A preview for the forthcoming Legion of X from Marvel Comics reveals that a powerful new character, Mother Righteous, will be debuting in the first issue, introduced as a mysterious "wheeler-dealer" of the infamous Astral Plane, cementing the fact that the X-Men are truly no longer mortal beings. Mother Righteous, who Legion of X architect and author Si Spurrier describes as "not pure villain, not pure hero," comes to Nightcrawler and Legion's new X-Team with tempting offers, including "Magic, wishes, spirits. Gods. Power," proving that in the Krakoan era mutants have truly transcended the human race.
Legion of X, which spins out of the the philosophically-minded Way of X and recent Onslaught Revelation event, is part of the newest line of X-Men titles being released during Krakoa's Destiny of X era. It will focus on a new team led by Nightcrawler with the help of Legion, Doctor Nemesis, Dust, Blindfold, Pixie, and Juggernaut. Way of X focused on the religious Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, attempting to establish a unified "mutant culture" for the new nation of Krakoa, but instead he got wrapped up in a battle against Onslaught, a telepathic demon entity created from the minds of Xavier and Magneto. By the finale of Way of X, Legion, Xavier's biological son and often considered to be the most powerful of all Omega-Level mutants, creates a telepathic base in his mind for Nightcrawler and his new time to work from, attempting to keep Krakoa protected from internal and external incursions.
In an interview with Newsarama, Si Spurrier reveals exciting details about the new character debuting in Legion of X #1 - written by Spurrier with art by Jan Bazaldua and the Mother Righteous cover drawn by Dike Ruan - and how her introduction will impact Krakoa's future. Mother Righteous, who was beautifully designed by Jamie McKelvie, is described as, "...a powerful and mysterious new player in the great drama unfolding in and around the X-Sphere." The Astral Plane continues to be one of the most elusive and dangerous places for a mutant to be, even though it has been around since the debut of the X-Men. Speaking further on Mother Righteous Spurrier had this to say:
"Not pure villain, not pure hero, she strolls calmly out of the astral plane one day with an unnerving smile. She comes offering gifts. Oh, little things. Magic, wishes, spirits. Gods. Power. The repercussions of her generosity - and the things she expects in return, from those who accept it - will be felt across the futures of mutantkind and the wider Marvel Universe for a long time to come."
It appears that Righteous will be a seemingly neutral entity with her own secret agenda for the mutants, and will start her relationship with the Legion of X team manipulating the often unstable Legion. Mother Righteous will be making Legion an "unholy deal," one that is specifically meant to play into David Haller's insecurities about living in the shadow of his infamous father Charles Xavier.
Since the dawn of the Krakoan Age for mutants, in Jonathan Hickman's already legendary House of X/Powers of X, Marvel Comics has been making it very clear that the mutants are not the same as the humans. Not only do they have fantastic powers, but many of them have access to extra-dimensional dimensions, time travel, and engagement with god-like beings such as Mother Righteous. Plus, due to the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols, all mutants are literally immortal, and have truly ascended to being the next evolutionary step of intelligent beings on planet Earth. While some humans, such as the Avengers, are often placed on godhood-level pedestals, the fact that every single mutant is now effectively an immortal who has mastered magic and reality basically means that mutants are now gods, at least to humans.
Legion of X is promising to be a more action-packed follow-up to Way of X that still maintains the heart, depth, and intimacy of the first series. Make sure to pick up Legion of X when it debuts on April 20th, 2022, to see the X-Men legends Nightcrawler and Legion meet the mysterious Mother Righteous for the first time.
Source: Newsarama