Legion of X #3, Recap and Review, Spoilers

[Dante Milton]

We open with the preview pages, Zsen is debriefing with Ora Serrata and we see that Dr. Strange is making a visit to Krakoa. Zsen then joins Nightcrawler and Blindfold on the Astral Plane to look for leads to the missing deity.

“Dr. Strange” is possessed by Switch and it is revealed to have been a decoy and trap planned by Pixie. They now have switch’s mind captured and contained.

Meanwhile Legion has a conversation with Juggernaut who is feeling off after being possessed last issue. During their conversation we check in on Paulie from the first issue, turns out he didn’t kill his wife. We also see where Switch’s mind is being contained and are told that Pixie is tracking down his physical body.

We get a couple of data pages about the structure of the Altar.

Back in the Astral Plane, Ruth warns the others that they will be swarmed by their own fears and desires, and we get a glimpse of that with Kurt and Zsen. After they stabilize each other a bit we get a clue about this missing god and it is connected to Pixie’s search.

While trying to find Switch’s body Pixie is assaulted by several powerful illusions and physical constructs, she deduces that the only way Switch could be pulling this off is if he has been making deals with their missing god. Pixie is in danger of being overwhelmed by the assault when she is saved by Juggernaut. They try to pursue the god and find Switch’s body, but they are spit out of the illusion on a Krakoan beach.

Back on the Astral Plane, Kurt makes the same connection that Pixie has, the missing god and skinjacker case are connected.

We also see what appears to be Dr. Nemesis helping to move the vessel containing Switch’s mind.

On the Astral Plane, Kurt and Zsen are once again swarmed with a combination of their fears and desires and native scavenger beings of the Astral Plane. They are being overwhelmed when they are saved by a wailing sound that scatters the assault. It is revealed to be the work of Banshee who has had a makeover and power up.


This issue was alright. The trap for Switch was clever. I liked the conversation between Legion and Juggernaut, the latter asking to be called uncle was cute. The therapeutic approach to conflict resolution is interesting, but it makes me curious about what the procedure is for more violent and purposeful crime. Like this Paulie character ended up not killing his wife, but if he had how would they deal with that? I’m not sure how I feel about the Banshee stuff, it’s a good last page reveal, but I’ll need to see next issue whether this will be good for Sean. The art was really great in the scenes with the illusions and the Astral Plane stuff, but it felt pretty rushed in places. The colors are lovely. So far I’ve been liking this book more than WoX, and the character work here is better, but I’m not really connecting very much with the plot.

[OG Storm]

I enjoyed this issue. Mental health and trauma response are my jam. I am enjoying mutants having a place to heal.

[sunofdarkchild]

Glad the Dr. Strange thing got resolved in a manner consistent with continuity.

[CGAR]

Is it just me or does Si sometimes just make things too cerebral. Like youre reading the issue and youre like yeah cool wait did i read that right ok i kind of understand that oh wait did I miss something.

I don't want to say dumb it down but sometimes I feel like he goes over alot of peoples heads with some ideas and dialogue. Or maybe thats just me and why im not clicking with Legion of X.

[Big Joe]

Ghost Rider Banshee. I'm not sure what to make of it. If he's a zombie again I'm going to hate it. If the upgrade makes sense I'll be kind of okay with it for a while at least. I don't think he needs a power up, or a makeover for that matter, I just think he needs to be written properly. That means not being wallpaper, not being everyone's whipping boy, not being the walking dead and not being turned into the enemy.

[Lady Midnight]

That sure looked like Birdy helping with Paulie's investigation. And the statement that our missing God has a penchant for mischief is getting my hopes up.

[Weather]

I just love this book and the many plots going on at the same time. I think it is smart, captures my imagination and keeps me engaged. It is hard to imagine where the story is going.

I'm curious to see the future of Banshee. And just to have something to be done to him is good, honestly. The character has been useless for too long.

I just love the colors, they make you feel imersed in a different realm. The pencils are a mixed bag. The layouts of the pages are very cool, but the characters oftenly look rushed and the faces weird.

[jwatson]

I just love this book and the many plots going on at the same time. I think it is smart, captures my imagination and keeps me engaged. It is hard to imagine where the story is going.

I'm curious to see the future of Banshee. And just to have something to be done to him is good, honestly. The character has been useless for too long.

I just love the colors, they make you feel imersed in a different realm. The pencils are a mixed bag. The layouts of the pages are very cool, but the characters oftenly look rushed and the faces weird.

