Polaris: Queen of Mutants/Mistress of Magnetism Appreciation 2024

[GoingGreen]

Yeah, it is canon that when Havok sucker-punched Polaris with his powers, he was not under mind control like he was 'supposed' to be, and that most fans would prefer. The canon is, at least currently, that he was "undercover". And this hasn't been addressed since.

Ultimately, these two have been put at odds so frequently. There's something to be said about the importance of their relationship being represented... but the perpetual hope and need for them to be separated and kept apart. I would be more than happy with them building on the friendship they started developing in the Krakoan era... but I never want to see them romantic again.

[Thirteen]

Polaris figure/sculpture Appreciation

[jmc247]

The topics we’d like to see her tackle with being a survivor of Genosha could still be discussed in the comics, especially considering all of the books are dealing with a post Krakoan world. It happened and people remember. Hopefully, her next writer uses that for her.

If Lorna's motivation is actually defending and fighting for mutants for a while to come and not boyfriend issues, dad issues, coffee, etc. then it might. Fall of the House of X was the first time in the comics in twenty years I actually felt some real fire in Lorna's belly to defend mutants in general. It works for the character very very well.

She isn't ever going to be an A list white hat X-Man like Jean, but that doesn't mean she can't be an A list mutant. Her bread is buttered as Magneto's greatest Acolyte in the same way that Jean is Xavier's. Lorna in the role of Magneto's daughter doesn't do though and by the role of Magneto's daughter I mean responding to him in the same way her relationship to Havok was about responding to him.

There is nothing in the comics more powerful than Lorna with a motivation, worldview, and goal ready to make a new world.

[whitecrown]

It's her final 90s X-Factor costume she wore before she left for Genosha to become an Acolyte.



Only colored purple. I can't explain the purple coloring decision only that was also what her other artists on that Upper Deck card set did as well even to her 60s outfit. Then again it was 2005 and purple was historically the color of royalty.

I never liked that X-Factor costume but it looks worlds better in purple. And even her classic costume looks really good as purple. I'd like to see it colored more often that way.

[whitecrown]

It was reveled to be more complicated then a straight brainwashing and he was under cover trying to win over Dark Beast or something. I honestly don’t care one way or another. The big idea was it was forced conflict to draw back readers because the ship wasn’t selling comics.



Much earlier. She was confirmed to be his daughter in Mutant X #1/2 in 1998 and she died in 2001 in Mutant X 32.



In the 616 she left for Genosha in the start of 2000. The island was destroyed and she was calling him dad there in New X-Men 132 in 2002. In late 2003 Austen did the DnA text/back up story to Genosha where we learn he left the island to her.

Wow, that's really quite something. At least it was the intention he was brainwashed when he attacked her even if that was retconned away later, rather than that scene being scripted already with the context he was acting undercover.

Thanks for confirming. Crazy to think Lorna became Magneto's daughter (again) in an alternate reality Mutant X first.

[jmc247]

Thanks for confirming. Crazy to think Lorna became Magneto's daughter (again) in an alternate reality Mutant X first.

They were likely testing the waters and gaging the fan response AU before going 616 with it. This was Mutant X #10 in 1999 which was a well received issue.



This was Uncanny X-Men 380 in 2000 a year later. A very similar plot idea of Lorna taking care of an injured and enfeebled Magneto.

[kcekada]

Polaris figure/sculpture Appreciation

I own two of that group. The first is the Randy Bowen bust in her classic outfit (though missing the blousy part that covers her arms), and the Marvel Legends figure which is disappointing, but looks a little better in person than shown here. I didn't go for the X-Factor Havok/Polaris two-pack -- even though it's a pretty good rendition of Lorna from that era.

Randy Bowen later did a full sized statue of Lorna in her classic look -- again missing the puffy sleeves. I was tempted, but those statues were a bit expensive.

[jmc247]

Randy Bowen later did a full sized statue of Lorna in her classic look -- again missing the puffy sleeves. I was tempted, but those statues were a bit expensive.

There have been a number of custom figures the past few years.

This one is going for about $250.



These about $300.



These are going for north of $2,500.





There have been no officially licensed Polaris statues for over a decade, but her Fall of X outfit is something that I think would sell.

[GoingGreen]

I own two of that group. The first is the Randy Bowen bust in her classic outfit (though missing the blousy part that covers her arms), and the Marvel Legends figure which is disappointing, but looks a little better in person than shown here. I didn't go for the X-Factor Havok/Polaris two-pack -- even though it's a pretty good rendition of Lorna from that era.

Randy Bowen later did a full sized statue of Lorna in her classic look -- again missing the puffy sleeves. I was tempted, but those statues were a bit expensive.

I own all of these except the little one in the bottom middle. But there's a bust missing, which I also own. Here's a pic of mine:

[GoingGreen]

There have been a number of custom figures the past few years.

This one is going for about $250.



These about $300.



These are going for north of $2,500.





