Editing Legacy Virus

{{Short description|Fictional plague appearing in Marvel Comics}}
{{In-universe|article|date=October 2009}}
The '''Legacy Virus''' is a fictional [[plague (disease)|plague]] appearing in [[American comic book]]s 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 (Marvel Comics)|mutant]] population of the [[Marvel Universe]], killing hundreds, as well as mutating so that it affected non-mutant humans as well.

==Description==
The Legacy Virus, contrary to the name, was a [[viroid]] and was released by [[Stryfe]], a [[terrorist]] and clone of [[Cable (character)|Cable]] from approximately 2,000 years in the future. It originally existed in two forms, '''Legacy-1''' and '''Legacy-2''', which specifically affected mutants. After interacting with [[Infectia]]'s abilities, the virus mutated into a third form, '''Legacy-3''', that was capable of infecting humans.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Kevin |date=November 22, 2020 |title=Legacy Virus: How the X-Men Beat Their Deadliest Threat |url=https://www.cbr.com/legacy-virus-x-men-threat/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Legacy Virus is strongly suggested to be an allegory for the [[Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS|AIDS epidemic]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Angela |date=March 27, 2024 |title=The X-Men Have Always Been "Woke" – & Their Most Controversial '90s Storyline Proves It |url=https://screenrant.com/xmen-woke-criticism-1990s-legacy-virus-story-aids/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Nicholas |date=November 30, 2021 |title=Did Marvel Really Make the X-Men Immune to AIDS? |url=https://www.cbr.com/marvel-made-xmen-immune-aids/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Horbelt |first=Stephan |date=November 30, 2021 |title=Nearly 30 Years Ago, This 'X-Men' Comics Storyline Was a Powerful Allegory for HIV |url=https://hornet.com/stories/x-men-legacy-virus/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=Hornet |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Jonathan |date=July 19, 2021 |title=X-Men: 10 Comic Narratives That Mirrored Real World Issues |url=https://www.cbr.com/x-men-comic-narratives-mirrored-real-issues/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |language=en}}</ref> Although all strains of the Legacy Virus were more dangerous than [[HIV/AIDS|HIV]], they shared similar symptoms such as lesions, fever, fatigue, and coughing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donohoo |first=Timothy Blake |date=March 21, 2024 |title=The X-Men Are Coming to the MCU, But Two Major Mutant Concepts Need to be Updated |url=https://www.cbr.com/mcu-x-men-genosha-legacy-virus-fox-mistakes/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ayres |first=Jackson |date=September 21, 2016 |title=The X-Men and the Legacy of AIDS |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/x-men-legacy-aids/ |access-date=November 10, 2022 |website=[[Los Angeles Review of Books]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stroude |first=Will |date=July 16, 2019 |title=From the Legacy Virus to Iceman: A brief history of X-Men's LGBTQ evolution |url=https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/sexuality/from-the-legacy-virus-to-iceman-a-brief-history-of-x-mens-lgbtq-evolution-299335/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=Attitude |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Prefore |first=Charles |date=April 14, 2020 |title=How Marvel's Worst Virus Changed The X-MEN Forever |url=https://screenrant.com/xmen-legacy-virus-marvel/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref> In addition, comics featuring the Legacy Virus illustrated the similar social impact of the further isolation of a stigmatized group.

==History==
The Legacy Virus first appeared in ''X-Force'' #18.<ref name="XForce18">''X-Force #''18 (January 1993)</ref> It was based on a virus created by [[Apocalypse (character)|Apocalypse]] in the distant future, which was intended to kill the remaining non-mutants. At the time that this alternate 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 never deployed, until Stryfe acquired it and altered it for his own purposes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Silva |first=Logan |date=March 20, 2025 |title=X-Men Just Brought Back the 1 Threat Scarier Than Any Supervillain: "A Great and Purifying Cleanse" |url=https://screenrant.com/x-men-legacy-virus-return-stryfe-wolverine-op-ed/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref>

During the ''[[X-Cutioner's Song]]'' event, [[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 (character)|Cable]], releasing the virus.<ref name="XForce18" /><ref name=":0" /> The virus kills various mutants, including [[Magik]], [[Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)|Mastermind]], and [[Pyro (Marvel Comics)|Pyro]], before [[Colossus (character)|Colossus]] sacrifices himself to cure the infected.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Brian |date=January 3, 2016 |title=Provide Some Answers - Why the Legacy Virus Plotline Turned Out So Poorly |url=https://www.cbr.com/provide-some-answers-why-the-legacy-virus-plotline-turned-out-so-poorly/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Legacy Virus later returns in ''[[X-Force (comic book)|X-Force]]'' (2009), with [[Bastion (comics)|Bastion]] having obtained a sample. Bastion and the [[Leper Queen]] infect [[Beautiful Dreamer (comics)|Beautiful Dreamer]] and [[Fever Pitch (comics)|Fever Pitch]] with the virus, causing them to go berserk and kill themselves and thousands of civilians during an anti-mutant rally. [[Hellion (character)|Hellion]] and [[Surge (Marvel Comics)|Surge]] are also infected, but are cured by [[Elixir (character)|Elixir]].<ref>''[[X-Force (comic book)|X-Force]]'' (vol. 3) #12 - 13 (April - May 2009)</ref>

In ''Deadpool/Wolverine'' (2025), Stryfe creates a new version of the Legacy Virus that enables him to control the minds of those affected.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harth |first=David |date=March 20, 2025 |title=An X-Force Villain is Back (And Could Destroy Humanity) |url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/x-force-villain-back-destroy-humanity-stryfe-legacy-virus/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Other versions==
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 (Ultimate Marvel character)|Captain America]]. The virus turns normal humans into super-strong beings, but is fatal to mutants, prompting Fury to hold [[Beast (Marvel Comics)|Beast]] in [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]] custody to coerce him to find a cure for it, in the event that there is ever an outbreak.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=April 2014}}

==In other media==

===Television===
The Legacy Virus appears in the ''[[X-Men: The Animated Series]]'' two-part episode "Time Fugitives".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Panda |first=Bibhu Prasad |date=November 8, 2021 |title=''X-Men The Animated Series'' - Why It's Better Than You Remember |url=https://animatedtimes.com/x-men-the-animated-series-why-its-better-than-you-remember/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=Animated Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Film===
The Legacy Virus appears in ''[[Logan (film)|Logan]]''. This version was created by [[List of Marvel Comics characters: R#Zander Rice|Zander Rice]] to wipe out the world's mutant population to avenge his father's death by [[Logan (film character)|Wolverine]] during the [[Weapon X]] program.

===Video games===
* The Legacy Virus appears in ''[[X-Men 2: Game Master's Legacy]]''.
* The Legacy Virus appears in ''[[Marvel: Ultimate Alliance]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [[marveldatabase:Legacy_Virus|Legacy Virus]] at Marvel Wiki

{{X-Men}}
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1993]]
[[Category:Fictional microorganisms]]
[[Category:Fictional viruses]]
[[Category:Viral outbreaks in comics]]
[[Category:X-Men]]
[[Category:X-Men storylines]]