Was the Mockingbird retcon disrespectful to sexual assault survivors?

[KurtW95]

I'm speaking, of course, of the the one from a few years back, where the story of Mockingbird getting raped by the Phantom Rider and her letting him die was changed to her cheating on Hawkeye with the Phantom Rider and letting him die after having consensual sex. Besides the idea that it makes her seem like a worse person overall, I fail to see why the retcon would have happened unless the writer or editor somehow thought it makes her weak to have been raped at all and somehow makes her look better to be a cheater and letting the man she's cheating with die. Which seems like an insult to anyone who has survived sexual assault. It changed her from a strong character, who made it through a horrible trauma, to an ambivalent scheming adulteress making Hawkeye into a cuckold. Thoughts?

[Thor-Ul]

Honest, I don't know if that is disrespectful to S.A.S., if they choose to comment something about it. I don't know if we should take the attribution to declarate how others persons should feel in functions of our own interpretation of what others persons had suffered.

Now, about the character and what happened: I think everything comes from a mistake of Chelsea Cain. I think she didn't knew the character Phantom Rider was a living person and not a ghost when all the bussiness with Mockingbird happened. And neither her editor knew apparentely. I think she was honestly confused. I think all the problem could had been avoided if she would admited she made a mistake. It can happened even to the best.
But in the way the story is right now, really makes Mockingbird look as a bad person who killed a guy to hide she cheated her husband. I hink than this can be solved as 1: We never talk of this never again or 2: make an history to retcon out or makes changes to correct the story and recanonize the original circunstances.

[Muffin Crud]

Absolutely.

To preface, I adore those first five issues of a Cain’s run.

But the twisted idea to give Bobbi agency, by retroactively turning her abuse into her choosing to cheat on her husband, is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen done to a character.

[MichaelC]

But in the way the story is right now, really makes Mockingbird look as a bad person who killed a guy to hide she cheated her husband. I hink than this can be solved as 1: We never talk of this never again or 2: make an history to retcon out or makes changes to correct the story and recanonize the original circunstances.

This!
Mockingbird was raped and allowed her rapist to die. Any contradiction to that should just be viewed as a mistake and ignored. It makes her something of an antihero, but it's not like Marvel doesn't have plenty of even darker antiheroes.

[Chris0013]

Did I miss something? When did this retcon happen?

[CliffHanger2]

Just another case of a writer destroying a character. Cuz heroes being dirt bags is complex character development.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Sure would be nice if Mockingbird were allowed another plotline than revisiting the Phantom Rider, over and over

[Frontier]

I think most people ignore that part of Chelsea Cain's run.

[GenericUsername]

I'm speaking, of course, of the the one from a few years back, where the story of Mockingbird getting raped by the Phantom Rider and her letting him die was changed to her cheating on Hawkeye with the Phantom Rider and letting him die after having consensual sex. Besides the idea that it makes her seem like a worse person overall, I fail to see why the retcon would have happened unless the writer or editor somehow thought it makes her weak to have been raped at all and somehow makes her look better to be a cheater and letting the man she's cheating with die. Which seems like an insult to anyone who has survived sexual assault. It changed her from a strong character, who made it through a horrible trauma, to an ambivalent scheming adulteress making Hawkeye into a cuckold. Thoughts?

I don't think erasing SA helps victims, no. Erasing uncomfortable things just turns away from the reality of it's existence. Now if a writer seems to always have SA as a theme or sexualizes it, then it's disrespectful. But simply including it in stories isn't a problem.

[The Negative Zone]

the retcon creates the idea that it's better to be a cheater; that someone who emotionally harms their partner is preferable to being a victim.

[ed2962]

Did I miss something? When did this retcon happen?

A few years ago in the last issue of Mockingbird's solo. It's funny cuz a lot of anti-SJWs who didn't read the story were really bothered by the cover where Bobbi was wearing a "ask my about my feminist agenda" T-Shirt.

[ed2962]

But yeah, I think Cain's intention was to remove Bobbi's victim status, but it ended up making her look like a bad person. And now the emotional climax to the original story doesn't make much sense.

[Chris0013]

A few years ago in the last issue of Mockingbird's solo. It's funny cuz a lot of anti-SJWs who didn't read the story were really bothered by the cover where Bobbi was wearing a "ask my about my feminist agenda" T-Shirt.

I read that series..I don't remember that. Might have to go back and look.

[Dermie]

It was absolutely a horrible mistake -- but I don't consider it a retcon. In context of the story it can easily be justified away as Bobbi saying what Phantom Rider wanted to hear in order to get him to drop his guard and revert to physical form again so she could kick his ass. Just say it was a ploy on Bobbi's part and move on and let it fade away into obscurity to hopefully be forgotten.

[KurtW95]

Absolutely.

To preface, I adore those first five issues of a Cain’s run.

But the twisted idea to give Bobbi agency, by retroactively turning her abuse into her choosing to cheat on her husband, is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen done to a character.

I felt like the entire series didn't understand her as a character at all. I mean, they had her as a child wearing a Spider-Man shirt, despite the fact that she is clearly older than Peter. And probably older than Cyclops too. Who she imagined as a child, thinking that she couldn't be a hero because she was a woman. And he was in the X-Factor suit from the mid-80s. Never mind the fact that if she were thinking of Cyclops and Spider-Man, tons of female heroes would have been active. It felt like the writer was trying to make a statement and didn't do her research and the editors didn't correct her. And when it came to the Phantom Rider retcon, no one had the slightest idea that it would make her look bad or imply that an assault survivor cannot be strong and powerful.