Is Jean Grey Really Ororo's Best Friend?

[butterflykyss]

The latest issue of Marvel 1001 inspired this thought and I think I can conclude that Jean really isn't her friend. A few things have occurred throughout their relationship that helped me come to this conclusion.

1. In the Classic Xmen story, Jean exerted her privilege when judging Ororo about not needing to wear clothing. They later would go on a girls night out on the town and Jean committed the ultimate sin and violated Ororo by reading her mind without her permission:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/storm...riend-2049096/



Ororo eventually forgave Jean as she came up with some lame excuse about not being able to control her powers but that wouldnt be the last time Jean would wrong her.

During the Dark Phoenix saga, Jean's ultimate desires were being fulfilled via Mastermind. One of those fantasies was reliving the colonial period in which she viewed Ororo as a slave and treated her accordingly:



I think this was probably the worst thing she could have done to Ororo and for me it sealed the deal on this question for me.

Nevertheless, it was recently revealed that during a period after Jean returned from the death of Phoenix Ororo left the xmen for a brief period and Jean didnt care about her emotions, why she left and even acknowledged she was a jerk but was glad to see her leave:



Lastly, Jean helped push Forge to ultimately end up breaking off his engagement to Ororo. This was one of the happiest moments of Ororo's life yet Jean in her instigation ruined that moment for her:

https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/up...g internet.jpg

This resulted in him lashing out on Ororo and breaking off the engagement, which she was going to say yes to:


https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/up...g internet.jpg

These things Jean has done Ororo never even knew. How can Jean truly be her friend when she harbors such thoughts against ororo ? So I don't think that Jean is a friend or at the very least hasnt been a good friend to Ororo. What are your thoughts?

[jwatson]

Yes, to Ororo, Jean is her best friend. It doesn't matter if she deserves the title or not in someone else opinion. We can't dictate who someones best friend is or isn't for them.

[powerpax]

I don't count parody stories. Yes, they're besties.

[butterflykyss]

I don't count parody stories. Yes, they're besties.

which stories were parodies?

[powerpax]

which stories were parodies?

That Marvel 1001 thing is clearly a gag AFAIC.

I also don't count the whole Black Queen thing against her. Her mind was fucked with by Wyngarde back to a Victorian mindset, combined with clumsy early '80s comic book racial politics. Plus depending on who you ask that isn't necessarily even Jean.

[Michael Watkins]

Thought it was Yukio

[Tycon]

yes they’re really best friends




/thread

Thought it was Yukio

no that’s her girlfriend

[LordUltimus]

which stories were parodies?

Even if the 1001 story wasn't a "parody" exactly, most of the stories there were ambiguous continuity at best.

[terrancejameson]

Her best female friend, maybe. X-MEN lore would have us believe she is. Actual X-Men continuity tells us that she's spent more time cultivating a relationship with Psylocke, Rogue and Kitty Pryde tho.

[TheDeadSpace]

I mean, who else would be a contender as Storm's best friend?

Corpse in a refrigerator.

Well...she had to make nice with the broccoli. Where else was that gonna happen?

Joking aside, Kisinith's post explains it pretty well.

[tuck frump]

The latest issue of Marvel 1001 inspired this thought and I think I can conclude that Jean really isn't her friend. A few things have occurred throughout their relationship that helped me come to this conclusion.

1. In the Classic Xmen story, Jean exerted her privilege when judging Ororo about not needing to wear clothing. They later would go on a girls night out on the town and Jean committed the ultimate sin and violated Ororo by reading her mind without her permission:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/storm...riend-2049096/



Ororo eventually forgave Jean as she came up with some lame excuse about not being able to control her powers but that wouldnt be the last time Jean would wrong her.

During the Dark Phoenix saga, Jean's ultimate desires were being fulfilled via Mastermind. One of those fantasies was reliving the colonial period in which she viewed Ororo as a slave and treated her accordingly:



I think this was probably the worst thing she could have done to Ororo and for me it sealed the deal on this question for me.

Nevertheless, it was recently revealed that during a period after Jean returned from the death of Phoenix Ororo left the xmen for a brief period and Jean didnt care about her emotions, why she left and even acknowledged she was a jerk but was glad to see her leave:



Lastly, Jean helped push Forge to ultimately end up breaking off his engagement to Ororo. This was one of the happiest moments of Ororo's life yet Jean in her instigation ruined that moment for her:

https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/up...g internet.jpg

This resulted in him lashing out on Ororo and breaking off the engagement, which she was going to say yes to:


https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/up...g internet.jpg

These things Jean has done Ororo never even knew. How can Jean truly be her friend when she harbors such thoughts against ororo ? So I don't think that Jean is a friend or at the very least hasnt been a good friend to Ororo. What are your thoughts?

Of course Jean has a black best friend, that's why she can't be a racist.

[tuck frump]

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/storm...riend-2049096/

I finf it interesting that Jean invokes the angry black woman stereotype after rightfully upsetting Storm. To me her almost colonial stance towards Ororo back when she first jpined the team, from policing the way she dresses herself to invading her mind, is much more damning than the incident at the HFC during which she wasnt in her right mind. And then the incident with Forge further highlights Jean controlling behavior when it comes to Storm. Jean knows best whether it's what Ororo should wear, who she should date. She's entitled to all her feelings and emotions. Then its easy to tie that to how she views race taking into consideration the HFC scene. That's a very toxic basis for a relationship.

[Strong Girl Daken]

The original X-men are a bunch of WASPs. Xavier called Storm deluded. Jean is like any other white person in a white supremacist society who has unconscious racial biases and there's no doubt Storm would call her and the rest of the X-men out if these stories were written by anyone other than a white man. I have no doubt Jean would do the work of checking herself (unlike some other X-men), but it's a story we won't ever see.

What's with this obsession over Jean's problematic history? All of the X-men have one. Is it just her turn now and next week will be all the perpetrators of "surprise kissing"/sexual harassment (aka most of the X-men)?

[tuck frump]

What's with this obsession over Jean's problematic history? All of the X-men have one. Is it just her turn now and next week will be all the perpetrators of "surprise kissing"/sexual harassment (aka most of the X-men)?

Nightcrawler is the Harvey Weinstein of the XMen.

In the ‘90s I always thought I hated Queen Jean more than anyone, but years later I’m pretty mellow about her and y’all take it too far lol. I’m all for a bit of a trolly goof but there’s officially too many “Jean: Did 9/11 Or No?” threads for me lol. You guys have fun

Having these characters act like real life people is what makes them interesting, even when that means they act in ways that are reprehensible. No one is calling for her head and Marvel isnt going to kill her off because of this. People just need to gain some perspective and get it in their heads these are not real people.

[powerpax]

Oh, I know that and you know that. I just think there's only so many "Jean Grey: Wife of Pol Pot?" jokes to be made lol.