Amazing how in the same day we had a Charles Xavier that represented the very idealist that he’s supposed to be and a Charles Xavier who basically spit on the dream by making a bargain that would throw away humanity.
Amazing how in the same day we had a Charles Xavier that represented the very idealist that he’s supposed to be and a Charles Xavier who basically spit on the dream by making a bargain that would throw away humanity.
In the original LifeDeath comic, we saw Forge look through Storm's history holographically. Something like that would have been good here(maybe they could have eaten peyote or something, and it could have been a mental trip instead of techno holograms), especially since this show's(and the OG TAS) canon and the comics never quite aligned precisely, so it would have been nice to get this audience all on the same page with that. And in terms of her being worshipped as a goddess in Kenya, the OG show barely ever mentioned that(other than one line in the Arkon arc), so it's unclear to what extend that happened in this timeline.
For me, it's quite clear that the Adversary was a real demon, since Forge was able to hear it too, and it bit him and poisoned him for real, so I don't understand how anyone could think it was simply a figment of her imagination. Right at the end, after Forge had banished it, that makes sense, but not before that. I interpreted that Forge's machine did cure her in part 1, but she was basically psychosomatically blocking herself. The mystical aspects of all this, particularly with regard to Storm's active or passive participation, seems to be complete headcanon. The story did not really indicate she is an actual magical/divine being. It was more a matter of her transcending 'the lie' she believed[that her powers were permanently gone(thanks Beast!)], and reclaiming her powers that had actually been scientifically/physically restored in part 1, now through a matter of willpower. I wish they would have shown us Storm's sight, you know, where she sees the world as colorful energy patterns she can manipulate 'as a sculptress sculpts her clay'. That is a visual that has SO MUCH potential, and it's actually how her powers work. Maybe they'll do it in live action one day....
I think the story would have benefited from more content with Ororo's mystical heritage/ancestry being explored(FotM's beautiful Bright Lady moment would have been great), and more exploration of her feelings for Forge, and his own mystical history(such as when he summoned the Adversary in the first place during his war experience). Basically, they butchered LifeDeath/Fall of the Mutants, and skipped the important part of Storm's powerless period, which covered YEARS of comics, and was more about her being a woman and a human, not so much about her 'holding herself back' or 'believing a white lie'. I'm not gonna nit pick too much more about this, but they kinda messed this up, but I'll allow it since they are moving so fast in this series, and I'm happy to have Storm back in her power, back in her Cockrum outfit, even if it doesn't make any sense.
As for the Xavier/Lilandra part, it was perfunctory. I actually enjoyed the Jubilee Mojoverse story much more. Xavier's new voiceactor just doesn't work correctly for me, and his take on colonialism and empire are kinda undercut by his own personal/familial history as a inter-generationally wealthy white American [colonizer] and as a soldier in the US Army.
I'm still down for this show, to be clear, but this episode was the weakest for me, personally. They can't ALL be fire, I guess.
Let the flames destroy all but that which is pure and true!
To add an additional dimension to this... Sinister has on multiple occasions been seen to capture and kill or torture Mutants as part of his genetic experiments. The original idea for an explanation might have been that he was simply collecting research samples. some of the Morlocks DO have rather potent abilities. And since they're "lost people" he doesn't need to worry about being neat and clean.