It's a pretty decent book overall and i really enjoyed the first two issues but i have hit the wall i think on Legion and his charles is the blame for everything thing. Maybe because i read the original xavier series then the legion one but it honestly felt like a chore to get through david's lines in this issue which brought the whole book down for me. It's not enough to talk xavier down even if your right but to every. single. person. you have a conversation with him about. The cain conversation felt uncomfortable to me it was like if your trying to make the best with an enemy and then someone else is trying to bond on that persons mistakes rather than finding out why you can forgive or got to a new place. It feels stagnant at this point and like the longest temper tantrum ever. We get it david, your father hurt you, be better.

[Proxy]

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to being reading this anymore, I put up with a lot from Way of X and I draw the line at Kurt fantasizing about having sex with Rogue. Why did editorial allow that?

[Saithor]

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to being reading this anymore, I put up with a lot from Way of X and I draw the line at Kurt fantasizing about having sex with Rogue. Why did editorial allow that?

Remy is dead…and might come back with amnesia if they use the Siege Perilous…and they’ve already have Kurt in love (even unknowingly) with one of his sisters…oh god.

[BobbysWorld]

It's a pretty decent book overall and i really enjoyed the first two issues but i have hit the wall i think on Legion and his charles is the blame for everything thing. Maybe because i read the original xavier series then the legion one but it honestly felt like a chore to get through david's lines in this issue which brought the whole book down for me. It's not enough to talk xavier down even if your right but to every. single. person. you have a conversation with him about. The cain conversation felt uncomfortable to me it was like if your trying to make the best with an enemy and then someone else is trying to bond on that persons mistakes rather than finding out why you can forgive or got to a new place. It feels stagnant at this point and like the longest temper tantrum ever. We get it david, your father hurt you, be better.

I get what you're saying and I don't think I agree when it comes to Xavier and David's relationship, but this does segue into an actual really big problem I have with Spurrier's work, and his whole attempted take on restorative justice, and the fact that he does NOT apply it equally.

Let me explain:

I'm a big believer in the idea that forgiveness has to be a choice, for it to have any power. Not an expectation. And what that means, in practical terms, is that we DO have to sometimes have stories and characters that choose NOT to forgive. And I'm actually totally fine with David's clear feelings towards his father and resentment of him, because a key thing to remember is that READERS may be critical as hell of Xavier, but in universe? (At least before the events of today's Sabretooth issue, lol). Like, Xavier's reputation for most of David's life has flat out NOT reflected the kind of man Charles continually chooses to be when it comes to David. For years David's lived with seeing his father hailed as a near saint-like figure for his work on behalf of every mutant who ISN'T him, while this man flat out tells him he would argue for him not to be resurrected, to be denied the same opportunities Charles fights to give every single other mutant. For David's entire history, Xavier has over and over treated him as damaged and dangerous, rather than take risks or leaps of faith in him the way he's been willing to give even some of his biggest enemies. And David's his SON. I think its absolutely valid for David to NEVER get over the fact that Xavier's more willing to sit down at the table with the likes of Sinister and Apocalypse than he's willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to his own son.

Like, as far as I'm concerned, every single thing David's ever said about his father is valid, and he's got more than enough reason to bad-mouth him at any available opportunity. The thing is, Legion HAS been shown giving Xavier the benefit of the doubt FAR more often than the reverse has ever been true. He's tried over and over to be what his father wants, or to get his acceptance or love, and the best he ever seems to manage is occasionally getting his father's pity. Its not David's responsibility to continually try and take the high road with his dad when his dad always defaults back to assuming the worst of him.

(And frankly, Xavier is ableist as **** when it comes to his son. Waaaaay too many writers have written Xavier acting like its inconceivable to think that there could ever be any kind of future where David is healthy or happy, and when your own dad, who will absolutely go to bat for even the slightest chance for literally every other mutant who's ever lived to have a bright, hopeful future....when that same man has spent your entire life looking at you like you're a lost cause because you're that perfect combo of 'too crazy' and 'too dangerous' for him to act like you 'deserve' that same championing....its gonna be an eternal Yikes from me, y'know? That's waaaaay too close to how too many families treat their disabled or neurodivergent kids, PARTICULARLY supposedly progressive parents who say all the right things when it comes to everyone else's kids.....but who still see their own kids as a reflection of themselves and their parenting, and so are more likely to act like their kids are a stain on their otherwise great reputation instead of like....their children, who they are supposed to be advocating and fighting for).

