How Legacy's been used since is, well, less than what I expected but I guess I can understand Marvel's position. While Fabian might've wanted something rational to explain his and Scott's on-the-fly idea, BOB might not have wanted an apocalyptic pandemic that I had in mind. Still, I worked with what I had to deal with: the apparent inconsistencies in how it was portrayed visually, the upcoming spread to baseline humans and Scott's future mentioning that it was based on a biological weapon as reported in AoCP. In my mind, I did what I could.
Whew! :-)
Anyway, *that's* how it 'works' ;-)!
Alfred (Art, ex-Serapsis)
Arthur-Trevor D.M. Lasher
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Aftet a follow up to Alfred's posting on the history behind the virus, here is what he wrote to me on January 2, 1998, about my thoughts about how many different strains of the virus there are (5: human, mutate, external, mutant and inhuman):
From: "Arthur-Trevor D.M. Lasher"
Subject: Re: The Legacy Virus
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 1998 22:02:14 -0500
You know, by now, the true division for Legacy-1, -2, and -3. In reference to how they would effect Inhumans, Mutates and Externals, I can tell you that in my submission to Fabian I used the notion that the Celestials had gifted humanity with an x-factor polygene, one which either spontaneously expresses itself (in which case you have born mutants), expresses itself under a specific mutagen--like radiation--(in which case you have induced mutants or what used to be called altered humans) or would remain dormant or is perhaps not even present (baseline humans in both cases).
With that in mind, mutants, mutates and induced mutants would all be effected in the same manner by Legacy-1 and -2 (and -3, even though it doesn't specify the need for an x-factor polygene). Inhumans are, more or less, mutates, having been altered by a mutagen (Terrigen Mist) from what is otherwise a baseline human genotype so, again, Legacy effects them in the same or similar manner. Externals, to my understanding, are merely mutants with the additional supramutation of physical immortality. Therefore, in spite of their self-aggrandising title, they are effected as any other Joe Schmoo Mutant.
Now an interesting question would be how Legacy effects *Eternals*. Of that I'm not certain. I've never been close enough to that section of the MU to tell you but since Legacy was designed to attack hominids, I'd assume that they, too, would succumb eventually.
As for Sinister, it is my judgement, based on what we know today, that he is an induced mutant. Whatever En Sabah Nur did to him he clearly stimulated his x-factor polygene, heretofore dormant. I, too, was under the impression that he was infected with Legacy though it appears that that little dangler has been scuttled. I don't think a man that intelligent--knowing that he was infected--would continue to run about and possibly spreading said infection. I think Fabian *intended* for Essex to've come down with Legacy but when Fabian left, much of his plots and subplots went out the window.
