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History

My name is Legion, for we are many! -- Legion

Early life

David Haller is the son of Professor Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller, who later became the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom. Charles and Gabrielle Haller had an affair in Israel nearly two decades ago, and Charles was unaware when he left Israel that Haller was pregnant with his son. Haller concealed the fact that Charles was the father of her son, David, and Charles himself only learned that he was David's father some time after founding the New Mutants. David was born a mutant with the potential for superhuman powers.[6]

Power Development

When David was living in Paris with his mother, who was a member of the Israel diplomatic service, her home was invaded by a terrorist assassination team out to kill every Israeli they could find there. They murdered David's stepfather, Daniel Shomron, before his eyes. David's terror catalyzed his latent psionic powers, which he used to incinerate the brains of the assassins. However, as he did so, he found himself making telepathic contact with each of his victims, thus experiencing their thoughts and emotions as they died. The horror of all this deeply traumatized the gentle, loving David, forcing him into a catatonic state. The consciousness of the leader of the assassins, Jemail Karami, was absorbed into David's mind.[7]

Karami's consciousness merged with David's, and it took Karami years to separate his consciousness from his psychic captor's. Nevertheless, although Karami regained his sense of self, his consciousness remained trapped within David's mind. Karami discovered that he somehow gained control of David's mutant telepathic power and used it to read David's mind. Karami thus discovered that David was essentially a gentle, innocent person. Karami then read the minds of Gabrielle Haller and others, and with a better understanding of those around him, decided to restore David's mind to normalcy. The terrible trauma that David had suffered had splintered David's personality into multiple personalities. Each of these personalities controlled a different psionic power, many of which are as yet unknown. Karami began re-integrating these personalities into David's core personality, which was that of a little boy desperately needing parental help.[7]

However, some of these personalities resisted Karami's efforts, and two proved to be particularly formidable opponents: Jack Wayne, a swaggering adult roustabout adventurer who commanded David's telekinetic power, and Cyndi, a temperamental, rebellious girl who controlled David's pyrokinetic power. Wayne was especially hostile, and intended to destroy Karami's consciousness in order to preserve his own independent existence within David's mind. Karami found himself fighting a war against Wayne and the other resisting personalities in a dreamscape world within David's mind resembling a mad blend of Paris (from David's childhood memories) and Beirut (from Karami's memories).[8]

On Muir Island

When David was in his late teens he had gone from being catatonic to being autistic and had been placed by his mother in the care of Dr. Moira MacTaggart, a renowned scientist engaged in the study of mutants, and a longtime colleague of Charles Xavier. David began to manifest his psionic abilities uncontrollably in the real world, and absorbed the psyches of two of MacTaggart's friends, Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander. MacTaggart summoned Xavier to her research center on Muir Island off the coast of Scotland, bringing with him several of the New Mutants, including Cypher, Mirage, and Wolfsbane. David absorbed MacTaggart and Wolfsbane's consciousnesses, or their astral selves, into his mind. Xavier's attempted to probe David's mind, bringing Mirage's astral self with him for assistance. David's mind then absorbed the astral selves of Cypher and Gabrielle Haller, and those of Xavier and Mirage followed them. It was just before Xavier actually entered David's mind that he learned that David was his son and that the multiple personalities called themselves Legion (after the Biblical quotation Mark 5:9, "My name is Legion for we are many").[1]

All of the consciousnesses that Legion had just "captured" retained their independent existences within David's mind. The new arrivals found themselves teaming up with Wayne and Cyndi against Karami, having been deceived by Wayne as to Karami's true motives. However, Mirage prevented Wayne from destroying Karami, who told her and Gabrielle Haller how he had been trying to help David. Working with the reluctant Wayne, Mirage and Karami completed the task of restoring David's mind to near-normalcy, and Mirage and Karami returned the consciousnesses absorbed from outside (including Mirage's own) back to their own bodies. (Since Karami's body was long dead, his psyche remained within David's mind.)[7]

However, Karami was unable to integrate the Wayne and Cyndi personalities into David's core persona, and so they remained separate personalities within David's mind. Wayne and Cyndi sometimes spoke to people in the real world through David, as could Karami, whose consciousness also remained an independent entity within David's mind. However, David himself was no longer autistic, and his normal, core personality was in control of his mind and body. David's dominant personality was still that of a ten-year-old boy, just as it was before he suffered the trauma. Apparently the conflict within David's mind among his splinter personalities affected his physiognomy, accounting for his unusual appearance. (Perhaps one of his personalities controlled shapeshifting powers.) It is not known whether or not David would have been more normal in appearance if his normal personality had retained control of his body.[9]

Some time later, an accident happened that would have killed Wolfsbane and Moira if David hadn't used his telekinetic power to save them. However, by doing this David allowed Jack to take control over his body and escape to Scotland to indulge himself. The New Mutants tracked him down and fought him. Jack forced Cyndi to help him. Cyndi didn't like being "anyone's puppet," but she didn't want to be locked up for only wanting to live. Sunspot had Magik take him and Legion into Limbo, warning Jack that unless he relinquished control, Magik would remove him from Legion's mind and obliterate him; in response, Jack retreated into David's subconscious, allowing David to resume control.[10]