So like, I'm fine with Spurrier writing David as just being DONE with his dad, and fed up with his hypocrisy and not interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt anymore. By all means, have David unwilling to accept being treated like he's the problem in their relationship when quite frankly, Xavier's never put as much effort into having a relationship with his son as Legion has, and Xavier's the PARENT there. That characterization is earned, IMO, and David's choices there are things I can totally understand and empathize with.

The problem I have though, with Spurrier's overall approach to the power dynamics between the harmful and the harmed, who gets to hold a grudge and who doesn't, his approach to restorative justice, etc....

Is that its very problematic IMO, how willing he is to uphold David's grudge against his father as righteous and understandable, something he's ALLOWED to maintain as his status quo whether its 'what's best for him' or not.....

While at the same time, Spurrier does NOT apply that same energy to characters like Lost holding similar grudges against, oh idk, people who murdered her parents.

And quite frankly, I DO think the difference comes down to the race of the characters, and other marginalizations. Throughout Spurrier's work, not just in the current era but in all his comics I've read, he DOES consistently play around with themes of accountability and responsibility, forgiveness vs the right to refuse to forgive when the person who did the harm shows no interest in changing, apologizing or even asking or thinking they NEED forgiveness.

And there's a very clear difference between what characters Spurrier upholds as being ALLOWED to resent those that did them harm, who GETS to hold grudges or refuse to dole out forgiveness....and which characters are treated by the narrative as 'needing to get over it' for the greater good, or because they're self-harming by not letting go of the past or refusing to accept that some people will just never allow you to hold them accountable or take the blame for their actions.

And that bothers me. A lot. To be clear, I don't think Spurrier makes that distinction out of malice, or even intentionally. I'm fairly certain he doesn't even realize this IS a pattern in his work. But there is a long, long history in our media of straight white characters being validated in holding on to injustices that've been done to them, and refusing to forgive people who have hurt them, versus marginalized characters whose writers don't necessarily directly empathize with or relate to.....instead being constantly centered in narratives that insist or take for granted that they HAVE to forgive and forget for their own good and that of everyone else, that its not even a question.

So yeah, like, I'm fine with David bitching about Xavier. He's earned it. Xavier needs to take his lumps there, or finally commit to doing better by his son and sticking to that for longer than a single story arc. But I'm gonna continue to side-eye the **** out of Spurrier if it continues to ONLY be his white characters who get the luxury of having their forgiveness being seen as their choice to make, rather than an expectation the narrative demands of them.....all while characters like Lost just so happen to be the ones chosen to star in the forgiveness parables that end with her expected to be colleagues with her parents' murderer, without her ever seeming to get a similar chance to badmouth those who've done HER harm, every time they're on page together.

I'm just saying, its a very noticeable pattern, once you look for it. And its really NOT a good look for a book that's supposedly all about social issues, societal reform, and accountability and reparations.

[Dante Milton]

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to being reading this anymore, I put up with a lot from Way of X and I draw the line at Kurt fantasizing about having sex with Rogue. Why did editorial allow that?

1. Subconscious desires are not always reflective of things that a person would actually want, even conscious desires often aren't.
2. Amanda Sefton

[jwatson]

I get what you're saying and I don't think I agree when it comes to Xavier and David's relationship, but this does segue into an actual really big problem I have with Spurrier's work, and his whole attempted take on restorative justice, and the fact that he does NOT apply it equally.

Let me explain:

I'm a big believer in the idea that forgiveness has to be a choice, for it to have any power. Not an expectation. And what that means, in practical terms, is that we DO have to sometimes have stories and characters that choose NOT to forgive. And I'm actually totally fine with David's clear feelings towards his father and resentment of him, because a key thing to remember is that READERS may be critical as hell of Xavier, but in universe? (At least before the events of today's Sabretooth issue, lol). Like, Xavier's reputation for most of David's life has flat out NOT reflected the kind of man Charles continually chooses to be when it comes to David. For years David's lived with seeing his father hailed as a near saint-like figure for his work on behalf of every mutant who ISN'T him, while this man flat out tells him he would argue for him not to be resurrected, to be denied the same opportunities Charles fights to give every single other mutant. For David's entire history, Xavier has over and over treated him as damaged and dangerous, rather than take risks or leaps of faith in him the way he's been willing to give even some of his biggest enemies. And David's his SON. I think its absolutely valid for David to NEVER get over the fact that Xavier's more willing to sit down at the table with the likes of Sinister and Apocalypse than he's willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to his own son.

