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One of Wolverine’s greatest enemies had their own young sidekick for a time — and X-Men Legends provides the perfect way for her to reappear.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men Legends #8, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Sabretooth has long been a violent counterpoint to Wolverine, gaining a number of contrasts over the years during their violent rivalry. This has even extended to partners, including one ally that’s notably similar to one the feral member of the X-Men had for years.
In X-Men Legends #8 (by Larry Hama, Billy Tan, Chris Sotomayor, and VC’s Joe Caramagna), Sabretooth arrives on the scene alongside his partner Birdy — which could be a tease of her possible restoration in the present day.
X-Men Legends has been turning back the clock across various eras of the X-Men’s history, delving into stories that occurred in different time periods. The latest issue takes place during the heyday of Wolverine’s time with Jubilee, with the pair developing a close friendship. While traveling through Japan looking for lost young mutants, they encounter a pair of young women (Hino-Chan and Yerei) who are being targeted by Lady Deathstrike, agents of the Hand, and their leader, Jie Jie. Intending to sell the young mutants to a mysterious buyer, Deathstrike succesfully captured Jubilee, only for the teleporting Yurei to bring Wolverine into the fight. The buyer further complicates things, as he’s revealed to be Omega Red, who also joins the brawl.
The final page confirms that even more is yet to come, with Sabretooth arriving on the scene as well. Notably, he’s not alone either, as he’s accompanied by his sidekick Birdy, who first appeared in X-Men #6 (by Jim Lee and Scott Lobdell) and served as a twisted counter to Jubilee. She worked as Sabretooth’s partner much as Jubilee teamed up with Wolverine, but was far more mercenary, and was willing to switch sides if the price was right. A moderately powerful telepath, Birdy’s real role with Sabretooth was to explore his mind and calm his more traumatic memories so as to keep his killer’s edge sharp.
Birdy ended up betraying her partner in the Sabretooth solo series (by Larry Hama and Mark Texeira), revealing that she was working with Creed out of self-preservation. Sadly, this would also end up sealing her fate at the end of that miniseries. After using her powers to delve into the minds of both Sabretooth and Graydon Creed, Birdy discovered that her partner was the father of Creed. Unfortunately, in the chaos that erupted in light of this revelation, Graydon murdered Birdy in cold blood.
Birdy only appeared in a handful of issues before her demise, and it’s somewhat surprising to see her return in X-Men: Legends, which is also the perfect place to showcase her. There’s also a chance that this could be a precursor of things to come, especially since Sabretooth is about to star in his own miniseries. Birdy could naturally be one of the countless mutants resurrected by the Five, and if she has been restored then she could even be reunited with her former employer in his upcoming miniseries that follows Sabretooth after he finally escapes exile within Krakoa. Her role in X-Men: Legends, while brief, might be a tease that this minor telepath might have a role to fill in the near future.
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