Your Unpopular/Controversial Opinions on the X-Universe

[king of hybrids]

In fairness, I could sort of see the logic of your task was to curate the F4 as an IP, because we all know that some big brain down the road would go “Hey, if Namor’s a mutant and Franklin’s a mutant…” Not that it won’t happen eventually regardless

Personally, I think making Franklin not be a mutant is stupid

[Alpha]

No they wouldn't because your DNA and other medical situations would be protected under HIPA. A mutant by definition means that their mutation is tied directly to their body/DNA. So it would only be disclosed if those people made their powers public.


Just because you think you should know every person that has HIV so that you can avoid them doesn't mean you are allowed to that information unless they willing give that up.

HIV isn't a good comparison to mutant powers. And what he was describing was law enforcement having a list of mutants. This wouldn't be a list avaiable to public.

[marhawkman]

There are 3 tiers of mutants
1) Mutants who have made their powers public (A list X-men or known criminals basically)
2) Mutants who have mutations that a visible and can't be hidden either by sight or lack of control (Nightcrawler, Proteus , Glob, Lost, Morlocks etc)
3) Mutants who can pass as humans and haven't made their powers public knowledge ( Cipher, street level background character)

Tier 1 and 2 anyone anywhere can know who those people are. A simple google or youtube video would have them all over it. Tier 3 are the ones that would need protection because they are mutants but have chosen to stay hidden for their own reasons and should be allowed to stay hidden if they choose.

No how you got your powers would be very important because mutants are born mutants. So you would have people trying to find out if kids or their own kids are going to become mutants. Are the people they are hiring secretly mutants. Are their parents mutants or family mutant lineage cause one might suspect that since they have a mutant parent they will also be a mutant. I could go on but you get the point. Mutants would hands down be oppressed in real life as well because it would turn into a witch hunt.

The random person who gets powers wouldn't be known until after they got the powers or made them public and would be far more rare than mutants. So mutants would get the brunt of all laws or discrimination because they reproduce. Remember there were millions of mutants at one point. There are not that many mutates in the grand scheme of things.

Heh, how does it matter? those three categories you listed? They apply to all metahumans in Marvel, not just Mutants.

Realistically, there's only one aspect of your analysis that I think would actually matter. The idea that people are born with it. IE they don't NEED something to give them powers after they're born. But... this applies to a lot more than Mutants. Sure, Mutants may be more numerous, but.... most Mutants aren't actually all that powerful. People who are born half-Kree on the other hand are practically demi-gods.... which has happened. Oh and then there's the whole thing with revealing that Inhumans are actually mixed into Earth's general population. Yeah, not seeing how this would fundamentally affect mutants differently. More often? Well that's all about population numbers.

And let's face it: the SHRA is a thing that took this to the general "super" community already.

[Zelena]

I think this mutant thing is like the peasant in fairy tales who happens to be the lost son of the king (when it’s not the “monster of Frankenstein”). He looks like everybody, maybe he is despised, so ordinary and, one day, he is revealed as someone special. He is not who everyone thought he is, he is more and the proof is in his blood, in his DNA, the proof cannot be rejected.

I don’t understand this appeal: you don’t have to be someone special to make special things and you don’t need super-powers to show your cleverness and your courage, in short, your value. To me, it’s just an extra, it shouldn’t be at the core of X-men stories.

[Rev9]

I think this mutant thing is like the peasant in fairy tales who happens to be the lost son of the king (when it’s not the “monster of Frankenstein”). He looks like everybody, maybe he is despised, so ordinary and, one day, he is revealed as someone special. He is not who everyone thought he is, he is more and the proof is in his blood, in his DNA, the proof cannot be rejected.

I don’t understand this appeal: you don’t have to be someone special to make special things and you don’t need super-powers to show your cleverness and your courage, in short, your value. To me, it’s just an extra, it shouldn’t be at the core of X-men stories.

True ,and in relation to what you said the writers have put a premium on super powers as the 'validator' of "specialness" instead of the actions the characters take in their day to day lives some heroic, others mundane to lift the value in and of the said characters. Basically all you hear is superpowers are all there is to intrinsic value, short of being 'mutant' ,there is no value left.

[Baron of Faltine]

True ,and in relation to what you said the writers have put a premium on super powers as the 'validator' of "specialness" instead of the actions the characters take in their day to day lives some heroic, others mundane to lift the value in and of the said characters. Basically all you hear is superpowers are all there is to intrinsic value, short of being 'mutant' ,there is no value left.

To be honest is something not limited to X-men, but common flaw of lot of western superhero comic. The power fantasy had overcome all other aspect oft he story, to the point the hero does not win because his moral, ethos or else. But mainly because hhe/she is more powerful than other. Just that. And often they push the OP to such level that is like reading One Punch Man without the humor or social commentary. And fandom can be worst in pursuing this "only power matter" phylosophy, in that they often refuse to accept any weakness, flaw or limitation to their beloved character!

