X-Men Legacy – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and trade reading order for X-Men Legacy comic books in omnibus, hardcover, and trade paperback collections – including runs by Mike Carey, Christos Gage, and Simon Spurrier. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated March 2023 with titles scheduled for release through August 2023.

X-Men Legacy is a title that covered a pair of X-Men volumes published from 2008 to 2014. Both volumes shared a theme of diving deeply into the continuity of a single lead character – first Professor Xavier, then Rogue, and finally Legion in the second volume.

The first volume of X-Men Legacy emerged from the “Messiah Complex” crossover. At the close of the event, the traditional co-flagship book of “adjectiveless” X-Men (1991) was renamed to “Legacy” and dropped its cast to focus solely on Professor Xavier in the wake of the event.

Initially the relaunched series was partially driven by the flashbacks of Xavier’s fractured psyche, which comprised half of each issue. In an intriguing turn of storytelling, the flashbacks – which called back to specific moments in classic X-Men issues – were illustrated by different artists than the present day sequences.

This mined a lot of deep X-Men history and reconciled it with the present day. That was especially useful, given Wolverine had recently regained his full memories and Cyclops was currently in Xavier’s place as the leader of the X-Men.

Starting with issue #219, the focus moved to Rogue as a primary protagonist. Fresh from enduring considerable physical and psychic strain leading up to “Messiah Complex,” Rogue underwent a major transformation at the top of the run – she gained control of her absorption powers.

With the curse of her powers finally lifted, this version of Rogue felt as though she had the most agency and development in her 40-year history – even though we had seen Rogue lead several X-Men teams over the previous 20 years! The next 50+ issues of X-Men Legacy cast her as a rebel, a mentor, and a leader while continuing to tie up long-hanging threads of continuity.

In 2012’s Marvel Now, Legacy relaunched with Professor Xavier’s son Legion as the improbable lead character. The tidy, 24-issue run spent as much time in his mind as it did on real world adventures. Both settings were soaked through with X-Men lore and British cheekiness, courtesy of series writer Simon Spurrier.

Fun fact: Nightcrawler, Vol. 4 by Chris Claremont was originally intended to be X-Men Legacy, Vol. 3! At the last moment, editorial decided that the market had X-title fatigue and that solo series were more in vogue, thus the name change.

• By Mike Carey: The Professor & Rogue (2008 – 2010)
• By Mike Carey: The Aftermath (2010 – 2011)
• By Christos Gage: Back to School (2011 – 2012)
• Marvel Now: Volume 2: Legion by Simon Spurrier (2012 – 2014)

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X-Men Legacy Reading Order

X-Men Legacy #208 – 237 by Mike Carey: The Professor & Rogue (2008 – 2010)

Begins in April 2008, launching out of X-Men (1991) in the wake of “Messiah Complex” and parallel to the launch of X-Force (2008) and Cable (2008), as well as Uncanny X-Men (1963) #495, Wolverine (2003) #63, X-Factor (2005) #28, Wolverine: Origins (2006) #22, and after the final issue of New X-Men (Academy X). Warren Ellis’s run on Astonishing X-Men begins sometime after issue #213. New Mutants (2009) begins after Utopia.

In the Marvel Universe, it begins the midst of Secret Invasion, and Utopia is effectively a part of Dark Reign. Siege occurs just prior to Second Coming.

This era of the title was penned by exclusively by Mike Carey along with a collection of artists including Scot Eaton, Dustin Weaver, Daniel Acuna, and Clay Mann. Carey was incredibly popular with fans at the time due to his “Supernovas” run on the preceding volume of X-Men (1991). [Marvel Unlimited: main series, Odd Men Out, Original Sin One-Shot, Wolverine Origins, Annual, Necrosha X]

#208-213: X-Men: Legacy – Divided He Stands
(2008 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130000 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785130017 / digital)
A story focuses on the fractured mind of Charles Xavier in the aftermath of Messiah Complex.

#213-216: X-Men: Legacy – Sins of the Father
(2008 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130024 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785130031 / digital)
Adds Gambit as a supporting cast member in Xavier’s story. Also collects X-Men: Odd Men Out (2008) and an original Stan Lee short story from X-Men: The Unlikely Saga of Xavier, Magneto and Stan.

#217-218: X-Men: Original Sin
(2009 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130383 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785129561 / digital)
Casts Wolverine and Xavier’s first meeting in a new light. Collects X-Men: Legacy #217-218, Wolverine: Origins #28-30, and X-Men Original Sin One-Shot. Also collected in Wolverine By Daniel Way Complete Collection Vol. 3 (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302907686 / digital)

#219-225: X-Men Legacy: Salvage
(2009 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785141730 / 20xx paperback, ISBN 978-0785138761 / digital)
Here the focus shifts to Rogue, with appearances by Xavier, Gambit, and Danger.

