Lorna Dane: Polaris Appreciation 2021

[salarta]

*slams fist on table* In this thread we hail Polaris, Queen of Mutants!



Every year, CBR locks the previous year's thread to cut down on page numbers per thread, and new appreciation threads need to be made.

Previous threads.

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2
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4

In the interest of this being a new year, hopefully much better than the last, I intend to focus on positives (at least as I see them) with my posts for the first page of this thread.

[CJStriker]

A Very Happy New Year to All Polaris Fans, May 2021 Be an Amazing Year for her! :-)

[salarta]

For this post, I thought it would be good to highlight Lorna's appearances in video games. She had a very good year in video games last year. I'll start most recent and go backwards.

Marvel Super War

Marvel Super War is a MOBA game, released 2020. Unfortunately, it's not available directly in Western countries. You would need to jump through several hoops. I couldn't get it working right when I tried those hoops. But, it was still the best representation she's had in video games to date.



Marvel Puzzle Quest

This is a tile match style game, also released 2020. I actually started playing it (and I've paid in microtransactions) specifically for her, and she's great. Her introductory event (not playable anymore) had the added bonus of acknowledging Wanda and Pietro as her half-siblings. There was actually an article for it on Marvel.com I either didn't know about or forgot about until making this thread.



Lego Marvel Super Heroes

Released in 2013, this was one of the Lego series of games. Lorna was an extra unlockable after beating a special mission for Magneto. She had the same power set (and even same color for it) as her father. This one led to me buying and playing a ton of Lego games for a few years.



Days of Future Past

This was a mobile game, that featured going through levels and fighting enemies in a side scroller format. Sadly, it's defunct. Can't get it on the store anymore. But, Lorna was one of a couple additions post-release. It coincided with DoFP's release in theaters.

[salarta]

Once again, I think I'll go backwards from most recent first, focusing on TV/film this time.

The Gifted

Played by Emma Dumont, this was the very first (and so far only) time we've ever seen Lorna in live action. Dumont became a big fan of the character as she played Lorna, and it showed as she did amazing with Lorna in season 1.




Wolverine and the X-Men

In this cartoon, Lorna is on Genosha as part of the Magnus family - which includes Wanda and Pietro. This was made in 2009, the latter half of the same decade that brought us Genosha and the family. It was made before the retcon on the twins' parentage happened.

She has an almost-romance with Gambit for one episode. In another episode, we see future Lorna deeply traumatized, living in the ruins of Genosha after it's been destroyed, wearing her father's helmet.

Unfortunately, it only lasted for one season. It had plans for 3 seasons, but then the Disney buyout happened and all the X-Men projects got shut down.



X-Men 90s animated series

I'm including this for completeness sake. She was in the 90s TV show for a couple episodes. I can't say too much as I never really watched it.

[salarta]

Now, this post is veering into the partly subjective. I want to make that clear up front. It's important to me that people assess things for themselves. Other fans may see things I don't. I'm also including things I may not personally like but I don't think can be denied as major moments.

I'm going in character chronology order, not publication chronology order.

Lorna causes plane crash that kills parents

In X-Factor #243 (2012), we saw Lorna's origin story, over 40 years after she was created. In that story, Lorna's stepfather is flying their plane, and her mother and stepfather are arguing. Lorna (a child at the time) wakes up and wants them to stop fighting - in the process, awakening her powers and causing the plane to crash. Her hair color changes from brown to green during the power awakening. Magneto has Mastermind wipe child Lorna's memories.

Lorna's powers are (re)awakened, joins the X-Men

In X-Men #49 (1968), her very first appearance, Lorna believes she's just an ordinary human... who happens to have naturally green hair.



We all know someone born with green hair, right?

Anyway, Mesmero abducts her, (re)activates her powers, and says she's Magneto's daughter and therefore his heir as Queen of Mutants. That's where the page at the top of this thread comes from. She ends up struggling between the supposed evil blood of her father in her (this was the late 60s, before Magneto's Holocaust backstory, he was presented as a clear-cut villain at the time) and the good of the X-Men. Ultimately, she sides with the X-Men. She later joins the team. Not right away, but several issues later.

Lorna throws Krakoa into SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE

Giant-Size X-Men (1975). The original X-Men (including Lorna) were captured by Krakoa during their mission to stop it. At this time, Krakoa was an evil living island. Only Cyclops escaped, and he put together a new team to rescue the original X-Men. During the fight with Krakoa, Lorna's powers are supercharged mainly by Storm, with a little more boost by Cyclops and Havok, allowing her to fling Krakoa into space.

