First, some new fanart.
by
unknownrllan
by
Minocitaarts
Second, some commentary. I haven't passed any of this by the Polaris Committee (TM), and I may respond to prior posts at some point later, but I'm writing this purely off thoughts I have right now.
There's been discussion about what kind of role Lorna could have within the X-Men setup, based on the various characters that exist and what roles Marvel gives them at any given time. We've discussed what I'm about to say to some extent before, but I feel like it hasn't really been fully weighed and considered.
A LOT of people who like Lorna (fans or casual) like her associated with punk and heavy metal themes and aesthetics. We've seen quite a bit of fanart and cosplay fitting this idea. Whether it's Lorna wearing spiked chokers or rocker jackets with slogans, piercings and tattoos all over, or giving the middle finger, there's been a trend of fan imagery depicting her with a lot of this attitude. There might have been a bit here and there in the past, but it's especially picked up since Emma Dumont's depiction of Lorna on Gifted that had more of this style to her.
The "punk and heavy metal" vibe regularly comes with a sense of rebellion. Raging against the machine (perhaps literally, in Lorna's case), questioning systems, challenging authority.
In my opinion, this is exactly the role Lorna can take. Regardless of what anyone else is doing. And I think it fits the core concept of her from way back when she was introduced. She was more progressive than Jean at that time as far as female character portrayal. Before the parentage retcon happened, Lorna was also set to be "rebellious" in the sense of rebelling against her father toward the side of good, yet with a bit of "devil" to her implied (let's not forget the horns hand gesture she had when revealed in costume). But back then, all the punk and heavy metal subculture we see today hadn't arrived yet, so Lorna as a character couldn't seize upon them for her character development. By the time that subculture showed up, attitude with Marvel had moved away from her potential and more toward how she could be used to benefit other characters.
That brings us to today. A lot of people perceive the concept of rebellion as one of "rebellious youth," and further, that "rebellious youth" must be in their teens. This perception would supposedly age Lorna out... BUT. This isn't really true. You don't have to be young to be a rebellious figure. In particular, there's a lot of take for this among millennial ages, which are themselves older than the age Marvel currently considers these characters (as Marvel considers these characters to be in their mid-20s).
However, what we COULD do with her age and history is present her as a "rebellious mentor/icon." Roll up "rogue princess" with rebellion and you have a powerful figure who could use her experiences and cultural status to push for change.
... Now, this is where we get to Krakoa. Because a lot of people are framing their ideas of what Lorna can be entirely on what Marvel's currently doing instead of generally. To which, I raise these two hypotheticals.
- What if Lorna, being rebellious, challenges the system of Krakoa for injustices that others aren't willing to challenge?
- What if Lorna, being rebellious, challenges the Krakoan idea of self-isolation and insists mutant representation not being as represented in other countries as pre-Krakoa isn't real change?
#2 gets into thoughts of whether or not Lorna supports the idea of mutant island nations, and I'm not going to get into arguments about that right now, cause that's not really relevant. What I'm saying with #2 isn't "Lorna must be opposed to Krakoa." I'm saying that in hypothetical #2, Lorna may feel Krakoa alone isn't sufficient for mutants. Just because women have equal rights in the United States (which to be honest isn't really true, but still) doesn't mean they can leave mutant treatment or mutant attitudes in other countries at sanctions, or at stepping in only when things are real bad. At its roots, the "rebellion" part of heavy metal and punk is making people uncomfortable in the work to bring positive change. Perhaps Lorna would want a world where Krakoa isn't perceived as needed to protect most mutants. Perhaps she would put herself out there as such a figure demanding progress in other countries in a direct way that Krakoa as a larger entity can't.
Frankly, I still don't really support HoX/PoX/DoX. So the above comments are more to detail what's possible for a "rebellious" Lorna in that setting for those people who do support HoX/PoX/DoX.
Plus, hypothetically, Lorna as a rebel figure could give Marvel an "out" for why they never have her leading teams. Because X-Men teams up til now haven't really been "rebel" style. New Mutants may have been the closest thing, but it's not quite what I'm thinking of here. I'm certainly open to correction if I'm wrong though.
Wrapping up: as far as I'm aware, no characters in Marvel's existing framework fits this concept very well. You may be able to look at particular characters who had a "phase" or "the look" at one time or another, but that's entirely different from a character actually owning it and cutting new paths forward. I think "heavy metal or punk rebel figure" is Lorna's niche. And I think she already has both fandom perception and character history to pull it off.
Besides, how
can't you imagine the
Mistress of Magnetism as a heavy metal rebel queen rocking out? :P