Legacy Virus
The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in American comic books featuring the X-Men published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline in Marvel Comics titles, from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept through the mutant population of the Marvel Universe, killing hundreds, as well as mutating so that it affected humans as well.
 | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (October 2009) |
The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in American comic books featuring the X-Men published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline in Marvel Comics titles, from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept through the mutant population of the Marvel Universe, killing hundreds, as well as mutating so that it affected humans as well.
Description
[edit]The Legacy Virus is a viroid released by Stryfe, a terrorist and clone of Cable from 2,000 years in the future. It originally exists in two forms, Legacy-1 and Legacy-2, which specifically affect mutants and kill the infected by preventing their body from producing healthy cells. Legacy-3 was accidentally created after Legacy-2 infected Infectia, a mutant with the ability to visualize and alter the genetic structure of others. Infectia's powers caused a replication error that removed the viroid's conditioning to infect individuals only if the X-gene was present and allowed it to infect humans.[1]
The Legacy Virus is strongly suggested to be an allegory for the AIDS epidemic.[2][3][4][5] Although all strains of the Legacy Virus are more dangerous than HIV, they share similar symptoms such as lesions, fever, fatigue, and coughing.[6][7][8][9] In addition, comics featuring the Legacy Virus illustrate the similar social impact of the further isolation of a stigmatized group.
History
[edit]The Legacy Virus first appeared in X-Force #18.[10] It is based on a virus created by Apocalypse in the distant future, which was intended to kill the remaining non-mutants. At the time that this version of Apocalypse was killed, the virus had not been perfected, and much like Legacy-3, it targeted all humans indiscriminately. As a result, this virus was not deployed until Stryfe acquired and modified it for his own purposes.[11]
During the X-Cutioner's Song storyline, Stryfe gives Mister Sinister a canister containing the Legacy Virus. Gordon Lefferts, a scientist working for Sinister, opens the canister after Stryfe is apparently killed by Cable, releasing the virus.[10][1] The virus kills various mutants, including Magik, Mastermind, and Pyro, before Moira MacTaggert and Beast develop a cure. However, the cure will kill whoever activates it. Colossus, not wanting any more people to suffer his sister Magik's fate, sneaks into Beast's lab and sacrifices himself by injecting the cure into his body. This stops the spread of the virus and instantaneously cures everyone who is already infected.[12][1][2][9][11][13]
During the "Secret Invasion" storyline, Beast discovers that any Super-Skrull who has the powers of a mutant is vulnerable to the Legacy Virus.[14] Cyclops uses the Legacy Virus on the Super-Skrulls to get the Skrull fleet to surrender.[15]
The Legacy Virus returns in X-Force (2009), with Bastion having obtained a sample. Bastion and the Leper Queen infect Beautiful Dreamer and Fever Pitch with the virus, causing them to go berserk and kill themselves and thousands of civilians during an anti-mutant rally. Hellion and Surge are also infected, but are cured by Elixir.[16]
In Deadpool/Wolverine (2025), Stryfe creates a new version of the Legacy Virus that enables him to control the minds of those affected.[11][17]
Infection list
[edit]Listed below in alphabetical order are the mutants (with their powers) infected by the Legacy Virus:
| Character | First Appearance of Infection | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Absalom | X-Force (vol. 1) #37 (August 1994) | Virtual immortality, ability to extend razor-sharp spines from his body. Killed by Selene in X-Force (vol. 1) #54 before the Legacy Virus could claim him. |
| Abyss | Cable (vol. 2) #40 (February 1997) | Malleable body houses a dimensional vortex. Was saved from death when Colossus sacrificed himself to release the cure. |
| Aminedi | X-Men Annual Vol. 2 #2 | Air Particle Transformation. Dies from the Legacy Virus. |
| Avalanche | Powerful vibration generation. Survived the Legacy Virus. | |
| Bolt | X-Men Unlimited (vol. 1) #8 (September 1995) | Bio-Electric generation/manipulation. Survived the Legacy Virus. |
| Burke | X-Force (vol. 1) #34 (August 1994) | Killed by the Virus. |
| Feral | X-Force (vol. 1) #37 (August 1994) | Feline appearance. Survived the Legacy Virus. |
| Infectia | X-Men (vol. 2) #27 (December 1993) | Mutagenic touch. Killed by the Legacy Virus in X-Men (vol. 2) #27 (December 1993). |
| Gordon Lefferts | X-Men (vol. 2) #23 (December 1993) | Telekinesis and Telepathy. Revealed to have been the first victim killed by the Legacy Virus in X-Men (vol. 2) #27 (December 1993) |
| Moira MacTaggert | Excalibur (vol. 1) #80 (August 1994) | Publicly designated as the first human to contract the Legacy Virus in X-Men Prime. Killed by Mystique before the Legacy Virus could claim her. |
| Multiple Man | Duplicate infected in X-Factor (vol. 1) #91 (June 1993). | Duplicate died from Virus in X-Factor (vol. 1) #100 (March 1994). |
| Magik (Illyana Rasputin) | Magic user, chrono-variant teleportation. Killed by the Legacy Virus in Uncanny X-Men #303 (August 1993). Later revived. | |