[davetvs]

To be honest is something not limited to X-men, but common flaw of lot of western superhero comic. The power fantasy had overcome all other aspect oft he story, to the point the hero does not win because his moral, ethos or else. But mainly because hhe/she is more powerful than other. Just that. And often they push the OP to such level that is like reading One Punch Man without the humor or social commentary. And fandom can be worst in pursuing this "only power matter" phylosophy, in that they often refuse to accept any weakness, flaw or limitation to their beloved character!

I agree with this wholeheartedly, but it's true of so much of X-Men fandom that it feels inescapable at this point. Stan culture has ruined more than music.

[Rev9]

To be honest is something not limited to X-men, but common flaw of lot of western superhero comic. The power fantasy had overcome all other aspect oft he story, to the point the hero does not win because his moral, ethos or else. But mainly because hhe/she is more powerful than other. Just that. And often they push the OP to such level that is like reading One Punch Man without the humor or social commentary. And fandom can be worst in pursuing this "only power matter" phylosophy, in that they often refuse to accept any weakness, flaw or limitation to their beloved character!

Well said, Baron ,couldn't concur more.

[rcaguy]

HIV isn't a good comparison to mutant powers. And what he was describing was law enforcement having a list of mutants. This wouldn't be a list avaiable to public.

You actually believe this? Watch the news involing say a police shooting in a low-income area. Notice how often the background histories of the people involved or directly not involved the incident are mysteriously leaked to the local press except of course those of the officers involved in the incident.

[Lucyinthesky]

True ,and in relation to what you said the writers have put a premium on super powers as the 'validator' of "specialness" instead of the actions the characters take in their day to day lives some heroic, others mundane to lift the value in and of the said characters. Basically all you hear is superpowers are all there is to intrinsic value, short of being 'mutant' ,there is no value left.

X-men comics understood this very well, this is why Claremont often talked more about skill, training, hability, wisdom or will in the characters as the reason they could overwhel odds so much they could present an opposition even in the face of cosmic beings or unstopable armies or millions of sentinels. Like this has always been part of the X-men DNA and it´s also why I love the AoA because it hightlights all of this in a pretty wholesome way. The X-men there didn´t win the day by being more powerful than their adversaries, the battles they won were an effect, not the cause, they won because they were more willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, just to give hope and a future to all the people of earth and fix reality for this end.

This is what I hope Krakoa era gets back at it´s center, because having a home and a place where you can be yourself is actually a good thing, especially after all that has happened the last few years but all of this would be for nothing if they just repeat the same mistakes that lead to them being persecuted in the first place by being perjuiced between each other or worse, that they self destruct out of hubris

[Rev9]

X-men comics understood this very well, this is why Claremont often talked more about skill, training, hability, wisdom or will in the characters as the reason they could overwhel odds so much they could present an opposition even in the face of cosmic beings or unstopable armies or millions of sentinels. Like this has always been part of the X-men DNA and it´s also why I love the AoA because it hightlights all of this in a pretty wholesome way. The X-men there didn´t win the day by being more powerful than their adversaries, the battles they won were an effect, not the cause, they won because they were more willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, just to give hope and a future to all the people of earth and fix reality for this end.

This is what I hope Krakoa era gets back at it´s center, because having a home and a place where you can be yourself is actually a good thing, especially after all that has happened the last few years but all of this would be for nothing if they just repeat the same mistakes that lead to them being persecuted in the first place by being perjuiced between each other or worse, that they self destruct out of hubris

Well said ,I am not as hopeful that Krakoa will get back to those 'ethos building' basics for the simple reason and it's bitter sweet by the way because while on the one hand finally mutants have a nation,language, recognition and identity but on the other by going big with government , intelligence gathering and geopolitics all the narrative is focused on the big picture(most of it anyway) X-Force is hijacked by unscrupulous imperatives of Beast to mimic intelligence organisations.In Marauders we have Emma conducting quid pro quo deals depicting real world TNCs and money laundering rackets.The QC is like the UN security council with constant bickering and dirty powerplays .I guess the geenie is out of the bottle and there's no going back. I just wish Krakoans didn't have to focus on the negative so much but then again by giving mutants all they ever wanted I guess writers want a pyrrhic victory to keep fans intrigued.

[Lucyinthesky]

Well said ,I am not as hopeful that Krakoa will get back to those 'ethos building' basics for the simple reason and it's bitter sweet by the way because while on the one hand finally mutants have a nation,language, recognition and identity but on the other by going big with government , intelligence gathering and geopolitics all the narrative is focused on the big picture(most of it anyway) X-Force is hijacked by unscrupulous imperatives of Beast to mimic intelligence organisations.In Marauders we have Emma conducting quid pro quo deals depicting real world TNCs and money laundering rackets.The QC is like the UN security council with constant bickering and dirty powerplays .I guess the geenie is out of the bottle and there's no going back. I just wish Krakoans didn't have to focus on the negative so much but then again by giving mutants all they ever wanted I guess writers want a pyrrhic victory to keep fans intrigued.

