Academy X: New X-Men Appreciation 2022

[Ambaryerno]

Was rereading some of Carey's run and thinking all over again with as much focus as they've given to the rising threat of the Children of the Vault in this era, I'm gonna be super bummed if nobody ever remembers that they aren't unilateral any more than mutants are and that Indra had a connection with one of them, Luz. Like that's kinda something that should be relevant, I'm just saying....and would certainly be a reason to give him some spotlight.

Expect it to be summarily ignored if it doesn't fin the narrative Marvel is trying to sell.

[The Big G]

Marvel needs to stop being cowards and show us Hellion's HFG drip

[Rift]

First off, Hell yeah I agree.

Second, Mercury made a thread about Jean's powers the other week. I mentioned Hellion, and IIRC Merc mentioned not knowing much about him. I wrote up a whole list of things I like about him, but didn't post it because I didn't want to derail the thread. (Stans respect stans, and everyone's favorite should get to shine.) However, I saved the list in case I ever wanted to use it again. So I thought I'd post it and use it as a reference in case anyone wants to know more about him.

• He's an asshole character done well: he's smug, entitled and condescending, and he treats people outside of his inner circle like shit. But if you're one of the people he cares about (the Hellions, Sofia, Laura), he's very protective and caring.
• He's shown to be a bit of a glory-hog, wanting to be a hero so he can be adored. But when push comes to shove, he'll give up glory and status to do the right thing. Especially if it means helping those he cares about. (Hellions #1-4)
• A recognized leader with a strategic mind, even beating out every other team for the Hogwarts House Cup despite the New Mutants cheating. (New X-Men #20 +the Academy X Yearbook)
• He has straddled the line between hero and anti-villain on more than one occasion. In-universe, he's been briefly compared to Magneto, for all the passion he has for his fellow mutants.
• Yeah, he's an asshole to nearly everyone at school. But he still cares.
• Firmly mutant > human, but still protects human lives without a second thought.
• He was Emma's star protege, but went against her orders to protect Laura.
• He has an interesting use for his powers, he uses his telekinesis to create platforms and bubbles to transport himself and others. He's noted for his high speeds, which I feel sets him apart from how other regular telekinetics display their powers.
• Tried to join up with Magneto, but was rejected by because Mags knew the kid didn't really want to turn on the X-Men.
• Labeled as a monster after "killing" Karima with no regrets, even though she literally begged him to do it and it was the only way to save the X-Men.
• She ended up surviving, by the way.
• Regardless, everyone treats him like a freak. Repeatedly abandoned by people.
• Wolverine especially has it out for him, and I wouldn't be surprised if part of it was because Hellion kinda dated his daughter.
• They don't even give him good prosthetics, like they do with everyone else. He has to learn how to puppeteer them with his powers.
• He regresses as a character and is now the jerk who needs to learn to accept others.
• And then he's not even that. Now he exists to appear in the background after a threat has broken into the mansion and beat people up.
• Wore booty shorts once.
• Talented actor.
• Dated a shark once.
• Dated the Cuckoos before it was cuckool.
• Was the black sheep of his family before he was a mutant, always living in his brother's shadow.
• Hellion/Laura is better than Synch/Laura. Hellion/Synch would be better, too.
• Chemistry with every character around him.
• Yet despite all the girls around him, he's still thinking about Wind Dancer before any of them.
• He's not good at stalking people, but he's really good at leering at others creepily through the bushes.
• Again, he "killed" Karima. Imagine what could happen now that she's been overwritten and evil.
• One time, he called Quentin Quire a brony and telekinetically threw him across the room.
• Hilarious moment: After Josh was caught cheating on Wallflower with Wolfsbane, Julian stirs the pot and congratulates him on it.

I might do a serious and in-depth post tracking his major feats and character development. But first, I'm thinking about making a post that explains why (I think) Helix is such a compelling and well-loved pairing, even to this day. Or maybe a Sofia/Julian shippreciation post, since that pairing also has a lot of depth.

[Alex.]

Rift, I just want to say to you that I love your passion towards a character that is unfairly underused. I'm lucky that the Cuckoos are somewhat used, although they don't get a lot of moments to shine, but still way more than Hellion got in the last decade. Know that I'm here with you and, X-office, if you're reading these, I'm here to support an Hellion x Cuckoos story (even though I don't think they're reading).

Also, do make and in-depth analysis of him. It can help his next writer to write him properly.