Months later, Muir Island was attacked by Donald Pierce and his Reavers during their ongoing campaign against Wolverine and his friends. David was in the nursery playing with Sunder and the Warpies, who were taken in when the island became a safe haven for the lost souls. Again, David reached out with his telekinetic powers, hoping to defend his friends from harm, but once more allowed Jack Wayne to reach the surface of his mind. Now in control, Wayne thought it would be cute to reshape the telekinetic shield to protect only him, leaving Sunder vulnerable to the gunfire.[2]

Jack and Cyndi ran wild during the attack, doing as they pleased without any thought of the consequences, even after Freedom Force arrived to help fend off the Reavers. By snuffing out Pyro’s flame at a key moment, Cyndi accidentally ensured the death of Stonewall. Legion, while under the control of the Shadow King, also assaulted the elderly precog, Destiny, who had sensed him in advance and sent her protector Forge away so that he would not suffer the same fate. Legion probed Destiny’s mind, only to see visions of his own uncertain future reflected in her precognitive sight. Panicking, Legion struck out with a telepathic blast and killed Destiny before she could show him anymore.[11][12]

Legion's part in the day's tragedies remained unknown; due to the fortifying of the island's defenses and the overall negative emotional influence of Lorna Dane’s new powers no one noticed his changes. Jack Wayne assumed control over David’s body and all of his powers and decided to have some fun with the island’s inhabitants. He began by imprisoning Polaris in the Mutant X detention cell, since she was the only one unaffected by her own “negativity” force and therefore could discover the truth about him.[13]

Jack acted like David Haller in the presence of others, and so he allowed himself to be used by Forge in an experiment to locate the missing X-Men with a Cerebro unit. Unfortunately, they made telepathic contact with something else, the Shadow King.[14] For unknown reason the Shadow King let go of his hold of the island when the New Warriors and New Mutants descended on Muir Island. Legion tried to use his power to reabsorb Proteus's energy from Piecemeal. Unfortunately, the depth of Piecemeal's pain telepathically bled through Legion's mind, causing him to drop his telekinetic fields. The plan fell apart when Proteus’s energy burned out Piecemeal and re-birthed MacTaggart himself, who banished the heroes to a dimension of nothingness.[15]

X-Factor, who had made a failed attempt to stop Proteus and reclaim Edinburgh, were also banished. Jean Grey had been exposed to Proteus’s thoughts during the fight. She used Legion and Jemail’s telepathy to share the experience with everyone, showing them the peace Proteus had achieved in his incorporeal state and that his efforts to restructure Edinburgh were an attempt to recreate the same peace in the real world. Tragically, the gathering of heroes were forced to convince Proteus he could never find the same happiness in life that he found in death so Proteus chose to die again.[16]

After returning to the Muir Island, the Shadow King, using Jack Wayne’s captive, Polaris, as a nexus for negative energy, expanded his influence over the globe, pushing the darkness within humanity to the surface. The X-Men, who had just returned from space with Professor X, attempted to infiltrate the island but were quickly discovered. Legion personally confronted Storm. David Haller resisted the Shadow King’s demands, but Jack Wayne was more than willing to carry out Farouk’s commands. The negative influence made Wayne strong enough to access all of Legion’s powers and he shot down Storm with a combination of telepathic, telekinetic and pyrokinetic power.[17] After the death of his primary host, the Shadow King took a new host, Legion himself and used his immense power to unleash a devastating blast that destroyed more than two-thirds of Muir Island.[18]

The Shadow King used David's body to torment Prof. X, mocking him while he thought that he was corrupting David. The Shadow King revealed that he'd merely given David self-control by healing his fractured mind, and that David enjoyed it. David's physical body was hurt by Storm and needed time to heal so the Shadow King retreated. When the Shadow King was finally defeated and pushed from David's mind, David was left in a vegetative state.[19] Prof. X didn't want to lose his son so he desperately searched for any trace of consciousness inside David's mind. Unable to locate any signs of activity, he reluctantly accepted that David was gone.[20]

Legion Quest

David was consigned to an intensive care ward at a hospital in Tel Aviv, his body receiving the best of care in the hopes that his mind might someday return. Many months later, David awakened with his mind completely healed after visions of Destiny urged him on towards his true destiny.[21] For a time David faked being in a coma while using his telepathic power to link his mind to his father's dreams. In them, he appeared as Magneto to try to convince his father that if Magneto was out of the way his dream of human/mutant unity would come true. However, David's attempts failed when Xavier refused to accept that Magneto's death would help realize his dream. Hearing this, David revealed himself and told his father he disagreed.[22] When Mystique came to murder David for killing Destiny, he stopped pretending to be in a coma, telekinetically blasted her away, and claimed he was expecting her.[23]

Mystique fled, promising to return, and was pursued by X-Factor. Shortly afterwards, Gabrielle Haller was shocked and overjoyed when David called her mother, thinking that her son was finally whole again. David fainted again and in his mind made a tombstone for his splinter personality while having another vision of Destiny. When he awakened he seemed incoherent, and when his mother brought Forge to help him, he was gone. When David found Mystique battling Forge and Wolfsbane he stopped them so he could deliver Destiny's message to Mystique. He then teleported X-Factor away, saying they needed to be somewhere else. When Mystique questioned David, he said he would fix everything and "make it all better" before flying away.[24]

