I get that the X-men being hated and feared was their thing since the beginning and they allegorically represent marginalized groups, but really, isn't it hard to draw that line after all these years? If Marvel's super-powered beings, or heck, I'll limit it to Earthlings, were only mutants, it would make sense. But there are all sorts of different sources of superpowers now. The Marvel U is BIG. To a common person, how would one even be able to tell the difference between a mutant or a radioactive-powered human, or super serum-enhanced human, or cosmically-powered human, or magic-wielding human, etc? Besides on the genetic level, which isn't outwardly apparent, how could a regular non-powered person tell?
One thing I wish had been explored further was a thread from X-Men Fantastic Four a few years ago. I don't have the comic handy so I'm going by memory, but didn't Reed say something about the source of ALL powers coming from basically the same place? That's what he was researching when working with Franklin and hiding his X-gene or whatever, right? Does anyone else remember that? Has anything been said about that in the comics since that mini-series?
Finally, I think the allegory itself is losing steam for another big reason these days. It's the fact that in this fictional world where mutants represent the marginalized, we also have characters that ARE marginalized. There are people in Marvel of minority race, there are disabled or handicapped people (both physically and mentally), there are LGBT+ people, and there are historical events that are the same as actual historical events, such as the Holocaust. There are even heroes that are members of these groups.
So isn't it a stretch at this point to keep the mutant hatred ongoing at such a large scale? I could understand small groups, but the world?
Also, I hate that mutants are considered a different race, basically, than human now. The groups mentioned above are all human, aren't they? Well mutants are humans, too, dangit! They used to even say as much...the good guys, anyway.