Like, as far as I'm concerned, every single thing David's ever said about his father is valid, and he's got more than enough reason to bad-mouth him at any available opportunity. The thing is, Legion HAS been shown giving Xavier the benefit of the doubt FAR more often than the reverse has ever been true. He's tried over and over to be what his father wants, or to get his acceptance or love, and the best he ever seems to manage is occasionally getting his father's pity. Its not David's responsibility to continually try and take the high road with his dad when his dad always defaults back to assuming the worst of him.

(And frankly, Xavier is ableist as **** when it comes to his son. Waaaaay too many writers have written Xavier acting like its inconceivable to think that there could ever be any kind of future where David is healthy or happy, and when your own dad, who will absolutely go to bat for even the slightest chance for literally every other mutant who's ever lived to have a bright, hopeful future....when that same man has spent your entire life looking at you like you're a lost cause because you're that perfect combo of 'too crazy' and 'too dangerous' for him to act like you 'deserve' that same championing....its gonna be an eternal Yikes from me, y'know? That's waaaaay too close to how too many families treat their disabled or neurodivergent kids, PARTICULARLY supposedly progressive parents who say all the right things when it comes to everyone else's kids.....but who still see their own kids as a reflection of themselves and their parenting, and so are more likely to act like their kids are a stain on their otherwise great reputation instead of like....their children, who they are supposed to be advocating and fighting for).

So like, I'm fine with Spurrier writing David as just being DONE with his dad, and fed up with his hypocrisy and not interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt anymore. By all means, have David unwilling to accept being treated like he's the problem in their relationship when quite frankly, Xavier's never put as much effort into having a relationship with his son as Legion has, and Xavier's the PARENT there. That characterization is earned, IMO, and David's choices there are things I can totally understand and empathize with.

The problem I have though, with Spurrier's overall approach to the power dynamics between the harmful and the harmed, who gets to hold a grudge and who doesn't, his approach to restorative justice, etc....

Is that its very problematic IMO, how willing he is to uphold David's grudge against his father as righteous and understandable, something he's ALLOWED to maintain as his status quo whether its 'what's best for him' or not.....

While at the same time, Spurrier does NOT apply that same energy to characters like Lost holding similar grudges against, oh idk, people who murdered her parents.

And quite frankly, I DO think the difference comes down to the race of the characters, and other marginalizations. Throughout Spurrier's work, not just in the current era but in all his comics I've read, he DOES consistently play around with themes of accountability and responsibility, forgiveness vs the right to refuse to forgive when the person who did the harm shows no interest in changing, apologizing or even asking or thinking they NEED forgiveness.

And there's a very clear difference between what characters Spurrier upholds as being ALLOWED to resent those that did them harm, who GETS to hold grudges or refuse to dole out forgiveness....and which characters are treated by the narrative as 'needing to get over it' for the greater good, or because they're self-harming by not letting go of the past or refusing to accept that some people will just never allow you to hold them accountable or take the blame for their actions.

And that bothers me. A lot. To be clear, I don't think Spurrier makes that distinction out of malice, or even intentionally. I'm fairly certain he doesn't even realize this IS a pattern in his work. But there is a long, long history in our media of straight white characters being validated in holding on to injustices that've been done to them, and refusing to forgive people who have hurt them, versus marginalized characters or abuse/sexual assault survivors, any character who occupies a position regarded as 'weaker' in society.....instead being constantly centered in narratives that insist or take for granted that they HAVE to forgive and forget for their own good and that of everyone else, that its not even a question.

So yeah, like, I'm fine with David bitching about Xavier. He's earned it. Xavier needs to take his lumps there, or finally commit to doing better by his son and sticking to that for longer than a single story arc. But I'm gonna continue to side-eye the **** out of Spurrier if it continues to ONLY be his white characters who get the luxury of having their forgiveness being seen as their choice to make, rather than an expectation the narrative demands of them.....all while characters like Lost just so happen to be the ones chosen to star in the forgiveness parables that end with her expected to be colleagues with her parents' murderer, without her ever seeming to get a similar chance to badmouth those who've done HER harm, every time they're on page together.

I'm just saying, its a very noticeable pattern, once you look for it. And its really NOT a good look for a book that's supposedly all about social issues, societal reform, and accountability and reparations.