There have been no officially licensed Polaris statues for over a decade, but her Fall of X outfit is something that I think would sell.

These are all so beautiful

[GoingGreen]

Pardon the triple post, I am so sorry. But I just want this beautiful bust to get its due...

https://imgur.com/mO7Tsqt

[WarrensForgottenMemoryLoss]

My take on the brainwashed Alex was that wheb he is part of Dark Beast's "Dark Descebdants" during the Onslaught event, AKA when the heart-stopping happened, he was genuinelly brainwashed, as Onslaught was in the same room as him at one point, and definitively would have commented on a traitor, I feel.

And in issue #131 of X-Factor, after a nightmare Alex has about his history of mind control, he finds Dark Beast's lab and thinks that he was brainwashing residue that he got back to the lab, and it's hinted its then that he decides to fake still being brainwashed.

But also, in X-Factor #131(the same issue), we get reference to the events of Uncanny X-Men #339, in which the Brotherhood was already active and attacked J.Jonah Jameson. And in X-factor #129, Jamie Maddrox is the one to drop the bombshell of Alex leading the brotherhood to Polaris and the rest.

Honestly, I am certain that the plans for Alex's storyline changed at one point, because X-Factor 131 also had Nightmare!Magneto commenting that Alex was always tempted by mutant supremacy.

Retcons, retcons everywhere. But I feel like the writers tried to make a retcon where Alex was brainwashed when he gave Polaris the heart attack, and was of his free will later on only, hence the change in team's name, and Alex going from servant of Dark Beast to being the leader of the Brotherhood.

But the xhole run was so poorly written, I will say: only an opinion. I can think of MULTIPLE other ways that storyline can be interpreted. I saw several in other people's reaction.

Also Lorna mentionned the "almost-killed thing" amongst other things in X-Factor #148 when criticizing Alex, and it was GLORIOUS.

[marhawkman]

The situation with the Acolytes is an interesting one. They had a bigger role in the 90s series then the current one it feels like. The late 90s/early 00s Acolyte era was of course pretty central to Lorna’s character development and evolution well before Genosha was destroyed.

]
Yeah, the Acolytes in this version are guys who Fabian told he was recruiting to help Magneto. If he could kill Magneto and make it look like someone else did it.... but the truth came out and EVERYONE wanted his head. Voght was POed enough to threaten to kill him personally IIRC..... Yeah, Voght... the woman who tries to avoid fighting....

Not sure about the purpose of Joseph if he shows up. I kind of hope he doesn’t.

Maybe the Magneto that did the EMP was a clone? Maybe that's why it took so long for Xavier to figure out how to fix his mind? Can't fix what ain't broken.

[jmc247]

But also, in X-Factor #131(the same issue), we get reference to the events of Uncanny X-Men #339, in which the Brotherhood was already active and attacked J.Jonah Jameson. And in X-factor #129, Jamie Maddrox is the one to drop the bombshell of Alex leading the brotherhood to Polaris and the rest.

Don’t get caught in the minutia, focus on the big picture. Big picture is the ship had long needed forced conflict to draw in readers back to the days of Claremont and earlier. Relationships that need fighting to draw in readers, mind control or not, tend to be fundamentally flawed.

Non mind control fighting tends to bring in readers more then mind control once readers figured out mind control tends to be cheap ignorable crap story telling. The stories that really launched Jean and Wanda into the stratosphere as characters were corruption tales not mind control.

The first great story arc Lorna ever had was her Genosha story. Nothing comes close at this point sadly enough. For the fans that view it as replaceable nah it isn’t.

Bitching at dad, fighting with dad, making up with dad, possession, bitching at boyfriend, fighting with him, making up with him. Most of Lorna’s storytelling is at best weak and at worst terrible.

Fall of X was light years better then most for her, but it represents a character that can’t just drop from the heavens. It’s an evolutionary process.

The Dark Phoenix Saga was high class soap opera storytelling, the same for House of M. Havolaris suffered from being Jott on a diet with hand me down third rate storytelling. That and characters are very boring together normally.

[WarrensForgottenMemoryLoss]

Oh, I agree Lorna and Alex NEVER worked as a couple.

I just am generally annoyed by people taking tge late X-Factor era and either treating as a literral and metaphorical assassination attempt on Laura OR just another Havok mind control tale.

Acolytes Lorna is probably still best Lorna, for me. Kind of sad, because it's a short period crammed between "Alex pinning" and Austen being VERY weird with the entire team, so people don't know it much.

I also liked some of what was done in Krakoa X-Factor, but it feels to me like the writer had plans for Lorna she never got to use, and stuff like the Alex drunk call were just... no.

It's like the Martin Frizelgard run on Tim Drake: Robin. I feel like the personnality is there and we get small nods to history that are neat, but the stories are relying on ignoring what makes the character works. The tone of the book needed Lorna to act OOC to fit in. A very sad waste of a great character...