Polaris: Queen of Mutants/Mistress of Magnetism Appreciation 2024

[Will Evans]

Dazzler is probably too (strawberry) blonde. I think many would prefer Monet over Frenzy. I'm meh on both. I'd rather have Iceman on the team than Pyro! Honestly, the power to control flames has never been very interesting in a comic book.

If Frenzy weren’t there, I would say this was Warren making a substitute O5.
Cyclops = Havok
Beast = Feral
Iceman = Pyro
Warren = Warren

Edit: If Maddie ends up joining them, this would confirm my suspicions.

[UncannySurge]

I'm glad Lorna didn't end up on X-Factor. Maybe Fall of X was the beginning of her "villian" arc in the eyes of the New editor.
GNA60DPWMAAkLlc.jpg
fallhox2024002_preview_pages-to-jpg-0004.jpg

[M@Bowers2014]

I'm glad Lorna didn't end up on X-Factor. Maybe Fall of X was the beginning of her "villian" arc in the eyes of the New editor.
GNA60DPWMAAkLlc.jpg
fallhox2024002_preview_pages-to-jpg-0004.jpg

Unfortunately I think you are correct. Her bad ass moment in FoX was the beginning of her villain/mutant terrorist arc. They're going to shift her into what Magneto was to the X-Men back in the day since he will now be in the Prof X roll. As I've said before I'd rather Lorna be a hero like she was created to be in the original X-Men title. I think there is way too much flip flopping of characters rolls in these books. It comes of to me like they can't think of anything else to do with some of these characters. I say if you can't use Polaris, Mystique, Destiny or Sinister like they were originally intended then maybe use another character instead. In Lorna's case I feel they are only doing this arc with her because they've been told they can't do it with Magneto. And they've convinced themselves that it's going to be a great story to once again have Lorna do a heal turn.

[jmc247]

Unfortunately I think you are correct. Her bad ass moment in FoX was the beginning of her villain/mutant terrorist arc. They're going to shift her into what Magneto was to the X-Men back in the day since he will now be in the Prof X roll. As I've said before I'd rather Lorna be a hero like she was created to be in the original X-Men title. I think there is way too much flip flopping of characters rolls in these books. It comes of to me like they can't think of anything else to do with some of these characters. I say if you can't use Polaris, Mystique, Destiny or Sinister like they were originally intended then maybe use another character instead. In Lorna's case I feel they are only doing this arc with her because they've been told they can't do it with Magneto. And they've convinced themselves that it's going to be a great story to once again have Lorna do a heal turn.

If Brevoort is to be believed Lorna wouldn’t be making a ‘heel turn’.

The X-Men are going back to being intergrationists and X-Factor US government agents. Some characters are not going to follow them, frankly there is no good reason that I can see for Lorna to change her view radically at this point.



Given she is appearing as a protagonist in Wanda’s ongoing I think you can expect something if she is having a militant arc more along the lines of her 2000 Acolytes arc hopefully with her leading this time.



Scarlet Witch #2

In terms of your comments focused on the ‘original’ intent of characters. Lorna’s first storyline was a divided loyalties story fighting the X-Men on the side of Magneto when he was in his batsh*t era.



There is a fundamental difference though between Lorna and post Claremont Magneto though and Sinister or the other names you gave and that is they seek the same ends as the X-Men by different means.

[M@Bowers2014]

I'm fine with Lorna doing her own thing as long as she doesn't go full blown villain. I have a very bad feeling that she is going to become a straight up killer. Killing civilians just because they're human, etc. I don't have an inside scoop or anything. Just a gut feeling.

[jmc247]

I'm fine with Lorna doing her own thing as long as she doesn't go full blown villain. I have a very bad feeling that she is going to become a straight up killer. Killing civilians just because they're human, etc. I don't have an inside scoop or anything. Just a gut feeling.

Highly unlikely. They had her pull her punches massively in attacking the space station in Fall of X #2. There was a legitimate military rationale not to stop the attack, but she did anyway letting most of her foes excape at the request of other X-Men.

We have seen Lorna out for vengeance and this is a mild version of it so far.

