Originally Posted by
zinderel
I hope not. Kurt’s faith in a religion that has actively oppressed minorities and committed atrocities has long been one of my least favorite aspects of his character. Not saying it’s bad or good, objectively, just that I am over it and have been for a long time. Krakoa getting its own spiritual/religious tradition is important to cementing their status as a genuine nation, unlike Genosha, which was more like a large scale refugee camp. I hope to see more mutants rally behind the concept of abandoning the human faiths that, along with human culture, have failed mutants again and again and again.
I loved this issue, as I am loving everything about this new Status Quo. I love how it isn’t perfect, how flaws are very visible, how certain elements are troubling and even a little offputting, both to us and to the characters themselves. I am loving High Priest ***[A]***, and the more I see of him, the more I think he might...actually be genuine in his support of Krakoa. Not that I don’t think he has plans of his own, but I think he really is fully in support of this new beginning. The concept of Crucible weirdly makes sense to me, as a long time fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy and a RPer. The idea of a people who has conquered death choosing to make that conquest a thing to be earned, is perfectly ‘reasonable’, from that perspective. It doesn’t make sense to us, because we haven’t conquered death. But to them, those willing to fight to reclaim their place in society allows Crucible to provide both a powerful statement of solidarity for the species and sense of fierce defiance for those who have lost their place in the world thanks to the madness of Wanda. I’m very curious about what Warlock’s presence (and subsequent hiding from Scott...) means, and I’m happy to see that the thread of Doug infecting(?) Krakoa hasn’t been dropped or ignored. I am still enjoying the seeming hints at a poly setup, and see it as akin to the subtext between Rictor and Shatterstar in old X-Force, especially given the scene in GSXM:J+E in which Jean and Scott walk hand in hand to the Krakoa gate, then Jean moves to slogan and kisses his cheek. That coupled with Scott and Logan seemingly flirting this issue made me grin a lot more than expected. As a long time fan of Drag and it’s roots in transgressing heteronormativity in an effort to break down preconceived notions and prejudices, I am loving these little ‘screw the old ways that don’t even work for the humans that demand we follow them’ moments. It’s both needed in the fictional world we are reading, and in OUR world, and if X-Men helps start or give nuance to the conversation, I’m down.
Of course, the hot takes comparing all of this to a cult or Nazism are ever-present and as ridiculous as ever, and this is all imma say about them:
I love that literally every complaint/conspiracy theory/‘mistake’ people railed about in the beginning have been or are being addressed - just like anyone who has ever read a comic before knew they would be - and that Hickman is doing his thing and not bothering to make room for the naysayers. This is the direction things are going. This is forward movement. We are no longer in the old ‘hates and fears’ era, nor are we in the ‘well, it’s Wednesday, so that must mean the humans are trying to genocide us again...’ rut of the last decade or so. We are in a new era, a strange new world, if you will, and if it’s not for you, fine. Move on. I’m sick of seeing the minority allegory called Nazis for daring to unify and stand up to their oppressors. I’m sick of seeing the efforts of the oppressed to push back against both hatred and fear AND complacent ignorance characterized as ‘cultish’ or ‘Nazi-like’. It’s tired. It’s myopic. It’s ignorant. It’s exhausting. And the pushback and performative outrage has been categorically disproven again and again. How people can call themselves fans and then work SO HARD to only see the worst of a new situation is mind-boggling and deeply disturbing.
This is fiction. This is sci-fi. These are characters who have been pushed to the brink of extinction again and again. These are characters with a long and complicated relationship with death, and for the first time, they have a shot at being on TOP of that relationship instead of always being ground under the wheels of the inevitable. This is progress, for them. Is it scary, kinda. Is it ethically questionable? Maybe. Does it make sense given EVERYTHING that has come before and the new status quo under which they are currently operating? Absolutely.