Do the X-Men still take the place of POC, religious minorities and the LGBTQ?

[Force de Phenix]

The X-Men have been known for being replacements/an allegory for the struggles of people of color, religious minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. They were made at a time that didn't have these groups represented in media, so it was easier to related to superhuman being than the actual members of the aforementioned communities. Fast forward to the present and we have Blue Marvel, Ms. Marvel Miles Morales, and more.

With the current status quo at Marvel and its changes, like with the Eternals, should we consider actual Marvel Universe minorities representations of their stories, or should Marvel still use the X-Men as avatars for under represented groups of society as an indirect way of telling their stories?

[Snoop Dogg]

[GenericUsername]

I'd rather have real representation than the allegory for it. Allegories just play it safe.

[eliasmachado]

Well, as a black and gay person, I can identify more with mutants, due to the prejudice they suffer, than with any other hero just because of the color of their skin. If one day they start telling stories of a group of totally black or gay heroes, saving a world that fears and hates them for being who they are, maybe I can identify myself.

[Riv86672]

Sadly, the current X-Men are more like the ppl/groups they used to fight against than anything else.

[JudicatorPrime]

Yes, it's likely the X-Men, although you'll obviously have some stories in books other than X-men that address sociopolitical issues.

We're probably at the point now where we'll start seeing non-POC characters tackle those issues to show that injustice matters as much to groups who aren't affected by it as it does to groups that are affected. I'm really curious to see how Thor, Captain Marvel, Captain America and others deal with the attempted insurrection at the Capitol. Does Marvel tackle it head on, or do they have a passing comment -- a thought bubble or two -- and then move on as if the event was just another day in Washington?

[useridgoeshere]

I don't understand the "or" in the question. It's not one or the other. Mutants existing don't prevent writers from telling other stories using other characters. Like if someone writing Miles' story wants to write a story about his identity, the X-books don't impact that at all.

I still relate to Mutants and their struggles. Their minority status and how they're treated, even by other heroes, adds an interesting nuance to their stories. It's way better than having them just be regular superheroes who live in a mansion in New York.

[JudicatorPrime]

Is it safe to say that the X-Men's model is more like Israel than the USA at this point?

[Triniking1234]

Since they're books with non-Caucasian characters, non-Christian religious people and LGBT+ characters, the X-Men only represent mutants.

[Force de Phenix]

Is it safe to say that the X-Men's model is more like Israel than the USA at this point?

Not really. It's a different case probably outside the realm of this forum. Now that you mention it, I think inhumans are closest to being a Jewish allegory (as well as other foreign cultures), with bat-mitzvahs/bar-mitzvahs being Terrigenisis, with a nation to escape persecution from humans, and people be xenophobic towards them when they are in other territories. There are also "secular" inhumans that don't practice their cultures rites, but will always be considered inhumans. I don't think Jack Kirby created them for no reason..

If Emma Frost is supposed to represent African-Americans, the X-Men stretched their allegory to the limits to a point that it's awkward.

[Omega Alpha]

The X-men aren't a perfect allegory for any specific group, and they shouldn't be, both because it could be offensive and also would limit stories too much.

That said, some stories or some characters can be used like this, and it could work if it's well written.

[Username taken]

I'd rather have real representation than the allegory for it. Allegories just play it safe.

This basically.

[skyvolt2000]

I don't understand the "or" in the question. It's not one or the other. Mutants existing don't prevent writers from telling other stories using other characters. Like if someone writing Miles' story wants to write a story about his identity, the X-books don't impact that at all.

I still relate to Mutants and their struggles. Their minority status and how they're treated, even by other heroes, adds an interesting nuance to their stories. It's way better than having them just be regular superheroes who live in a mansion in New York.

Here is the difference-

Use mutants for that and NOBODY really goes off and throws a fit about it.

Use Miles, Ms Marvel or actual POC or LGBTQA or even woman and you get a line of folks raising CAIN about it. Because to show those folks as human being is offensive to some. It's forcing politics down people's throats. That is how we got the gators in the first place.

Mutants have powers and it can be justified fear of them (along with Inhumans, Eternals and the rest).

A black boy walking home with tea and skittles should NOT be viewed as a threat to a certain demo.
A black guy playing a storm trooper should not be viewed as genocide to a certain demo.
Yet they both viewed as such.

Using those mutants allow certain demos to feel good. Because they don't have to address real concerns. Could they march to the Capital and waltz in? Except for Bishop, Storm, Synch and Prodigy.

[Huntsman Spider]

Here is the difference-

Use mutants for that and NOBODY really goes off and throws a fit about it.

Use Miles, Ms Marvel or actual POC or LGBTQA or even woman and you get a line of folks raising CAIN about it. Because to show those folks as human being is offensive to some. It's forcing politics down people's throats. That is how we got the gators in the first place.

Mutants have powers and it can be justified fear of them (along with Inhumans, Eternals and the rest).

A black boy walking home with tea and skittles should NOT be viewed as a threat to a certain demo.
A black guy playing a storm trooper should not be viewed as genocide to a certain demo.
Yet they both viewed as such.

Using those mutants allow certain demos to feel good. Because they don't have to address real concerns. Could they march to the Capital and waltz in? Except for Bishop, Storm, Synch and Prodigy.

Because mutants are entirely fictional, which creates a certain psychological and emotional distance that allows for certain (types of) people to read those stories and not feel personally affronted or attacked when they see mutant characters being harassed, brutalized, and/or exploited by human bigots. It's when the comics "force" them to reckon with their attitudes and beliefs concerning real minorities and/or other marginalized people(s) that the backlash happens.

[Hypestyle]

way more black and BIPOC mutants are needed. No more excuses. it can't be just sympathetic white mutants as stand-ins.

"The world is not white; it never was white, cannot be white. White is a metaphor for power, and that is simply a way of describing Chase Manhattan Bank."
James Baldwin