Just for fun: Ororo plus Jean, J’roro.
Just for fun: Ororo plus Jean, J’roro.
More interesting? Both sides a minority?
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Uhh, you know Magneto is a Slavic Jew, right?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews
Check out the Viktov Hill memorial in Prague, dedicated to the Slavic people’s back-to-back struggles against Nazis and then Communism. Drenched in crimson and purple and calls to mind Magneto’s costume. The angel’s wings call to mind the little ‘horns’ on his helmet.
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This display is dedicated to a 19 year old Czech kid who set himself on fire, killing himself, inspiring the people to resist Communist rule.
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Magneto is famously known as a WWII holocaust symbol. However, it seems like Claremont was well-traveled and observing fascist oppression is a global phenomenon that persists beyond WWII; and not just a U.S. civil rights thing.
That said — bring back Magneto’s Crimson + Purple.
Last edited by HomoSuperior; 08-05-2019 at 07:08 AM.
Here’s a thread about adjusting Magneto’s ethnicity. It was controversial then and a locked thread now.
https://community.cbr.com/showthread...sian-portrayal
I’m similarly distressed at the notion that Magneto’s heritage is mutable, but sliding timescales are a thing to contend with, and inhumane cruelty is everywhere. My only creative solution is to stretch the existence of the camps. This is terribly monstrous to propose, but what if the Nazis of the Marvel Universe created a labor camp in the wilds of Africa or South America, and kept Jews as slaves for generations? It would enable a younger Magneto to emerge from a prolonged Holocaust, and have him HATE the nations of the world for declaring a war over 40-50 years before his camp was discovered and destroyed.
Why get so fantastical about it? We live in times where a portion of America longs to be “woke.” For the MCU — if timescales are a concern, diving deeper into Slavic Jew history, and fascism’s lesser-known mutation from Nazis into Communists, trades WWII for the Cold War. It offers the opportunity to be “woke” and resonates without prioritizing human trauma. Trust me, take a trip to Prague and the average tour guide will tell you their cultural history is defined by a constant state of resistance. Fascism’s story didn’t end with WWII and forced labor camps aren’t always obvious. Imagine being at the center of Nazis and then Communism for almost 100 years. Having world powers carve up your region and deciding your population should be “given” to the Soviet Union. That’s everyone in that region, not just Slavic Jews.
In some ways it’s telling that an American audience “needs” it all to be “updated” or “more relevant.” Plenty of real stories to mine for allegory. Self-immolation at the age of 19 says a lot about the state of human affairs long after WWII’s victory.
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If our current state of affairs says anything, it’s fascism mutates and metastasizes. If the goal is to connect with others by calling attention to an ugly human truth vs. show off our imagination, let’s dig deeper into a not-so-hidden history that’s been overshadowed by WWII’s victory.
Thanks for the engaging, respectful chat.
Last edited by HomoSuperior; 08-05-2019 at 07:42 AM.
You use of the word woke with quotes makes me question your earnestness.
Are you suggesting an Eastern European Jewish Magneto born and raised in the Communist Bloc, and eschewing Nazi iconography for the prolonged trauma and terror of being the generations that followed the Holocaust? It’s not as bombastic, and far more nuanced —which works for me. Maybe not for others, but they’re bound to pipe up.
Nice summary. Not as bombastic? Prioritizing human trauma is always a risky proposition, but I would argue being “given away” by the west and living at the center of normalized Communist fascist rule for 40+ years from 1945 - 1989, weighs a little more than WWII’s six-ish years. While 80s kids were hating communism like it was a team sport and listening to new wave, Czech kids were setting themselves on fire as protest. For the record I hate writing that.
With regard to perceptions of my earnestness, yeah I’m editorializing w/those bunny ears. The word is loaded because it’s become associated with perceived self-serving competitive virtue signaling. Enlightenment is a good thing but it means nothing without selfless commitment to the story at the center.
For example, is it better to write a fantastical allegory that results in people praising our creativity but further obfuscates an overlooked universal human tragedy. Or is it better to dive deeper into that real universal human tragedy by showing it from alternative perspective? Guess it all depends on the stakes.
I’m not advocating. That’s all rhetorical.
Last edited by HomoSuperior; 08-05-2019 at 08:12 AM.
I’m open to all kinds; my optimism leads me into sensitive conversations where I misinterpret sarcasm and ridicule. Thanks for clarifying.
As the origin of this topic was character consolidation, it’s problematic when we reconfigure histories in order to make parentage a key element. Moving Magneto from the Holocaust to Communist Bloc seems workable, but moving him to a completely Rwandan context in order to parent an African Ororo is not.
I don’t have answers. Only framing the dialog thus far.
They could just retcon Jean giving birth to him. Given that he is essentially her son anyway.
One of the curious things about Cable is that he is the first X-men "kid" the second generation, the fact that he went to the future and came back as an adult from an apocalyptic future is interesting and fucked up. More than just coming form another future like Rachel or Bishop.
It Cable's case is a dramatic change and maybe a pessimist reveal that no matter what the future is screwed but they must keep fighting anyway.
Last edited by CuteNimrod; 08-05-2019 at 08:30 AM.
I kinda like a Jean Grey/Celia Reyes merging because I think Jean Grey being a doctor was one of the smartest moves that movie franchise did and filling her out bits with Celia Reyes backstory give a more complete character. But adjusting stories in fantasy thread about merging makes me a "woke" apparently
I like Jean and Cecelia separate only cause I want one to be dead and the other alive, but I totally agree that Jean’s medical education was a great addition to Famke’s portrayal.
Different strokes. IMO it’s a rickety bridge that requires a lot of upkeep. I think being a Kyle Reese type who’s working thru his dystopian trauma to build a better world and thereby building a better self is the far more compelling story. While I applaud centralizing and building relations in some cases, this one is unnecessary and convoluted.
Last edited by CRaymond; 08-05-2019 at 08:40 AM.