Possession by Malice

Lorna was possessed by a psychic entity called Malice. This entity used her body and powers to attack the X-Men and serve Sinister. This is probably the most well known out of many times when Lorna's been possessed or mind controlled by villains.

Powers stolen by Zaladane

Zaladane, claiming to be Lorna's sister (during a period when Magneto was believed not to be Lorna's father), steals Lorna's powers as Mistress of Magnetism. Subsequently, Lorna exhibits "new powers"... which I'll refrain from commenting on for this post and page. Eventually, stuff happens with Shadow King possessing her, Psylocke uses a psi blade on her head, and that leads to Lorna getting her electromagnetism back while losing the other powers.

Lorna on X-Factor

Lorna's part of 90s X-Factor, a government organization. Mileage may vary as to what status she has on the team. Some people say she was co-leader with Havok, others that she was second in command, etc. Most notable things from this book (under different writers) were Lorna telling off a mutant hater and standing up for mutant rights, and learning the government had a plan to use Lorna as a weapon against Magneto if they needed to stop him. Lorna's sibling-like dynamic with Pietro was also notable here. Note: Lorna's still thought to not be Magneto's daughter at this time.

Genosha

Within a period where Havok is believed to be dead, Lorna eventually ends up on Genosha. Lorna's still believed to not be Magneto's daughter when this happens. There, she gets to interact a fair bit with Wanda and Pietro. She eventually comes to take a place as Magneto's right hand woman, posing as him (with image inducer) in public while his powers have been weakened.

Then... the Genoshan genocide happens.

Initially, what we see is Lorna pulled from the ruins, the last moments of Genosha's millions dead playing all around her and in her head. Like a black box, because of her powers. Over the course of several issues, we see Lorna's extensive trauma as she tries to deal with what happened. Eventually, we see Lorna's memories (courtesy of a session with Xavier) of what happened that day. She saw test results confirming Magneto is her father, was shortly after greeted by Genoshans in public as their sovereign princess (Magneto told them before she arrived), only for Sentinels to start murdering everyone mere moments later. Those millions begged for her to save them all, but she couldn't. All she managed to do was escape with her life.

House of M/Decimation

House of M, where Wanda created an alternate reality based in Magneto's dream of a world where mutants reign. Lorna's part of the very regal Magnus family here, as a Genoshan princess. We also got our first look at one version of Lorna's mom with this alternate universe (albeit in a later book, not during the event itself). House of M came to an end with the infamous "No More Mutants" line.

... And as a result, Lorna lost her powers. Keep in mind she was dealing with the trauma of the Genoshan genocide, believing her father was dead, and Havok having left her at the altar. Her mutant identity was all she had left. Then she lost it. At first, she put herself in front of a Sentinel and almost got herself killed thinking nearly dying might bring her powers back. She ended up leaving the X-Men to try to find herself, leading into...

Pestilence

Lorna got abducted by Daap, taken to Apocalypse, who converted her into Pestilence. Lorna getting her powers restored was somewhat of an inducement even though she was converted against her will. The plan at the time was for mind-controlled/brainwashed Lorna to spread all the worst diseases across the world. She was stopped, the diseases were purged from her. Her electromagnetic powers had been restored by Apocalypse using Celestial technology. She escaped to parts unknown toward the end of this event.

Starjammers

To escape an anti-Apocalypse cult trying to kill her, Lorna went into space with another team and ended up becoming part of the Starjammers as led by Havok. They took part in War of Kings. She was tortured during one point where the Starjammers were captured. A highlight of this era was Lorna getting to spend some time with Crystal and Luna (at this time, the twins were considered Magneto's kids, so Lorna is Aunt Lorna to Luna here), and show some political savvy in the process. Later, they tried to return home, got caught and mind-controlled, and a team of X-Men rescued them and brought them back to Earth. Lorna was on X-Factor Investigations for the short time it remained (where her origin story was learned and told).

Lorna (finally) leads her own team

After 46 years, Lorna finally gets to lead a team of her own with All-New X-Factor (2014). Up til this point, she had some "replacement leader" experience when the leaders of teams were out, but she wasn't the intended leader until this book. The team included Pietro, at the time her half-brother, and they got to have more banter (this time as actual siblings instead of "like" siblings) in following from 90s X-Factor. For one issue, Lorna got to spend time with half-sister Wanda as well.



