297: X-Men Legacy # 220 - 225 (Salvage)
- Matt Campbell
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
What’s Covered?
X-Men Legacy # 220 - 225
Synopsis
X-Men Legacy # 220 - 224: Salvage
Writer - Mike Carey
Pencils - Scot Eaton
In the Australian Outback, Rogue isolates herself and “talks” with a spectral Mystique presence in her head, trying to finally get a grip on her powers instead of living in fear of them. Professor X pulls Gambit into the hunt, and the two track Rogue down just as she collides with Danger (the Danger Room come sentient, first introduced here) — only for Shi’ar scavengers to crash the party and turn it into a survival scramble. Once the dust settles, Rogue (with Mystique’s voice riding shotgun), Xavier, and Gambit get pulled into a gauntlet of Danger Room simulations that replay old traumas and pivotal X-moments like a greatest-hits playlist from hell. The Danger Room becomes a literal battleground for Rogue’s psyche, as Mystique even takes the wheel in Rogue’s body to help her muscle through the Marauders inside the sim while Xavier and Gambit are forced to deal with the Shi’ar salvagers outside.
That outside fight turns weirder when they find the real Danger not as a murder-bot, but huddled and shaken, like someone broke her spirit and left her in the corner. Rogue’s nightmare escalates with a brutal throwdown against a fake, zombie-ish Carol Danvers — because of course that wound gets reopened — while Xavier dives directly into Danger’s mind and claims he’d once tried to find a way to “save” her (as opposed to enslaving her). He’s on the verge of doing it for real this time when the Shi’ar scavengers intervene, not because they’re noble, but because they want to claim Danger like stolen tech. In the end, Xavier breaks Danger free anyway, she flips the script, and the team survives — but the real mission is internal: Xavier and Danger storm Rogue’s mental fortress and start tearing down the walls she built to survive.
The “fix” is messy and kind of terrifying: Mystique’s consciousness is the biggest wall in there, and when it finally comes down, Rogue’s defenses collapse fast. The revelation is brutal but simple — Rogue’s powers never fully developed into control because her mind was barricaded, and now that those barriers are gone, she’s suddenly operating at full capacity… with no training wheels. Rogue immediately stress-tests the upgrade the only way Rogue would: she kisses Gambit, and for once it works without draining him. It’s a win, but it’s also the start of a whole new problem — control isn’t just “unlocked,” it’s exposed.
X-Men Legacy: 225: Xavier and the Acolytes
Writer - Mike Carey
Pencils - Scott Eaton
Fresh off the Rogue/Danger mind-surgery chaos, Xavier pivots to something equally dangerous: politics, ideology, and wounded pride. He approaches the Acolytes — Exodus, Shapander, Tempo, Voght, Random, and Unuscione — basically walking into a room full of people who have every reason to hate him and the dream he represents. Instead of throwing power around, Xavier leans into persuasion, pushing the idea of mutant survival through unity rather than martyrdom. The stunner is that it works: he convinces Exodus to leave, and most of the Acolytes follow, not because they’re suddenly saints, but because Carey sells the moment as a genuine shift in leadership and direction. It’s less “Xavier wins” and more “Exodus chooses,” which makes the whole thing feel like a loaded gun pointed at the future.
My Connections and Creators
Boring or Great?
I've heard a lot about how great Mike Carey's Legacy run becomes once he starts focusing on Rogue. I still think that's possible...it's just...I don't really like Gambit. Or Xavier. And Danger seems like one of the dumbest characters I've ever seen. And random Shi'ar scavengers? Not really doing it for me either. But...this story wasn't terrible. I'm not like considering giving up or anything. It's just...meh.
Thoughts on Art
Scot Eaton’s pencils do a solid job balancing the Outback grit with the sterile, memory-weapon feel of the Danger Room, and the body language sells Rogue’s constant tension even when she’s “standing still.” The mindscape stuff leans into clean, readable superhero storytelling rather than abstract surrealism, which actually helps the emotional beats land without getting lost in visual noise. And when the action spikes (Marauders, Carol, Shi’ar interference), Eaton keeps it crisp and easy to follow — the kind of clarity this arc needs given how much is happening inside people’s heads.
Things to keep an eye on
Will Rogue really be able to touch people now!?
What will happen with Xavier leading the Acolytes?
Will Danger continue to be a character we follow? (I hope not.)
Where is Illyana? (Just kidding. Actually, where's my girl Kitty!?)