[Rift]

Aww, thank you so much for the support~ And I gotta say, no word of a lie, I love the Cuckoos too. They're such fascinating characters, from their stories, development, and right down to their core premise. I'm always glad to see them get roles in stories because they definitely deserve spotlight.

[BobbysWorld]

Tbh Hellion's always been a fave of mine too, and a major source of frustration, because the thing is....he absolutely was created as an asshole! But he also, I think, was created as an asshole who was explicitly always intended to grow as a character - and for a long time, he did! The Hellion we had by the end of Yost and Kyle's run, for instance, was just NOT the same as the Hellion who was first introduced.....but then later writers reverted him back to start I feel, because they just looked at the fact that he was ever like that at all as like, the definitive take on his character when the problem is.....if you WANT to write characters who actively grow from fairly self-centered, troubled kids who can't see past their own hurt and needs when young because they're so busy compensating for the fact that they feel like if they don't focus on their needs, wants and hurts nobody else is going to since that's kinda the SOURCE of a lot of their issues....like just saying, that's a legitimate starting point for characters who aren't intended to STAY that way, because you want to write actual growth and development. But to have specific kinds of character growth and development, sometimes you have to well, start with a character being an asshole.

And unfortunately, for the last few years writers haven't seemed to care about that context that Hellion (IMO) absolutely was an asshole at first, but he wasn't an asshole just for the sake of writing another asshole character.....he was that way because that state of being was only supposed to be a start point that he then evolved FROM - the way we actually saw over the course of Academy X and New X-Men.

[Anduinel]

Tbh Hellion's always been a fave of mine too, and a major source of frustration, because the thing is....he absolutely was created as an asshole! But he also, I think, was created as an asshole who was explicitly always intended to grow as a character - and for a long time, he did! The Hellion we had by the end of Yost and Kyle's run, for instance, was just NOT the same as the Hellion who was first introduced.....but then later writers reverted him back to start I feel, because they just looked at the fact that he was ever like that at all as like, the definitive take on his character when the problem is.....if you WANT to write characters who actively grow from fairly self-centered, troubled kids who can't see past their own hurt and needs when young because they're so busy compensating for the fact that they feel like if they don't focus on their needs, wants and hurts nobody else is going to since that's kinda the SOURCE of a lot of their issues....like just saying, that's a legitimate starting point for characters who aren't intended to STAY that way, because you want to write actual growth and development. But to have specific kinds of character growth and development, sometimes you have to well, start with a character being an asshole.

And unfortunately, for the last few years writers haven't seemed to care about that context that Hellion (IMO) absolutely was an asshole at first, but he wasn't an asshole just for the sake of writing another asshole character.....he was that way because that state of being was only supposed to be a start point that he then evolved FROM - the way we actually saw over the course of Academy X and New X-Men.

I think we can thank Aaron bringing QQ back for the worst of this. Because Quire was defanged on return, going from being sincerely dangerous to your standard asshole sadboy poised to become either a great hero or great villain, but actually has a heart of gold (we did that arc several damn times for Quire, actually) and...well, that was pretty much Hellion's character, only done worse. So Julian got regressed, sidelined, and more or less forgotten.

[BobbysWorld]

I think we can thank Aaron bringing QQ back for the worst of this. Because Quire was defanged on return, going from being sincerely dangerous to your standard asshole sadboy poised to become either a great hero or great villain, but actually has a heart of gold (we did that arc several damn times for Quire, actually) and...well, that was pretty much Hellion's character, only done worse. So Julian got regressed, sidelined, and more or less forgotten.

Yeah, I really am just out here praying that one day certain writers realize that there are other options besides applying the 'There Can Be Only One' mentality to character archetypes. Like there's actually lots of room for differentiating between various characters who happen to overlap in some core personality traits. You can have more than one asshole on a team. Two jokesters can coexist. A sweet, sensitive character doesn't have to leave the room any time another sweet, sensitive character walks in. Two characters can both be aloof or abrasive or aggressive but all in entirely different ways or even for different reasons.

Like. NUANCE, my dudes.

[Sutekh]

Rift, I just want to say to you that I love your passion towards a character that is unfairly underused. I'm lucky that the Cuckoos are somewhat used, although they don't get a lot of moments to shine, but still way more than Hellion got in the last decade. Know that I'm here with you and, X-office, if you're reading these, I'm here to support an Hellion x Cuckoos story (even though I don't think they're reading).

Also, do make and in-depth analysis of him. It can help his next writer to write him properly.