I understand but I don´t think that´s the writers intention, the test will be how the fandom sees it but this is not a story in which the X-men lose their humanity, it´s more like they graduate into beating their enemies on different areas without this meaning they are not flawed people themselves, just that they have a right to live, exist, be happy and prosper just like everyone else and this is also at the center of the mythos.

Each of us is telling a story or series of stories which come to satisfying modular conclusions, and always pick up again for the next season. But none of them will be, this is the story where the X-Men fight and beat Orchis. There will be bits of that along the way, but it's always much bigger than just the stuff that goes on in one book. The goal is to make each book feel really satisfying on a human character level, while making sure they each perpetuate this beautiful tapestry. It's like fighting a war. You don't just see planes flying over there, fighting, and coming back. It's just one piece in the theater of operations. That's the thing about being in the X-office: it's the nicest war I've ever fought.

[Rev9]

I understand but I don´t think that´s the writers intention, the test will be how the fandom sees it but this is not a story in which the X-men lose their humanity, it´s more like they graduate into beating their enemies on different areas without this meaning they are not flawed people themselves, just that they have a right to live, exist, be happy and prosper just like everyone else and this is also at the center of the mythos.

yeah and as a fan even I like the Krakoa intrigue ,absolutely X-Men and the X-Universe has never been this engaging but I've noticed the interpersonal relationships and drama have taken a major backseat.It's a bit too blink and you'll miss.Like the Mystique story with Irene, it's interesting but there's not much backdrop , how did they get close , what makes Mystique one of the coldest people out there have such a soft spot for Irene?Like I don't know I feel like in previous writing cycles that would be explored deeper maybe with flashbacks, and that is just an example.The pace of Krakoa and the storylines are so kinetic there is little time for the characters to pause have introspection(except Wolverine maybe) the rest just seem to go through the motions as it were. Dont know if that makes sense , maybe that's what I mean by missing the positive beats.

[Sutekh]

X-men comics understood this very well, this is why Claremont often talked more about skill, training, ability, wisdom or will in the characters as the reason they could overwhelm odds so much they could present an opposition even in the face of cosmic beings or unstoppable armies or millions of sentinels. Like this has always been part of the X-men DNA and it´s also why I love the AoA because it highlights all of this in a pretty wholesome way. The X-men there didn´t win the day by being more powerful than their adversaries, the battles they won were an effect, not the cause, they won because they were more willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, just to give hope and a future to all the people of earth and fix reality for this end.

I like this train of thought, and am intrigued by how it stands in contrast to the Arakko way of doing things. "Our lead council is all Omegas, there's never been a non-Omega on it" and over on the Quiet Council of Krakoa, there are *some* Omegas, and some like Kitty, Kurt, Emma, etc. while other Omegas are clearly *not* ready for the Quiet Council (Iceman, Vulcan, Jim Jasper, Proteus, Elixir, etc.). Kurt and Emma and Scott and Ilyanna, among others, manage to be pretty darn important despite not being Omega (and the only mutants who can pull off a solo, Wolverine and Cable, also not Omegas...).

As much as having great 'Omega' power is *a* thing of value in mutant identity and 'status,' it's not the *only* thing that matters on Krakoa, unlike Arakko, where having the biggest mutant dick is all that matters.

[marhawkman]

X-men comics understood this very well, this is why Claremont often talked more about skill, training, hability, wisdom or will in the characters as the reason they could overwhel odds so much they could present an opposition even in the face of cosmic beings or unstopable armies or millions of sentinels. Like this has always been part of the X-men DNA and it´s also why I love the AoA because it hightlights all of this in a pretty wholesome way. The X-men there didn´t win the day by being more powerful than their adversaries, the battles they won were an effect, not the cause, they won because they were more willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, just to give hope and a future to all the people of earth and fix reality for this end.

This is what I hope Krakoa era gets back at it´s center, because having a home and a place where you can be yourself is actually a good thing, especially after all that has happened the last few years but all of this would be for nothing if they just repeat the same mistakes that lead to them being persecuted in the first place by being perjuiced between each other or worse, that they self destruct out of hubris

The Acolytes and Xmen were used as imperfect reflections here because while the Xmen were generally supporting of each other the Acolytes were often less so. For example: Cargill(despite actually caring about Scanner) would often make fun of her for being useless in combat. This actually motivated Scanner to consider changing teams.... which seemingly only didn't happen because of how the UN was POed at the Acolytes and wanted to lock them all up in prison or something. Yeah, Cargill later became an Xman... and Scanner didn't... it's weird. Funny thing though is that Scanner's list of powers is pretty ridiculous. It's just that, they are mostly things that aren't directly useful in combat... unless you wanna sucker punch astral projections anyways.