[M@Bowers2014]

Highly unlikely. They had her pull her punches massively in attacking the space station in Fall of X #2. There was a legitimate military rationale not to stop the attack, but she did anyway letting most of her foes excape at the request of other X-Men.

We have seen Lorna out for vengeance and this is a mild version of it so far.

I didn't have a problem with that scene given the context of what had happened during FoX. I will have a problem if moving forward she becomes what Magneto was until he changed in the 80's.

[GoingGreen]

I would -hate- Polaris as a villain. It was bad enough when she was treated as Havok's in-house villain where they masked it / washed it away with a PTSD label that a few modern writers mistook for bipolar.

I can accept a time where the canon world views her as a villain... as long as it's clear to fans she hasn't completely lost her way -yet again-. They're not done paying their dues for all the possessions, mind controls, power swaps / power stealing / power mimicking, etc, that took up so much of her developmental years.

[jmc247]

The word villain is hot button and I knew some poster coming onto the thread and dropping it wouldn’t help anything even doing it in quotes.

The X-Men since the 80s had their villains being Sinister, Poccy, Sabersh*t and on and on. Characters who are motivated for bad ends. Then they had a large group of characters who have been antagonists to the X-Men in their tactics, but not in their goals who have been the same as the X-Men.

[M@Bowers2014]

I can accept a time where the canon world views her as a villain... as long as it's clear to fans she hasn't completely lost her way -yet again-. They're not done paying their dues for all the possessions, mind controls, power swaps / power stealing / power mimicking, etc, that took up so much of her developmental years.

I agree with all of this. I'm kinda hoping she shows up in X-Factor being offered to be on the team and her turning it down. Reading the team the riot act for being Government lackeys or something. As long as they don't turn her into the new Magneto. I have a bad feeling that's what they are going to do because it's the easy way to deal with her. And let's not forget. There are very few actual X-Villains left on the table. The most interesting ones have been made into anti-heroes or are dead. IDK only time will tell. I wish FoX was already over with so we could find out.

[salarta]

Unfortunately I think you are correct. Her bad ass moment in FoX was the beginning of her villain/mutant terrorist arc. They're going to shift her into what Magneto was to the X-Men back in the day since he will now be in the Prof X roll. As I've said before I'd rather Lorna be a hero like she was created to be in the original X-Men title. I think there is way too much flip flopping of characters rolls in these books. It comes of to me like they can't think of anything else to do with some of these characters. I say if you can't use Polaris, Mystique, Destiny or Sinister like they were originally intended then maybe use another character instead. In Lorna's case I feel they are only doing this arc with her because they've been told they can't do it with Magneto. And they've convinced themselves that it's going to be a great story to once again have Lorna do a heal turn.

Lorna spending some time as a "villain," which I put in quotes because it's all down to perspective, actually would be in with what she was created to be.

She was created to be a character that struggles between Xavier and Magneto philosophies. To date, most of her history has been purely Xavier, with the Magneto side of things only occurring when she's possessed or mind controlled. She needs some time on the darker side now to balance out from decades of exclusively light side. That doesn't mean "lol I'm gonna kill civilians cause it sounds fun." It means having a perspective, and subsequent actions, that Xavierite types would be at odds with. Willingness to kill a villain that's trying to kill mutants being one example.

Some fans absolutely hate when their favorite characters can’t get along, but that was long the core driver of drama on the books other then shipper soap.

Echoing what's said here. Fiction needs drama, and drama comes from some kind of conflict, especially with these books. No person lives their life with no struggles.

[M@Bowers2014]

Lorna spending some time as a "villain," which I put in quotes because it's all down to perspective, actually would be in with what she was created to be.

She was created to be a character that struggles between Xavier and Magneto philosophies. To date, most of her history has been purely Xavier, with the Magneto side of things only occurring when she's possessed or mind controlled. She needs some time on the darker side now to balance out from decades of exclusively light side. That doesn't mean "lol I'm gonna kill civilians cause it sounds fun." It means having a perspective, and subsequent actions, that Xavierite types would be at odds with. Willingness to kill a villain that's trying to kill mutants being one example.

.