The thing about the Cuckoos, for me, is that Emma Frost is right there, and not the subject of any love triangles or randomly dead for extended periods, while Jean Grey has an obsessed geneticist or two creeping around her backstory, who would totally have made a bunch of teen Jean clones for whatever sinister purposes, and three (or five) young Jeans running around would have created a very different vibe than the three (or five) young Emmas.

That said, if the goal is creepy conformity 'Stepford Wives,' multiple Emma's is totally the way to go. She's an ice-queen, while Jean's more fire (and already has her clone drama, thanks to Madelyne!).

And yeah, more Hellion, for sure. There's a dearth of pure telekinetic goodness, and I'd love to see more of Hellion and Shola Inkosa, in particular (and since the X-books can support multiple active telepaths, one in every book, like Emma and Chuck and Jean and Quentin and Betsy and Kwannon and Sage and Shadow King, it can sure AF handle a couple of telekinetics!).

Of the original Academy X squads, I want to see more Hellion, more Dust, more Wind-Dancer, more Prodigy, and more of secondary and tertiary students like Bling!, Indra, Specter, Kidogo, Dryad, Quill, etc. (some of whom haven't even had speaking lines, that I recall!).

[Uncanny X-Man]

First off, Hell yeah I agree.

Second, Mercury made a thread about Jean's powers the other week. I mentioned Hellion, and IIRC Merc mentioned not knowing much about him. I wrote up a whole list of things I like about him, but didn't post it because I didn't want to derail the thread. (Stans respect stans, and everyone's favorite should get to shine.) However, I saved the list in case I ever wanted to use it again. So I thought I'd post it and use it as a reference in case anyone wants to know more about him.

• He's an asshole character done well: he's smug, entitled and condescending, and he treats people outside of his inner circle like shit. But if you're one of the people he cares about (the Hellions, Sofia, Laura), he's very protective and caring.
• He's shown to be a bit of a glory-hog, wanting to be a hero so he can be adored. But when push comes to shove, he'll give up glory and status to do the right thing. Especially if it means helping those he cares about. (Hellions #1-4)
• A recognized leader with a strategic mind, even beating out every other team for the Hogwarts House Cup despite the New Mutants cheating. (New X-Men #20 +the Academy X Yearbook)
• He has straddled the line between hero and anti-villain on more than one occasion. In-universe, he's been briefly compared to Magneto, for all the passion he has for his fellow mutants.
• Yeah, he's an asshole to nearly everyone at school. But he still cares.
• Firmly mutant > human, but still protects human lives without a second thought.
• He was Emma's star protege, but went against her orders to protect Laura.
• He has an interesting use for his powers, he uses his telekinesis to create platforms and bubbles to transport himself and others. He's noted for his high speeds, which I feel sets him apart from how other regular telekinetics display their powers.
• Tried to join up with Magneto, but was rejected by because Mags knew the kid didn't really want to turn on the X-Men.
• Labeled as a monster after "killing" Karima with no regrets, even though she literally begged him to do it and it was the only way to save the X-Men.
• She ended up surviving, by the way.
• Regardless, everyone treats him like a freak. Repeatedly abandoned by people.
• Wolverine especially has it out for him, and I wouldn't be surprised if part of it was because Hellion kinda dated his daughter.
• They don't even give him good prosthetics, like they do with everyone else. He has to learn how to puppeteer them with his powers.
• He regresses as a character and is now the jerk who needs to learn to accept others.
• And then he's not even that. Now he exists to appear in the background after a threat has broken into the mansion and beat people up.
• Wore booty shorts once.
• Talented actor.
• Dated a shark once.
• Dated the Cuckoos before it was cuckool.
• Was the black sheep of his family before he was a mutant, always living in his brother's shadow.
• Hellion/Laura is better than Synch/Laura. Hellion/Synch would be better, too.
• Chemistry with every character around him.
• Yet despite all the girls around him, he's still thinking about Wind Dancer before any of them.
• He's not good at stalking people, but he's really good at leering at others creepily through the bushes.
• Again, he "killed" Karima. Imagine what could happen now that she's been overwritten and evil.
• One time, he called Quentin Quire a brony and telekinetically threw him across the room.
• Hilarious moment: After Josh was caught cheating on Wallflower with Wolfsbane, Julian stirs the pot and congratulates him on it.

I might do a serious and in-depth post tracking his major feats and character development. But first, I'm thinking about making a post that explains why (I think) Helix is such a compelling and well-loved pairing, even to this day. Or maybe a Sofia/Julian shippreciation post, since that pairing also has a lot of depth.

