The first issue of writer Si Spurrier and artist Jan Bazaldua’s Legion of X is going to introduce a new mystery character in the X-Men franchise. Co-created by Spurrier and artist/writer Jamie McKelvie, Mother Righteous is described as a “wheeler-dealer” figure that calls the astral plane her home. The astral plane is the void typically occupied by telepaths such as Charles Xavier and the Shadow King. Legion of X, the spinoff of Spurrier’s Way of X series, will make spend some time on the astral plane since their base of operations is inside the mind of Professor X’s son, Legion. Mother Righteous is teased to be a major player not only in the X-Men titles, but also in the larger Marvel Universe.
“Mother Righteous is a powerful and mysterious new player in the great drama unfolding in and around the x-sphere,” Si Spurrier told Newsarama. “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.”
The cover to Legion of X #2 by Dike Ruan and Jamie McKelvie’s character designs offer a closer look at Mother Righteous. Her color scheme is red and white, with her metallic skin a red tone that is contrasted by her white hair and clothing. Along her spine are small exit holes featuring dozens of glowing threads attached to floating lanterns.
McKelvie isn’t a stranger to redesigning popular superheroes. He was behind the new look for Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel, created Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel attire, and recently updated Captain Carter for a new miniseries he’s writing.
“Sometimes character designs come easy, and Mother Righteous was one of them. Si’s character work for her is so strong that once I read the script for her first appearance, I knew exactly the look I needed to go for,” McKelvie explains to Newsarama. “There was a bit of tinkering around the edges to perfect it, but she spoke to me strongly enough from the text she could only really look one way. I can’t wait to see her on the comic page!”
Readers can catch Mother Righteous when she makes her debut in April’s Legion of X #1, and Issue #2 comes out in May. Let us know what you think of this new character being added to the X-Men mythos in the comments!