David flew to Negev Desert where he had another vision of Destiny. In it she claimed it was his destiny to heal the rift between humans and mutants thus making the world as his father had always wanted. Believing the visions, he started to construct a "psychic bunker".[25] In an effort to learn his goals, the military sent vehicles into the dome David constructed only to have them destroyed. Gabrielle Haller contacted the X-Men for help. Failing to enter David's "bunker," the X-Men's Blackbird was caught in a telekinetic field. David claimed to be happy to see his "step-siblings," thinking they were there to support him. Legion told the heroes to say what they wanted, but to watch their tone as he was no longer insane. Jean Grey tried to convince him that he was still not fully healed, but David disagreed. The young mutant insisted that he was whole at last and that he would complete his father's work. When Storm questioned him again, David pulled her through a time portal, arriving at the moment her parents perished. David told her she could save them which she tried to do, only to be wrenched back to the future. Storm claimed that what she saw was an illusion, but David insisted it was real time travel and that she simply was not fast enough to save her family. Realizing what Legion was trying to do, Storm asked Psylocke to link her mind with Bishop (who had just tried to absorb Legion's energy) and a moment later the mutants were dragged to the past with David.[26]

An alternate future dubbed the "Age of Apocalypse" was created when Legion went back in time to kill Magneto before he could oppose Xavier's dream, but instead inadvertently killed Xavier himself.[27] Only Bishop remembered the proper timeline, so he traveled to the moment of Xavier's murder and used Legion's own power to create a psionic loop, forcing the young mutant to see the damage he had caused. The energy released by this event was so intense that David apparently died. Since Bishop had prevented Legion from killing Xavier, the normal timeline was restored.[28]

Return of Legion

After Bishop's attack, Legion disappeared into somewhere called the "no-time." Here David encountered and absorbed psyches of many others, splintering many more times to create hundreds of new personas. Eventually David was able to bring himself back to Earth near Westcliffe, Colorado. Here David met Marci Sabol. She helped David, gave him water and played games with him. Unfortunately, one of Legion's murderous personalities emerged, killed the girl and absorbed her psyche into Legion's mind.[29]

After embarking on a mission to investigate a report of mutant activity in Colorado, Danielle Moonstar and Karma went missing. Karma attempted to reach out psychically for Marci and ended up trapped in Legion's mind. Meanwhile, Moonstar was arrested.[30] Upon learning of his former teammates' disappearance, Cannonball formed a team to investigate, consisting of Sunspot, Magik, and Magma. Cannonball and Sunspot found Karma's unconscious body in a backroom at a bar. Meanwhile, Magik and Magma found Karma's mind inhabiting Legion's body inside a metal box kept in the cellar of a private residence.[31]

While the rest of the team was battling Legion's body and numerous evil personas, Magik entered Legion's mind and killed Jack Wayne with her Soulsword. After finding Karma, Marci brought the girls to the cell holding David. The four then gained possession of a Moira doll and thereby gained control of David's body. Before leaving David's body, however, Karma used Magik's Soulsword to kill the persona who murdered Marci. Emma Frost and Cyclops arrived soon afterward to help transport Legion and to "clean" the minds of the civilians.[32]

Once on Utopia, the X-Club along with Rogue and Danger, began repairing David's mind by cataloging and trapping the other personalities one by one.[33]

Legion joins the X-Men

During Bastion's attacks on the X-Men, Cyclops asked Professor X to recruit Legion for the battle. Professor X reluctantly agreed and Legion was able to use his various powers to fight Nimrod Sentinels alongside the other X-Men.[34]

Not long afterwards, Doctor Nemesis began killing off Legion's sub-personalities, seemingly without any negative effects.[35] However, unknown to Nemesis, Legion's mind created a powerful new persona to protect David's mind.[36] This new personality used it's reality-warping powers to create a new universe where David was a beloved hero.[36] When the reality fell apart Legion had to reabsorb his new persona and return reality to its proper form.[37]

Lost Legion

Despite restoring reality once again, several of David's personas escaped in corporeal bodies. With a small team of X-Men, Legion began to hunt down and reabsorb all of these rogue persona, but while capturing the last one he accidentally absorbed Rogue. Upon releasing her, he suffered a massive shock to his nervous system.[38]

Quest for Control

David recovered from his catatonic state at some point and was seen on the shores of Ibiza, Spain together with his father. He suffered intense pain - just as many other psychics did - as the Phoenix arrived to choose its host.[39]

After waking up, Professor Xavier sent Legion away to a commune for spiritualists in the Himalayas. Studying under a guru, Merzah the Mystic, David gained a far greater level of control over his powers and split personalities. At one point David expressed the suspicion and anger he felt towards his father for abandoning him, but was told by Merzah that "Professor X doesn't fail the people he loves" and while David thought about that, one of his sub-persona managed to take control for a short time before being subdued by Merzah.[40]

Later David expressed his need for a goal to focus on and Merzah showed him the protester who opposed the members of the commune. With the help of Merzah, David used his powers to give the protester two choices: either peacefully accept them as equals or continue hating and fearing them, which would result in conflict. David was surprised to see that the protester chose to bow down and worship him, although the mutant sent him home. Afterwards, David was asked by Merzah what he would do if the protester took the second choice but before he answered the young mutant was hit by a mental shock wave from his father's death and lost control of his powers, accidentally destroying the commune. All his evil imprisoned personalities were freed and a new personality emerged, killing another personality so it would have less competition.[40]