#226-227: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia
(2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785142331 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785142348 / digital)
Note that Legacy is not part of the main Utopia direct crossover, but a pair of tie-in issues. That means these issues are not often collected with recollections of the event that are focused on just Uncanny X-Men or Dark Avengers. Utopia marks a major milestone in the overall plot of the X-Men, and introduces Namor to the team. Collects Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men (2009) Exodus & Utopia, Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009), Dark X-Men: The Beginning (2009) #1-3 & The Confession, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #513-514, and X-Men Legacy (2008) #226-227.

#228-230 & Annual [AKA Giant-Size]: X-Men Legacy: Emplate
(2010 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785140207 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785141150 / digital)
A very strong “one-shot” trade that is easy to pick up without backstory. Focuses on Rogue, several New X-Men including Loa, and the villain Emplate.

#231-234: X-Men Legacy: Necrosha
(2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785162988 / digital)
A strong stand-alone story featuring the incredible team of Rogue, Magneto, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Husk, and Blindfold – and the classic X-villain Proteus! Also collects material from X-Necrosha [AKA Necrosha X] (2009) #1

#231-234: X-Necrosha
(201o oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146742 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785146759 / digital)
An indirect crossover about the resurrection of dead mutants. Because issues don’t directly cross between titles, it is not essential to read the entire storyline to understand this title’s central portion of the event. Collects X-Force (2008) #21-25 and material from Annual 1, New Mutants (2009) #6-8, X-Men Legacy (2008) #231-233, and X-Necrosha [AKA Necrosha X] (2009) #1, and X Necrosha: The Gathering (2009) #1, as well as some background material. Reissued in 2020 as X-Men Milestones: Necrosha (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1302923976 / digital) [which also includes material from New X-Men (2004) #32 and X-Force (2008) #11. All other contents are the same – I have personally verified this in a physical copy.]

#235-237: X-Men: Second Coming
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146780 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157052 / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302923976 / digital / “Milestones” digital)
A direct crossover between all of the core X-titles. Rogue is featured heavily. Collects Second Coming: Prepare, Second Coming #1-2, Uncanny X-Men #523-525; New Mutants #12-14, X-Men Legacy #235-237, X-Force #26-28.

Second Coming: Revelations
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785150077 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157069 / digital)
Contains companion stories to Second Coming staring Gambit, Dazzler, and Cannonball, among others.. Collects tie-in issues X-Factor (1986) #204-206, X-Men: Blind Science (2010) #1, X-Men: Hellbound (2010) #1-3, and X-Men: Hope (2010) #1 .

X-Men Legacy #238 – 260 by Mike Carey: The Aftermath (2010 – 2011)

Begins in September 2010, parallel to Uncanny X-Men (1963) #526, X-Factor (2005 / 1986) #207, and X-Men (2010) #1 – and a month prior to the launches of Wolverine (2010), Daken (2010), and X-23 (2010). The debuts of both Uncanny X-Force (2010) and Generation Hope (2010) (in which Rogue makes an appearance) occur before the “Collision” arc.

In the Marvel Universe, this coincides with The Heroic Age. Chaos War begins sometime after “Collision.” Fear Itself occurs prior to “Legions Lost.”

Mike Carey wraps up his seven-year run at the end of this sequence. The title’s focus remains on Rogue as a mentor and protector of various former New X-Men. This focus was interrupted for Age of X, an alternate-reality story told in crossover with New Mutants. However, Rogue remained a prominent character afterwards, leading an unlikely away team. [Marvel Unlimited: main series, Age of X Alpha, Age of X Universe, New Mutants, Schism, Regenesis]

#238-241: X-Men Legacy: Collision
(2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146681 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785146698 / digital)
Features Rogue and Magneto with co-stars Anole, Loa, and Indra and the villains Children of the Vault.

#242-244: X-Men Legacy: Aftermath
(2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785156352 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156369 / digital)
The pre-Age-of-X story in Aftermath is a Second Coming epilogue that reads as if it should have preceded Collision. It prominently features Rogue, along with Hellion, Karima Shapandar, and Blindfold, along with many other X-Men. This volume also collects issues #248-249, which come after Age of X.

#245-247: X-Men: Age of X
(2011 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785152897 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152903 / digital / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302923938 / digital)
An alternate-reality tale in the spirit of the smash Age of Apocalypse. Dani and Cannonball are minor characters, but Legion figures in heavily. Collects Age of X: Alpha (2010), New Mutants (2009) #22-24, X-Men Legacy (2008) #245-247, and Age of X: Universe (2011) #1-2.