I agree that she was created to have conflict with the ideas of Xavier/Magento but as you said she's mostly been on Xavier's side. Unless mind controlled or possessed. That says to me that she, at her heart, is a hero not a villain or anti-hero. I think we're actually on the same page there. I just don't want her going full blown villain that kills humans just because they're human. I have no problem with her actions in FoX so far. I'm also down with her doing her own thing in the new era even if it's not in line with the other mutant heroes. It would actually be cool if she started her own X-Men team that has a different heroic agenda than the other 2 teams. Maybe called Astonishing X-Men? It could be:

Polaris
Banshee
Sunfire
Thunderbird
Dazzler
Bishop
Boom Boom
Shatterstar
Rictor

[jmc247]

I agree that she was created to have conflict with the ideas of Xavier/Magento but as you said she's mostly been on Xavier's side. Unless mind controlled or possessed. That says to me that she, at her heart, is a hero not a villain or anti-hero. I think we're actually on the same page there.

I won’t put words in Salarta’s mouth, but I believe the poster was saying what she was originally intended to be. Magneto’s daughter divided between his way and the X-Men was undone and she was a very different background concept for the next several decades.



Because her parentage was undone she was functionally treated as a different character then she was in the storyline above until her Genosha storyline started a move back to 60s concepts.

She has been politically radical compared to the other X-Men the Genosha era, but that hasn’t been always apparent or mattered like in space or as a detective.

[M@Bowers2014]

I won’t put words in Salarta’s mouth, but I believe the poster was saying what she was originally intended to be. Magneto’s daughter divided between his way and the X-Men was undone.



Because her parentage was undone she was functionally treated as a different character then she was in the storyline above until her Genosha storyline started a move back to 60s concepts.

She has been politically radical compared to the other X-Men the Genosha era, but that hasn’t been always apparent or mattered like in space.

I don't think Polaris was ever intended to actually be a villain considering how quickly she joined the side of Xavier. It's very similar to the Vision. In story he was created to be a villain but the creative team always intended him to be a hero.

[salarta]

I agree that she was created to have conflict with the ideas of Xavier/Magento but as you said she's mostly been on Xavier's side. Unless mind controlled or possessed. That says to me that she, at her heart, is a hero not a villain or anti-hero. I think we're actually on the same page there. I just don't want her going full blown villain that kills humans just because they're human. I have no problem with her actions in FoX so far. I'm also down with her doing her own thing in the new era even if it's not in line with the other mutant heroes. It would actually be cool if she started her own X-Men team that has a different heroic agenda than the other 2 teams. Maybe called Astonishing X-Men? It could be:

Polaris
Banshee
Sunfire
Thunderbird
Dazzler
Bishop
Boom Boom
Shatterstar
Rictor

I hope we're on the same page. If not, that's fine.

However, I see a big problem with the "she's been presented as purely Xavierite most of the time so that's what she is" thinking. Most of the time she's been presented as that is also the same time frame where she was presented as just Havok's girlfriend, and usually a damsel he needs to "save" at that. That perception of her as Xavierite with little or no darkness to her is bound up in how she could be used to benefit other characters, not what would fit best for Lorna as her own character with her own thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.

To put it another way, "Lorna should be full Xavierite because that's how she was used for most of her depictions" is not much different from "Lorna should only be Havok's girlfriend" or "Lorna should only be a supporting character" or "Lorna's not leader quality cause she's hardly ever led a team." There's a line between using depictions to inform writing, and using depictions to restrict potential. Jordan White did the latter, insisting she didn't have "star power" or "fan interest" to deserve big things.

I'm saying all of this as someone who's very against how DC changed Harley Quinn's look to be clown girl instead of harlequin-inspired like her codename and origins say it should be. DC's tried to explain those changes as evolving the character, but that they only came up with those explanations after the fact says they really just wanted to change her look.

So when I say these things regarding Lorna, it's not just change for change sake, or just for a whim. It's coming from me considering how she was originally created and the circumstances behind how she's been depicted. The ideal situation for her as I see it, based on how she was created, is someone who oscillates between both philosophies.

If these philosophies are a pendulum, and she's sent over to one side, then she needs to swing back to its opposite for some time. As herself, not under mind control or possession.