One by one, the evil personalities took control of David's body and started to wreak havoc wherever they went. David took the chance to hide, restoring control over his body. During a peaceful moment, David was attacked by the People's Liberation Equality-Ops and discovered from an unseen entity that he was in China. The entity used the remains of a dead goat to build itself a body to help David with.[41]

One of the splinter personalities, calling itself Tyrannix the Abominoid, got inside David's mind. The stranger insulted David's father and killed some of the People Liberation Equality-Ops, angering David. David used his passion to defeat Tyrannix, drained him of his power and used it to knock out the P.L.E. Reading the stranger's mind, he discovered it full of hate for him, his father and mutants in general. He also learned of imprisoned mutant twins and decided to help them. After returning Tyrannix to his cell, David tells him that the gift of telepathy, which that splinter personality controlled, is his, and from now on, he will take it from him whenever he chooses.[41]

Four days later, David arrived in Japan to seek out the twins. Following a faint psychic trace he is lead to a trap -- an astral projection in the form of a giant raven that knocks him out. Once awake, David find out that the twins, Karasu-Tengu and Sojobo-Tengu are not captives but the heirs of one of Logan's enemies, Ogun, a yakuza leader that was told Legion would come to destroy their clan. David watched as the twins were forced to rip out the soul of someone who insulted their father. Then the twins were given orders find who sent David and then kill him.[42]

While the twins do their work, David used his powers to protect himself from their telepathic probe and asked them if they like what they do. The twins admitted that they found it revolting. David and the twins talked about loyalty and respect for their elders, and the young mutant explained how he was seeking to uphold his father's legacy and dream. Meanwhile, in his mind, David tried to find a persona to defeat his captors. David tried to convince the twins that they are too young for the life of crime and violence and regardless of the debt they owed their adopted father this was not a life fit for children. The twins asked what alternative his father would offer. This reminded David of the danger room and the fact his father used to put children in it. David was confused at the start but then he told them that just because their father had done two things right, doesn't mean he was infallible, doesn't mean they have to do things the same way and it all right to try and be different and better.[42]

His conversation with the twins strengthened his appreciation for Xavier, his dream, and David's part in it. Now more confident and mentally stronger, David overcame one of the four personas he failed to drain earlier and used its power to free himself. He thanked the twins and explains that they should have childhood and a choice, that genes do not decide their way of life and nobody should be forced to fight if they do not want to. David asked the twins to accompany him in his journey and they accepted. However, when the X-Men arrive soon after, they believed that David was going to hurt the children and ask Legion to turn the twins over to them.[42]

David was not happy with being called by his code name, and believed that the X-Men put the mutant twins in danger, a matter that he felt was proven by the fact that they teach children how to fight. His disagreement over their methods lead David to plot against the X-Men. Beginning by putting Wolverine's mind on "stand by," David fought the X-Men with the help of the twins, almost defeating them until Blindfold stepped in. The girl introduced herself to David as his nemesis and used her telepathy to cut him off from his powers. A new persona angrily attacked Ruth telling her to get out. David and the twins then hid in an ammo hut but Chamber pursued and destroyed the structure. Empowered by the belief that the twins needed him, David defeated another sub-persona and used its power to protect them but apparently perished while doing so. He was, in fact, alive and watched as the X-Men gathered the twins. David also noticed the pair of eyes that belonged to one of the twins.[43]

For a week, David tried to contact his mother but was uncertain what to say to her. Later he used his powers to locate and teleport Dire Wraiths to the front door of the Jean Grey School so he could infiltrate the building and find Blindfold to learn what attacked her in his mind. David also discovered her origin and upon reaching her, he was pulled away Karasu, who revealed that her brother was acting strange. After reading a message she gives him, David comes to realize that the "Eyeball Guy" was in fact Blindfold's murderous brother, Luca. Worse, he killed Sojobo and possessed his corpse to infiltrate the school so that he could murder his sister.[44]

With newfound determination, David teleported away to save Ruth. He chased Luca throughout the school, but the murderer was prepared for him. Karasu, not knowing that her brother was really dead, thought that David was trying to hurt him and attempted to aid Luca. David was angered when Luca considered killing Karasu. A new persona taunted him over his anger, claiming that his father would be ashamed of him, which caused David to lose his confidence and allowed the persona to briefly take control. David "awoke" to find the X-Men in front of him about to attack, but Blindfold attacked Luca first, forcing him to flee. Wolverine offered Legion a place to stay so they could help him, but David still disagreed over the X-Men's policy towards training children and turned Logan down. While leaving, David encountered Karasu who expressed her hatred for him over what happened to her brother. When David reached the gate, he saw Ruth waiting for him and asked her what made her wake up, to which she answered that he called and warned her not to go deep in the darkness. While wondering what is it that he should be careful from, the new persona told him that the grand evil that Luca foresaw, the one that will wipe out mutantkind was none other than David himself and Blindfold was destined to kill him to stop it. David asked him how he came to know all of this and "Fiend" answered that he knows everything, revealing himself to be in the form of Charles Xavier and calls David "my son" which horrified David greatly.[45]

