Warning: contains spoilers for Legion of X #6!There is a new Ghost Rider in the Marvel Universe, as a member of the X-Men fans will know from the big screen gets a fiery upgrade. In Legion of X #6, Legion is aided by what appears to be Banshee, empowered as a flying, flaming Ghost Rider. Banshee was played by Caleb Landry Jones in X-Men: First Class.
Although Banshee is best known as one of the founders of the “new X-Men” team that debuted in 1975’s Giant Size X-Men #1, he first appeared, as a villain, years before, in 1967’s X-Men #28. After realizing he had been duped, Banshee would become an ally of the team, eventually joining them in the aforementioned Giant Size X-Men. Sean Cassidy's tenure did not last long, and for years he was an on-again, off-again member. Banshee is best known today as the leader/father figure to the teen mutant team Generation X. Banshee has died on a couple of occasions, and after his most recent resurrection, Banshee was possessed by an evil spirit, one that coerced him into making a deal with Mother Righteous. She bonded him to a Spirit of Vengeance, making him a Ghost Rider. Taking the name Vox Ignis, Banshee has been reborn.
The story, titled “Something Monstrous This Way Comes,” ties into the AXE: Judgment Day crossover. Uranos, a powerful Eternal, is sparring with Legion. Just as the Eternal is about to overpower the mutant, Banshee (in his Ghost Rider form) swoops in to save Legion. Legion, unaware of Banshee’s transformation, asks his rescuer for his name, but Banshee/Vox Ignis replies "it’s unimportant." Banshee, in his Vox Ignis form, has no Irish accent, but he quickly switches back to it, giving Legion a vague idea of his identity. Legion asks Vox Ignis to let him resume his fight against Uranos, but his ally refuses, saying “there will be no dyin’ today, lad,” before telling Legion he needs to look inside himself as he's “needed to lead.” The issue is written by Si Spurrier, drawn by Rafael Pimentel, colored by Federico Blee and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
Banshee Can Be An Amazing Ghost Rider
Banshee’s transformation into a Ghost Rider raises questions, but it may also allow him to achieve his full potential. Banshee has been an integral part of X-Men history for 55 years - a founding member of the iconic new X-Men and the leader of Generation X, as well as an Interpol agent. Yet through all this, Banshee is rarely mentioned in the same league as some other founding members of the new X-Men, instead relegated mostly to supporting roles. Becoming a Ghost Rider, however, may change all of that. The Banshee readers saw in Legion of X #6 has all his classic powers, including flight, but can now harness the powers of a Spirit of Vengeance. This new Banshee still fights on the side of light and even helps Legion come to terms with his new status as a team leader. It is a new beginning for Banshee, and one that suits his mutant name, which he shares with a mythological harbinger of death.
Banshee's connection to the Spirit of Vengeance may be tied to his prior experience with a Celestial Death Seed, which radically increased his potential power, but either way he just became one of mutantkind's heaviest hitters, with access to a power level that could burn the Hulk himself to the ground. The X-Men officially have their own Ghost Rider, and Marvel has made the perfect choice in who gets that staggering power.
Legion of X #6 is available now from Marvel Comics.