらず、アンタレス号は逃走するが、それは主に記憶喪失のウルトラボーイが味方についていたためである。フレイクは彼を誘惑しようとするが、ファントムガールとのロマンスに関する彼の曖昧な記憶が邪魔をする。リージョンが再びアンタレス号を発見し、船が破壊されると、ウルトラボーイは海賊に反旗を翻す。フレイクは放射線兵器を使ってリージョン巡洋艦を破壊しようとする。ウルトラボーイは爆発の前に飛び出し、爆発はパワー・クリスタルに跳ね返り、海賊とその隠れ家を破壊する。ウルトラボーイは姿を消す。以前、彼の死後も彼の思考を感じ取っていたサターンガールは、自分の心が錯覚を起こしているのではないかと考え始める。

太平洋で沈没しかけている貨物船の救助を手伝っていたファントムガールは、海藻に絡まって溺れそうになる。彼女はリフレクトという名の強力なメタヒューマンに救われ、リージョン本部まで連れて行かれる。その直後、グリムボー・ザ・チェインズマンが地球の周りにエネルギービームのネットワークを構築する。宇宙船が鎖を迂回できないため、グリムボーはユナイテッド・プラネッツにリージョンを引き渡すよう要求する。リージョンのメンバーはエネルギー鎖を破壊することができないが、サターンガールはグリムボーを北極近くの彼の拠点まで追跡する。

Reflecto follows a group of Legionnaires containing Phantom Girl, displaying genuine concern for her well-being. He utilizes super-strength, invulnerability, super-speed and vision powers, making him seem familiar to Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. Later, as the energy-chains contract and begin to compress Earth's atmosphere, the Legionnaires attack Grimbor's stronghold. Having prepared in advance, Grimbor manages to defeat each Legionnaire, blaming them for the death of his lover Charma, who was killed by her fellow prison inmates.^[b] Using the Augmatron, a device she has secretly built, Princess Projectra determines that the main Earth Council satellite is the key to the energy field. Karate Kid destroys the satellite, dissipating the chains. Meanwhile, Grimbor concludes that Reflecto is Ultra Boy in disguise. While Reflecto is using his super-strength, Grimbor blasts him with a powerful energy weapon. Reflecto survives the blast using his invulnerability. With the hero using two superpowers at the same time, Grimbor realizes that he cannot be Ultra Boy.^[c] Reflecto knocks Grimbor unconscious, and then collapses himself. As her teammates arrive, Phantom Girl discovers that Reflecto is wearing a mask, along with a second costume beneath his uniform. The Legionnaires are shocked to learn that Reflecto is Superboy.

Superboy awakens, with Ultra Boy's conscious memories and personality overriding his own. Baffled by Superboy's appearance in the 30th century, particularly in light of Saturn Girl's command that he remain in his own era,^[d] team leader Lightning Lad takes six Legionnaires with him to 20th-century Smallville: Phantom Girl, Karate Kid, Dawnstar, Saturn Girl, Blok, and Superboy.^[e] Their Time Bubble materializes as a nuclear bomb is detonating. Superboy funnels the radiation harmlessly into space, but is unexpectedly attacked by the U.S. Army, who claims that he stole and detonated the bomb. The Legionnaires flee, seeking sanctuary at the Kent home. The group decides to briefly return to the 30th century, but the Time Bubble begins to shake violently and shatters. Suddenly, the Time Trapper reveals himself, stating that he is taking advantage of the Legionnaires' current dilemma to trap them in the past.

With the Trapper's Iron Curtain of Time in place, Superboy, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Karate Kid and Saturn Girl venture into Smallville incognito. They are quickly recognized by Lana Lang, who is an honorary Legionnaire as Insect Queen.^[f] To protect Superboy's secret identity, they refuse to answer her questions. Soon, a new Molecule Master android attacks the group,^[g] who is joined by Blok and Dawnstar. After confirming that he was created by the Time Trapper, he battles the Legionnaires until he is overwhelmed and implodes. With the Army still viewing Superboy and the Legion as a threat, Phantom Girl shifts Superboy, Dawnstar, and herself to her homeworld Bgztl, which lies in a parallel dimension at the same coordinates as Earth. The other Legionnaires are captured by the military.

The implosion of the Molecule Master restores Superboy to normal. As Phantom Girl leads her teammates through trans-dimensional space back toward Earth, Dawnstar senses a familiar presence. Using her tracking powers, she locates Ultra Boy—alive but immobilized by a strange aura. He explains that the explosion of the pirates' power crystal propelled him backward in time, in a ghost-like state. Travelling back to 20th-century Smallville, he tried to enlist Superboy's help, but unintentionally superimposed his memories over those of Superboy. He tried to use the A-bomb test to break free, but only succeeded in further scrambling their memories. Upon travelling back to his own century, Saturn Girl's psychic command over Superboy asserted itself, subconsciously forcing him to create the Reflecto identity.

Using nearby radioactive rock, Superboy frees Ultra Boy. Meanwhile, Lana uses her Bio-Ring to become Insect Queen and attempts to free the jailed Legionnaires. Just as the military is about to defeat her, Superboy's group arrives and frees their teammates. The heroes travel to Bgztl, from which Superboy and Ultra Boy bypass the Trapper's Iron Curtain and return the group to their own era. They attack the Trapper in his Citadel and defeat him—for the time being.^[h] Saturn Girl mentally erases Superboy's knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his parents' deaths, and he returns to his time period, where he plans to explain things to the President of the United States and obtain a pardon. The Legion converts the Ultra Boy statue into a Reflecto statue, making Ultra Boy the only living Legionnaire enshrined in the team's hall of deceased heroes.^[i] Thrilled to be reunited, he and Phantom Girl go on leave for a few days.