Happy New Year belated...but what does time mean to a timelost, really???
I would put forth my wish list for RACHEL GREY-SUMMERS/PRESTIGE (her mutant name omitted in the thread title btw?), but that could preclude any of the ideas from being used in canon by other creators. So instead I will look back and pick out stories that should have been Rachel's but were given to other characters...Character Chronoskimming so to speak...
Kitty Pryde mentoring the time-displaced O5 ALL-NEW X-MEN: Kitty going from ingenue to Professor K was a great development towards her becoming Kate, but Rachel in a similar role would have had lots of potential since she is both time-lost and the ultimate legacy character to that team
Speaking of Legacy...Rogue's run in the X-MEN:LEGACY title, even the costume with the long tunic that mimicked the silhouette of the Marvel Girl look, could easily have been a vehicle for Rachel.
Psylocke and the EXILES. Multiversal characters on a Cross-Time Caper? Nexus being Rachel eats that for breakfast. Also consider that canon says Rachel is the one and only version of herself in the multiverse (yeah I know that's been shown to be incorrect...but go with it).
Jean Grey's interaction with Fantomex in Grant Morrision's NEW X-MEN felt more like a Rachel moment rather than Jean, and the flirtation between the Phoenix and the Fantomex would have felt less forced given Jean's full dance card at the time.
(I would have thought that the a time lost psychic red head with s&m undertones would have been appealing to Morrison)
...which could have led to...
Psylocke's romantic bi-sexual dalliance with Fantomex and his female aspect...and a monumental back tattoo visuals in UNCANNY X-FORCE? RACHEL.
Madelyne Pryor's Sisterhood of Mutants in Matt Fraction's X-MEN run ? Hellllooooo ASKANI, especially given that Rachel was chafing under the leadership of Storm at the time because Rachel is a LEADER herself. The Sisterhood as a rival concept instead of villainous one.
Cheers to the StarChilde, long may she shine.
I love some of these ideas Thirteen. Also I think they nixed Prestige as not a lot of us care for that Kitty Kodename.
100%. There is no good reason why Kitty Pryde was mentoring and teaching Jeen about the use of her telepathic abilities. Also the fact that the retconned Jean into teaching Kitty tp skills was ridiculous. Another reason why Kitty Pryde is not a good friend to Rachel(I feel like a thread coming on.....): Your "best friend" is a powerful telepath and the 'daughter' of some time-displaced teens you've decided to care for but you keep her away from them for no good reason.
Rachel is one of the THE legacy characters for the X-Men. I feel that she, Legion, and Laura are the best reps for that.Speaking of Legacy...Rogue's run in the X-MEN:LEGACY title, even the costume with the long tunic that mimicked the silhouette of the Marvel Girl look, could easily have been a vehicle for Rachel.
I think that one of the ways they could have really utilized Rachel in the 90's (if they were so afraid of her being Phoenix and affecting crossovers) was to have put her on an Exiles-like team. Now granted this wasn't a thing until after Rachel had been sent off to be Mother Askani. But it would have made sense. It's another role that Betsy filled for Claremont in Rachel's absence. The other was being the telepath under Bogan's control. That was always supposed to be Betsy, but editors were adamant that "dead was dead" during that time so no Betts. But since Wineberg was off Cable her character could be used, and Claremont was clamoring to have her, and so it began....Psylocke and the EXILES. Multiversal characters on a Cross-Time Caper? Nexus being Rachel eats that for breakfast. Also consider that canon says Rachel is the one and only version of herself in the multiverse (yeah I know that's been shown to be incorrect...but go with it).
I'm not as familiar with that run as I only read it once, but in some ways the threat they were dealing with reminded me of Rachel battling Cayre in the 'Air Apparent' annual/issue where he would kill and absorb people and just regenerate himself. Also Ray rocked a killer leather jacket in that ish that I loved.Jean Grey's interaction with Fantomex in Grant Morrision's NEW X-MEN felt more like a Rachel moment rather than Jean, and the flirtation between the Phoenix and the Fantomex would have felt less forced given Jean's full dance card at the time.
(I would have thought that the a time lost psychic red head with s&m undertones would have been appealing to Morrison)
You lost me lol...which could have led to...
Psylocke's romantic bi-sexual dalliance with Fantomex and his female aspect...and a monumental back tattoo visuals in UNCANNY X-FORCE? RACHEL.
I think that would have been interesting, but we already have seen a failed version of this under Brian Wood. Rachel was confronting Selene and Maddie with Ororo when Rachel was taken out by Maddie before anything happended(total bs).Madelyne Pryor's Sisterhood of Mutants in Matt Fraction's X-MEN run ? Hellllooooo ASKANI, especially given that Rachel was chafing under the leadership of Storm at the time because Rachel is a LEADER herself. The Sisterhood as a rival concept instead of villainous one.
Cheers to the StarChilde, long may she shine.FAB image.
I'm sure there are other missed opportunities to do things with Rachel and show her power and strength. For me it's her being sent away during "X-Cutioner's Song" so she couldn't be part of the Summers family story. Her relegated role in the panned AvX, as well as in BotA. And while it saved her from death, not having her help lead the charge to attack Nimrod/Bastion from her own timeline in the Messiah saga was a choice.
I'm really hopeful for some good Nate and Ray content from Cable, as we know we're not getting any from Jean and Rachel.
Scott-Rachel-Nate operate as a family unit. Rachel-Nathan operate as a family unit. Scott-Jean-Nathan operate as a family unity. The four of them don't, and we've been shown that based on the fact that the two women are not shown together interacting. And one splash page of a trip to the Shi'ar beach where they aren't engaging is not proof. It's a mixed bag in terms of what we've been shown on panel between the two of them. The problem previously has been multiple writers telling stories with characters happening at the same time with no coordination. You have Jean and Rachel reconciling and looking like they are on better terms in Red. Then in Gold you have Rachel and Jean taking pot shots at each other that read poorly. And then in Extermination you have Jean being apathetic and cold to Rachel the entire run, culminating with the famous page where she ignores Rachel's plight. You're right, we need dialogue because at this point there is nothing to give readers the right impression and depiction of what their relationship is. The fact that they haven't had ANYTHING in terms of communication or interaction doesn't let readers think they operate as a family.