Which X-Men work best as representing the highest ideals of super heroes?

[jmc247]

The X-Men are a big tent of people with various backgrounds who have different ways of thinking and seeing the world. The philosophical differences between x-characters I have always felt feeds the overall narrative and gives spice to the relationships between characters.

The highest ideals of super heroes I believe are inconsistent with certain views and actions. Mutant nationalism and mutant separatism is not the idealized super hero thinking. It may be the right choice for a certain time and set of events, but its not the heroic ideal. The same can be said for using deadly force electively and I would define elective as anything short of no other option leads to immediate death to yourself or others.

Which x-characters function best as representing the highest ideals of super heroes and which do not?

[Snoop Dogg]

X-Men that do:


X-Men that don't: The X-Men

[PsychoEFrost]

The X-Men are a big tent of people with various backgrounds who have different ways of thinking and seeing the world. The philosophical differences between x-characters I have always felt feeds the overall narrative and gives spice to the relationships between characters.

The highest ideals of super heroes I believe are inconsistent with certain views and actions. Mutant nationalism and mutant separatism is not the idealized super hero thinking. It may be the right choice for a certain time and set of events, but its not the heroic ideal. The same can be said for using deadly force electively and I would define elective as anything short of no other option leads to immediate death to yourself or others.

Which x-characters function best as representing the highest ideals of super heroes and which do not?

Varies wildly depending on how you interpret heroes. Is it the Bishop of the future, following and executing the law to the letter regardless of the intent? Is it the Xavier ideal of stoic pacifism in the face of your oppressors? Is it the Magneto "Ends justify the means" for the protection of his people? Is it the Emma Frost morally grey "Protection of the innocent requires hard choices"? Is it the Wolverine "Bad guys must die so good people won't"? Or is it the Cyclops "Hard decisions that people hate today will secure a peaceful future tomorrow"?

[RachelGrey]

For straight out heroism I would say Kurt/Nightcrawler is probably the one who falls under the standard hero archetype based on his behavior and attitude.

I think the thing about the X-Men is that there are a variety of shades of grey. For some mutants Magneto is the greatest hero that ever lived. Emma constructs her entire life around the purpose of protecting and defending mutants, the only reason she isn't a typical hero archetype is because she puts mutants first over everyone else and she is willing to use morally grey means to protect mutants. In this way based off the fact that there is an ongoing genocide against the mutant race in the 616 universe, technically both Emma and Magneto fall into the archetype of freedom fighters trying to get freedom for their people.

[Tycon]

There’s no X-Man that upholds it and Logan trying to force it during Regenesis was hilarious. But the two that come closest are Nightcrawler and Firestar.

[CRaymond]

But the two that come closest are Nightcrawler and Firestar.

Why not Storm? Cause of Callisto?

[RachelGrey]

There’s no X-Man that upholds it and Logan trying to force it during Regenesis was hilarious. But the two that come closest are Nightcrawler and Firestar.

Darn, I forgot about Firestar, yeah, she is definitely like Kurt and falls under the hero archetype.

[nandes]

Tom Taylor's Mother Teresa Grey from X-Men Red was the closest thing we had to an #alllivesmatter stance on the X-Men in a while I guess

[Snoop Dogg]

Odd how the organization that justifies its existence using the theoretical concept of an ideal world is also one of the most pragmatic groups in that universe. But that's what happens when your team exists in the more antagonistic role of bringing change instead of trying to preserve something like peace.

But you can see that all the way in the Claremont days where they were a bunch of rough around the edges youngsters who could fall flat on their faces as a team and frequently witnessed internal insubordination before having to watch Wolverine gut people, and then after some disillusionment with their own identities and their founder going to space or whatever, the characters "growing up" was toning down the costumes, losing their naiveté and innocence, using violence to shut down threats more efficiently, and becoming more ba-a-a-ad to meet the standards of 80's edginess.

The Avengers were the handsome athletes. The X-Men were that pasty white kid with the lit cigarette, the durag, the leather jacket, the pocket knife, and the sunglasses. Yeah, everything he wore was like a cry for help, but the damn mutie had to do what he had to for survival.

So yeah, Boom-Boom is basically the Captain America of the X-Men. Just the real moral compass of the franchise.

[jmc247]

Varies wildly depending on how you interpret heroes.

By in large I would say it’s the ideals Xavier long had that he himself certainly never entirely lived up to.

But, a character need not always live up to the ideals to function best as a representative of the ideals.

[Tycon]

Why not Storm? Cause of Callisto?

Cause of Callisto. and that random Marauder she chucked daggers at. and Marrow. and that time she led two X-Force teams, but one she still called “X-Men.” then that same team killed Arkea and let Madelyne and Selene go free because of nepotism.

Love Storm but she isn’t a heroic hero in the sense that OP is talking about.

[Huntsman Spider]

Tom Taylor's Mother Teresa Grey from X-Men Red was the closest thing we had to an #alllivesmatter stance on the X-Men in a while I guess

What about Laura Kinney in her time as Wolverine, also written by Tom Taylor? Say what you will in light of her bloody past, but she was doing her best to uphold the higher ideals of being a superhero, to the point she actually called out the superhero community as a whole in her tie-in to Civil War II for failing those ideals by (once again) letting themselves be divided and set upon each other by ultimately petty disagreements. Maybe a little too preachy, but given the debacle that event, along with the following Inhumans Vs. X-Men and Secret Empire, turned out to be, it's hard to say she didn't have a very strong point, if not a higher claim to heroism than most of the major participants.

[Snoop Dogg]

Optimus Grey watched Laura kill a T-Rex. Both of their hands are still bathed in blood.

[Dthirds3]

None of them.

[Huntsman Spider]

Optimus Grey watched Laura kill a T-Rex. Both of their hands are still bathed in blood.

Hence why I was referring mainly to her time as Wolverine, where she did make a sincere and genuine attempt to better herself and the mantle she was taking on.