David lives up to his word to make the world a better place by locating and framing the group that corrupted Luca by bringing the Dire Wraiths to earth to be arrested by S.W.O.R.D., all while getting closer to forming a romantic relationship with Blindfold.[46] Later he helped a new mutant whose power is to take credit for other people's work.[4]

While on a date with Ruth, David took her to the moon and told her about the new persona inside his mind and that all the other personalities are terrified of it. He also told her when it helped him, he saw a glimpse of the future and from that vision, he knows that Aarkus, after reading a book, will start killing all mutants, and they can stop him before he does that, by making sure that he doesn't wake up. Ruth disagreed, saying that they can't do this to someone who didn't do anything yet. David tells her that he will not become reactive like his father and reveals to her that he already made sure Aarkus won't wake up five hours ago. She tells him that she knows that he needed her approval to gain enough strength and self-belief to drain a persona in order to gain the power he needed. Ruth was disappointed and asked David to send her home. David tried to justify what he did, but Blindfold asked again to be returned home. David sent her and Aarkus back and told her to tell the X-Men to do what they can do to help him and told Ruth that he thought he loved her. After that, David started to read the book Luca wrote about the vision he saw about the future.[47]

To avoid killing Blindfold and cause many other deaths, David wiped himself out of existence, but in fact remained within Ruth Aldine's mind.[48] But apparently people still remembered him.[49][50] Recently, he came back to life.[51]

Lord Trauma

After his resurrection, a personality of David's by the name Lord Trauma tried to take over his mind while David was taken into hospital after being found by an Amish couple. David manages to temporarily defeat Lord Trauma and heads to see Dr. Hannah Jones, a psychotherapist known for mainly working with celebrities.

As David is heading in her direction, Lord Trauma seeks her out and warns her not to treat David and trying to scare her through visual hallucinations. David pulls her out of one of the hallucinations and introduces himself, asking for her help.[51]

Hannah accepts David's ask for help, and quickly is transported into his mind. Hannah is attacked by creatures sent by Lord Trauma and meets with Tami Haar, another of David's personalities. She leads Hannah away from the creatures and to the ancient cities, structures containing past memories.

Hannah witnesses a memory where David caused a psychiatric doctor to commit suicide after his temper snapped. Trying to help young David, Hannah and Tami are flung out of the memory by the young David and down to nightmare beach. The pair move past the bitter-sweet spores after Hannah unwittingly touches one and falls sick.

Back at the hospital, Lord Trauma keeps speaking to David and causes him to unknowingly shout at a patient, causing him to be taken away by security. This episode of paranoia causes his mindscape to become overwhelmed with voices in the form of extreme wind.[52]

X-Men Disassembled

Legion witnessed a vision of the future where X-Man and his Horsemen of Salvation attacked the world in order to bring about X-Men's vision for the world. So, Legion took Multiple Man prison so he could make and take control of hundreds of Multiple Man dupes and sent them throughout the world. The dupes wreaked havoc, forcing the X-Men to intervene. When confronted by Jean Grey, Legion told her of his vision. However, it was too late, and the Horsemen of Salvation attacked.[53]

X-Man fought the X-Men and Legion, who teleported X-Man to a copy of his home reality inside his subconsciousness.[54] X-Man saw past the ruse and took control of Legion so he could use his power to kill the X-Men. After deciding nothing would improve with the X-Men around, X-Man made all the X-Men present disappear including Legion, leaving himself alone and unconscious.[55]

Age of X-Man

Legion and the X-Men who vanished were transported to a different reality created by X-Man who attempted to create a utopia where all mutants lived in peace. The mutants sent there had their memories erased so they didn't resist.[56]

Legion was placed in the Danger Room Prison Complex and was its most dangerous prisoner. Because of his abilities, he was placed in solitary confinement and not allowed out. He had been the one who has been altering the other prisoners' memories, and he pretty much was in control of all aspects of the prison.

Legion was found by Bishop who was also put in solitary. Bishop said he was crazy, but this was something way beyond even for David. Legion laughed at Bishop as he said Bishop wouldn't even remember their encounter the following day.[57]

Legion was later freed from X-Men and allowed to return to the real world after deciding to release the mutants he trapped there.[58]



Powers and Abilities

Power Grid [77] Intelligence* 6 1 Strength* 7 1 Speed* 7 1 Durability* 7 1 Energy Projection* 7 6 Fighting Skills* 7 1 * Heightened stats represent potential abilities

Powers

I'll simplify: Legion is an omega level mutant who, when whole, can bend time to his will. Causing a spontaneous mutation is most likely well within his capabilities. Whether he's conscious of it or not. --Doctor Nemesis[src]

Legion is an omega level mutant[59][33][60][34][61], and was also stated to be an Alpha-Level Mutant,[62] with the ability to create spontaneous mutations with varying attributes. Due to either his immense powers, mental instability or combination of the two, David creates a new persona (or sub-personality) to govern each one of these new mutations.

He stated that he had in his mind "200 Omega-level split personalities".[44]

Rogue stated that while she was inside Legion, she was connected to thousands of types of powers and there were more "being born" all the time.[63]

See here the list of Legion's personas. David's known personas/power combinations include:

Jemail Karami (Personality 002): A terrorist leader who once tried to restructure David's fractured personality in his own image. He possesses telepathy. Jemail was once a real man, but died near David and thereby became the first psyche David absorbed.

