Pathology Lab File on the Legacy Virus
[VIRUS GRAPHIC]
Virus Name: Legacy Virus
Strength Level: Can be deadly, variable length of terminal condition, can exist in a state of remission
Affects: Mostly spread among homo sapiens superior population; some known cases of infection in homo sapiens. Symptoms: Among mutants: breakdown of mutant abilities, skin lesions, fever, cough
Among humans: none recorded
Cure: None known
First Chronology entries:
The Advntures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4 (originates in the future) X-Force #18 (first victim infection) X-Force #20 (first victim death) Latest Chronology mention: Avengers (Volume 3) #14
HISTORY of the Virus (creator perspective):
Some discussions in the rec. arts. comics. marvel. xbooks newsgroup have given rise to a posting from one of the original creators of the Legacy Virus, namely, Arthur-Trevor D.M. Lasher. Read his original posting of Friday, January 2, 1998, below:
From: A-T D.M. Lasher Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks Subject: Re: The Legacy Virus Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 01:52:53 GMT
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In article "Henrik Lvfquist" wrote
How does this thing work, biologically, I mean? Does it give You [sic] a rash, or what? Pyro didn't have any surface wounds, as far as I could tell i [sic] UXM #351
I can only tell you how I designed it when Fabian asked for my help with it. How it was subsequently used, however, is another thing entirely. I'm saying that as a codicil so that I don't get half a zillion hate e-mails on how 'That's not what they *did*!' Believe me, I *know* that ;-)
Legacy is not, as designed, a 'virus' but a viroid, something even more primitive on the totem pole. My idea behind explaining it came from my readings into the origins of prions, those viroids thought to've caused Scrapie in sheep, Jakob-Creutzfeld Syndrome in humans and Mad Cow's Disease in the bovine population.
About the time I got involved with Legacy, there was no 'official' explanation of how it worked. Scott, Fabian and BOB simply created it ex nihilo and without any idea of just how it did its dirty deed. By the time Fabian came to me, back when I was still on AOL in '94-'95, Illyana was dead, Pyro and Kwannon (Revanche) had gotten it and Fabian told me that they were going to give it to Moira.
The first thing I noticed was how differently each victim had been portrayed, physically-speaking. Each artist got more and more extravagant with how Legacy attacked the individual. I decided that the only way I could explain that logically was to split Legacy into 'versions', if you will. Thus was born 'Legacy-1', 'Legacy-2' and 'Legacy-3'
Stryfe designed Legacy to attack mutants, with the hope that humans would begin treating them much like lepers did. He used as a template a biological weapon, one that was seen in 'The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix'