I can't disagree with a single word here. David does have every right to feel how he feels about Xavier and to say whatever he wants but at the same time he can't expect to solely be judged on his view point or his vantage point or that just because someone can firmly see and understand his view that that will automatically mean they will do more than simply respect it. I can only go by how it makes me feel as a reader specifically and maybe subconsciously a lot of what you are saying is also leaking into that for me as well in that the whole lost situation did bother me from Way of X and if we look at that and how nightcrawler basically forced forgiveness vs what we have here where every single person just lets david go on and on about Xavier and not say a word despite what the status of their relationship with him may be, it's okay to dislike someone but i don't feel it's okay to poison others to them because of your position and to let others think for themselves. Sometimes the writing in Legion of X much like Way of X feel intentionally manipulating in the way the problem, the solution and the though process is expanded on and for whom.

Like i don't have a problem with David saying things about Xavier but i wouldn't want to be around a person who just has nothing but bad things to say about someone. It felt sinister in the way david fished Cain for more information, only deeming him a smart man after he drew some of the same conclusions about Xavier he did and if he didn't he would not have been found "worthy" If he forgives xavier fine, if he doesn't okay, but by going on and on anytime the man name comes up it just starts to look like can i believe anything your doing, are you real, is any of this real, is this your one up on Xavier. The page of Xavier in Sabretooth actually summed it up pretty well, like that story let the story speak for itself and the reader draw the conclusions whereas here it's like every whisper on the wind is how David has been hurt and how that has shaped him and like he has some sort of monopoly on that. He said his piece, we knows how he feels about Xavier in Way of X and this era where is the relevance in the continous what feels like whining to me to be honest and does David more harm than good.

[Tobinator]

Well, the missing deity and the skinjacker being the same case is way less of a revelation than they painted it as. Narrative convention told us they were related in #1, and the way the narrative jumped back in forth between them with no transition made them look like the same case anyways.

Looking at Kurt, this series feels like they read all the criticisms of Way of X (especially #3) and tried to account for that criticism without actually understanding it. "Oh, Kurt's actually supposed to be sex-positive? Well let's have his first subconscious thoughts be about banging all the X-women." So of course he has to use his priestliness to banish his libido. And despite Kurt's journeys through dozens of dimensions, he doesn't seem to understand how the Astral Plane works. This version of Kurt has empathy, but no emotional intelligence.

Also, this Loki buildup is so on-the-nose that it just can't be a satisfying reveal. Either it is Loki and there's no point in hiding it this whole time, or it's not Loki and there was no point in all these clues stringing us along only for some surprise twist to some other god that we can't possibly predict with what little info we have.

Still, it's a step up from WoX.

[BobbysWorld]

I can't disagree with a single word here. David does have every right to feel how he feels about Xavier and to say whatever he wants but at the same time he can't expect to solely be judged on his view point or his vantage point or that just because someone can firmly see and understand his view that that will automatically mean they will do more than simply respect it. I can only go by how it makes me feel as a reader specifically and maybe subconsciously a lot of what you are saying is also leaking into that for me as well in that the whole lost situation did bother me from Way of X and if we look at that and how nightcrawler basically forced forgiveness vs what we have here where every single person just lets david go on and on about Xavier and not say a word despite what the status of their relationship with him may be, it's okay to dislike someone but i don't feel it's okay to poison others to them because of your position and to let others think for themselves. Sometimes the writing in Legion of X much like Way of X feel intentionally manipulating in the way the problem, the solution and the though process is expanded on and for whom.

Like i don't have a problem with David saying things about Xavier but i wouldn't want to be around a person who just has nothing but bad things to say about someone. It felt sinister in the way david fished Cain for more information, only deeming him a smart man after he drew some of the same conclusions about Xavier he did and if he didn't he would not have been found "worthy" If he forgives xavier fine, if he doesn't okay, but by going on and on anytime the man name comes up it just starts to look like can i believe anything your doing, are you real, is any of this real, is this your one up on Xavier. The page of Xavier in Sabretooth actually summed it up pretty well, like that story let the story speak for itself and the reader draw the conclusions whereas here it's like every whisper on the wind is how David has been hurt and how that has shaped him and like he has some sort of monopoly on that. He said his piece, we knows how he feels about Xavier in Way of X and this era where is the relevance in the continous what feels like whining to me to be honest and does David more harm than good.

Hmm, those are fair points. I think its worth noting that David wasn't just talking to anyone in this instance, but his uncle who he doesn't really have much history or things in common with ASIDE from their respective relationships with Xavier, the common link between them. But now I'm definitely going to pay more attention to if and when Legion goes out of his way to raise the topic of Xavier with other people in future issues, like Ruth, Banshee or other Legionnaires without that direct connection, because I definitely do get what you're saying.