Fan reaction hasn't helped. But its not just the story being dominated by genocide (that's sadly not new). I say 'cynical optimism' because the take away from the 'all-knowing' Moira is that that is inevitable. And that its pointless for mutants to try to coexists. She is saying, and Xavier either agreed then or agrees now, that it was all for nothing. It was a mistake to try, and it was all doomed. And everyone is jumping for joy now that they've finally given up.
As for the cults, I don't see how they're a good thing. Mentally ill people seeing mutants as gods because a voice in their heads declared mutants are the future. That's horrifying, and I hope to see the saner X-men trying to do something about it. Its another example of the kind of thinking the bad guys used to revel in.
Can I ask, how does other fan's reactions affect your reading, if at all?
So it's suspension of disbelief, is what you're saying? If Moira says it's hopeless then, really, why keep trying? And yes, I agree; Moira can be seen as quite a bullying figure in this scenario. Do you feel her 're-contextualisation' has harmed the narratives which came before? Do you feel this doesn't so much enrich those past storylines but, maybe, render them invalid or false?
I definitely have to agree with the cult thing too. It isn't a healthy approach, but we've seen others point out that it's a form of mutant acceptance--what are your thoughts on that?
It renders every heroic speech to the contrary made by every mutant hero in the history of the X-men empty and meaningless. They're simply wrong. And the message of the current run is that they will finally find happiness when they realize that. They used to say things like they know Trask doesn't speak for everyone, and now they say they can't tell the bad humans from the good.
If the people of Krakoa think its a good thing that people are worshiping them, then they are evil. Full stop. That is not acceptance. Worship is very different then acceptance, respect and tolerance. Its literally a lesson the X-men used to be used to teach.
No because bigotry is learned and he’s being enveloped in mutant culture, his mom’s even a mutant.
Crimes against mutants hardly get dealt with but we see how Xavier is able to bypass that with all mutants being granted diplomatic immunity by their birthright to Krakoa. Crimes against humanity are definitely still upheld in the regular world. I’m sure even these very situational instances that leeway can be made but that’s vastly different than just family coming over to live just because they miss their mutant relatives. Those mutants’ survivability is determined on their connections to their human carers, and that’s something I’m sure most of the Council will agree must happen because mutsnt lives need to be insured.
I think its a bit disingenuous. They could have just as easily used the time skip to say that the events of Uncanny caused sympathy for mutants to spike after how dire things were, combined with the renewed resolve of the Age of X-man people returning, and resulted in some kind of strong legislative win. If you can in media res an entire country, you can do the same for some sort of mutant rights act. There is nothing stopping Marvel from giving the X-men an actual win for once that doesn't spit in the face of everything that's happened before. Hell, they could even bring Sublime or Cassandra Nova back to justify the bizarre spike in mutant prejudice that happened in Uncanny.
That’s not what’s happening, though. Mutants have finally realized that most institutions that they live under are horrifically anti-mutant. Does that mean humans aren’t holding pro-mutant rallies somewhere? No, and the Krakoans clearly know that as they still hold human allies and have connections with the outside world but what’s the use of putting yourself in a hostile environment in order to sustain said relationships. With a system that demands protection, mutants are now able to live under a society where individuality and difference is celebrated instead of punished. And no one thinks the cults are “a good thing” but it’s a measure of just how much things have changed from “everybody hates mutants!!!” that the Decimation and previous eras capitalized on.
They are being attacked, but these are relatively skirmishes, rather than there being an overarching existential crisis.
It's gonna depend on how they want to play it from writer to writer and situation to situation. I feel like right now is a good spot where there can be stories of mutants encountering humans and being adored and then in the next couple of issues, meeting some humans that picket them like the old days.
The board is very hyped about the response to Krakoa from other readers, more than the idea itself. That creates reactions that are a wee bit outsized. I don't think it has been established that mutants can't be anywhere outside Krakoa. In fact, Cap'n Kate and crew just hit up a night-club not too long ago.
Once we get some light shone on the idea that mutants are still about protecting everyone, the more culty vibe will even out, in the stories and on the board. At least I think they will get back to protecting people.
I think we are in a time where most hero fiction consumers want their heroes to try to make the world better for more than just themselves. We'll see that in the X-Men too, once the world is built out.
I genuinely hope that that is the case, but the currently announced series' don't inspire confidence in me. Hickman seems to be favoring Magneto and Emma, and they are probably the last characters to focus on protecting everyone, at least in their current state.
You are absolutely right about wanting to see heroes try to make the world better. Its why I fell in love with Champions, Ms. Marvel and Unstoppable Wasp.