These two have had quite a history that comes and goes. Laurel appeared first in 1976 as a bona fide great granddaughter of Superboy and was noted for a striking resemblance to Lois Lane. Her only power appeared to be invulnerability. She was a member of the Legion Academy for quite some time but did not have a codename. Her original costume was noted for its titillation factor.
As DC is wont to maim its heroines, she was hit by a Kryptonite bullet which damaged her spine. Then after COIE, surprise! She's revealed to be a Manhunter rebot! This sudden revelation appeared to be due to the ongoing issues with Kal-El not having a career as Superboy. Granted, at the time, Clark and Lois were not married so maybe editorial felt it ruined Superman stories for the future. Nevermind that doctor's operated her and would confirm she was biological. She was never seen again after this. Presumably, the character of Laurel Gand (the Glorith-Verse version of Supergirl) was named so to pay homage to this character.
Kent originally appeared to be an homage to Superboy but he was not a retcon. He wore glasses all the time. Kent was a normal human who was infected with some type of Kryptonian plague. The virus changed Kent's body, giving him super-strength, speed, durability and regeneration. He was inducted as a member during the 5 year gap and takes the name Impulse. He factors into a lot of the 5YL stories as a member. Now, nothing in his origin explicitly stated he had any Kryptonian DNA, however many have assumed he must have had some DNA for the virus to give him powers. His original Legion costume was only hinted at, that it was predominantly black with the upper portion having a starfield. He mainly wore a starfield shirt for vol 4..
Kent does name an appearance in the Reboot, as a member of the short-lived Legion Cadet program. He wore the the distinguishing glasses but didn't see much action.
So most readers assume both Kent and Laurel were gone completely, erased by retcons and new continuities until an issue of Superman/Batman #80 from 2011 that shows both Elna, an anagram of Lane, and Kent as descendents of Superman and 31st century members of the Superman Dynasty. Now, it's never noted if this continuity is related to the Legion as it is just this one panel of the spread. Many fans have hoped that Elna was the "true" Laurel who was replaced by the Manhunter. The design of the red tunic from the pre-Crisis Laurel is certainly echoed in the Superwoman cape. It seems in this version, Elna appears to have superstrength and flight.
Paul Levitz chose not to use either one in his Retroboot, which is probably how they were made the appearance in Superman/Batman since issue #80 came out after Levitz was writing vol 6. However, S.B was their last appearance. It could have been interesting had Levitz incorporated them into vol 7 though.
I may be in the minority but I feel they should take the place of Superboy and Supergirl in the Legion. While I do like the 5YL Laurel Gand (not so much the Reboot) I doubt many writers want to venture into that territory. I really just want to see things freshened up a bit. At this point, Superman has a son so his lineage will continue. Will it continue to the 31st C?
If Kent and Laurel would be used together, I would definitely want to see them split up the Kryptonian powers. Kent as having strength seems to be a given, but I wouldn't mind him having super-breath also. It seems like that might go with his enhanced musculature. Laurel must be invulnerable. If we take Laurel's powers more as an extension of the bio-electric aura and solar absorption, heat vision seems like a must. I would be OK with Laurel having a bit more speed as well. Like I said with my Ultra Boy post, the greatest threats to non-Speed Force speedsters is the effects on the body. This would fill up the Legion with a lot of powerful members, granted, but I'm ready to see retirement of Mon-El.
I've had some online discussions with people and I feel the founders of the Legion really don't have that much importance to the stories. Some people think they do but it's entirely a preconceived notion by other reader. The only ties that the Legion really needs is to Superman and/or his legacy (including Brainiac 5). That's why the Legion was supposedly founded, to continue that legacy, right?
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