Warning: The following contains major spoilers for X-Men: Legends #1, by Fabian Nicieza, Brett Booth, Adelso Corona, Guru-eFX and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
The new X-Men: Legends series has provided more room to explore unseen pieces of the X-Men's history. These new fragments of history place some classic storylines in a new light. "The Phoenix Saga" is revisited in the first issue and brings back one of the villains involved in that story, Erik The Red.
Davan Shakari made his debut in 1976's X-Men #97, by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. Since his first appearance, Erik The Red has been an intelligence officer from the Shi'ar Empire. Initially, Erik was sent to Earth as an agent for Emperor D'Ken, who wanted to stop Lilandra from interfering with his tyrannical rule. To this end, Erik attempted to prevent the X-Men from helping the noble princess.
Erik sent foes like Juggernaut, Black Tom Cassidy, Magneto and Firelord against Marvel' mutants, while also brainwashing old allies like Havok and Polaris. None of these formidable obstacles could stop the X-Men, however, as they followed Erik back to the Shi'ar throneworld and defeated D'Ken.
Erik's religious cult, the Crystal Claws, first appeared in Fabian Nicieza and Ed Benes' Captain Marvel #2 in 1996. This group caused chaos throughout the Shi'ar Empire, with the intention of placing Adam X on the throne. Erik and the Crystal Claws attempted to brainwash Adam and make him majestor of the Shi'ar Empire, as the descendant of D'Ken.
In X-Men Legends #1, Erik and the Crystal Claws make their return. This story takes place after the villains' previous attempts to capture Adam X for their own purposes. Despite their previous failure, Erik and the Crystal Claws continue to pursue Adam as their majestor. In this issue, Erik sends the Crystal Claws to a hospital in Alaska, where they capture Adam's grandparents and hold them as hostages. Additionally, the Crystal Claws attack the X-Mansion, going after Cyclops and Havok.
This battle indicates how the Crystal Claws know of Adam's connection to the Summers family, attempting to capture his long-lost brothers as well as his grandparents. It's also clear that these attacks take place after Erik The Red's previous attempt to capture Adam, since the mutant is expresses frustration that Erik and the Crystal Claws are still alive.
Erik The Red has not been seen since he seemingly perished in Captain Marvel #3. X-Men Legends takes place after this story, but it's still set in the distant past, marking the last known appearance of Davan Shakari. With plenty of story left, it's unclear whether Erik The Red will survive this encounter, and if so, what will become of him. Erik The Red has been gone for decades, appearing only on occasion. When Erik does make his appearances, he is always out to place D'Ken or his descendans on the Shi'ar throne.
If Erik survives this flashback tale, it's possible he could return in the near future. With Princess Xandra on the Shi'ar throne, maybe Erik would feel compelled to cause more chaos. Considering the X-Men's strong ties with the Shi'ar, an attack by Erik and the Crystal Claws would be quite the spectacle.
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