| Mastermind | Illusionist. Killed by the Virus in Uncanny X-Men Annual #17. | |
| Maverick | Healing factor put Virus into remission. | |
| Mister Sinister[citation needed] | Immortal. May have been infected.[citation needed] Though if so, his own healing factor must have greatly slowed its progression[citation needed], nevertheless saved when Colossus sacrificed himself to release the cure. | |
| Mutate #24601 | Only Genoshan Mutate "named"; many others infected and presumed killed. | |
| Nicodemus | X-Force (vol. 1) #20 (March 1993) | Undefined fire-based abilities. Revealed to have been killed by the Virus in the same issue. |
| Pyro | X-Men Annual (vol. 2) #2. | Psionic manipulation (but not generation) of fire. Killed by the Virus in Cable (vol. 2) #87 (Jan 2001) after saving Senator Robert Kelly from an assassination attempt. |
| Psynapse | Was "killed" by teammates for being infected and causing him to be "unfit". Revealed to have tricked his teammates and saved from death when Colossus sacrificed himself to release the cure. | |
| Revanche | X-Men Annual (vol. 2) #2. | Telepathy, psionic blade generation. Mercy-killed by Matsu'o Tsurayaba before she succumbed to the Virus in X-Men #31 (April 1994). |
| Numerous X-Skrulls | Secret Invasion: X-Men #4 (November 2008) | Powers based on the X-Men. |
| Beautiful Dreamer | Behind the scenes prior to X-Force (vol. 3) #12. | Injected with the Legacy Virus by the Leper Queen to be used as a biological weapon, killing thousands of humans and herself. |
| Fever Pitch | X-Force (vol. 3) #12. | Similar fate to Beautiful Dreamer, dying along with hundreds of other humans in a wave of fire. |
| Hellion | X-Force (vol. 3) #13. | Captured by the Leper Queen and injected with the Legacy Virus to be used as a biological weapon. Healed from the Legacy Virus by Elixir. |
| Surge | X-Force (vol.3) #13. | Similar fate to Hellion. She was healed from the Legacy Virus by Elixir. |
Other versions
[edit]The Ultimate Marvel universe version of the Legacy Virus is created by Nick Fury in an attempt to replicate the Super Soldier experiment that created Captain America. The virus turns normal humans into super-strong beings, but is fatal to mutants, prompting Fury to hold Beast in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody to coerce him to find a cure for it in the event of an outbreak.[volume and issue needed]
In other media
[edit]Television
[edit]The Legacy Virus appears in the X-Men: The Animated Series two-part episode "Time Fugitives".[18] This version was developed by Graydon Creed with the aid of Apocalypse.
Video games
[edit]- The Legacy Virus appears in X-Men 2: Game Master's Legacy.
- The Legacy Virus is featured in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Research data on the Legacy Virus is held in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base which is being attacked by deformed super soldiers created by a failed S.H.I.E.L.D. experiment. If the data is saved, it will be used to create a cure and stop the plague. If it is not, the Legacy Virus spreads rampantly across the world, dooming mutants to extinction.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Stewart, Kevin (November 22, 2020). "Legacy Virus: How the X-Men Beat Their Deadliest Threat". CBR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Davis, Angela (March 27, 2024). "The X-Men Have Always Been "Woke" – & Their Most Controversial '90s Storyline Proves It". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Brooks, Nicholas (November 30, 2021). "Did Marvel Really Make the X-Men Immune to AIDS?". CBR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Horbelt, Stephan (November 30, 2021). "Nearly 30 Years Ago, This 'X-Men' Comics Storyline Was a Powerful Allegory for HIV". Hornet. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Jonathan (July 19, 2021). "X-Men: 10 Comic Narratives That Mirrored Real World Issues". CBR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Donohoo, Timothy Blake (March 21, 2024). "The MCU Needs to Avoid these Fox Mistakes With Two X-Men Concepts". CBR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Ayres, Jackson (September 21, 2016). "The X-Men and the Legacy of AIDS". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Stroude, Will (July 16, 2019). "From the Legacy Virus to Iceman: A brief history of X-Men's LGBTQ evolution". Attitude. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Prefore, Charles (April 14, 2020). "How Marvel's Worst Virus Changed The X-MEN Forever". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ a b X-Force #18 (January 1993)
- ^ a b c Silva, Logan (March 20, 2025). "X-Men Just Brought Back the 1 Threat Scarier Than Any Supervillain: "A Great and Purifying Cleanse"". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Uncanny X-Men #390 (March 2001). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (January 3, 2016). "Provide Some Answers - Why the Legacy Virus Plotline Turned Out So Poorly". CBR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Secret Invasion: X-Men #3 (October 2008)
- ^ Secret Invasion: X-Men #4 (November 2008)
- ^ X-Force (vol. 3) #12 - 13 (April - May 2009)
- ^ Harth, David (March 20, 2025). "An X-Force Villain is Back (And Could Destroy Humanity)". ComicBook.com. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Panda, Bibhu Prasad (November 8, 2021). "X-Men The Animated Series - Why It's Better Than You Remember". Animated Times. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Legacy Virus at Marvel Wiki