Jack Wayne (Personality 003): A swaggering adult roustabout adventurer with the ability of telekinesis. He was killed by Magik with her Soulsword during her attempt to rescue Karma[64] but was proved to be still alive later.[65] He was later subsumed by Lord Trauma.[66]

Cyndi (Personality 004): A temperamental, rebellious girl with pyrokinesis. She had a crush on Cypher.[7]

The Legion (Personality 005): He is self described as "real me" and by Magik as a "God-Mutant". He is able to warp-reality to his will and manipulate time. Using these powers he created the Age of Apocalypse and eliminated the Elder Gods of Limbo.

Sally (Personality 067): She is an obese, lonely woman with Hulk-like super strength and increased muscle mass.[64][67]

(Personality 115): She is a British punk rocker who appears to channel sound into energy blasts.[34]

(Personality 181): Little is known about this persona, but it can enlarge itself to an undetermined size. This was the first power Legion utilized with the Neural Switchboard Wristband.[68]

Johnny Gomorrah (Personality 186): He able to transmute objects and enemies into salt.[69]

Time-Sink (Personality 227): One of the sub-personalities who escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69] He was apprehended and reabsorbed by Legion with help from the X-Men.[65] He can manipulate time.

(Personality 302): Little is known about this persona, but Legion used this persona's rapid punching powers while battling Time-Sink.[65] Later, in London, Rogue borrowed this power to subdue Magneto.[67]

Styx (Personality 666): Styx power is to use a touch of death to absorb the spirits' of his victims. After absorbing a spirit, Styx can continue to control the victim's body.[65][70] He was the ring leader of the sub-personalities to escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69] After parting ways, Styx set his headquarters in the catacombs beneath Paris. To lure Legion to him, Styx kidnapped Professor X, but left a lily (his calling card) and coordinates to locate him.[71]

(Personality 749): Little is known, but Legion used this persona's electrical discharge powers while battle Time-Sink.[65]

(Personality 762): A pirate that appears to belch an acid gas.[34]

(Personality 898): He is a centaur.[33]

(Personality 933): Little is known about this persona, but in London, Legion used this persona's power to emit gaseous material at high speeds powers while battling Magneto. It was also one of the powers Rogue siphoned from him.[67]

Delphic (Personality 1012): She is a blue skinned seemingly omniscient seer willing to answer three questions to supplicants. She also gives off what appears to be electric discharges.[69]

"Absence" (Personality ???): Absence is an Alien/Demon creature who claims to have traveled through realities and stars. Absence's power is to siphon off heat and love.[59]

Bleeding Image (Personality ???): A living voodoo doll. He blew himself up with a bomb and nearly killed Rogue in the process.[70] One the sub-personalities to escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69]

Gestalt (Personality ???): Not a true split personality but an avatar of which Legion created for himself within his own mindscape. David Haller uses this form to assimilate with his other missing personalities and utilize their powers as well as repairing a great deal of the psychological damage he's suffered from most of his life.[72]

Chain (Personality ???): He is a human virus, turning anyone he touches into a copy of himself with a new weapon. The only way to stop him and revert his victims is to capture the 1(A) iteration.[67] He is one the sub-personalities to escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69] He found taking over London with Susan in Sunshine, but was stopped by the X-Men.[67]

The Fiend/"Charles Xavier" (Personality ???): One of many personalities of the mutant Legion, precognition and postmortem power absorption. Created from the psionic trauma caused by Xavier's death. Originally, he took the shape of a small gold glowing goblin-like creature, its first act was to kill and devour another personality in order to gain its powers. After that, it spent most of it time stalking David inside his mind but made no move against him. When Blindfold entered David's mind and restrained him, this persona got angry and attacked her, telling her to get out. This was the first time David glimpsed this persona. Later while chasing Luca in the Jean Grey School David almost killed another student but was stopped by the devil of his mind, who took control and told Luca that he will be useful one day. As David was leaving the school grounds the persona told him about his future where he will eradicate mutant kind and Ruth was destined to try to kill him to prevent it. Revealing himself to have taken the shape of Charles Xavier calling David his son, greatly horrify David in the process.[29]

Chronodon (Personality ???): He is a large dinosaur with a clock for a face. David attempted unsuccessfully to capture him and use his powers to break free from the Yamaugichi-Kai Clan.[42] His powers are undefined, but based on his name and appearance his powers are based on time manipulation.

The Weaver (Personality ???): A large arachnid like creature whose massive limbs are connected to a main body wreathed in bright light. As its name suggests Weaver has the all-powerful ability to change, morph and otherwise refabricate reality itself. Arguably it is the most powerful personality within David's shattered psyche, and one of the only other personas he can neither coax into his service nor assimilate with.[42] At the end his run, David tried one last time to bond with him only to find out the weaver was his own reflection. That now with his otherself accepting who he is the two can be made whole again.[48]

The Clown (Personality ???): He is a surly looking circus clown that can blast a light-energy from his mouth.[30] He was killed by Magik with her Soulsword during her attempt to rescue Karma.[64] However he was proved to be still alive later.[65]

Compass Rose (Personality ???): Can locate any person and teleport to them. Rogue used this power to find Rachel Grey and the others.[73]

