Walt Simonson on Madelyne Pryor

[Wiccan]

I think at some point Claremont tried his best to make Jean and the Phoenix pretty much the same being. And while that has been weakened a little by all the Phoenix hosts in recent years, Marvel pretty much dumped all over that by making the Phoenix Force some sort of Kung Fu Bird in Space as of AvX.

I totally hate AvX and all of the stories with Phoenix hosts that are not Jean or Rachel. Is awful how they threat Jean's connection with the Phoenix like it was nothing.

[Barachiel]

I totally hate AvX and all of the stories with Phoenix hosts that are not Jean or Rachel. Is awful how they threat Jean's connection with the Phoenix like it was nothing.

Amen, brother. I could go on an endless rant of how much backstory they burned to make their stupid AvX drama work, but there's enough negativity going on right now, as it is. That ship has sailed, and Cortez torched it when it landed.

[TheElectricVersion]

It would've been so much more interesting to keep Maddie alive and around as Scott's wife and a normal woman. Having to watch Jean deal with that and the fact that, to her, the entire world changed "overnight " would have made for some compelling stories .

[Omega Alpha]

It would've been so much more interesting to keep Maddie alive and around as Scott's wife and a normal woman. Having to watch Jean deal with that and the fact that, to her, the entire world changed "overnight " would have made for some compelling stories .

Except of course Madelyne wasn't just "some woman", she was an exact copy of Jean. I agree that if she was an ordinary woman it could be a good story, but Claremont chose the most contrived path possible.

[Agent Z]

No one in his right mind would forbid writers for using a character, let alone a very popular character, because another writer has plans to keep him in Limbo for the next decade with the occasional guest appearance here and there. Sure the way it was done might have been wrong, but it was inevitable- Scott is too important for the X-men mythology to stay many years doing nothing more than playing house in Alaska.

That's my point; even if they wanted to use him, the way they went about bringing him back was bad. If they couldn't come up with a story that didn't involve making Scott looking like a jerk (even with the Maddie retcon) then it was probably better to leave him in limbo.

[Omega Alpha]

That's my point; even if they wanted to use him, the way they went about bringing him back was bad. If they couldn't come up with a story that didn't involve making Scott looking like a jerk (even with the Maddie retcon) then it was probably better to leave him in limbo.

Except that again, no editor would ever leave him in Limbo on a permanent basis. That's another point against CC- he put the character in a very awkward situation with this marriage- sooner or later a writer would appear and say "Hey! Wait a minute!" on the idea that a guy marries a girl that looks exactly like his dead lover shortly after meeting her and no one sees anything wrong with it. Reminds me of Wanda's "pregnancy" that was retconned eventually.

[DDD]

Wah wah Cyclops... This is about Madelyne Pryor. Scott's Real Doll which he threw a Jean wig on then discarded like trash when she gave him a baby.

[cranger]

That's my point; even if they wanted to use him, the way they went about bringing him back was bad. If they couldn't come up with a story that didn't involve making Scott looking like a jerk (even with the Maddie retcon) then it was probably better to leave him in limbo.

Scott was never really gone. Sure, we can take CC at his word that he was going to write Scott out, but publishing wise this just looked like a way to move him to X-Factor, like how Beast, Iceman and Angel were moved from New Defenders or how Rachel, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were moved to Excalibur, or, well like every other time a character switches books. He literally went from being in Uncanny X-Men in one month to X-Factor the next month.

As for living in bliss with Maddie, again despite whatever CC may have have planned, the relationship was already written as having problems with them fighting over his priorities. As far as him 'leaving' her, it was written as just another fight between a married couple with a lot of problems, and not some deadbeat skipping town on his family.

[AJpyro]

Scott was never really gone. Sure, we can take CC at his word that he was going to write Scott out, but publishing wise this just looked like a way to move him to X-Factor, like how Beast, Iceman and Angel were moved from New Defenders or how Rachel, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were moved to Excalibur, or, well like every other time a character switches books. He literally went from being in Uncanny X-Men in one month to X-Factor the next month.

As for living in bliss with Maddie, again despite whatever CC may have have planned, the relationship was already written as having problems with them fighting over his priorities. As far as him 'leaving' her, it was written as just another fight between a married couple with a lot of problems, and not some deadbeat skipping town on his family.

Tell that to many of the Scott haters and see if it sticks.

[Agent Z]

Scott was never really gone. Sure, we can take CC at his word that he was going to write Scott out, but publishing wise this just looked like a way to move him to X-Factor, like how Beast, Iceman and Angel were moved from New Defenders or how Rachel, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were moved to Excalibur, or, well like every other time a character switches books. He literally went from being in Uncanny X-Men in one month to X-Factor the next month.

As for living in bliss with Maddie, again despite whatever CC may have have planned, the relationship was already written as having problems with them fighting over his priorities. As far as him 'leaving' her, it was written as just another fight between a married couple with a lot of problems, and not some deadbeat skipping town on his family.

Given he never even told Jean he was married, it certainly looks that way. I don't hate Scott, just the poor decisions he's made due to poor choices on the writer or editor.

[cranger]

Given he never even told Jean he was married, it certainly looks that way. I don't hate Scott, just the poor decisions he's made due to poor choices on the writer or editor.

I sometimes think this is just a case of analyzing a story from a different era. X-Men, and many Marvel comics, at the time was very Soap Opera-esque. Characters had distinct traits and flaws, there was always drama and tension. It made for very entertaining storytelling and fabulous character development.

There were a lot of ways they could have really ruined these characters, but I think both of them came out of this much better with stories that became possible.

[DDD]

I am beginning to sympathize with Maddie.

[RCX]

Why does the character get the blame instead of editorial/writer?

Good question.

[Park Slope Pixie]

Except of course Madelyne wasn't just "some woman", she was an exact copy of Jean. I agree that if she was an ordinary woman it could be a good story, but Claremont chose the most contrived path possible.

She was the Jean worth rooting for

[Omega Alpha]

She was the Jean worth rooting for

LOL, good point. I agree she was more interesting than original, but Claremont trying to have his cake and eat it too- she was both Jean and not Jean- made the character just impossible to sustain in the long run.