X-Men: Legacy (2008 series) #270

5 X-Men have gained the Phoenix power and now they're leading the others in creating a worldwide utopia. The Avengers are concerned about such power so the Phoenix 5 have declared them hunted outlaws. Rogue has been an enthusiast for the program but last issue Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers) tried to warn her to watch out for signs of the Phoenix 5 losing their humanity. Anna Marie didn't believe her and called in Magik, 1 of the P5, expecting her to take the Avenger to the X-Brig on Utopia Island. But Illyana Rasputin put her in a volcano in Siberia which she said was a part of Limbo brought to Earth.

This issue backtracks to that last scene as we see Magik dropping MsM into the mouth of the volcano. Rogue is uneasy about this but expresses her unease as worry that Carol will team up with other Avengers in there to break out, so Magik takes her into Limbo via stepping disc to show her Danvers in her own private hell. We see her menaced by demons, some of whom seem like demonic versions of her friends (Wasp, Wolverine and Rogue herself) plus Brood aliens. Our view pulls back to include other Avengers in their own cells. Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) is trapped in the web of a giant spider. Luke Cage is stuck under a huge weight with demons on top. Hawkeye can't use his weapons because he has serpents for limbs. Quicksilver's foes seem more generic.

Rogue protests that this is cruel and unusual punishment, but Illyana assures her that these demons aren't real(?) and the Avengers won't really be hurt unless they try to escape. Anna asks what if other Avengers come to rescue them, so Magik sends her through another stepping disc to find out for herself. She lands surrounded by many more real demons who are only kept from attacking her by Magik following and warning them off. The Mistress Of Limbo says that her servants are more than capable of handling any Avengers that invade, and any such invasion will mystically alert her as well - and she's worse than *any* of the demons.

They return to Siberia and Rogue says Magik seems to have all the bases covered. Illyana says she's got to go undo the protective spells on 1 of Dr Strange's safe houses that has been found. Rogue says she can call Ariel to teleport her to Utopia, so Magik leaves her. But Rogue has realised that what Ms Marvel predicted last issue has come true. And Anna had promised that if that happened she's do something about it. So now she re-enters the volcano to free the Avengers. She has a plan ...

... and she accosts the 1st demon she sees and touches it with a bare hand to absorb it's identity. We see her spirit and the demon's battling for control in a white space. The demon seems to be winning and we see its body, looking a little bit Roguish, heading deeper into Limbo where it says its nature will become even more dominant. In the white space it seems to have won, but then Rogue fights back and says that she's experienced being a passenger in her own body before and knows how to influence it. And the demon finds that it's been brought to the Avengers' cells. But it now threatens to make her watch while it kills Ms Marvel. However of course that just inspires Anna to fight harder. She causes the inner demon to injure itself and then takes back control of her body to kill the lamprey-headed version of herself that MsM is fighting.

But Carol just thinks she's another demon fake sent to torment her. Anna Marie says there's nothing she can say to prove she's the real deal that a demon couldn't have plucked from Carol's mind, but she offers to let Danvers give her the beating she deserves. Carol decides to cling to hope and asks what's the plan? Anna suggests they try to fly out. This will alert Magik and when she comes running Rogue can try to absorb her teleportation power (totally separate from the cosmic Phoenix power she wouldn't be able to take). Then they can alert the Avengers and some of the more receptive X-Men to bust this demonic prison wide open. But there's just 1 problem - the current events have left her powerless, so she'll need to borrow some of Ms Marvel's flight power. She knows that she has a history of stealing Carol's power, and she even tried to in their fight last issue. But Carol says it's OK this time because she *asked*.

Carol shares her power and they head out. Of course they have to fight through a horde of demons, but soon Magik teleports in. They immediately attack *her* and Rogue reaches out and touches her. But nothing happens. Magik says that *all* of her is now part of the Phoenix so Anna can't take *anything* from her. She banishes Ms Marvel back to her cell but this time lamprey-creatures *really* attack her. Rogue expects to be sent to a cell too, but warns her that when other X-Men learn that and discover what this prion is they'll realise like she did that Illyana is losing her mind. Magik dismisses that possibility and says that Anna is just confused. But since she's a hero who loves saving the world she'll send her to another dimension where she can do just that.

And we get a little glimpse of where Rogue ends up.