Drexel (Personality ???): He seems to be a foul-mouthed simpleton with super strength.[30] He was killed by Magik with her Soulsword during her attempt to rescue Karma.[64]

Endgame (Personality ???): An armor who can counter any attack executed against it.[73] One of the sub-personalities to escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69]

Findle the Finder (Personality ???): He can find anyone across the galaxy. David used this power to find the Dire Wraiths he used to distract the X-Men.[44]

Hugh Davidson (Personality ???): He is a stereotypical prepster with a long prehensile tongue.[64]

Hunter: A typical macho-man cowboy persona that David created after Jack Wayne was consumed by Lord Trauma. He seems to manifest a psionic gun as his power. According to Hannah Jones, he's trying too hard.[74]

Hypnobloke (Personality ???): A strange gentlemen with flashing swirls for eyes in a top hat and carrying a pocket watch, his powers are that of hypnotic suggestion.

Joe Fury: A man with anger management problems. Joe seems to be able to generate flame and other types of energy from his body. Restraining him takes a lot of energy according to David.[51]

Kirbax the Kraklar (Personality ???): A demonic creature with the ability of flight and electricity generation. After Legion lost control of his powers, Kirkbax briefly took control over his body and flew from the Indian Himalayas to China until another sub-personality took over.[41]

Ksenia Nadejda Panov (Personality ???): Moscow heiress, discus champion, exporter of caviar, torturer of puppies. She has the ability to generate ionic scalpels from her fingers. She briefly gained control of Legion's body, but was restrained by Merzah the Mystic long enough to allow Legion to reclaim his body. She was later killed by another sub-personality.[40]

K-Zek the Conduit (Personality ???): He appears to be an android with the ability of wireless energy transfer (or WET) and electrical absorption. David used this power to defeat Storm.[43]

Lord Trauma: A personality that looks much like David, but with slicked back hair and faces of anguish seemingly tattooed on his body. He possessed multiple abilities including telepathy, the ability to manifest physically and to subsume other personalities within David.[51]

Marci Sabol (Personality ???): A little girl and the first person to meet David after his return. She helped David, but was killed by another personality. She then became trapped within David's mind. Her parents were later killed by another of Legion's personalities. She is a human with no mutant powers.[29]

Max Kelvin (Personality ???): Max Kelvin has the appearance of an crotchety old man. His eyes protrude when he uses his powers of plasmatic flame generation. Legion managed to defeat him in his mind and used his powers to break free from the Yamaugichi-Kai Clan.[42]

Moira/X (Personality ???): Created to protect Legion's mind from Doctor Nemesis' meddling. She was able to best Professor X in psychic battle and warp reality. She single-handily created the Age of X where David would be seen as a hero and placed herself as the "mother" of David.

Mycolojester (Personality ???): A plant like entity with the attire of a jester, has the mutant power to emit toxic spores from the skin pores on his body which acts as a powerful nerve gas. Its effects can be dissipated however by water.[45]

Non-Newtonian Annie (Personality ???): She is a skinny purple women dressed in pink clothes. She has the power to be cloaked in a zero-tainullskin that deflects any attack and according to the law of the conversation of energy, kinetic energy is redirected. David used this power to defeat Frenzy. Karasu and Sojobo describe her as a slippery one.[43]

Nurse Good: A typical protector type personality according to Hannah Jones, Nurse Good was subsumed by Lord Trauma's minions shortly after appearing.[66]

The Origamist (Personality ???): The Origamist is a sumo wrestler and reality-changer with space-folding powers. He is one of the most powerful sub-personalities in Legion's mind. During the jailbreak inside Legion's mind, he attempted to overpower the Origamist, but initially failed.[42] Later however, Legion manages to defeat him and use his powers.[43]

Protozoan Porter (Personality ???): A strange looking near octopoid like personality with physiological resemblances akin to that of a leech. Has the ability to teleport by disassembling into multiple little bits of ameboid like particles, then reassembling them at a given destination.[75]

Pukatus Jr. (Personality ???): He is a small cherub-like Demon which can vomit an acidic substance. David attempted unsuccessfully to capture him and use his powers to break free from the Yamaugichi-Kai Clan.[42]

Skinsmith (Personality ???): He can create skin to cover individuals. However, the skin appears to peel off. David used this power to defeat Chamber.[43]

Susan in Sunshine (Personality ???): One the sub-personalities to escape from Legion's consciousness after the Age of X.[69] Susan amplifies emotions of those around her, and then turns those emotions into raw energy. She can only be stop by being teased.

Tami Haar: A young woman with a French accent. Her name is an anagram of Mata Hari. She possesses the power to manifest in the real world outside of David's mindscape.[74]

Tyrannix the Abominoid (Personality ???): A Cthulu-like creature with the power of telepathy and astral projection.[40] He pursued Legion inside the maze of his mind in an attempt to take control of his body while Legion lost control of his personalities. Legion overpowers him however, and takes his powers of telepathy for himself.[41] Legion now wears him as a backpack and accesses his powers frequently.[29]

Wormwhole Wodo (Personality ???): He can open wormwholes across the galaxy. David used this power to summon the Dire Wraiths to distract the X-Men.[44]

Wounded Boy: A personality that appears as a young boy with multiple injuries over his body.[66]

Zari Zap: A young punk woman with short, spiked hair. She seems to possess the ability to manipulate electricity.[74]

Zero G. Priestly (Personality ???): He can control gravity. David used his power to remove Magneto's helmet.