And that wraps up what I see as the major moments she's had in comics to date. Other things certainly happened that aren't listed here. Some people might think there are important moments I haven't listed. This is what I think was important for her.

[Lucyinthesky]

Happy New year for Polaris fans

[salarta]

I don't have anything else to add, though if I do then I may edit this post for that purpose and put what I'm saying here in a new post.

Happy new year, CJStriker and Lucyinthesky! Don't see you here very often, CJ. Hopefully this year is good for Wanda.

[Frostfire]

Once again, I think I'll go backwards from most recent first, focusing on TV/film this time.

The Gifted

Played by Emma Dumont, this was the very first (and so far only) time we've ever seen Lorna in live action. Dumont became a big fan of the character as she played Lorna, and it showed as she did amazing with Lorna in season 1.




Wolverine and the X-Men

In this cartoon, Lorna is on Genosha as part of the Magnus family - which includes Wanda and Pietro. This was made in 2009, the latter half of the same decade that brought us Genosha and the family. It was made before the retcon on the twins' parentage happened.

She has an almost-romance with Gambit for one episode. In another episode, we see future Lorna deeply traumatized, living in the ruins of Genosha after it's been destroyed, wearing her father's helmet.

Unfortunately, it only lasted for one season. It had plans for 3 seasons, but then the Disney buyout happened and all the X-Men projects got shut down.



X-Men 90s animated series

I'm including this for completeness sake. She was in the 90s TV show for a couple episodes. I can't say too much as I never really watched it.

FYI the GIF you are quoting is NOT from the 90's series. It's actually from Wolverine and the X-Men from 2009. It's only 1 season long but it was really good and Polaris plays a major role in the final arc, I recommend you watch the series if you can.

[Askani's Flame]

FYI the GIF you are quoting is NOT from the 90's series. It's actually from Wolverine and the X-Men from 2009. It's only 1 season long but it was really good and Polaris plays a major role in the final arc, I recommend you watch the series if you can.

They know that. The gif falls below the heading of Wolverine and the X-Men, not TAS, and mentions some of what you're stating. Note the Emma Dumont pics and gifs are under The Gifted title.

[Frostfire]

ah oops! I misread that part.

[jmc247]

Happy Father’s Day.

Hello！
Japanese Polaris fan

my Instagram→XMenPolaris

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQTCPCGB...dium=copy_link

Attachment 110723

Welcome to the Polaris thread!

I have appreciated your commissions. Do you have a favorite Polaris artist?

Her headgear is effectively a symbol for her in the same way as Magneto's helmet is a symbol for him, and Wanda's headgear is a symbol for her. Making it was also one of the most popular single scenes of Lorna on Gifted (even though it was part of season 2).

I like her current outfit. I have some issues with her new default green number. It’s a generic and toned down version of much superior similar outfits for her when she was allowed to have more of an edge.

In terms of her headgear she has worn better versions. I agree that The Gifted even with a crap season two for the character managed to make her headgear symbolic in a way that I wouldn’t say the comics have ever done by connecting it to her past and the last gift her father gave her. The comics have never made a symbolic connection between Lorna’s headgear and anything.

Magneto’s helmet for instance was both made practical in defending against telepathy and a symbolic representation of the character and his struggle. Lorna donning a helmet in Uncanny X-Men 443 was both symbolic and practical in that issue because she had to deal with telepaths in her way.

I understand why writers don’t want to Willy Nilly give telepathic protection to more characters, but it never made any sense with Lorna who knows how to make helmets that protect from telepaths, likes wearing metal on her head and doesn’t like having her mind entered without permission. It would have no weight to wear on a EM manipulator if they didn’t want it to either.

[Soulsword323]

Gah, all this fanart of Lorna's new costume is making me love it more and more. Polaris in black & green is great! <3

Hopefully we'll get some merchandise based off it one day soon.

I personally feel like all of Lorna's costumes she include her tiara/headpiece. To me its an essential piece of her look IMO.

[juan678]

This art is everything the way Lorna was included with the Minimoffs, & the Maximoffs even has her hand on Billy's shoulder is giving family vibes they still tryna profit off this dynamic IDK why they don't just undue the retcon clearly theirs money to be made.

Thanks Journey

[juan678]

Attachment 110805
Trial of magneto

thanks Dthirds3

[juan678]

Xmen 3. High evolutionary
Attachment 110803

Onslaught revelation. Its in xavier
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All the September's solitations are out digitally

Thanks new Dthirds3