The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s featuring the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline in Marvel Comics titles, from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept through the

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

population of the

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, 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 Viroids are small single-stranded, circular RNAs that are infectious pathogens. Unlike viruses, they have no protein coating. All known viroids are inhabitants of angiosperms (flowering plants), and most cause diseases, whose respective eco ...

and was released by

Stryfe Stryfe is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in conflict with the superhero team X-Force. He is a clone (genetics), clone of Cable (comics), Cable from Cable's alternate future timeline. Pu ...

, a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

and clone of

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

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. The Legacy Virus is strongly suggested to be an allegory for the

AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

. Although all strains of the Legacy Virus were more dangerous than

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

, they shared similar symptoms such as lesions, fever, fatigue, and coughing. 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.''X-Force #''18 (January 1993) It was based on a virus created by

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

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. During the ''

X-Cutioner's Song "X-Cutioner's Song" is a fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from November 1992 to early 1993. It ran in ''Uncanny X-Men'', X-Men: Legacy, ''X-Men'' (vol. 2), ''X-Factor (comics), X-Factor'', and ...

'' event,

gives

Mister Sinister Mister Sinister (Dr. Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team ...

a canister containing the Legacy Virus. Gordon Lefferts, a scientist working for Sinister, opens the canister after Stryfe is apparently killed by

, releasing the virus. The virus kills various mutants, including

Magik Magik (Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina) (Russian language, Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cock ...

Mastermind Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to: Fictional characters * Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters: ** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of the ...

, and Pyro, before

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue; colossal statues, are generally taken to mean a statue at least twice life-size ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ...

sacrifices himself to cure the infected. The Legacy Virus later returns in ''

X-Force X-Force is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #100 (April 1991 ...

'' (2009), with

Bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

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 An elixir is a sweet liquid used for medical purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's illness. When used as a dosage form, pharmaceutical preparation, an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orall ...

. In ''Deadpool/Wolverine'' (2025), Stryfe creates a new version of the Legacy Virus that enables him to control the minds of those affected.

Other versions

The

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

universe version of the Legacy Virus is created by

Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...

in an attempt to replicate the

Super Soldier A super soldier (or supersoldier) is a concept soldier capable of operating beyond normal human abilities through technological augmentation or (in fictional depictions) genetic modification or cybernetic augmentation. Soldiers that obtain greate ...

experiment that created

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

. 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 that there is ever an outbreak.

In other media

Television

The Legacy Virus appears in the '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' two-part episode "Time Fugitives".

Film

The Legacy Virus appears in '' Logan''. This version was created by Zander Rice to wipe out the world's mutant population to avenge his father's death by

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

during the

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were conducted by Department K, which turned willing and unwilling beings into living weapons to carry out c ...

program.

Video games

* The Legacy Virus appears in '' X-Men 2: Game Master's Legacy''. * The Legacy Virus appears in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance''.

References

External links

* Legacy Virus at Marvel Wiki {{X-Men Fictional elements introduced in 1993 Fictional microorganisms Fictional viruses Viral outbreaks in comics X-Men X-Men storylines