Other unnamed personalities: unknown (Personality ???) : Little is known about this persona, but it has ability to teleport itself and others by unknown means and with unknown limits. Legion used this ability in London to help himself and the X-Men escape Chain's army. [67] unknown (Personality ???) : Little is known about this persona, but it appears to be capable of mass mind control though on smaller scale with possibly only a few yards range or a limit of three to five victims. The limits of this power have not been tested. Legion used this ability in London while battling Chain's army. [67] "3554" (Personality ???) : He is an African-American marathon runner with super-speed . [59] Legion used his or a similar persona/power to attack the 1(A) iteration of Chain in London. [67] "Clnk" (Personality ???) : He appears to be an android with the ability of make mobile telephone calls . David used this power to contact his mother in London. While using this power, David hair becomes shaped like a satellite dish and his hand morphs into a mobile phone. [44] "The Cowboy" (Personality ???) : He has the ability to create psionic guns and fire psionic bullets . After Legion lost control of his powers, "the Cowboy" briefly took control over his body in China until another sub-personality took over. [41] "The Nazi Doctor" (Personality ???) : He is a blond, monocled Nazi doctor with a thick German accent, and appears to disrupt/negate mutant power by touch . [59] "Oxy" (Personality ???) : Able to create an oxygen bubble around himself and others. David used to this power to sustain himself and Blindfold while on the Moon. [47] "Small purple good one" (Personality ???) : He is a small bald purple humanoid with black eyes. He claims to have been trapped in Legion's mind like Jemail Karami and Marci Sabol. He appears to have the power of geokinesis and can use it over a wide distance. Although he claims to be a "good one" and to hate killing, he almost murdered Moonstar. [64] "Specs" (Personality ???) : He is a nervous young man with large glasses and the ability to see through solid objects . He seems to be very practical, and has a romantic interest in Magma. [59] "Spike" (Personality ???) : He is an African-American with the power to turn his limbs into spikes . He is responsible for murdering Mel and Brett Sabol (Marci's parents). "Stutter" (Personality ???) : He is a young man with a stutter along with both emotional and physical deformities. His power is self-propelled flight . [30] "Vampire" (Personality ???) : He appears as a classical and cliché 19th century vampire. He was killed by Magik with her Soulsword during her attempt to rescue Karma. [59] The White Witchdoctor (Personality ???) : He is a white man dress as a witchdoctor. He was the sub-personality that killed Marci Sabol. He was in turned killed by Karma with Magik's Soulsword. [33] Although not confirmed, his power is possibly psyche absorption by which he absorbs the astral forms of anyone who dies around him. This power is how individuals such as Marci Sabol and Jemail Karami became trapped in Legion's mind. "The Wolfman" (Personality ???) : He is an older man wearing a dhoti and handcuffs with self-healing and lycanthropy powers. [59] "unknown" (Personality ???) : An unseen personality with the ability Legion calls Astral Harpoon Projection which seems not to leave any physical repercussions but leaves it's victims in a cataleptic & convulsive state, as if hit with a surge of lightning. [45]



Originally, all of Legion's powers were psychically based, but since his resurrection Legion has also manifested physical mutations. Also, since his return, Legion's mind is shown as being inhabited by thousands of sub-personalities.

Some of Legion's persona's are in fact individual psyche absorbed by Legion upon their deaths (i.e. Marci Sabol and Jemail Karami), but many more are creations of Legion's own mind.

It is likely that after a sub-personality is killed or reabsorbed that Legion retains their powers, though this has not been confirmed.

However, killed personas were seen alive after their apparent death, such as The Clown and Jack Wayne.[65]

Index

Strength level

Legion possessed the normal human strength of a young man of his age, height, and build, who engaged in no exercise for half his life, but thereafter began to engage in moderate regular exercise.

Weaknesses

Dissociative Identity Disorder: He suffers from dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder, which was triggered after the death of his step-father. His powers allowed him to hear and feel the thoughts of all the people killed around him. This led to the creation of first three personalities with a distinct psychic power. One was telekinetic, one was telepathic, one was pyrokinetic. This was later expanded to an unnamed number of personalities, possibly thousands, all with a unique power.[8]



Paraphernalia

Equipment

Neural Switchboard Wristband - engineered by a collaboration of Doctor Nemesis, Madison Jeffries and Reed Richards. By keying in a number this device stimulates cells in the thalamus and neocortex, creating a one-way link between Legion's own mind and one of his sub-selves. This allows Legion to utilize power sets without being overwhelmed by the personality.[68]



Notes

Legion gets his name from a Biblical tale. According to the Bible, Jesus met a man who was possessed by several demons. When Jesus asked the man his name, he replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

David himself has stated that he dislikes being called Legion and wish others would stop calling him that. [41]

David is the first X-Men character to receive a live-action TV series.



Trivia

Legion was originally going to be a founding member of the government-sponsored X-Factor. However, then-incoming writer Peter David felt it was impossible to work him into the group in a way that didn't feel was contrieved. [76]

Legion's other splinter personalities could each control other psionic powers. Perhaps these powers died when these splinter personalities were absorbed into David's core personality.

David appears to be a Star Wars fan.[42]

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