I'm loving this recap, thank you for reminding me why I love Julian!

[CGAR]

First off, Hell yeah I agree.

Second, Mercury made a thread about Jean's powers the other week. I mentioned Hellion, and IIRC Merc mentioned not knowing much about him. I wrote up a whole list of things I like about him, but didn't post it because I didn't want to derail the thread. (Stans respect stans, and everyone's favorite should get to shine.) However, I saved the list in case I ever wanted to use it again. So I thought I'd post it and use it as a reference in case anyone wants to know more about him.

• He's an asshole character done well: he's smug, entitled and condescending, and he treats people outside of his inner circle like shit. But if you're one of the people he cares about (the Hellions, Sofia, Laura), he's very protective and caring.
• He's shown to be a bit of a glory-hog, wanting to be a hero so he can be adored. But when push comes to shove, he'll give up glory and status to do the right thing. Especially if it means helping those he cares about. (Hellions #1-4)
• A recognized leader with a strategic mind, even beating out every other team for the Hogwarts House Cup despite the New Mutants cheating. (New X-Men #20 +the Academy X Yearbook)
• He has straddled the line between hero and anti-villain on more than one occasion. In-universe, he's been briefly compared to Magneto, for all the passion he has for his fellow mutants.
• Yeah, he's an asshole to nearly everyone at school. But he still cares.
• Firmly mutant > human, but still protects human lives without a second thought.
• He was Emma's star protege, but went against her orders to protect Laura.
• He has an interesting use for his powers, he uses his telekinesis to create platforms and bubbles to transport himself and others. He's noted for his high speeds, which I feel sets him apart from how other regular telekinetics display their powers.
• Tried to join up with Magneto, but was rejected by because Mags knew the kid didn't really want to turn on the X-Men.
• Labeled as a monster after "killing" Karima with no regrets, even though she literally begged him to do it and it was the only way to save the X-Men.
• She ended up surviving, by the way.
• Regardless, everyone treats him like a freak. Repeatedly abandoned by people.
• Wolverine especially has it out for him, and I wouldn't be surprised if part of it was because Hellion kinda dated his daughter.
• They don't even give him good prosthetics, like they do with everyone else. He has to learn how to puppeteer them with his powers.
• He regresses as a character and is now the jerk who needs to learn to accept others.
• And then he's not even that. Now he exists to appear in the background after a threat has broken into the mansion and beat people up.
• Wore booty shorts once.
• Talented actor.
• Dated a shark once.
• Dated the Cuckoos before it was cuckool.
• Was the black sheep of his family before he was a mutant, always living in his brother's shadow.
• Hellion/Laura is better than Synch/Laura. Hellion/Synch would be better, too.
• Chemistry with every character around him.
• Yet despite all the girls around him, he's still thinking about Wind Dancer before any of them.
• He's not good at stalking people, but he's really good at leering at others creepily through the bushes.
• Again, he "killed" Karima. Imagine what could happen now that she's been overwritten and evil.
• One time, he called Quentin Quire a brony and telekinetically threw him across the room.
• Hilarious moment: After Josh was caught cheating on Wallflower with Wolfsbane, Julian stirs the pot and congratulates him on it.

I might do a serious and in-depth post tracking his major feats and character development. But first, I'm thinking about making a post that explains why (I think) Helix is such a compelling and well-loved pairing, even to this day. Or maybe a Sofia/Julian shippreciation post, since that pairing also has a lot of depth.

I agree with ALL of this. I will alway stan Julian and Sofia.

But honeslty I think we got screwed because Quire ended up getting used in a lot of the ways that Hellion could have been used. And we know how the X-Office only acts like there can only be one personality per X-character. Literally always have to beg to get crumbs of the New X-men gen.

[Fokken]

I agree with ALL of this. I will alway stan Julian and Sofia.

But honeslty I think we got screwed because Quire ended up getting used in a lot of the ways that Hellion could have been used. And we know how the X-Office only acts like there can only be one personality per X-character. Literally always have to beg to get crumbs of the New X-men gen.

The unfortunate reality is that Quire has a more compelling visual which can make/break a character sometimes.
They're both from the same age bracket, both telekinetic, and both "bad boys" but Quire has the advantage of a more striking visual and the bonus of telepathy, and at this stage of publication has a much richer history with prominent X-characters.

Honestly its such a bummer.
I wish, wish, wish Julian could have had his due, but it just feels too little too late at this point. His character degradation is so sad.

