What defines X-Men?

[Stormultt Divine]

"Family, bond, community"

It's true.
My favorite pictures of the X-men are the 'family' like portraits.
https://uploadir.com/u/8f6b21yw

Lol.

[Huntsman Spider]

family and community standing together in the face of oppression and prejudice

A group of people hated simply for being born different. A group of people that has to carry the burden of other people's fear on their shoulder before even given a chance to find out what living means. A group of people who always have to be kinder than, better than, smarter than, more reservered than, and more meek than others as not to make waves. A group of people who will be told that their search for happiness will always come at the expense of the happiness of others. A group that despite all of that still wants to be loved and accepted and help.

I think these are the best definitions for what makes the X-Men who they are. The first perfectly encapsulates the X-Men themselves, and the second fits mutants as a whole, calling back to the ongoing allegory for marginalized communities throughout the fabric of the X-Men mythos.

[Yohei72]

A forehead-smacking misunderstanding of how evolution works?

I kid, I kid.

Sort of.

[Wissenschaft]

One word. Drama.

The best xmen stories are all about drama. LOTS of drama. All kinds of drama. Never a dull moment with mutants involved.

A Soap Opera that boys like to read. Well, men like to read. Do kids even read comics these days?

[yogaflame]

A Soap Opera that boys like to read. Well, men like to read. Do kids even read comics these days?

The data in the age thread seems to indicate no.

[salarta]

Thanks for all the responses on this thread so far, and responses to come! I've been reading them, and seeing similarities and differences is interesting.

Do kids even read comics these days?

The data in the age thread seems to indicate no.

I think this is more a matter of a) who comes to message boards, and b) who feels like they would call themselves fans in this sense.

I've seen a good number of Polaris fans from ~13-18 years old. Though, to be fair, there hasn't been much for them to read in several years. So I also wouldn't be surprised if they aren't reading comics by virtue of that.

[Banner]

family and community standing together in the face of oppression and prejudice

In the old days there was no mutant community to speak of. There was more or less just the X-Men (and New Mutants), mutant villains and family members and close friends. It was probably in the mid 80s and the 90s that we gradually got something one could a community.

[Theleviathan]

I think these are the best definitions for what makes the X-Men who they are. The first perfectly encapsulates the X-Men themselves, and the second fits mutants as a whole, calling back to the ongoing allegory for marginalized communities throughout the fabric of the X-Men mythos.

I second those quotes. Really well said by jwatson and RachelGrey.

[ARkadelphia]

I'm curious. There are many different elements to the franchise. If you had to say "this is what X-Men is," what would be your definition?

Mutanticity

[phoenixzero23]

Great characters and bad love drama sadly.

[ermac]

I'd say that the difference between superhero groups and the X-Men is:

X-Men fight for a better world both as a superhero team and as an advocacy group.

But I think RachelGrey's was perfect:

family and community standing together in the face of oppression and prejudice

[CoCoBandz]

Great characters and bad love drama sadly.

The bad love drama is really the good stuff.

[phoenixzero23]

The bad love drama is really the good stuff.

Maybe, I love some romantic relationships but there is a point where it becames all about love triangles and one ship vs the other. At that point it is actually a bit annoying instead of funny.

[Vegan Daddy]

big hair and tight butts

[Sin Nick]

Wolverine.