Welcome to Comic Book Legends Revealed! This is the six hundred and fifteenth week where we examine comic book legends and whether they are true or false.

Just like the last couple of months, one legend today, one tomorrow and one Sunday.

Let's begin!

COMIC LEGEND:

Legion was going to be a founding member of Peter David's X-Factor team.

STATUS:

True

In honor of the current, awesome "Legion" TV series, let's have a Legion-related legend (I meant to do it last week but I totally forgot)!

After 1990's crossover, "The X-Tinction Agenda," there really wasn't much of a story reason why X-Factor and the X-Men were still separate teams. Chris Claremont and Jim Lee got around it by having the X-Men teleported away for a Shi'ar adventure. When that was finished, though, they finally had the two teams get together in a crossover called "The Muir Isle Saga," as the two teams combined to take back Muir Isle, which had been conquered by the Shadow King.

In "X-Factor" #69, Legion fought the X-Men at Muir Isle and then after the Shadow King's then-current host was killed, the Shadow King possessed Legion, the son of Charles Xavier!

In the end, the X-Men defeat the Shadow King, but Legion is left comatose.

However, ORIGINALLY, Legion was going to be part of the new X-Factor team. You see, when the X-Men and X-Factor teams got together, that left the "X-Factor" title without a team, so Marvel came up with the idea of putting together the leftover mutant characters like Havok, Polaris, Madrox, Guido and Wolfsbane form a new government-sponsored mutant team.

Originally, Legion was going to be on the team, but incoming writer Peter David really did not like that idea.

He explained it to Pat O'Neill in "Comics Interview" #105:

Originally, Legion was going to be in the group, and we had a slight problem. I was extremely uncomfortable with the thought of Legion in the group simply because Legion is a story in and of himself...and comfortably working him into a group in some way that wasn't utterly contrived was something I had a great deal of difficulty with. I don't mind building a story around him, but working him into a group - you're really asking for a bit much from the reader. Believing that a group of people will come together to form a team is enough of a suspension of belief...."Oh, by the way, one of them is so nuts he shouldn't be setting foot off Muir Island"...that's asking the reader to bend so far he will break.

Then Bob Harras called him one night to ask if David really needed to keep Legion on the team, as he didn't like the idea of Legion on the team for the same reason. David, of course, jumped at the opportunity, since he thought it was Harras who was insisting that he be on the team in the FIRST place and thus Legion was off the team and the classic original Peter David/Larry Stroman X-Factor team was born!

Think of how weird things would have been!

Thanks to Pat O'Neill and Peter David for the information! I can't find who requested this one. If it was you, write me and I'll credit you!


Check out some legends from Legends Revealed:

Did Rosa Parks Sue Outkast For Their Song Named After Her?

Did Robin Williams Ad-Lib So Much During Aladdin That the Movie Was Ineligible for a Best Screenplay Academy Award?

Did the Owners of the Board Game, Candyland, Have to Sue a Porn Company for the Rights to Candyland.com?

Were Waylon Jennings’ Last Words to Buddy Holly “I Hope Your Plane Crashes”?


Check back tomorrow for part 2 of this week's legends!

And remember, if you have a legend that you're curious about, drop me a line at either brianc@cbr.com or cronb01@aol.com!