#248-249: X-Men Legacy: Aftermath
(2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785156352 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156369 / digital)
The post-Age-of-X story in Aftermath includes appearances of many X-Men that are not typically a part of the Legacy cast, including Cyclops, Emma Frost, Storm, and Pixie. However, it focuses on the Legacy team featured in the next story arc., which it specifically sets up. This volume also collects issues #242-244, which come before Age of X.

#250-253: Lost Legions
(2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785152910/ 2012 paperback, ISBN
9780-785152927 / digital)
Follows a team of Rogue, Magneto, Professor X, Legion, Gambit, and Frenzy as they contend with personalities that escaped from Legion’s brain. Also available in hardcover.

#254-260: Five Miles South of the Universe
(2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785160670 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785160687 / digital)
Follows a team of Rogue, Magneto, Gambit, and Frenzy as they visit deep Shi’ar space to rescue Rachel Summers, Polaris, and Havok. Issues #259-260 occur after Schism (below), and serves to wrap up Mike Carey’s run on the series.

Note: to avoid spoilers, if you plan to read Schism you should read it between #258-259.

X-Men: Schism
(2012 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785156680 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156888 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Schism (2011) #1-5 and X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1. This event reshapes the X-Men line.Rogue and Magneto play limited roles in Schism, while all of the current Legacy cast appear in the following Regenesis one-shot. Some events in Schism occur prior to Lost Legions, but on the whole Schism should be read after #258 in Five Miles South to avoid spoilers.

X-Men Legacy #261 – 275 by Christos Gage: Back to School (2011 – 2012)

Begins after the resolution of Schism, parallel to other “Regenesis” issues of X-Men – including new co-flagships Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 2 #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #1, as well as X-Factor (2005 / 1986) #230, Astonishing X-Men (2004) #44, New Mutants (2009) #33, X-Men (2010) #20, Uncanny X-Force (2010) #19, Wolverine (2010) #17, & Generation Hope (2010) #13.

In the Marvel Universe, Schism & Regenesis occur after the conclusions of Children’s Crusade and Fear Itself.

Christos Gage takes the reins after Carey’s historic run to transform X-Men Legacy into the teacher’s lounge at Wolverine’s newly built Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. This runs alongside Jason Aaron’s Wolverine & The X-Men. While Rogue is a professor, she’s also the defacto head of the school’s security team – and it seems like she, Gambit, and Frenzy spend more time fending off threats to the school than they do teaching! [Marvel Unlimited: main series, Avengers vs. X-Men]

#260.1 & 261-265: X-Men Legacy: Back to School
(2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785163978 / 2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785161912 / digital)
Primarily starring Rogue, Gambit, Frenzy, Rachel Summers, and Cannonball, though it features a number of New X-Men in the supporting cast. The initial arc features Exodus, followed by a compelling story about Mimic and Weapon Omega.

#266-270: These issues are often collected alongside Avengers vs. X-Men material. See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Avengers vs. X-Men for more information.

#266-275: X-Men Legacy: Avengers vs. X-Men
(2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785165873 / digital)
This final run was issued only in TPB. It collects past the end of AvX to include the final arc of the title.

#269-270: Captain Marvel vs. Rogue
(2021 paperback, ISBN 978-1302926519 / digital)
Collects a number of famous Carol vs. Rogue confrontations from Avengers Annual 10; Uncanny X-Men (1963) 158, 171, & 269; Ms. Marvel (2006) #9-10; X-Men: Legacy (2008) #269-270; Captain Marvel (2019) #4-5; and material from Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) #11

Marvel Now: X-Men Legacy (2014): Legion by Simon Spurrier (2012 – 2014)

Scripter Simon Spurrier focuses on Charles Xavier’s schizophrenic son, Legion. Spurrier pens fast-paced, madcap scripts that aren’t anything like typical X-Men comics. Many fans have compared this to a Vertigo title, but it’s much more lightweight than that (and a lot more British).

Want to know more about Legion before you get started? Pick up X-Men: Legion – Shadow King Rising, which has a lot of his early appearances and development, or see my Guide to Legion. [Marvel Unlimited]

in omnibus format…

#1-24: X-Men Legacy: Legion Omnibus (2017 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302903923)

as originally released…

#1-6: Vol. 1: Prodigal
(2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785162490 / 2018 “Son of X” reprint, ISBN 978-1302910594 / digital)

#7-12: Vol. 2: Invasive Exotics
(2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785167181 / 2018 “Son of X” reprint, ISBN 978-1302910600 / digital)

#13-18: Vol. 3: Revenants
(2013 paperback, ISBN X / 2018 “Son of X” reprint, ISBN 978-1302910822 / digital)

#19-24: Vol. 4: For We Are Many
(2014 paperback, ISBN 978-0785154327 / 2018 “Son of X” reprint, ISBN 978-1302910839 / digital)

#300: See X-Force (2014). Since this issue was released after all of this volume had been collected, it was collected along with Spurrier’s current series, X-Force.

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