Edit: GIVE JULIAN FACIAL HAIR TO STAND OUT FROM HIS PEERS :P

[K7P5V]

Of the original Academy X squads, I want to see more Hellion, more Dust, more Wind-Dancer, more Prodigy

To the utmost, I agree! Definitely, need more of Sofia

and more of secondary and tertiary students like Bling!, Indra, Specter, Kidogo, Dryad, Quill, etc. (some of whom haven't even had speaking lines, that I recall!).

I know, right?! But, don't forget about...

Trance

[CGAR]

The unfortunate reality is that Quire has a more compelling visual which can make/break a character sometimes.
They're both from the same age bracket, both telekinetic, and both "bad boys" but Quire has the advantage of a more striking visual and the bonus of telepathy, and at this stage of publication has a much richer history with prominent X-characters.

Honestly its such a bummer.
I wish, wish, wish Julian could have had his due, but it just feels too little too late at this point. His character degradation is so sad.

Edit: GIVE JULIAN FACIAL HAIR TO STAND OUT FROM HIS PEERS :P

Bub he has METAL hands and cool green energy.

[Rift]

Once again, great analysis, BobbysWorld. And I agree with everyone, too. Especially Fokken's idea of giving Hellion facial hair. All X-Men should have immaculate facial hair. And count me in as another Trance fan. I'm entranced.

As for making QQ, he did kind of jack Hellion's role. But I think Hellion can easily recover and find a new niche. There's already so much to his character that would let him go in multiple different directions.

• Wind Dancer's a director and in charge of Mojoworld. Hellion was a top actor in Age of X-Man. Maybe he can become an actor and get involved whenever there are stories related to entertainment or media. He can be Mojoworld's star, get Dazzler-esque cameos or be the default actor characters can reference. Hell,
• He's pretty cynical about the previous generation, he's very protective of those he's close to, and he's very good at strategizing and planning. He could become a teacher at a new X-academy, making sure that he does a better job of raising the next generation than the X-Men ever did.
• Charismatic leader who trained under Emma Frost? Whose parents are big business people? Maybe it's time Hellion gets into the Hellfire Trading Company or X-Corp.
• Put him on a main X-Men team. He has a personality that could generate conflict with others, while still creating a team that's cohesive and professional. He already has possible stories with Synch and Laura, and he could butt heads with Sunfire. Polaris could use his hands, if he's back to prosthetics.
• Change how he uses his powers. Just because he has a common power, doesn't mean he can't use it in unique ways. People mentioned him using his telekinesis for rocket fists, and I think that's a great idea. Upgrade his fists with the the option to expand or shoot out tracking chips. His telekinesis makes him very fast, so focus on how fast he is compared to others. Make him use his telekinesis for molecular combustion. Make him a support character who focuses on transporting others or making shields.
• Make him the new caretaker of the X-babies. Like them, he was also abandoned by his parents. And you just know he'd to turn them into spoiled little monsters. I would feel better about Hellion getting less focused, if he was replaced by an army of little hellions of his own creation.
• He's big on mutant rights, while still against killing others. He could become an aggressive, but still morally sound activist who campaigns for mutant rights outside of Krakoa.
• Incorporate him into the Wolverine family. Have him date Laura, but deal with an overprotective Daken, judgmental Logan, or a hyperactive and nosy Gabby.
• Okay, weird idea, but hear me out: The LatAm X-Men branch. Have him date Sofia and meet her family in Venezuela. They're kinder and more accepting than his real family. Sofia already assimilated to American culture, so he wants to assimilate into Venezuelan. The team would consist of mutants actually born in LatAm, so he'd be more of a supporting character. But he'd be a great POV character: we can see him learning about different cultures, so audiences unfamiliar with Venezuelan geography, Colombian history, or Brazilian Portuguese, or any country's political struggles can learn alongside him. The biggest issue is that Marvel would probably want a POV character with a stronger link to LatAm, than some guy who's girlfriend is from Venezuela.
• Nature Girl, but done right. Hellion can rescue mutants like the Marauders. But he'd be more public about it, and he'd have even less respect for other countries' rules and regulations. He'd still be against killing, and would protect any humans in danger. But he'd be pretty destructive in his ways, and he's making Krakoa look bad. He believes that Krakoa isn't doing enough for mutants, and they're too busy managing their image to do what needs to be done. He'd ultimately be in the wrong, and would join the Marauders to still help others.
• Give him a pet or sidekick. Wolverine has sidekicks and his kids, Scott has his family tree. Time to escape the House of H and make a mutant dynasty of his own.